Role of serum factors in epithelial cell responses to Helicobacter pylori infection in vitro

BACKGROUND: Gastric epithelial cell lines have been utilized extensively as tools to define aspects of the interactions between Helicobacter pylori and host epithelial cells. Fetal calf serum (FCS) is employed as a growth stimulant, but it is unclear whether this agent may in itself alter host responses. METHODS: Two gastric epithelial cell lines were utilized to ascertain the effects of varying FCS concentration on cellular responses following H. pylori infection. Media containing 0%, 5% or 10% FCS was added to cell lines prior to infection with H. pylori of defined genotype. Cellular interleukin (IL)-8 production was measured as a marker of cellular response. Effects of altered FCS upon cell viability were also determined by trypan blue exclusion. RESULTS: Interleukin-8 production by AGS cells following H. pylori infection was not altered by variation of media FCS concentration. However, KATO-III cells produced greater amounts of IL-8 when media was FCS-free than at 5% or 10% FCS. Although cellular viability was not altered in AGS cells exposed to varied concentrations of FCS, viability was decreased in serum-free KATO-III cells, but not when cells were kept at 5% FCS. CONCLUSIONS: Serum-derived factors alter cellular responses to H. pylori infection in a cell-line-dependent manner and impaired cellular viability may relate to this effect. However, the mechanisms for these observations are unclear and further work is now required to determine the nature of these important interactions.     

Human marrow mesenchymal stem cell culture: serum-free medium allows better expansion than classical alpha-MEM medium

The expansion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) strongly depends on the culture conditions and requires medium supplemented with 10-20% fetal calf serum (FCS) to generate relevant numbers of cells. However, the presence of FCS is a major obstacle for their clinical use. Therefore, we have evaluated the capacity of expansion of MSC in a commercial serum-free medium (UC) supplemented with a serum substitute (ULTROSER) in comparison with a classical medium alpha-MEM containing 15% FBS. Bone marrow-mononuclear cells collected from 12 volunteer healthy donors were expanded in two different culture media. MSCs isolated in the both media were morphologically similar and expressed identical phenotypic markers. After the primoculture (P0) and one passage, we obtained significantly more MSC and CFU-F progenitors in UC medium than in alphaMEM. Their multipotentiality was preserved during culture, as well as their capacity to support haematopoiesis. In conclusion, our observations strongly suggest that UC is an optimal medium for ex vivo expansion of MSC: it allows a better cell expansion, preserves cell multipotentiality, reduces the culture period and contains low concentration of serum substitute. This medium seems suitable for clinical scale expansion of MSC.     

Clonal growth and self-renewal of human myeloid leukemia cell lines (BRM and DD) in serum-free semi-solid culture

Summary Primary and secondary colony formation of two new human myeloid leukemia cell lines (BRM and DD) were studied in serum-free semisolid cultures. The results indicate that bovine serum albumin and transferrin were essential for clonal growth in chemically defined medium. Insulin contributed only moderately beneficial effects. Initial cell density was also a major modulator of plating efficiency. Positive cooperation between the leukemia cells was shown by using autologous conditioned media. This is the first serum-free culture method that allows self-renewal of human myeloid leukemia cell lines in terms of secondary colony formation in methylcellulose cultures.     

Establishment,growth properties,and morphological characteristics of permanent human small cell lung cancer cell lines

Summary Cell lines from SCLC were established with a success rate of 43% from different metastatic sites of treated and untreated patients. All 6 SCLC cell lines grew as floating cell aggregates without substrate adherence. The degree of aggregation ranged from very tight spheroids to very loose sheets and chains. This gross morphological property showed a striking correlation to the PDT, with short PDTs in loose growing cell lines and long PDTs in tight growing cell lines. Cell size and nuclear features, i.e., chromatin pattern and nucleolar prominence, also seemed to correlate with the PDT and gross morphology. All SCLC cell lines had dense core granules by electron microscopical examination. Several different serum-free and serum-supplemented growth media were tested for their feasibility in estabilishing and permanently growing SCLC. Serum-free SIT medium and SIT 2.5 medium provided the best results in liquid culture. For semisolid SCLC cultivation, R10 medium was suprior to all other media tested. These cell lines are currently under intensive biochemical, molecular biological, and cytogenetical investigation in different laboratories and thus provide a tool for studying the biology of lung cancer.Abbreviations SCLC small cell lung cancer - FBS fetal bovine serum - R 10 Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 medium supplemented with 10% FBS - D 10 Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% FBS - SIT RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with selenium, insulin, transferrin - HITES RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with hydrocortisone, insulin, transferrin, estradiol, selenium - SIT 2.5 SIT medium supplemented with 2.5% FBS - PBS phosphate buffered saline - PDT population doubling time This work was supported by the SFB 215 of the German Research Society. The authors Thank Dr. Adi F. Gazdar for reviewing the morphology     

