Chemically defined media for cultivation of long-term cell strains from four mammalian species

The role of vitamins and amino acids on hybridoma growth and monoclonal antibody production

A balanced supplementation method was applied to develop a serum and protein- free medium supporting hybridoma cell batch culture. The aim was to improve systematically the initial formulation of the medium to prevent limitations due to unbalanced concentrations of vitamins and amino acids. In a first step, supplementation of the basal formulation with 13 amino acids, led to an increase of the specific IgA production rate from 0.60 to 1.07 pg cell(-1) h(-1). The specific growth rate remained unchanged, but the supplementation enabled maintenance of high cell viability during the stationary phase of batch cultures for some 70 h. Since IgA production was not growth- related, this resulted in an approximately4-fold increase in the final IgA concentration, from 26.6 to 100.2 mgl(-1). In a second step, the liposoluble vitamins E and K(3) were added to the medium formulation. Although this induced a slightly higher maximal cell concentration, it was followed by a sharp decline phase with the specific IgA production rate falling to 0.47 pg cell(-1) h(-1). However, by applying a second cycle of balanced supplementation with amino acids this decline phase could be reduced and a high cell viability maintained for over 300 h of culture. In this vitamin- and amino acid- supplemented medium, the specific IgA production rate reached a value of 1.10 pg cell(-1)h(-1) with a final IgA concentration of 129.8 mgl(-1). The latter represents an increase of approximately5-fold compared to the non- supplemented basal medium.

The use of proprietary tissue-culture media for the cultivation in vitro of the erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium knowlesi

An improved perfusion apparatus for the cultivation of malaria parasites is described. It consists of a sandwich of three chambers, of which the outer two contained medium and the inner contained the infected blood sample.

Using this apparatus and rocker-dilution cultures it has been shown that medium ‘199’ and medium ‘NCTC 135’ are as good as the Harvard medium for the cultivation of P. knowlesi in vitro.

The asexual cycle of P. knowlesi took slightly longer in vitro than in vivo. The stage of development at which the parasite was inoculated into culture affected the amount of reinvasion of new host cells. Thus, a greater amount of re-invasion was obtained with an inoculum of schizonts than with one of ring stage parasites. The rate of multiplication of the parasite decreased at each successive subculture.

I should like to thank Dr F. Hawking and Dr J. Williamson for their advice, Mr T. J. Scott-Finnigan for technical assistance, Mr F. R. Wanless and Mr C. D. Sutton for taking the photographs, and Mr F. A. New for drawing the figures. The perfusion apparatus was made by Mr T. Harding of the Engineering Division, National Institute for Medical Research. This work received financial assistance from the World Health Organization.

Use of nonionic surfactants for effective supply of phosphatidic acid in serum-free culture of Chinese hamster ovary cells

We have previously shown [Sakai et al., J. Biosci. Bioeng., 88, 306-309 (1999)] that exogenously supplied phosphatidic acid (PA) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) promoted the growth of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells in serum-free culture. However, the direct addition of high concentrations of these phospholipids alone to the culture medium resulted in the formation of precipitates. We therefore examined the use of two nonionic surfactants, Tween 80 and Pluronic F-68, as a means of supplying PA more effectively to CHO cells in a serum-free culture. A clear dispersion of PA from egg yolk lecithin that could be successfully sterile-filtered was obtained by using Tween 80 or Pluronic F-68. When PA prepared with either of the surfactants was added to serum-free media, precipitation was noticeably reduced. Furthermore, the growth-promoting activity of PA was considerably enhanced by the presence of the surfactants. Since Tween 80 and Pluronic F-68 themselves possessed no growth-stimulating property, it was suggested that the enhanced growth-promoting activity results from the improved availability of PA to the cells. The use of Tween 80 with PA analogues having saturated acyl chains also accelerated cell growth, whereas these PAs showed little growth-promoting activity, due to their poor water-solubility, when added alone.

Effect of antibiotics, 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid and pyromellitic diimide on methanogenesis in rumen ciliate cultures in vitro

The effects of penicillin G, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid and pyromellitic diimide on total gas, methane, volatile fatty acid production and food degradability after 24 h of incubation in vitro were investigated in the cultures of two rumen ciliates. The inocula of both rumen ciliates Entodinium caudatum and Epidinium ecaudatum were used at a volume of 34 ml into the 50 ml glass syringes together with the feed and compounds tested. Despite penicillin G--streptomycin treatment methane production in both cultures was significantly decreased by the inhibitors for Epidinium ecaudatum. Methane production of the bacterial fraction of both protozoan species was significantly lower than in the whole cultures. No epifluorescence of methanogens on (or in) the cells of Entodinium caudatum was observed in contrast to Epidinium with which strong epifluorescence of methanogens on the cell surface was detected. Microscopic observation could indicate that the methane production by Entodinium caudatum was probably caused by their intracellular methanogenic activity, while methane production by Epidinium ecaudatum could be related to both the methanogenic bacterial fraction from their external surface and probably also to intracellular activity. Decreased feed degradability and differences in the fermentation end products accompanied the inhibition of methanogenesis in both in vitro cultures. Entodinium caudatum appeared to be more sensitive than Epidinium ecaudatum to the compounds tested.

Methanogenesis in rumen ciliate cultures of Entodinium caudatum and Epidinium ecaudatum after long-term cultivation in a chemically defined medium

The methanogenic activity in the presence of Entodinium caudatum and Epidinium ecaudatum was well preserved after long-term cultivation. Microscopic observation revealed that methane production in the presence of E. caudatum was probably caused by their intracellular methanogenic activity, while methane production in the presence of E. ecaudatum f caudatum et ecaudatum could be attributed to both the methanogenic bacterial fraction of their external surface and their intracellular activity. Methane production per protozoan cell of E. caudatum and E. ecaudatum was 2.1 nmol per cell per d and 6.0 nmol per cell per d, respectively. E. caudatum was responsible for almost the entire methane production in the culture. The activity of free methanogens constituted approximately 50% of the total methane production in the E. ecaudatum culture. Decrease of digestibility of substrates and differences in the fermentation end products accompanied the inhibition of methanogenesis in both cultures by penicillin G, streptomycin, chloramphenicol, 2-bromoethanesulfonate, and pyromellitic diimide. E. caudatum appeared to be more sensitive than E. ecaudatum to the compounds tested. Hydrogen recoveries based on both volatile fatty acids and methane production suggested that the methanogenic population appeared not to be fully able to consume hydrogen produced in the protozoan cultures. The culture conditions tested were found to be suitable for experiments on the relationship between rumen ciliates and rumen bacteria.

Selamectin: a novel broad-spectrum endectocide for dogs and cats

Selamectin, 25-cyclohexyl-25-de(1-methylpropyl)-5-deoxy-22, 23-dihydro-5-(hydroxyimino)-avermectin B1 monosaccharide, is a novel endectocide with a unique combination of efficacy and safety in dogs and cats following both oral and topical administration. The compound is active against fleas and ticks, intestinal hookworms and ascarids, and immature heartworms. Also it is well tolerated at higher dosages than 22,23-dihydroavermectin B1a (DHAVM) or milbemycin oxime in Collies, which is a breed known to exhibit idiosyncratic sensitivity to avermectins.

