Differentiation of HL-60 cells by dimethylsulfoxide induces 5-lipoxygenase protein expression, but only low cellular 5-lipoxygenase activity. Similarly, B-lymphocytes express 5-lipoxygenase protein and show activity in cell homogenates but not in intact cells. Here, we demonstrate that suppression of cellular 5-lipoxygenase activity in these cell lines is serum dependent and that the serum effect can be mimicked by selenium. Selenium-dependent inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase activity was also observed in the corresponding cell homogenates or 100 OOOXg supernatants when dithiothreitol or glutathione (GSH) was added. The properties of the endogenous selenium-dependent inhibitor, i.e. molecular mass, utilization of GSH and dithiothreitol as substrates, sensitivity to iodacetate, inhibition of 5-lipoxygenase activity in the presence of the GPx-1 inhibitor mercaptosuccinate, suggest that a selenoenzyme with properties of the phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (GPx-4) is responsible for the 5-lipoxygenase inhibition in BL41-E95-A and immature HL-60 cells.Differentiation of HL-60 cells in the presence of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, and transforming growth factor# (TGFP) upregulated cellular 5-lipox ygenase activity regardless of whether the cells were grown with or without serum or selenium. Also, 5-lipoxygenase activity in homogenates or lOOOOOXg supernatants of l ,25-dihydroxyvitamin DJTGFP differentiated HL-60 cells and of human granulocytes was not inhibited by dithiothreitol or GSH. Thus, after 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin DJTGFP differentiation, HL-60 cells resemble normal granulocytes with respect to the high 5-lipoxygenase activity in intact cells and to the dithiothreitol effects in broken cell preparations. Combination experiments with 100 OOOXg supernatants of BL41-E95-A cells and neutrophils revealed that the high 5-lipoxygenase activity of granulocytes is due to stability of the 5-lipoxygenase catalytic activity against selenium-dependent peroxidases, but not to low peroxidase activity. Our data suggest that the capability of mature myeloid cells to release large amounts of leukotrienes after stimulation is due to a peroxidase-insensitive 5-lipoxygenase catalytic activity.Keywords: 5-lipoxygenase; glutathione peroxidase; HL-60; cell differentiation; lymphocyte.Leukotrienes are mediators of inflammatory responses that can be formed in granulocytes, monocyteslmacrophages and mast cells after stimulation. 5-lipoxygenase catalyzes the first two steps of leukotriene biosynthesis from arachidonic acid [ l , 21. In neutrophils and HL-60 cells, 5-lipoxygenase is localized in the cytosol and translocates to the nuclear membrane after cell stimulation where it interacts with 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein [3-71. Recently, it has been shown that 5-lipoxygenase can associate with other proteins via interactions with SH3 domains and that tyrosine kinase activity has a prominent effect on cellular localization and activity of 5-lipoxygenase [8, 91. The capability of myeloid cells to release leukotrienes is upreg...