Growth of human breast cancer cell lines is inhibited by the somatostatin analog BIM23014

Somatostatin has been shown to lower plasma levels of various hormones and growth factors involved in regulation of the growth of human breast cells. In the present study we examined the ability of the somatostatin octapeptide analog BIM23014 to modulate the in vitro growth of five human breast cell lines: HBL100, Hs578T, MDAMB231, T47D, and MCF7. BIM23014 inhibited the growth of the two steroid-dependent cell lines, MCF7 and T47D, in a dose-related manner. This inhibitory effect was only observed when MCF7 and T47D cells were cultivated in medium containing steroid-depleted serum. The growth of a MCF7 variant capable of growth in serum-free medium was also inhibited by BIM23014, indicating that serum factors are not required for this inhibition. In the serum-free medium, the addition of estradiol before or during treatment with BIM23014 abolished its inhibitory effects on cell growth. The studies including time course, competitive inhibition, and cross-linking of iodinated BIM23014 to its receptor revealed a specific binding on MCF7 cells and showed a single 57,000 mol wt protein band in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. These results support the hypothesis that BIM23014 inhibits the growth of steroid-receptor positive cells of human breast cancers through its own receptor in estradiol-free conditions.     

The regulated expression of erythropoietin by two human hepatoma cell lines.

The development of a cell culture system that produces erythropoietin (Epo) in a regulated manner has been the focus of much effort. We have screened multiple renal and hepatic cell lines (including MDCK, LLC-PK1, BHK, WRL 68, CLCL, A704, CRFK, A498, ACHN, TCMK-1, LLC-MK2, CaKi-2, HepG2, and Hep3B) for either constitutive or regulated expression of Epo. Only the human hepatoma cell lines, Hep3B and HepG2, made significant amounts of Epo as measured both by radioimmunoassay and in vitro bioassay (as much as 330 milliunits per 10(6) cells in 24 hr). The constitutive production of Epo increased dramatically as a function of cell density in both cell lines. At cell densities less than 3.3 X 10(5) cells per cm2, there was little constitutive release of Epo in the medium (less than 30 milliunits per 10(6) cells in 24 hr). With Hep3B cells grown at low cell densities, a mean 18-fold increase in Epo expression was seen in response to hypoxia and a 6-fold increase was observed in response to incubation in medium containing 50 microM cobalt(II) chloride. At similar low cell densities, Epo production in HepG2 cells could be enhanced an average of about 3-fold by stimulation with either hypoxia or cobalt(II) chloride. Upon such stimulation, both cell lines demonstrated markedly elevated levels of Epo mRNA. Hence, both Hep3B and HepG2 cell lines provide an excellent in vitro system in which to study the physiological regulation of Epo expression.     

Elaboration of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor by human tumor cell lines and normal urothelium

A total of 72 cell conditioned media (CCM) were screened for their ability to stimulate colony formation by human granulopoietic progenitor cells. Granulocyte-macrophage (GM) colony-stimulating factor(s) (CSF) were found in CCM of nine tumor cell lines, two primary urinary bladder tumors, and three epithelial cell cultures of normal urinary tract. The most active medium came from urinary bladder carcinoma cell line 5637. CSF released by the 5637 cell line induced dose-dependent GM colony formation from human fetal, normal adult, and CML bone marrow (BM) and from mouse BM. Human fetal and normal adult BM formed more colonies when stimulated with 5637 CCM than with peripheral blood leukocyte (PBL) feeder layers, while CML BM produced more colonies with PBL feeder layers. CCM from 5637 was more active in stimulating GM colony formation than human placenta conditioned medium (PCM) and PHA-LCM. 5637 CCM produced in serum-free hormone-supplemented medium was nearly equipotent and can serve as suitable starting material for purification.     

