Adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture. VI. Developmental changes in alcohol dehydrogenase activity and ethanol conversion during the growth cycle

The effect of iron and ethanol on rat hepatocyte collagen synthesis

1. Carbonyl iron (2.5% w/w) in rat chow was used to induce iron loading in rat hepatocytes. 2. Acute exposure of cultured hepatocytes from control and iron-loaded rats to ethanol (25-100 mM) resulted in a significant inhibition of protein synthesis. 3. Inhibition of protein synthesis in hepatocytes from iron-loaded rats was primarily due to impaired amino acid uptake by these cells. 4. High concentrations of ethanol stimulated the rate of protein degradation by hepatocytes from iron-loaded rats. 5. Acute administration of ethanol to hepatocytes from control animals did not stimulate the absolute rates of collagen biosynthesis nor induce Type I procollagen mRNA. 6. Acute administration of ethanol did not inhibit procollagen synthesis. 7. Iron overload induced Type I procollagen mRNA and increased the absolute rates of collagen synthesis in hepatocytes. 8. These findings may be relevant for the development of hepatic fibrosis in patients with genetic hemochromatosis who consume excess ethanol.

Ethanol and acetaldehyde metabolism in cultured hepatocytes from chronic alcoholic rats

In this study the authors analyzed ethanol (Et-OH) and acetaldehyde (Ac-CHO) metabolism in cultured hepatocytes isolated from chronic alcoholic rats. Hepatocytes were isolated and cultured from two groups of rats, one was fed with a liquid diet containing Et-OH and another was pair-fed with a control diet for 4 weeks. After 48 hours of the primary culture, Et-OH was added to the culture medium at a final concentration of 5 mM with or without 2 mM 4-methyl pyrazole (Py). Serial changes of Et-OH and Ac-CHO levels in the medium for 48 hours were determined in 4 groups of the alcohol alone, alcohol-Py, control and control-Py groups. In the alcohol alone and control groups, Et-OH disappearance rates (EDR), which are roughly equivalent to Et-OH oxidation rates in the hepatocytes, were significantly higher than those in the corresponding Py treated groups. In the two alcoholic groups, the EDR was significantly higher than those in the corresponding control groups. In cultured hepatocytes, 75-80% of Ac-CHO produced from Et-OH was oxidized. The increasing rates of Ac-CHO (AcICR), a function of Ac-CHO production and oxidation rates in the hepatocytes, increased in parallel with the increase in the EDR. However, the AcICR/EDR rate, which is a parameter of the Ac-CHO oxidation rate in the hepatocytes, was not different among the 4 groups. These results indicate that the cultured cells maintain the characteristics of Et-OH metabolism in chronic alcoholic rats and may also be used for the study of Et-OH and Ac-CHO metabolism as an in vitro model.

DNA-mediated gene transfer into adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture

Proliferation-competent and differentiation-competent adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture were investigated for their ability to express reporter genes (firefly luciferase, bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, and bacterial beta-galactosidase) driven by tumor virus or eucaryotic promoters that vary in transcriptional efficiency and tissue specificity. Supercoiled plasmid DNA molecules were introduced into the cells by the calcium phosphate coprecipitation protocol of C. Chen and H. Okayama (Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:2745-2752, 1987). Reporter gene expression was virtually restricted to hepatocytes and was efficient (2 to 20% of the cells). The patterns and absolute levels of reporter gene expression depended on assay conditions employed (plasmid concentration [optimal at 2.4 micrograms of DNA per ml] and duration of exposure [optimal between 5 and 10 h]), culture growth cycle stages (lag, log, or stationary phase), properties and tissue specificity of the promoter(s) tested, and composition (and timing of fluid change) of the culture medium with or without the hepatocyte mitogen human transforming growth factor-alpha. Initial observations suggest that during hepatocellular growth transitions, human transforming growth factor-alpha differentially regulates exogenously introduced promoters associated with hepatocyte-specific function and proliferation. These findings provide a simple, fast, and powerful approach to analyzing the molecular and cellular biology of hepatocyte growth control.