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding proteins modulate the glucocorticoid-dependent biological effects of IGF-II in cultured fetal rat hepatocytes

The role of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) in regulation by IGF-II of glycogenesis and DNA synthesis was investigated in hepatocytes isolated from fetal rat livers at days 15 and 18 of gestation and grown in the presence or absence of cortisol. IGFBP-1 was clearly revealed by Western ligand blot and immunoblot analysis of IGFBPs secreted into conditioned media. Its production and cellular messenger RNA (mRNA) were positively regulated by cortisol and increased in older cells. In the absence of IGFBP (fresh medium), glycogenesis, and DNA synthesis were stimulated by IGF-II and insulin. In each case, cortisol enhanced this stimulation. In the presence of IGFBPs (cell-conditioned media), IGF-II stimulation of DNA synthesis and to a lesser extent glycogenesis was inhibited. The degree of inhibition was directly related to IGFBP-1 production. IGFBPs had no effect on stimulation of glycogenesis and DNA synthesis by des(1-6)IGF-II, a structural analog of IGF-II that does not bind to IGFBPs. Insulin, whose biological effects were not modified by conditioned media, inhibited IGFBP-1 production. Comparison of the dose dependence of the two bioactivities showed that DNA synthesis was more sensitive to IGF-II than glycogenesis. Our results suggest that in the case of DNA synthesis the effects of IGF-II are mediated via the IGF-I receptor and those of insulin via the insulin receptor, whereas in the case of glycogenesis both are mediated via the insulin receptor. In conclusion, IGF-II and insulin stimulation of glycogenesis and DNA synthesis in cultured fetal hepatocytes depends on the presence of glucocorticoid and the stage of development. IGF-II action is negatively regulated by IGFBP-1 whose synthesis increases in the presence of glucocorticoids.

Gap junctional communication and regulation of the glycogenic response to insulin by cell density and glucocorticoids in cultured fetal rat hepatocytes

Cell culture studies have revealed that metabolic functions of the adult hepatocyte are related to cell density. Development of the glycogenic response to insulin under glucocorticoid control was investigated in 15- and 18-day-old fetal rat hepatocytes plated at different cell densities. After culturing for 48 hours with glucocorticoids, the stimulatory effect of insulin on [14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen after 3 hours progressed from weak response (less than 1.4-fold) in sparse cultures to a maximal response in dense ones (3.0- to 4.5-fold), depending on the fetal stage. The response was always no more than 2.0-fold in the absence of glucocorticoids, even with dense cultures. Such a dual regulation pattern was not found for the glycogenolytic effect of glucagon similarly expressed regardless of culture conditions. When cells were clustered in limited circular regions of the dish, the insulin response was higher than for sparse cultures for a similar number of cells per culture. Using the scrape-loading technique with Lucifer Yellow CH, a positive dye transfer was obtained in clustered cultures providing that they were grown in the presence of glucocorticoids; insulin as well as glucagon stimulated twofold intercellular communication. Connexin32 (Cx32) and connexin26 (Cx26) protein levels were assayed by Western immunoblotting and developed according to age and exposure to glucocorticoids. Thus, glucocorticoids through development of gap junctions enabled establishment of intercellular communication that could be stimulated by insulin and glucagon in cultured fetal hepatocytes. Gap junction functioning and the biologic effect of insulin correlated closely.

Making informed choices: medium, serum, and serum-free medium. How to choose the appropriate medium and culture system for the model you wish to create

Complex nutrient mixtures, which are usually called "media," are almost always supplemented with serum, with another complex biological fluid (e.g., milk, embryo extracts, and plasma), or with a defined mixture of hormones and growth factors. The choice of medium and supplements can have a major impact on the growth, function, and even phenotypic and genetic stability of cells in vitro. This choice thus becomes an important part of developing a useful and meaningful in vitro model system. This chapter defines the various roles that the medium plays in supporting cell function and outlines a method for selecting and optimizing medium in growing the cell of choice.

Time-dependent effects of insulin on lipid synthesis in cultured fetal rat hepatocytes: a comparison between lipogenesis and glycogenesis

The lipogenic effect of insulin was studied in 18-day-old fetal rat hepatocytes after 2 to 3 days of culture in the presence of glucocorticoids when an acute stimulatory effect of insulin on glycogenesis was present. The rate of [1-14C]-acetate incorporation into lipids measured for 4 hours was much higher than with [U-14C]-glucose (30 v 3.8 nmol/h/mg protein). The stimulatory effect of insulin on lipid labeling remained weak (1.2-fold) and contrasted with its striking stimulatory effect on [U-14C]-glucose incorporation into glycogen (fourfold). When lipid labeling was assessed in longer experiments, increasing acetate concentrations in the medium stimulated the incorporation rate of [1-14C]-acetate into lipids (3.5-fold from 1 to 5 mmol/L after 36 hours) and decreased that of [U-14C]-glucose (by twofold). The stimulatory effect of insulin on the rate of lipid labeling developed with both precursors from 12 to 36 hours after insulin exposure (by approximately twofold) independently of acetate concentration and was not glucocorticoid-dependent, contrary to the glycogenic response. Addition of a glucose, load simultaneously with insulin increased the stimulation of lipogenesis when measured with [U-14C]-glucose (twofold to 3.7-fold). Besides contributing to an accumulation of larger and numerous lipid droplets in the cells, insulin increased fatty acid synthase activity by 26%, whereas malic enzyme was not affected. Thus, insulin-dependent lipogenesis in cultured fetal hepatocytes appears to be mostly regulated by a long-term mechanism, contrary to the glycogenic effect of insulin.

Role of Hsp70 synthesis in the fate of the insulin-receptor complex after heat shock in cultured fetal hepatocytes

The influence of a mild heat shock on the fate of the insulin-receptor complex was studied in cultured fetal rat hepatocytes whose insulin glycogenic response is sensitive to heat [Zachayus and Plas (1995): J Cell Physiol 162:330-340]. After exposure from 15 min to 2 hr at 42.5 degrees C, the amount of (125)1-insulin associated with cells at 37 degrees C was progressively decreased (by 35% after 1 hr), while the release of (125)1-insulin degradation products into the medium was also inhibited (by 75%), more than expected from the decrease in insulin binding. Heat shock did not affect the insulin-induced internalization of cell surface insulin receptors but progressively suppressed the recycling at 37 degrees C of receptors previously internalized at 42.5 degrees C in the presence of insulin. When compared to the inhibitory effects of chloroquine on insulin degradation and insulin receptor recycling, which were immediate (within 15 min), those of heat shock developed within 1 hr of heating. The protein level of insulin receptors was not modified after heat shock and during recovery at 37 degrees C, while that of Hsp72/73 exhibited a transitory accumulation inversely correlated with variations in insulin binding, as assayed by Western immunoblotting from whole cell extracts. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments revealed a heat shock-stimulated association of Hsp72/73 with the insulin receptor. Affinity labeling showed an interaction between (125)1-insulin and Hsp72/73 in control cells, which was inhibited by heat shock. These results suggest that increased Hsp72/73 synthesis interfered with insulin degradation and prevented the recycling of the insulin receptor and its further thermal damage via a possible chaperone-like action in fetal hepatocytes submitted to heat stress.