Cell lines produce factors that induce fetal hemoglobin in human BFUe-derived colonies.

Established cell lines were screened for secretion of activities than can stimulate fetal hemoglobin (HbF) production in adult burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFUe) cultures. Conditioned media from four cell lines, a human teratocarcinoma, an osteosarcoma, a bladder cell carcinoma, and feline leukemia virus (FeLV) A-infected feline fibroblasts (FEF-A cells), consistently increased the relative production of fetal globin in BFUe-derived colonies. In vitro translation of RNA from these cells in Xenopus oocytes yielded products that increased the gamma to gamma+beta ratio in adult erythroid colonies. These results demonstrate that a variety of cell lines produce factors that stimulate the production of HbF in vitro. The genes of such factors could be isolated by expression cloning of cDNA from cell lines using the Xenopus oocyte system.     

The in vitro influence of eight hormones and growth factors on the proliferation of eight sarcoma cell lines

Little is known about the regulation of sarcoma proliferation by hormones and/or growth factors. We therefore characterised the in vitro proliferative influence on eight sarcoma cell lines of the platelet-derived growth factor, the insulin-like growth factor 1, triiodothyronine, the epidermal growth factor, the luteinising-hormone-releasing hormone, progesterone, gastrin and 17 β-oestradiol. The influence of the different factors on the proliferation of sarcoma cell lines was measured by the colorimetric 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide test. Two culture media were studied: (1) a nutritionally poor medium containing 2% of fetal calf serum and (2) a nutritionally rich one containing 5% or 10% FCS both with and without the addition of non-essential amino acids. The results were analysed either by conventional statistical analyses or by a classification method based on a decision-tree approach developed in Machine Learning. This latter method was also compared to other classifiers (such as logistic regression and k nearest neighbours) with respect to its accuracy of classification. Monovariate statistical analysis showed that each of the eight cell lines exhibited sensitivity to at least one factor, and each factor significantly modified the proliferation of five or six of the eight cell lines under study. Of these eight lines one of fibrosarcoma origin was the most “factor-sensitive”. Decision-tree-related data analysis enabled the specific pattern of factor sensitivity to be characterised for the three histological types of cell line under study. The effects of hormone and growth factors are significantly influenced by the type of culture medium used. The method used appeared to be an accurate classifier for the kind of data analysed. Sarcoma proliferation can be modulated, at least in vitro, by various hormones and growth factors, and the proliferation of each histopathological type exhibited a distinct sensitivity to different hormone and/or growth-factors. Received: 14 April 1997 / Accepted: 1 December 1997     

Growth stimulation of ferritin of human leukemia cells in vitro

Ferritin has been reported to inhibit the growth of some leukemia cells in serum-supplemented culture. Recently we have found that ferritin stimulates the proliferation of human acute myeloblastic leukemia cells HL-60 and erythroleukemia cells K-562-T1 in serum-free medium. In this study, we examined the effect of ferritin against 14 human leukemia cell lines using human heart ferritin in serum-depleted culture medium. Among 14 cell lines tested, 10 were stimulated to proliferate by ferritin (maximum response at 30–300 ng/ml) with 0–1% fetal calf serum (FCS). The growth of all the cell lines was significantly inhibited by ferritin in the presence of 10% FCS. These results suggest that ferritin has dual functions; it promotes the growth of leukemia cells with low concentrations of FCS, but suppresses their growth with high concentrations of FCS.Abbreviations FCS fetal calf serum - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis - PBS Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline - GM-CSF granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor     

Autocrine down-regulation of glucocorticoid receptors by interleukin-11 in human osteoblast-like cell lines