DNA-mediated gene transfer into adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture

Proliferation-competent and differentiation-competent adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture were investigated for their ability to express reporter genes (firefly luciferase, bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, and bacterial beta-galactosidase) driven by tumor virus or eucaryotic promoters that vary in transcriptional efficiency and tissue specificity. Supercoiled plasmid DNA molecules were introduced into the cells by the calcium phosphate coprecipitation protocol of C. Chen and H. Okayama (Mol. Cell. Biol. 7:2745-2752, 1987). Reporter gene expression was virtually restricted to hepatocytes and was efficient (2 to 20% of the cells). The patterns and absolute levels of reporter gene expression depended on assay conditions employed (plasmid concentration [optimal at 2.4 micrograms of DNA per ml] and duration of exposure [optimal between 5 and 10 h]), culture growth cycle stages (lag, log, or stationary phase), properties and tissue specificity of the promoter(s) tested, and composition (and timing of fluid change) of the culture medium with or without the hepatocyte mitogen human transforming growth factor-alpha. Initial observations suggest that during hepatocellular growth transitions, human transforming growth factor-alpha differentially regulates exogenously introduced promoters associated with hepatocyte-specific function and proliferation. These findings provide a simple, fast, and powerful approach to analyzing the molecular and cellular biology of hepatocyte growth control.

Long-term culture of hepatocytes: effect of hormones on enzyme activities and metabolic capacity

(i) Hepatocytes isolated from adult rats were cultured for 2 to 3 weeks on collagen in a modified, serum-free Waymouth medium containing fatty acids and varying concentrations of glucocorticoid, insulin and glucagon. (ii) In the presence of all three hormones, it was possible to maintain the content of DNA, the activity of glucokinase, pyruvate kinase, hexokinase and lactate dehydrogenase at initial levels for 2 to 3 weeks. The activity of glucokinase and pyruvate kinase was affected by the concentration of insulin. (iii) The activity of alcohol dehydrogenase was stable for 3 days and declined to about 25% of the initial level after 2 weeks of culture, irrespective of the presence of hormones. (iv) Maintenance of albumin secretion was dependent on the presence of glucocorticoid, and glucocorticoid and insulin showed an additive or, at some time points, a synergistic effect on its secretion. (v) The content of cytochrome P-450 could be kept at 65% of the initial level, provided that a relatively high concentration of dexamethasone was present (10(-6) M). (vi) In the absence of hormones, urea synthesis was 70% of initial levels throughout the experimental period. With insulin and glucocorticoid present, a high concentration of glucagon (10(-8) M) was required to maintain the synthesis of urea at this level. (vii) It is concluded that hepatocyte cultures as described in the present study may be a useful, well-defined system for long-term metabolic, pharmacologic and toxicologic studies.

Characteristics of alcohol dehydrogenase in fat-storing (Ito) cells of rat liver

Fat storing (Ito) cells, located in the perisinusoidal spaces of the liver and the main storage site of vitamin A, have been associated with fibrogenesis. The mechanisms of alcoholic liver disease, although mostly unknown, do involve ethanol metabolism. This study examined the ability of fat-storing cells to metabolize ethanol. Alcohol dehydrogenase activity was detected in fat-storing cells of the rat liver. The enzyme was demonstrated also by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemical staining. The enzyme in fat-storing cells is similar to the hepatocyte enzyme in its Michaelis-Menten constants for substrates and coenzymes and in the competitive inhibition by ethanol of retinol oxidation. It differs from the hepatocyte enzyme by its greater susceptibility to inhibition by 4-methylpyrazole and by having a single isoelectric point of 9.5 as compared with multiple isoelectric points in the hepatocyte ranging from 6.9 to 8.8. The ability of the fat-storing cell to oxidize ethanol and the inhibitory effect of ethanol on retinol oxidation may be important in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease.