Effects of mild heat shock on glycogenesis and its regulation by insulin in cultured fetal hepatocytes

The effects of a mild heat shock were investigated using cultured 15-day-old fetal rat hepatocytes in which an acute glucocorticoid-dependent glycogenic response to insulin was present. After exposure from 15 min to 2 h at 42.5 degrees C, cell surface [125I]insulin binding progressively decreased down to 60% of the value shown in cells kept at 37 degrees C, due toa decrease in the apparent number of insulin binding sites with little change in insulin receptor affinity. In parallel cultures, protein labeling with [35S]methionine exhibited stimulated synthesis of specific proteins, in particular, 73-kDa Hsc (heat shock cognate) and 72-kDa Hsp (heat shock protein). When cells were returned to 37 degrees C after 2 h at 42.5 degrees C, cell surface insulin binding showed a two-third restoration within 3 h (insulin receptor half-life = 13 h), with similar concomitant return of Hsps72,73 synthesis to preinduction levels. The rate of [14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen measured at 37 degrees C after 1- to 2-h heat treatment revealed a striking yet transient increase in basal glycogenesis (up to 5-fold). At the same time, the glycogenesis stimulation by insulin was reduced (from 3.2 to 1.4-fold), whereas that induced by a glucose load was maintained. Induction of thermotolerance after a first heating was obtained for the heat shock-dependent events except for the enhanced basal glycogenesis. In insulin-unresponsive cells grown in the absence of glucocorticoids, heat shock decreased the glycogenic capacity without modifying the glucose load stimulation, supporting the hypothesis that insulin and thermal stimulation of glycogenesis share at least part of the same pathway. Inverse variations were observed between Hsps72,73 synthesis and both cell surface insulin receptor level and insulin glycogenic response in fetal hepatocytes experiencing heat stress.

Protein kinase C and insulin receptor beta-subunit serine phosphorylation in cultured foetal rat hepatocytes

In digitonin-permeabilized cultured foetal hepatocytes, insulin receptor beta-subunit was highly phosphorylated on serine residues in the presence of [gamma-32P]ATP and Ca2+, a process enhanced after short exposure to insulin with no detectable insulin receptor autophosphorylation. By contrast with this situation, experiments performed with isolated foetal insulin receptors revealed an insulin stimulation of both serine phosphorylation and tyrosine autophosphorylation. In permeabilized cells, insulin receptor beta-subunit phosphorylation was increased after a 2-min exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) prior to applying the permeabilization/phosphorylation step, while it was inhibited by chronic treatment with PMA leading to protein kinase C (PKC) down modulation. The PKC specific inhibitor, GF109203X, strikingly reduced basal and insulin-enhanced phosphorylation of insulin receptor beta-subunit in permeabilized cells, but failed to exert any effect with isolated receptors. Labelling of glycogen from [U-14C]glucose determined 1 h after a 10-min transitory exposure to insulin and/or modulators of PKC activity showed that PMA prevented insulin glycogenic response, whereas GF109203X was ineffective. Thus, although not directly responsible for insulin receptor serine phosphorylation in cultured foetal hepatocytes, PKC physiologically regulates this process which may inhibit insulin receptor tyrosine kinase activity. This regulation is independent of the antagonistic effect of PMA-activated PKC on insulin glycogenic response.

Diverse effects of essential (n-6 and n-3) fatty acids on cultured cells

Fatty acids (FAs) have long been recognized for their nutritional value in the absence of glucose, and as necessary components of cell membranes. However, FAs have other effects on cells that may be less familiar. Polyunsaturated FAs of dietary origin (n-6 and n-3) cannot be synthesized by mammals, and are termed 'essential' because they are required for the optimal biologic function of specialized cells and tissues. However, they do not appear to be necessary for normal growth and metabolism of a variety of cells in culture. The essential fatty acids (EFAs) have received increased attention in recent years due to their presumed involvement in cardiovascular disorders and in cancers of the breast, pancreas, colon and prostate. Many in vitro systems have emerged which either examine the role of EFAs in human disease directly, or utilize EFAs to mimic the in vivo cellular environment. The effects of EFAs on cells are both direct and indirect. As components of membrane phospholipids, and due to their varying structural and physical properties, EFAs can alter membrane fluidity, at least in the local environment, and affect any process that is mediated via the membrane. EFAs containing 20 carbons and at least three double bonds can be enzymatically converted to eicosanoid hormones, which play important roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Alternatively, EFAs released into cells from phospholipids can act as second messengers that activate protein kinase C. Furthermore, susceptibility to oxidative damage increases with the degree of unsaturation, a complication that merits consideration because lipid peroxidation can lead to a variety of substances with toxic and mutagenic properties. The effects of EFAs on cultured cells are illustrated using the responses of normal and tumor human mammary epithelial cells. A thorough evaluation of EFA effects on commercially important cells could be used to advantage in the biotechnology industry by identifying EFA supplements that lead to improved cell growth and/or productivity.

The effect of diamphenethide on protein synthesis by the liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica

The effect of the deacetylated (amine) metabolite of diamphenethide (DAMD, 10 micrograms ml-1) on the uptake and incorporation by adult Fasciola hepatica of radioactively labelled precursors of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis ([3H]thymidine, [3H]uridine and [3H]leucine, respectively) was measured by liquid scintillation counting. Comparison was made between the effects of DAMD and those of specific inhibitors of DNA, RNA and protein synthesis, namely, 5-fluorouracil, cordycepin and cycloheximide, respectively. DAMD caused a significant decrease in the overall uptake and incorporation of [3H]uridine by F. hepatica, decreased the incorporation of [3H]leucine and also caused a significant decrease in the overall protein content of the flukes. The effect of DAMD was similar to that of cycloheximide (1 x 10(-3) M), a potent inhibitor of protein synthesis, which also caused a significant decrease in the incorporation of [3H]leucine by the fluke and a decrease in the overall protein content of the fluke. Cordycepin (100 micrograms ml-1) caused a significant decrease in the protein content of the fluke, but had no effect on the uptake or incorporation of [3H]uridine. 5-Fluorouracil (1 x 10(-4) M) did not affect the uptake or incorporation of [3H]thymidine, nor did it decrease the protein content of the fluke. The results indicate that DAMD inhibits protein synthesis by F. hepatica, possibly by inhibiting RNA synthesis. The results are also consistent with previous morphological investigations involving DAMD.