It has recently been suggested that interleukin (IL)-11 plays a role in the pathogenesis of glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteoporosis. IL-11 belongs to the gp130 cytokine family, which includes also IL-6. We have previously investigated GC-IL-6 interplay, showing that GC inhibits IL-6 release and IL-6 up-regulates GC receptor (GR) numbers in the human osteoblast-like cell lines Saos-2 and MG-63, which constitutively have an opposite pattern of expression for GR, IL-11, IL-6, alkaline phosphatase and osteoprotegerin (OPG). The aim of this study was to investigate GC-IL-11 interplay in the same two cell lines. First, cells were incubated with cortisol (0.01-1 microM) for 20 h in the presence and in the absence of a known IL-11 secretagogue (IL-1beta); cell media were assayed for IL-11 by ELISA. Secondly, cells were incubated with IL-11 (0.1-100 ng/ml) or specific anti-IL-11 monoclonal antibody for 20 h, and then assayed for GR by a radioligand binding assay. Similar to IL-6, both constitutive and IL-1beta-inducible IL-11 release were dose-dependently inhibited by cortisol (P<0.01); at variance with IL-6, exogenous IL-11 dose-dependently decreased GR numbers in MG-63 cells (P<0.05), while anti-IL-11 antibody significantly increased GR numbers in both cell lines (P<0.05). IL-11-induced reduction of GR in MG-63 cells was confirmed by Western blot analysis. While exerting opposite effects on GR numbers, neither IL-6 nor IL-11 significantly modified GC-dependent inhibition of OPG release. Our data indicate that even physiological concentrations of cortisol negatively modulate IL-11 secretion and demonstrate, for the first time, an inhibitory effect of the cytokine on GR. Thus, the concept of autocrine-paracrine loops that modulate GC action and involve gp130 cytokines is corroborated. These loops could have clinical relevance for the dynamics of bone loss in patients given GC and having high concentrations of these cytokines in the bone microenvironment.     

Selective growth in serum-free hormone-supplemented medium of tumor cells obtained by biopsy from patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung.

Fifteen tumor-containing specimens were obtained directly from patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung and tested for their ability to grow in serum-supplemented medium and in serum-free medium supplemented with hydrocortisone, insulin, transferrin, estrogen, and selenium (HITES). The tumor cells replicated in 14 of 15 cases (93%) in the HITES medium and in 10 of 15 cases (67%) in the serum-supplemented medium. The neoplastic origin of the cells growing in the HITES medium was confirmed by standard cytologic criteria, by DNA content analysis using flow cytometry, and by their ability to form colonies in agarose and tumors in athymic nude mice. While the tumor cells had very similar morphologies in both media, the serum-free medium did not support the growth of nonmalignant stromal cells, and essentially pure cultures of replicating tumor cells were obtained 7-10 days after plating. The selectivity of the HITES medium was demonstrated by the failure of cells to grow in 20 specimens cytologically negative for small cell carcinoma and in 9 of 10 specimens containing other tumor types (including other types of lung cancer). The results demonstrate that a chemically defined medium, determined by work on tissue culture-adapted human tumor lines, can support the selective growth of tumor specimens obtained directly from patients. Such selective formulas are probably specific for different tumor types and thus could be used for diagnosis, drug sensitivity testing in vitro, and identification of factors regulating tumor growth. All of these have direct application to patient treatment.     

Reproducible establishment of hemopoietic supportive stromal cell lines from murine bone marrow

Stromal cell lines, designated MS-1, -2, -3, -4, -5, -6, and -7 were established by irradiating the adherent cells in long-term bone marrow cultures with 900-rad x-rays. Two of the cell lines, MS-1 and MS-5, have the capacity to support the growth of hemopoietic stem cells (spleen colony-forming cells and granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming cells) for greater than 2 months in vitro. These two cell lines were alkaline phosphatase-, peroxidase-, and factor VIII-negative and positive for periodic acid-Schiff and nonspecific esterase. Extracellular matrix proteins such as fibronectin, laminin, and collagen type I were produced by these two cell lines. Neither MS-1 cell- nor MS-5 cell-conditioned medium supported the growth of hemopoietic stem cells, and hemopoietic stem cells were found preferentially to be under and on MS-1 and MS-5 layers rather than in suspension. Close contact with the MS-1 cell layer or the MS-5 cell layer appears to be essential in maintaining hemopoiesis in vitro. Conditioned media from MS-1 cells and MS-5 cells stimulated granulocyte colony formation from murine bone marrow cells in semisolid culture.     

