HL60細胞株是來自FAB分型中M2型（急性粒細胞白血病部分分化型）患者，而不是M3型（急性早幼粒細胞白血病）患者。這一結論的得出來自對該患者骨髓細胞的光學和超微結構的形態學分析。該患者骨髓涂片的分析顯示原始粒細胞占37%，早幼粒細胞占44%，中幼粒細胞以及更成熟階段細胞占8%。HL60細胞株缺少急性早幼粒細胞白血病的一些區分特征：過氧化物酶染色強度沒有通常的FAB-M3型細胞強；沒有裂片形式的顆粒或Auer小體；內質網不是非常擴大的。細胞遺傳學檢測顯示在HL60細胞株中沒有發現15號或17號染色體結構的異常。HL60細胞株所代表的白血病類型是急性粒細胞白血病部分分化型而并非急性早幼粒細胞白血病

相關文獻：HL-60 cell line was derived from a patient with FAB-M2 and not FAB-M3. Blood. 1988 Jan;71(1):242-7

abstract:The leukemia from which the human cell line HL-60 was derived was classified in 1976 as acute progranulocytic leukemia (APL), although it was recognized to show a number of atypical features. In the ensuing 10 years, the concept of APL and its integral association with t(15;17) has evolved, and the concept of APL as a morphologically recognizable entity has become embodied in the term French-American-British classification M3 (FAB-M3). It is now recognized that not every case of leukemia with a high proportion of progranulocytes can be classified as FAB-M3. We reviewed the light and ultrastructural morphology of the original diagnostic material from this case, and we report that the leukemia from which HL-60 was derived does not conform to the currently recognized entity of FAB-M3 and is more appropriately classified as an acute myeloblastic leukemia with maturation, FAB-M2.