Insulin receptor beta-subunit serine phosphorylation in permeabilized cultured fetal rat hepatocytes

Regulation of cellular protein phosphorylation by insulin was investigated after short exposure at 37 degrees C prior to applying the permeabilization/phosphorylation step in the presence of digitonin and [gamma-32P]ATP for 30 min at 4 degrees C. The results revealed major 32P incorporation into a limited number of membrane polypeptides exhibiting a molecular mass of 95, 58 and 51 kDa. Phosphorylation of 95 kDa protein was selectively inhibited with Ca(2+)-free EGTA-containing permeabilization/phosphorylation buffer and became predominant in the presence of Ca2+. Considering in particular its immunoprecipitation by a monoclonal antibody directed against insulin receptor, the 32P-labeled 95 kDa protein represented the beta-subunit of the insulin receptor. Its phosphorylation was transiently stimulated after exposure to insulin (35% after 2 min), and concerned mostly serine residues under both basal and stimulated conditions. Vanadate had a similar effect and both agents favored glycogenesis, whereas heparin which inhibited 95 kDa protein phosphoseryl phosphorylation had an opposite effect on glycogenesis. These results suggest a biological role for the membrane-associated phosphoseryl-protein kinase(s) and phosphatase(s) acting on the insulin receptor beta-subunit in cultured fetal hepatocytes.

Variations in the antagonistic effects of insulin and glucagon on glycogen metabolism in cultured foetal hepatocytes

The antagonistic effects of insulin and glucagon on glycogen formation and mobilization were studied in cultured 18-day foetal rat hepatocytes with regard to different modes of exposure. Hormone combinations were achieved with a constant dose of 10 nM-insulin (maximal for the glycogenic effect of this hormone) and increasing doses of glucagon [from 0.03 to 10 nM: concn. causing half-maximal response (ED50) = 0.3 nM)]. When insulin and glucagon were added simultaneously, increasing glucagon concentrations progressively depressed the glycogenic effect of insulin and 0.3 nM-glucagon antagonized the insulin effect completely. The maximal glycogenolytic effect of glucagon was observed at concentrations greater than 1 nM. When the two hormones were introduced successively, with an interval of 4 h between additions, the effect of the second hormone was always fully expressed between 4 and 8 h. at which time the effect of the first hormone had ceased; the dominance of glucagon over insulin was also lost, due to cell desensitization to glucagon. Both continuous or intermittent (10 min on/10 min off periods) exposure to insulin and/or glucagon gave similar antagonistic effects, while in cells exposed to insulin plus glucagon alternating with exposure to insulin or glucagon alone, the glycogenic effect of insulin was less or more antagonized respectively by glucagon. Whatever the situation, the results obtained could not be related to antagonism by a glucagon-induced rise in either cyclic AMP levels (ED50 = 3 nM) or cell-surface hormone binding. Thus, depending on the hormonal state and the mode of hormone administration, regulation of glycogenesis in cultured foetal hepatocytes appears to be different from that predicted by the insulin/glucagon molar ratio, which is strikingly altered in the perinatal period.

Role of serine biosynthesis and its utilization in the alternative pathway from glucose to glycogen during the response to insulin in cultured foetal-rat hepatocytes

The role of serine as a possible intermediate of the alternative pathway from glucose to glycogen was investigated under basal and insulin-stimulated conditions in 18-day cultured foetal-rat hepatocytes because these cells cannot use pyruvate-derived metabolites [Bismut & Plas (1989) Biochem. J. 263, 889-895]. Incubation of cells with [U-14C]glucose for 24 h led to a release of labelled serine in the medium concomitantly with a net serine production (100 nmol/24 h per culture). The rate of [14C]serine formation (close to 3 nmol/h per culture) indicated that a large part of newly formed serine originated from glucose. When short-term experiments were performed at day 2, glycogen labelling from [U-14C]serine or [U-14C]glycine, which was increased 3-fold by insulin after 2 h, evidenced their participation as glycogenic precursors. When a double-isotope procedure with [U-14C,3-3H]glucose was used, the direct and the alternative pathways from glucose were found to contribute to glycogenesis by 75 and 25% respectively. Cycloserine (18 mM), a transaminase inhibitor, strongly inhibited glycogen labelling from [U-14C] serine while producing a 70% increase in glucose incorporation by the alternative pathway, in both the presence and the absence of insulin. The inhibitor had no effect on the direct pathway from glucose to glycogen. Supplementation with 1 mM-hydroxypyruvate, a serine-derived metabolite, did not affect direct glucose incorporation, whereas the alternative pathway was stimulated whether insulin was present or not. These results indicate that the sequence glucose----serine----glycogen is operative in cultured foetal hepatocytes. The alternative pathway interferes with hydroxypyruvate utilization, and is likely mediated by the serine aminotransferase pathway, independently of the acute glycogenic action of insulin.

Pathways of glycogen synthesis from glucose during the glycogenic response to insulin in cultured foetal hepatocytes

The pathways of glycogen synthesis from glucose were studied using double-isotope procedures in 18-day cultured foetal-rat hepatocytes in which glycogenesis is strongly stimulated by insulin. When the medium containing 4 mM-glucose was supplemented with [2-3H,U-14C]glucose or [3-3H,U-14C]glucose, the ratios of 3H/14C in glycogen relative to that in glucose were 0.23 +/- 0.04 (n = 6) and 0.63 +/- 0.09 (n = 8) respectively after 2 h. This indicates that more than 75% of glucose was first metabolized to fructose 6-phosphate, whereas 40% reached the step of the triose phosphates prior to incorporation into glycogen. The stimulatory effect of 10 nM-insulin on glycogenesis (4-fold) was accompanied by a significant increase in the (3H/14C in glycogen)/(3H/14C in glucose) ratio with 3H in the C-2 position (0.29 +/- 0.05, n = 6, P less than 0.001) or in the C-3 position (0.68 +/- 0.09, n = 8, P less than 0.01) of glucose, whereas the effect of a 12 mM-glucose load (3.5-fold) did not alter these ratios. Fructose (4 mM) displaced [U-14C]glucose during labelling of glycogen in the presence and absence of insulin by 50 and 20% respectively, and produced under both conditions a similar increase (45%) in the (3H/14C in glycogen)/(3H/14C in glucose) ratio when 3H was in the C-2 position. 3-Mercaptopicolinate (1 mM), an inhibitor of gluconeogenesis from lactate/pyruvate, further decreased the already poor labelling of glycogen from [U-14C]alanine, whereas it increased both glycogen content and incorporation of label from [U-14C]serine and [U-14C]glucose with no effect on the relative 3H/14C ratios in glycogen and glucose with 3H in the C-3 position of glucose. These results indicate that an alternative pathway in addition to direct glucose incorporation is involved in glycogen synthesis in cultured foetal hepatocytes, but that insulin preferentially favours the classical direct route. The alternative foetal pathway does not require gluconeogenesis from pyruvate-derived metabolites, contrary to the situation in the adult liver.

