Pyruvate regulation of growth and differentiation in primary cultures of rat tracheal epithelial cells

These studies examined the effect of exogenous pyruvate on the growth and differentiation of primary cell cultures of rat tracheal epithelial cells. The cell cultures were derived from outgrowths of tracheal explants, and require pyruvate for survival and growth in the presence of 10% FBS. In pyruvate-supplemented (2 mM) medium, the number of cells attached to the dish increased rapidly, while exfoliation of cells into the medium as well as formation of cornified envelopes were relatively low. The growth response to pyruvate was concentration-dependent in these cell cultures. In the absence of pyruvate, the extent of terminal differentiation to keratinization gradually increased. This was characterized by a cessation of growth after one week, and an increase in exfoliation until all cells had sloughed from the dish. Accompanying these changes was a marked increase in the formation of cornified envelopes. Cells undergoing DNA synthesis were present throughout 2 weeks of culture in pyruvate-deprived medium, even as the total number of cells was diminishing. Several compounds, including other 2-oxocarboxylic acids, were ineffective growth substitutes for pyruvate. These results indicate that the requirement for pyruvate is quite stringent in these cultures and that one way pyruvate promotes the growth of tracheal epithelial cells is by inhibiting terminal differentiation.