Expression of retrovirally transduced genes in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes

Differentiated primary rat hepatocyte cultures have been infected with retroviral vectors expressing human hypoxanthine/guanine phosphoribosyltransferase or the transposon Tn5 neomycin-resistance gene. Expression of the markers was detected only after infection of the cells during a short period of cell replication and transient dedifferentiation from days 1 to 5 of culture. Provirus integrated during that period remains fully expressed during the entire subsequent stationary period of culture up to at least 25 days. Selection with the neomycin analogue G418 of cells infected with the neomycin vector led to the appearance of cells with hepatocyte morphology in which newly synthesized albumin was detectable by immunoprecipitation, indicating successful infection of hepatocytes.

Depression of alcohol dehydrogenase activity in rat hepatocyte culture by dihydrotestosterone

Hepatocytes harvested from castrated rats retained a higher alcohol dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.1) activity than hepatocytes harvested from normal rats during 7 days of culture. Dihydrotestosterone (1 microM) decreased the enzyme activity, after 2 and 5 days of culture, in hepatocytes from castrated and control animals respectively. Dihydrotestosterone decreased the enzyme activity to similar values in both groups of hepatocytes by the end of 7 days of culture. Testosterone (1 microM) had no effect on the enzyme activity in normal hepatocytes and only a transitory effect in decreasing the enzyme activity in hepatocytes from castrated animals. The increases in alcohol dehydrogenase activity after castration and their suppression by dihydrotestosterone were associated with parallel changes in the rate of ethanol elimination. Additions of substrates of the malate-aspartate shuttle or dinitrophenol did not modify ethanol elimination. These observations indicate that dihydrotestosterone has a direct suppressant effect on hepatocyte alcohol dehydrogenase and that the enzyme activity is a major determinant of the rate of ethanol elimination.

Expression of alcohol dehydrogenase in primary monolayer cultures of rat hepatocytes

With the use of an extensively modified Leibovitz-15 medium, the alcohol dehydrogenase activity of hepatocytes prepared from male rats was successfully maintained in primary culture at the level observed in freshly isolated hepatocytes. Enzyme activity was higher in freshly isolated cells from female rats than from male rats, but it fell to the level characteristic of the male animals after four days in culture. The levels of activity of the cells in culture from both sexes were unaffected by treatment with estrogens or androgens. The results suggest that the sex-determined differences in alcohol dehydrogenase activity in rats do not arise from direct effects of gonadal steroids on the liver.

Developmental changes in rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase

Hepatic alcohol dehydrogenase activity and mass content change coordinately during development in male rats. Enzyme activity and mass content increase continuously after birth to 100 and 80% of maximal values within 6 weeks (2.6 +/- 0.4 mumole/min/g liver and 92 +/- 20 micrograms/g liver), respectively. When expressed per milligram of soluble proteins, both parameters peak at 3 weeks (0.052 +/- 0.002 mumole/min/mg protein and 2.0 +/- 0.4 micrograms/mg protein) and then decrease gradually to plateau levels. These decreases probably arise from a "surge" in soluble liver protein levels that occurs after weaning. Similar developmental patterns also occur in female rats. These findings are the first quantitative measurements of this enzyme in developing animals.

Changes in adenylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase activities during the growth cycle of adult rat hepatocytes in primary culture

Long-term primary adult rat hepatocyte cultures show growth-state-dependent changes in adenylate cyclase and cAMP phosphodiesterase activities. Cellular adenylate cyclase activity decreases to undetectable levels within 1 day postplating, reappears on Days 4-5, and becomes maximal on Day 9. Membrane adenylate cyclase and cellular cAMP formation are insensitive to glucagon during log phase (Days 4-8) but not during lag (Day 1) or stationary phase (Day 12). Cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activities (soluble and particulate) fall approximately equal to 70% by Day 2 but recover as proliferation begins. By contrast, the particulate phosphodiesterase assayed at 100 microM cAMP, decreased during Days 0-2. These observations simulate changes seen during liver proliferative transitions in vivo and, therefore, further support the use of these cultures as a developmental model.