Effects of modified insulin B21-B26 fragments on glycogenesis and on insulin-receptor complex fate in cultured fetal hepatocytes

Biological activity and interference with insulin receptor complex fate of two modified sequences of insulin B21-B26, beta-Ala-Arg-Gly-Phe-Phe-Tyr-NH2 (DP-432) and beta-Ala-Arg-Pro-Phe-Phe-Tyr-NH2 (DP-640), were studied in cultured 18-day-old fetal rat hepatocytes known to respond to insulin by an acute stimulation of glycogenesis. The two derivatives stimulated [14C]glucose incorporation into glycogen in the absence of insulin independently of the deprivation of serum in the medium. The maximal effect of 3 mM DP-640 after 2 h, more pronounced than with 3 mM DP-432, was of the same order as that obtained with 10 nM insulin alone (stimulation index: 4.7 +/- 0.7, 2.5 +/- 0.2 and 3.6 +/- 0.9, n = 4, with DP-640, DP-432 and insulin, respectively) whereas insulin B-chain decreased glycogen labeling. Simultaneous addition of derivatives and insulin at maximal concentrations produced nearly additive effects. DP-640, as well as DP-432, increased the amount of [125I](A14) or (B26) human insulin associated with cells at 37 degrees C and inhibited intracellular insulin degradation with differences depending on the kind of insulin isomer and derivative, while the rapid insulin receptor cycle was not affected. Thus, the two derivatives specifically modified the cellular processing of insulin in cultured fetal hepatocytes, and exerted an insulin-like effect on glycogenesis clearly enhanced through modification of DP-432 by substitution of glycine for proline (DP-640).

Effects of isolation and high helium pressure on the nucleolus of sympathetic neurons in the rat superior cervical ganglion

In prokaryotes, unicellular eukaryotes and cell-free systems, pressure is known to exert an inhibitory effect on protein synthesis and RNA metabolism, the mechanism(s) of which remain to be investigated in detail. The purpose of the present in vitro study was to compare ultrastructural and quantitative changes of the nucleolus, which is the site of ribosome biogenesis, in sympathetic neurons of rat superior cervical ganglia (SCG) maintained for 2, 3 and 5 h in NCTC 109 medium and subjected to pressure or not. In control SCG (left) the nucleolus greatly increased in volume (+ 33%) 2 h after excision, in comparison with SCG fixed immediately. This overall enlargement was found to reflect a marked increase in all nucleolar components (from 16 to 87%). After 5 h, volumes of nucleolus, fibrillar centers and vacuolar component returned to control values, whereas dense fibrillar and granular components remained affected. Such early and transient changes are regarded as reflecting basic metabolic changes associated with increased nucleolar RNA that should be of primary concern to experiments using SCG transplanted in culture media. Compression under helium up to 180 atmospheric pressure for 1 h of right SCG maintained for 2 h in culture medium, was shown to induce, on the contrary, a marked decrease in nucleolar volume (-39%) and in volumes of all nucleolar components (from -36 to -51%). When they were kept at constant high pressure for 1 and 3 h a progressive recovery of volumes of nucleoli and nucleolar components was observed. Consequently, compression was shown to exert opposite effects to those of isolation of SCG. Present data are interpreted as an inhibitory effect of pressure on ribosome biogenesis. Such observations on a vertebrate neuron might open a new field in the search for cellular mechanisms underlying the effects of pressure on living organisms and especially on the nervous system.

Optimisation of hybridoma cell growth and monoclonal antibody secretion in a chemically defined, serum- and protein-free culture medium

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), for human use require chemical and biological purity. The best approach seems in vitro cultivation in a serum-, protein-free medium. A basal defined culture medium has been developed to sustain optimal hybridoma cell growth and MAb secretion. It consists of Iscove's Dulbecco's modified, Eagle's, Ham's F12 and NCTC 135 media in a 5:5:1 mixture (v/v/v), to which glucose is added to reach a final concentration of 25 mM, glutamine to 4-6 mM, 2-mercaptoethanol to 50 microM, Pluronic F68 to 0.01-0.1% (w/v), Hepes to 25 mM and NaHCO3 to 3 g/l. Hybridoma cells, derived from Sp 2/0 myeloma and secreting a MAb to a human milk fat globule membrane-associated high molecular weight glycoprotein, were cloned in this medium containing 1% (v/v) fetal calf serum and then sequentially adapted in serum-free medium further supplemented with transferrin and insulin, both at 10 micrograms/ml. Clones producing immunoreactive MAbs secrete a mean of 50 micrograms IgG/ml, i.e., ca. 80% of the concentration reached in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 10% serum. When cells were cultured in spinner flasks with a semi-continuous mode of cultivation (with a daily removal of 20% of the volume and its replacement by fresh culture medium), in serum-free medium further supplemented with 10 nM estradiol, a mixture of trace elements and albumin (at 30 micrograms/ml) complexed to linoleic acid, MAb secretion reached 100 micrograms/ml and became equal or higher to that obtained in serum-containing medium. MAb secretion was not decreased and was even significantly increased during the growth phase, when transferrin was replaced by another iron source, i.e., ferric citrate at 500 microM associated with 20 microM ascorbic acid. Finally, deletion of insulin and of albumin-linoleic acid did not affect significantly cell density nor MAb secretion. In conclusion, it appears from this study that semi-continuous cultivation in spinner flasks of hybridoma cells, after cloning and progressive adaptation, in a chemically defined, serum- and protein-free medium, permitted MAb secretion to be increased to a mean of 144 micrograms/ml, i.e., multiplied by a factor of ca. 1.5 compared to culture of these cells in serum-containing medium under the same conditions and by a factor of ca. 2.4 compared to cultivation in serum-containing medium in flasks.

The establishment and characterization of mouse L-929 cells in protein-free Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium

The mouse cell line L-929 was established in protein-free Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium. The cells have been 'adapted' to continuous growth in the medium using stepwise reductions in the concentration of fetal bovine serum. The cells designated L-929-WS have now been propagated in protein-free Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium for two years. The population-doubling time was about 37 h. The addition of serum stimulated cell growth only slightly, but the saturation density was significantly increased. Morphological examination, a study of the secretion of colony stimulating activity and cytochemical investigations for acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase showed that L-929-WS cells, grown in protein-free Eagle's Minimal Essential Medium, did not differ markedly from cells propagated in medium containing serum. The cells provided a simple model for the study of cell growth in the absence of serum or the other macromolecular substances usually added to cell cultures. The general application of the cells for purposes in which the addition of serum or growth factors might interfere, is suggested.

Synergistic effect of 3'-deoxyadenosine N1-oxide and adenosine deaminase inhibitors on growth of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells in vivo

The simultaneous administration of 3'-deoxyadenosine N1-oxide (3'-dANO) and the adenosine deaminase inhibitors erythro-9-(2-hydroxy-3-nonyl) adenine (EHNA) or 2'-deoxycoformycin (2'-dCF) to mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumor cells resistant to 3'-dANO resulted in 80%-90% inhibition of tumor growth in vivo. 3'-dANO and 2'-dCF increased the survival time of tumor-bearing mice by a factor of 2. In vitro studies showed that the 3'-dANO resistant Ehrlich cells initiate the metabolism of 3'-dANO by a reduction to 3'-deoxyadenosine, which is converted primarily to 3'-deoxyinosine by adenosine deaminase and, to a small extent, phosphorylated to the cell toxic agent 3'-dATP. By the addition of EHNA or 2'-dCF it was possible to block the formation of 3'-deoxyinosine, resulting in a profound stimulation in the accumulation of 3'-dATP. The development of resistance to 3'-dANO was studied in cell cultures and found to be accompanied by changes in the enzyme activities of the reductase, the adenosine kinase, and the adenosine deaminase.