Myeloma cells upregulate interleukin-6 secretion in osteoblastic cells through cell-to-cell contact but downregulate osteocalcin

Previous studies have shown that bone marrow, especially the bone microenvironment, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM). To elucidate the relationship between myeloma cells and bone cells, mainly osteoblasts, we have established a coculture system between two interleukin-6 (IL-6)-dependent myeloma cell lines, XG1 and XG6, and the osteosarcoma cell lines Saos-2 and MG63. Both osteosarcoma cell lines have retained major functions of normal osteoblasts; principally, the capacity to produce hematopoietic growth factors (including IL-6) and osteocalcin, a noncollagenic protein essential in the bone formation process. Because IL-6 is a critical growth factor in MM, we have examined the IL-6 osteoblastic cell production in our coculture system. XG1 cells strongly upregulate IL-6 production by MG63 and Saos-2 cells. Of major interest, the triggering of IL-6 is totally dependent on the physical contact between myeloma cells and osteoblastic cells, contact that is partly mediated by CD44, CD56, and fibronectin interactions. Osteocalcin production by MG63 and Saos-2 cells has previously been shown to be dependent on 1,25- (OH)2D3. We demonstrate that XG1 and XG6 cells reduced the amount of osteocalcin in MG63 coculture cell supernatants, a reduction that is partly mediated by a soluble factor and by cell-to-cell contact. Notably, whereas one of the myeloma cell lines, XG6, has lost its capacity to stimulate IL-6 production by osteoblastic cell lines, both XG1 and XG6 cell lines remain able to reduce the osteocalcin amount, indicating that IL-6 and osteocalcin levels are regulated by two different pathways. In conclusion, these data strongly support the concept that the bone microenvironment is directly modified by contact with myeloma cells and are consistent with the characteristics observed in vivo in patients with MM patients, ie, abnormally high IL-6 and low osteocalcin levels, respectively.     

Growth factor requirements of childhood acute leukemia: establishment of GM-CSF-dependent cell lines

Eight permanent cell lines were established from cells of 50 consecutive patients with childhood acute leukemia. Three cell lines required growth factor-containing conditioned media. Analysis using blocking antisera and recombinant granulocytic macrophage (GM) colony- stimulating factor (CSF) identified GM-CSF as a growth factor required to establish the latter three cell lines and necessary for their continuous proliferation in chemically defined medium. Two of the GM- CSF-dependent cell lines were derived from patients with undifferentiated T- and a biphenotypic B-myelomonocytic leukemia, which suggests that GM-CSF might maintain proliferation of leukemias originating from immature progenitor cells. Cytogenetic analysis indicated that all established leukemic cell lines were aneuploid, with six lines containing chromosomal alterations related to those observed in the leukemic cells of the patient. Two patients did not have an abnormal clone identified in the marrow but did yield an aneuploid cell line. These studies indicate that GM-CSF-dependent leukemic cell lines can be established in a fraction of childhood leukemia. These cell lines lend themselves to studies aimed at the evaluation in vitro of the role of growth factors in controlling proliferation and differentiation of leukemic cells.     

Spleen stromal cell lines selectively support erythroid colony formation

Mouse stromal cell lines (MSS lines) have been established from the spleens of newborn mice in culture at a low serum concentration. These MSS lines support the proliferation and differentiation of the erythroid progenitor cells from mouse fetal livers and bone marrow in a semisolid medium in the presence of erythropoietin. Larger colonies of over 1,000 benzidine-positive erythroid cells were developed from the fetal liver cells on the MSS cell layers after 6 days of incubation. These layers also support the maturation of the erythroid cells since the enucleation process of the latter was observed in large erythroid colonies. Metabolically active MSS cells are apparently required to support the proliferation and differentiation of the erythroid progenitor cells, because neither the MSS cells inactivated with fixation nor the conditioned media of MSS cells promoted the erythroid colony formation. These studies demonstrate that MSS lines specifically support the proliferation and differentiation of the erythroid progenitor cells in vitro and that stroma cells may have a critical function in blood formation in the mouse spleen.     

Production of calves by transfer of nuclei from cultured inner cell mass cells.