Influence of aging on the susceptibility of rats to hepatotoxic injury

The effects of allyl alcohol, galactosamine, bromobenzene, and corn oil administration were evaluated in male Fischer 344 rats at 4 to 5, 14 to 15, and 24 to 25 months of age to determine if susceptibility to hepatotoxic injury is modified as a consequence of aging. Parameters measured were (1) severity of hepatocellular necrosis as judged by light microscopy of liver sections, (2) activity of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in serum, and (3) hepatic microsomal cytochrome P-450 content and NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase activity. Allyl alcohol toxicity was more severe in middle-aged and old rats than in young-adult rats. In contrast, galactosamine and bromobenzene toxicities were slightly decreased or unchanged in old rats. The results demonstrate that aging has effects on some types of chemically induced hepatotoxicity.

Expression of differentiated function by hepatocytes in primary culture: variable effects of glucagon and insulin on gluconeogenesis during cell growth

Hormonal effects on gluconeogenesis from lactate were studied during the growth cycle of adult rat parenchyma liver cells using a primary monolayer culture system previously described [25]. Basal and glucagon-stimulated gluconeogenic ability were found to decline rapidly during log phase, insulin-stimulated growth. A progressive recovery of gluconeogenesis activity was observed after cell division subsided. Rates of lactate-gluconeogenesis were found also to decline in the absence of prior insulin exposure. This decline was not as rapid as the loss observed in cells cultured with insulin. However, in insulin-deficient cultures gluconeogenesis was completely abolished after 12 days and did not reelevate with further incubation unless cells were washed and exposed to glucagon. Decreasing growth rates of insulin-supplemented cultures by decreasing serum concentrations resulted in comparatively higher gluconeogenic activity. The results presented here are consistent with previous observations of hepatic parenchymal expression of 'differentiated function' during cellular growth phases in culture (i.e., differentiated functions are generally lost during rapid growth and regained as cells become quiescent). The present study, however, presents unexpected effects of insulin on the apparent growth-state dependent gluconeogenic recovery. Our data imply that although insulin has long been known to inhibit gluconeogenesis, its presence in culture may facilitate long-term basal maintenance of gluconeogenic enzyme activity. Insulin also functions as a growth factor whose initial mitogenic effect correlates with decreased gluconeogenic function. These changes show no simple or predictive correlation with cyclic nucleotide metabolism.

Rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase. II. Quantitative enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay

Monospecific rabbit antibodies against purified Fischer-344 rat liver alcohol dehydrogenase were produced and used to develop an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay for alcohol dehydrogenase. The assay is based upon the competitive inhibition of specific antibody binding to antigen (alcohol dehydrogenase adsorbed onto plastic microtiter plates) by soluble alcohol dehydrogenase (contained in unknown sample extracts or in known standard solutions). The amount of bound antibody is determined following incubation with peroxidase-linked second antibody (goat anti-rabbit IgG antibody-peroxidase conjugate) by colorimetric measurements of peroxidase activity at 490 nm in the presence of O-phenylenediamine. The assay is highly sensitive (it detects 10-1000 ng alcohol dehydrogenase/50 microliter) and it offers a precise (interexperimental variations in samples were less than 10%), rapid (6-8 h), and specific method for measurements of alcohol dehydrogenase in tissue homogenates or cultured hepatocytes. The assay was used to study changes in alcohol dehydrogenase levels during the growth cycle of cultured hepatocytes over a 2-week period and in rat liver homogenates after starving the animals for 72 h. In cultured hepatocytes, alcohol dehydrogenase activity and immunoassayable enzyme levels decreased coordinately during lag and early log phase, from 13.2 +/- 1.2 to 5.0 +/- 1.0 micrograms enzyme/mg protein, respectively. In mid-log phase, the enzyme levels were very low (1.3 +/- 0.4 micrograms enzyme/mg protein). During stationary phase, the levels (5.7 +/- 0.6 micrograms enzyme/mg protein) increased to 35% of the levels of freshly isolated hepatocytes (15.6 +/- 1.4 micrograms enzyme/mg protein). In starved animals, the enzyme levels decreased from 7.56 +/- 0.55 to 2.97 +/- 0.27 mg enzyme/liver. These changes also coincided with decreases in activity from 8.84 +/- 0.35 to 6.56 +/- 0.68 microM/min/liver.