Compared roles of glucose, galactose and fructose as glycogen precursors during the acute response to insulin in cultured rat foetal hepatocytes

1. The efficiency of the contribution of hexoses to basal- and stimulated-glycogenesis, when studied in cultured 18 day-old rat foetal hepatocytes in the presence of glucose, was as follows: galactose greater than glucose greater than fructose. 2. Glucose deprivation had opposite effects on the contributions of [14C]galactose (decreased) and [14C]fructose (increased) to glycogenesis, which occurred independently of insulin and were reversed by glucose concentrations as low as 30-100 microM. 3. The stimulation of glycogenesis by insulin measured with [14C]glucose (3.2-fold) was superior to that obtained with either [14C]galactose or [14C]fructose (2.7-fold in both cases), which revealed a specific beneficial effect of insulin on glucose contribution.

Uncoupling between the insulin-receptor cycle and the cellular degradation of the hormone in cultured foetal hepatocytes. Effect of drugs and temperature that inhibit insulin degradation

Sequential changes in the numbers of cell-surface receptors induced by a transitory exposure to insulin in cultured 18-day foetal-rat hepatocytes were investigated in the presence of drugs and at a temperature of 22 degrees C, which inhibit cellular insulin degradation. Chloroquine (70 microM) and monensin (3 microM) did not greatly change the initial rate of internalization of cell-surface receptor sites after exposure to 10 nM-insulin, but led to a steady state after 20 min, which represented 40% of the initial binding, compared with 5 min and 60% in the absence of the drug. Moreover, these drugs strongly decreased the proportion of receptor sites recovered at the cell surface after subsequent removal of the hormone. They were ineffective when insulin was not present. The removal of monensin together with the hormone allowed partial restoration of cell-surface receptor sites and degradation of cell-associated insulin to start again at the initial speed, indicating a reversible effect of the drug. During this phase, the drug concentration-dependence for the two effects showed that receptor recycling was restored with concentrations of monensin not as low as for insulin degradation. The effect of vinblastine (50-100 microM) was similar to that of chloroquine and monensin, whereas no modification in the internalization and recovery processes was observed in the presence of bacitracin concentrations (1-3 mM) that inhibit insulin degradation by 70%. A temperature of 22 degrees C did not prevent the receptor internalization, but had a slowing effect on the recycling process, which appeared to vary in experiments where insulin degradation remained inhibited. The present study shows that the process of insulin degradation mediated by receptor endocytosis is not a prerequisite for insulin-receptor recycling in cultured foetal hepatocytes.

Differences between glucose and insulin stimulation of glycogenesis in cultured fetal hepatocytes

The glycogenic effects of a glucose load (15 mM) and/or insulin (10 nM) were studied in 18-day-old fetal rat hepatocytes after 2 days of culture when medium contained 4 mM glucose. A glucose load led to a stimulation of [14C]glucose glycogen labelling (20 min) earlier than with insulin (30-40 min); maximal stimulations were 3-fold after 1 h for the glucose load and 5-fold after 2-3 h for insulin. Simultaneous addition of the two agents produced synergic effects. When insulin was added 4 h after a glucose load (or vice versa), a second glycogenic response was elicited: a further addition of the same glycogenic agent was ineffective. The early glycogenic effects (up to 2 h) also occurred in the presence of 10 microM cycloheximide, with, however, some decrease of insulin stimulation. The contribution of medium glucose to the glycogen formed for 2 days (67% in the absence of glycogenic agent) was clearly enhanced by a glucose load and to a lesser degree by insulin after a 4-h exposure (83 and 71%, respectively). This was accompanied by a related modification of the participation of glucogenic precursors such as fructose and galactose. Thus, acute glycogenic response to glucose and insulin appeared both synergic and independent, and quite different in several aspects in cultured fetal hepatocytes.

Expression of gangliosides as receptors at the cell surface controls infection of NCTC 2071 cells by Sendai virus

The involvement of gangliosides as receptors for Sendai virus was established previously using experimentally produced receptor-deficient cells. In the search for a naturally occurring counterpart, NCTC 2071 cells emerged as a likely candidate. These cells in their native state were not agglutinated nor infected by Sendai virus, but were infected by the virus when the gangliosides GD1a, GT1b, or GQ1b were supplied in the culturing medium. Preliminary analysis indicated that NCTC 2071 cells contained an unusually high ratio of sialoglycoproteins to gangliosides. A brief treatment of the cell surface with the protease trypsin made greater than 99% of the native monolayer susceptible to infection by the wild-type virus which contains the viral attachment protein HN. (Incubation of the trypsin-treated cells with a temperature-sensitive mutant missing HN produced no detectable infection.) The increased binding of cholera toxin, a ganglioside-specific probe, after incubation of the cells with trypsin and sialidase, was consistent with the hypothesis that gangliosides more complex than GM1 are on the surface of NCTC 2071 cells and that trypsin treatment increases their accessibility. The presence of receptor gangliosides in lipid extracts of NCTC 2071 cells was confirmed by thin-layer chromatography of the ganglioside fraction and by the binding of cholera toxin. These results demonstrate that cells containing receptor gangliosides may still be resistant to infection because these are not expressed properly at the cell surface as receptors for interaction with the HN protein of Sendai virus.

Cultivation of Plasmodium falciparum using animal serum (horse, calf and bovine) as human serum substitute

Horse, calf and bovine serum were successfully used as human serum substitutes in the in vitro cultivation of Plasmodium falciparum. Positive results were obtained only after gradually adapting the parasites to the substitute serum. Adapted lines were established within 4-5 weeks. 10% horse serum was observed to be the best substitute with growth rates comparable or even surprising that obtained in human serum. Pure calf or bovine serum supported stable growths of 20-30% less which was enhanced to comparable levels after addition of 1% glucose-peptone to the medium. Direct transfers of adapted cultures to human serum showed enhanced growth rates. Lower growth rates of adapted cultures (i.e. horse serum-adapted cultures) in other substitute sera (i.e. calf or bovine sera) were improved in subsequent subcultures. Similarly, there were no adverse effects when they were returned back to the substitute serum they were originally adapted to.