We report here the isolation and in vitro culture of bovine inner cell mass (ICM) cells and the use of ICM cells in nuclear transfer to produce totipotent blastocysts that resulted in calves born. Of 15 cell lines represented in this study, 13 were derived from immunosurgically isolated ICM of 3 in vitro produced day 9-10 bovine blastocysts, while 2 lines were derived from single blastocysts. Approximately 70% of attempted cell lines became established cell lines when started from 3 ICMs. The ability to establish cell lines was dependent on the number of ICMs starting the line. Sire differences were noted in the ability of ICMs to establish cell lines and to form blastocysts. The cell lines were cultured as a low cell density suspension in the medium CR1aa plus selenium, insulin, and transferrin (SIT) and 5% fetal calf serum (FCS) for 6-101 days before use in nuclear transfer, at which time some had multiplied to more than 2000 cells. If allowed to aggregate, cells of established cell lines formed embryoid bodies. A total of 659 nuclear transfer clones were made by fusing the ES cells into enucleated oocytes with polyethylene glycol; 460 of these fused, based on cleavage (70%). After culture of the clones for 7 days in vitro in CR1aa/SIT/5% FCS, 109 (24%) of those fused became blastocysts. Thirty-four blastocysts were transferred into uteri of 27 cows, and 13 cows (49%) became pregnant. Four of the 13 cows gave birth to 4 normal calves. DNA typing showed the calves to be derived from the respective sires of the cell lines. The calves were derived from cultures of less than 28 days.     

Variant cathepsin B activity secreted from human pancreatic cancer cell lines into protein-free chemically defined medium

Cathepsin B activity was found in serum-free spent media of human pancreatic cancer cell lines, Panc-1 and MiaPaca. Cathepsin B activity was partially purified by gel filtration on TSK G3000SW, Con-A Sepharose chromatography, Phenyl-Superose column chromatography, and Mono S column chromatography. The optimal pH of cathepsin B was 7.4, and the activity was retained even at alkaline pH. Heat stability test showed that the enzyme was heat stable; that is, 50% activity was retained after incubation at 56 degrees C for 60 min. These results suggest that cathepsin B secreted from human pancreatic cancer cell is a variant type and may play an important role in pancreatic cancer invasion or metastasis through destruction of the surrounding extracellular matrix by its proteolytic activity.     

Beta-adrenergic receptor-mediated growth of human airway epithelial cell lines.

Abnormal growth of airway epithelium and the resultant thickening of airway walls may produce narrowing of airway calibre, thereby contributing to deterioration of bronchoconstriction in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Beta2-adrenergic agonists have been widely used for the treatment of COPD, but their effects on the growth of airway epithelial cells is unknown. Growth of three human airway epithelial cell lines was studied in vitro. Exposure to salbutamol in serum-free medium increased 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium-bromide reduction and intracellular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) contents in 16-human bronchial epithelium (16-HBE) cells and NCI-H292 cells, but not in A549 cells. The growth-promoting effect of salbutamol in 16-HBE cells was equipotent to 10% foetal bovine serum and was inhibited by propranolol and a cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) antagonist, Rp-adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate triethylammonium salt (Rp-cAMPS). Likewise, forskolin and 8-bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP) caused cell growth and DNA synthesis. Western blot analysis showed that salbutamol, forskolin, and 8-Br-cAMP each induced expression of the phosphorylated form of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, and that the salbutamol-induced phosphorylation was inhibited by propranolol, Rp-cAMPS, and the MAP kinase-kinase inhibitor PD98059. These results suggest that in certain airway epithelial cell lines stimulation of beta2-adrenergic receptors and the consequent production of cyclic adenosine monophosphate may upregulate cell growth, probably through activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade.     

Growth requirements,growth factor responsiveness,and growth factor secretion of three human embryonal carcinoma cell lines

Summary The in vitro growth requirements of three human embryonal carcinoma cell lines (H 12.7, 2102 EP, 1428 A) were investigated. The basal medium DME/F12 supplemented with insulin, transferrin, and low-density and high-density lipoproteins was sufficient to support substantial multiplication of all three lines. The most efficient attachment factor was either fibronectin (for 2102 EP and 1428 A) or collagen type I (H 12.7). In a serum-free system the influence of epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin-like growth factor I, multiplication stimulating activity (MSA), a platelet extract, and the glucocorticoids dexamethasone and hydrocortisone, as determined by the DNA synthesis rate of the cells, was generally minimal. However, the DNA synthesis rate of cell lines H 12.7 and 2102 EP was increased by MSA, and the line with the highest potential to differentiate (H 12.7) was stimulated by EGF. All three cell lines secreted growth factors in a heterologous stimulation assay. Insulin-like growth factors I and II were not part of the growth promoting activity. The inhibitory effect of a monoclonal anti-EGF antibody on the ³H-thymidine incorporation of cell line 2102 EP might indicate autocrine secretion of EGF or an EGF-like factor by this cell line.