Cell-surface insulin receptor cycling and its implication in the glycogenic response in cultured foetal hepatocytes

The insulin-receptor cycle was investigated in cultured foetal rat hepatocytes by determining the variations in insulin-binding sites at the cell surface after short exposure to the hormone. Binding of 125I-insulin was measured at 4 degrees C after dissociation of prebound native insulin. Two protocols were used: exchange binding assay and binding after acid treatment; both gave the same results. Cell-surface 125I-insulin-receptor binding decreased sharply (by 40%) during the first 5 min of 10 nM-insulin exposure (t1/2 = 2 min) and remained practically constant thereafter; subsequent removal of the hormone restored the initial binding within 10 min. This fall-rise sequence corresponded to variations in the number of insulin receptors at the cell surface, with no detectable change in receptor affinity. The reversible translocation of insulin receptors from the cell surface to a compartment not accessible to insulin at 4 degrees C was hormone-concentration- and temperature-dependent. SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis after cross-linking of bound 125I-insulin to cell-surface proteins with disuccinimidyl suberate showed that these variations were not associated with changes in Mr of binding components, in particular for the major labelled band of Mr 130,000. The insulin-receptor cycle could be repeated after intermittent exposure to insulin. Continuous or intermittent exposure to the hormone gave a similar glycogenic response, contrary to the partial effect of a unique short (5-20 min) exposure. A relationship could be established between the repetitive character of the rapid insulin-receptor cycle and the maximal expression of the biological effect in cultured foetal hepatocytes.

Dipetalonema viteae (Nematoda: Filarioidea): culture of third-stage larvae to young adults in vitro

Infective third-stage larvae of Dipetalonema viteae (Nematoda: Filarioidea) were cultured to young adults in a cell-free culture system. Third-stage larvae from the tick vector grew, developed, and molted twice in a medium containing NCTC 135 and Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum under a gas phase of 95 percent nitrogen and 5 percent carbon dioxide. The availability of such a culture system for filariids should facilitate studies of their immunology, biochemistry, and sensitivity to drugs.

Differences in degradation processes for insulin and its receptor in cultured foetal hepatocytes

Binding and degradation of 125I-labelled insulin were studied in cultured foetal hepatocytes after exposure to the protein-synthesis inhibitors tunicamycin and cycloheximide. Tunicamycin (1 microgram/ml) induced a steady decrease of insulin binding, which was decreased by 50% after 13 h. As the total number of binding sites per hepatocyte was 20000, the rate of the receptor degradation could not exceed 13 sites/min per hepatocyte. Cycloheximide (2.8 micrograms/ml) increased insulin binding by 30% within 6 h, an effect that persisted for up to 25 h. This drug had a specific inhibitory effect on the degradation of proteins prelabelled for 10 h with [14C]glucosamine, without affecting the degradation of total proteins. Chronic exposure to 10 nM-insulin neither decreased insulin binding nor modified the effect of the drugs. The absence of down-regulation of insulin receptors cannot be attributed to rapid receptor biosynthesis in foetal hepatocytes. Cellular insulin degradation, which is exclusively receptor-mediated, was determined by two different parameters. First, the rate of release of degraded insulin into the medium was 600 molecules/min per hepatocyte with 1 nM labelled hormone, and increased (preincubation with cycloheximide) or decreased (tunicamycin) as a function of the amount of cell-bound insulin. Secondly, the percentage of cell-bound insulin degraded was not changed by the presence of protein-synthesis inhibitors (25-30%). The stability of insulin degradation suggested that this process was dependent on long-life proteinase systems. Such differences in degradation rates and cycloheximide sensitivity imply that hormone- and receptor-degradation processes utilize distinct pathways.

Establishment and characterization of a new cell line from a hereditary renal rat tumor

A new cloned tissue culture cell line, HRRT, has been established from a hereditary renal rat tumor. Electron microscopic studies indicate that the cells are fibroblasts. The cell line has been maintained in monolayer cultures for more than 3 yr and multiplies with a population doubling time of 21 h. The HRRT cells were found to have a plating efficiency of 50% and were not able to grow at low serum concentrations; they did not multiply in suspension culture and were unable to form colonies in soft agar or to proliferate in the aggregate form. The HRRT cells did not form tumors in nude mice. The new cell line was adapted to grow in serum-free medium by decreasing the serum concentration gradually over a period of several months and by addition of sodium pyruvate, insulin, alanine, serine, ribose, thymidine, and uridine to the medium. In serum-free medium HRRT cells multiplied with a population doubling time of 42 h and were not able to form colonies in soft agar.

Reorganization of porcine thyroid cells into functional follicles in a chemically defined, serum- and thyrotropin-free medium

In the serum-free, chemically defined medium NCTC 109, freshly isolated porcine thyroid cells aggregate and form functional follicles in culture even in the absence of thyrotropin. The follicular pattern observed under light and electron microscopy express the main morphological characteristics of in vivo thyroid cells. Follicles are large, replete with dense colloid, and the apical pole of cells is characterized by well-developed microvilli and the presence of aminopeptidase N. The index of iodide transport activity (125I-C/M ratio) decreases vs. days of culture to a resting value of about 1 or 2 at day 2. Addition of thyrotropin (200 microU/ml final concentration) at day 4 is followed by a 10-fold increase in iodide transport activity within 24 h and a 40-fold increase 4 d later. Incorporation and organification of iodide are dose dependent between 0 and 250 microU/ml thyrotropin; highest concentrations (4,000--16,000 muU/ml) are significantly inhibitory. In the absence of thyrotropin each cell synthesizes 8.2 pg thyroglobulin/d. Acute stimulation by thyrotropin at day 4 resulted in a slight decrease in the quantity of thyroglobulin present in the cell layer but in an increase in the total amount of thyroglobulin recovered in both cells and medium, reaching 34.3 pg/cell/d. The protein exported into the medium is thyroglobulin, as shown by SDS PAGE and immunological properties. Here we demonstrate that porcine thyroid cells can be maintained in culture as resting, highly differentiated, follicular-associated cells, sensitive to acute stimulation by thyrotropin.

Modulation of epithelial cell proliferation in culture by dissolved oxygen

Modulation of epithelial cell proliferation by the dissolved oxygen concentration (PO2) of the growth medium was assessed with primary human foreskin epithelium and a continuous monkey kidney epithelial cell line (LLC-MK2). Direct measurement of the growth medium PO2 provides the first quantitative evaluation of epithelial cell proliferation as a function of PO2. Sustained proliferation of LLC-MK2 cells occurs in serum-free medium equilibrated with a gas phase containing 18% or 30% O2 v/v. Mid-logarithmic phase cultures rapidly consume dissolved oxygen; this results in a 60-70 mm Hg decline in PO2, and leads to a stable growth medium PO2 between 70 and 100 mm Hg, well above anoxic values. In contrast, if culture medium is equilibrated with a gass phase containing 0% or 1% O2 v/v to yield a growth medium PO2 - approximately 20-40 mm Hg, proliferation of LLC-MK2 and primary foreskin epithelial cells is retarded, and LLC-MK2 cells use little dissolved oxygen. Gentle, continuous rocking to prevent diffusion gradient formation enhances proliferation slightly at the higher PO2, but neither periodic fluid renewals nor continued rocking stimulates cells retarded by a lowered oxygen concentration to resume proliferation. The data collectively demonstrate that epithelial cell proliferation requires a PO2 greater than 40 mm Hg, and threshold requirements are probably closer to 70 mm Hg. Glycolysis continues at a PO2 insufficient for proliferation, but more lactic acid accumulates in actively proliferating cultures than in cultures equilibrated with 0% oxygen. We conclude that epithelial cells in vitro both consume more oxygen and require a higher PO2 for continued proliferation, and that the oxygen requirement for epithelial cell proliferation exceeds that of a comparable population of fibroblasts for which low oxygen may enhance survival and proliferation.

Receptor-mediated insulin degradation and insulin-stimulated glycogenesis in cultured foetal hepatocytes

Insulin-stimulated glycogenesis and insulin degradation were studied simultaneously at 37 degrees C in cultured foetal hepatocytes grown for 2-3 days in the presence of cortisol. Degradation of cell-associated insulin, as measured by trichloroacetic acid precipitation, was significant after 4 min in the presence of 1-3 nM-125I-labelled insulin. This process became maximal (30% of insulin degraded) after 20 min, a time when binding-state conditions were achieved. No insulin-degradative activity was detected in a medium that had been exposed to cells. At steady-state, the appearance of insulin degradation products in the medium was linearly dependent on time (1.5 fmol/min per 10(6) cells at 1nM-125I-labelled insulin). Chloroquine (3-50 microM), bacitracin (0.1-10 mM) and NH4Cl (1-10 mM) inhibited insulin degradation as soon as this became detectable and caused an increase in the association of insulin to hepatocytes after 20 min. Lidocaine and dansylcadaverine had similar effects, whereas N-ethylmaleimide, aprotinin, phenylmethanesulphonyl fluoride and leupeptin were found to be ineffective. Chloroquine, and also bacitracin, at concentrations that inhibited insulin degradation, decreased the insulin-stimulated incorporation of [14C]glucose into glycogen over 2 h. This effect of chloroquine was specific, since it did not modify the basal glycogenesis, or the glycogenic effect of a glucose load in the absence of insulin. It therefore appears that the receptor-mediated insulin degradation (or some associated pathway) is functionally related to the glycogenic effect of insulin in foetal hepatocytes.

Proliferation of glial-derived cells in defined media

A serum-free defined medium has been formulated that supports proliferation and morphologic differentiation of U-251 MGsp human and C6-2BD rat glioma cells. This defined medium consists of a basal medium supplemented with transferrin, fibroblast growth factor, hydrocortisone, selenium, biotin, and fibronectin (G2 medium). When U-251 cells were plated in G2 medium on poly-D-lysine precoated dishes, their growth rate was 77% and final cell density was 82% of serum-grown counterparts. The growth rate of C6 cells in G2 medium was 67% compared to cells cultured in serum supplemented medium. Although G2 medium supported the growth of human and rat glioma cells, LA-N-1 human neuroblastoma and WI-38 human fibroblast cells showed no increase in cell number when grown in G2 medium compared to basal medium. A similar formulation (G3 medium), lacking fibroblast growth factor and hydrocortisone, supported the proliferation of RN-22 rat schwannoma cells. Morphologic differences were observed between cells grown in the presence of serum and in defined media. All three glial cell lines changed from a flattened shape in serum supplemented medium to a more spherical appearance in defined medium. In addition, both U-251 and C6 cells developed numerous processes, some reaching several cell diameters in length. These defined media will facilitate studies of the growth and differentiation of glial-derived cells.

Aminopeptidase N is a marker for the apical pole of porcine thyroid epithelial cells in vivo and in culture

An aminopeptidase N has been detected by immunofluorescence in the apical plasma membrane of porcine thyroid cells, facing the follicular lumen. Freshly isolated cells obtained by tissue trypsinization, lose their polarity and exhibit a homogeneous enzyme distribution over the whole plasma membrane. In thyrotropin-stimulated cultured cells organized into follicles, the enzyme is localized the apical cell pole. In monolayer cells, on the other hand, the enzyme is distributed over the whole surface facing the medium. In both types of cultures fluorescence is also observed in intracytoplasmic organelles. In vivo, aminopeptidase ia a marker of the apical part of the thyroid plasma membrane, but its in vitro localization depends upon cell differentiation related to the culture conditions.

New defined and semi-defined media for cultivation of the flagellate Trichomonas vaginalis

Studies on the nutrition and physiology of Trichomonas vaginalis have been hampered by the lack of a defined synthetic medium in which to grow the organism. New synthetic media free of ill-defined supplements and serum which support good growth of T. vaginalis have been developed in this study. The first successful approach to a defined medium resulted from the modification of the tissue-culture medium CMRL 1066. Essential modifications included (1) lowering the redox potential of the medium by adding high levels of ascorbate and (2) modifying the buffer system. Subsequently, CMRL 1066 was replaced by two new media DL7 and DL8 which have greater flexibility in their formulation and permit improved serum-free growth. Serum was replaced by bovine serum albumin and cholesterol, together with either a glyceryl fatty acid ester or a defined mixture of fatty acids. Preliminary nutritional studies using the new media have indicated a requirement for saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and a sterol.

Formation of sulfhydryl groups in the culture medium by human diploid fibroblasts

When human diploid fibroblasts IMR-90 are cultured in routinely used medium (Eagle's basal medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum), sulfhydryl compounds appear in the medium. The major component of these sulfhydryl compounds is cysteine, and it is shown that a part of medium cystine is converted into cysteine by the cells. It is also shown that the sulfhydryl groups of serum albumin, which are masked and barely detectable before the culture, are restored. Probably cysteine formed by the cells reacts with serum albumin to give rise to the protein sulfhydryl groups via sulfhydryl-disulfide exchange reactions. Total sulfhydryl concentrations in the medium are maintained in a considerable level throughout the culture, and a possible physiological function of these sulfhydryl groups is discussed.

A new culture medium for human skin epithelial cells

A new culture medium, NCTC 168, has been designed for human skin epithelial cells. This medium formulation was developed, by combining and testing at various concentrations, components of media NCTC 135 and 163, since a 1:1 mixture of these two media with 10% horse serum supplement was found to promote epithelial cell outgrowth from human skin explants. The buffer system in NCTC 168 maintains the pH of the medium between 7.0 and 7.2. In contrast to other media tested, NCTC 168 with 10% horse serum is capable of initiating and sustaining larger epithelial cell outgrowths. Explants in serum-supplemented NCTC 168 in the absence of feeder cells reproducibly yield confluent epithelial cell sheets apparently free of fibroblasts after only 19 to 28 days as compared with 5 weeks or longer for the other media tested. NCTC 168 also supports passage of human epithelial cells to the sixth subculture generation without feeder cells. Electron microscopy has shown the presence of desmosomes and tonofilaments in the passaged cells indicating the epithelial nature of the cells. The addition of epithelial growth factor, hydrocortisone and insulin at 5 ng per ml, 4 microgram per ml and 5 microgram per ml, respectively, did not appreciably enhance the growth of the epithelial cells.