Secretory processes, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism in isolated mouse hepatocytes. Aspects of regulation by glucagon and insulin.

The procedure of Berry and Friend for isolation of intact hepatocytes has been adapted to mouse livers. The ultrastructure of these cells was satisfactorily preserved. Isolated mouse hepatocytes secreted proteins and triacylglycerols. These secretory processes were inhibited by colchicine, indicating a likely involvement of the microtubular system for their normal occurrence. Ultracentrifugation of medium incubated with hepatocytes, followed by electrophoresis and electron microscopic examination of the floating fraction (density less than 1.006) allowed to conclude that secreted triacylglycerols were very low density lipoproteins. Glycogenolysis and lipogenesis were stimulated or inhibited, respectively, by low concentrations of glucagon (10(-10) M). Other metabolic parameters were influenced by the hormone but were less sensitive to its action. Inhibition of lipogenesis by glucagon was associated with a decrease in acetyl CoA carboxylase activity. This decrease does not appear to be related to intracellular fatty acyl-CoA accumulation secondary to hepatic lipase activation by the hormone. Insulin was effective alone or counteracted glucagon effects on lipogenesis or glycogenolysis only when exposure of cells to collagenase was held minimal. This suggests that, during isolation of hepatocytes, insulin receptors may, for unknown reasons, be more fragile than those of glucagon.     

Evidence that the sensitivity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I to inhibition by malonyl-CoA is an important site of regulation of hepatic fatty acid oxidation in the fetal and newborn rabbit. Perinatal development and effects of pancreatic hormones in cultured rabbit hepatocytes.

The temporal changes in oleate oxidation, lipogenesis, malonyl-CoA concentration and sensitivity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT 1) to malonyl-CoA inhibition were studied in isolated rabbit hepatocytes and mitochondria as a function of time after birth of the animal or time in culture after exposure to glucagon, cyclic AMP or insulin. (1) Oleate oxidation was very low during the first 6 h after birth, whereas lipogenesis rate and malonyl-CoA concentration decreased rapidly during this period to reach levels as low as those found in 24-h-old newborns that show active oleate oxidation. (2) The changes in the activity of CPT I and the IC50 (concn. causing 50% inhibition) for malonyl-CoA paralleled those of oleate oxidation. (3) In cultured fetal hepatocytes, the addition of glucagon or cyclic AMP reproduced the changes that occur spontaneously after birth. A 12 h exposure to glucagon or cyclic AMP was sufficient to inhibit lipogenesis totally and to cause a decrease in malonyl-CoA concentration, but a 24 h exposure was required to induce oleate oxidation. (4) The induction of oleate oxidation by glucagon or cyclic AMP is triggered by the fall in the malonyl-CoA sensitivity of CPT I. (5) In cultured hepatocytes from 24 h-old newborns, the addition of insulin inhibits no more than 30% of the high oleate oxidation, whereas it stimulates lipogenesis and increases malonyl-CoA concentration by 4-fold more than in fetal cells (no oleate oxidation). This poor effect of insulin on oleate oxidation seems to be due to the inability of the hormone to increase the sensitivity of CPT I sufficiently. Altogether, these results suggest that the malonyl-CoA sensitivity of CPT I is the major site of regulation during the induction of fatty acid oxidation in the fetal rabbit liver.     

Uncoupling of the Glucagon Receptor-Adenylate Cyclase System by Glucagon in Cloned Differentiated Rat Hepatocytes

Abstract

The ability of glucagon to induce a state of desens it ization to glucagon responsiveness has been examined in a cloned line of normal, differentiated, diploid rat hepatocytes (RL-PR-C). These cells, which respond to glucagon with increased production of cyclic AMP, become refractory to further stimulation of cyclic AMP synthesis following a 4 hour exposure period of the cells to the hormone. Refractoriness to glucagon was demonstrated over a wide range of hormone concentrations (10^?12 to 10^?6 M). In desensitized cells that were subsequently washed free of the hormone, recovery from refractoriness was complete by 20 hours. The mechanism underlying this desensitization does not appear to involve decreased receptor numbers, increased efflux of cyclic AMP from the cells, increased degradation of cyclic AMP by phosphodtesterase, or an alteration in the catalytic unit of the adenylate cyclase enzyme system. By elimination, the diminished cellular cyclic AMP responsiveness to glucagon in normal RL-PR-C hepatocytes may involve a reversible uncoupling of glucagon receptors from adenylate cyclase. In addition, late passage, spontaneously transformed RL-PR-C hepatocytes were found to exist in a state in which glucagon receptors are permanently uncoupled from adenylate cyclase.     

A quantitative analysis of glucagon binding to isolated intact neonatal and adult rat hepatocytes on the basis of two different binding models

The interaction of glucagon with specific receptors has been studied in isolated intact neonatal and adult rat hepatocytes. The hormone binding measured directly with ¹²⁵I-labelled glucagon was saturable and reversible. The ¹²⁵I-labelled glucagon binding was inhibited by unlabelled homologous hormone at concentrations ranging from 0.5 nM to 50 μM. Two different binding models were assumed to analyse the binding data by a nonlinear least-squares procedure: (I) a single class of independent sites and (II) two classes of independent sites. The comparison of the fitted theoretical curves reveals that both binding models are in fact compatible with these data. Adult hepatocytes have a considerably higher affinity for glucagon than neonatal hepatocytes; the binding capacity of neonatal liver cells from 1–7-days-old rats proved to be markedly reduced compared with the cells from adult rats. The glucagon-induced intracellular cyclic AMP production was measured at various hormone concentrations under conditions identical to those for the determination of extracellular hormone binding. The correlation of both parameters indicates a direct connection between receptor-occupancy and adenylate cyclase stimulation. These results suggest that a decrease receptor concentration in neonatal hepatocytes is responsible for the decreased cyclic AMP production.     

Interrelationship of insulin and glucagon ratios on carbohydrate metabolism in isolated hepatocytes containing high glycogen.

The effect of physiological concentrations of glucagon and insulin on glycogenolysis was studied in the presence and absence of substrates in isolated hepatocytes containing high glycogen. In the absence of substrates glucagon stimulated glycogenolysis at 10^?14M concentration, and addition of 100 μunits of insulin partially inhibited glucagon stimulated glycogenolysis (10^?14M to 10^?11M). However, in the presence of substrates, insulin completely inhibited glucagon stimulated glycogenolysis (10^?14M to 10^?11M), indicating that molar glucagon and insulin ratios control carbohydrate metabolism in liver. Additional studies showed incorporation of amino acid into protein was linear for only 3 to 4 hr in cells containing low glycogen, whereas in cells containing high glycogen, incorporation was linear for 8 to 10 hr.     

Changes in the sensitivity of lipogenesis in rat hepatocytes to hormones and precursors over the diurnal cycle and during longer-term starvation of donor animals

In rat hepatocytes freshly isolated from donor rats at different times of the day, the rates of lipogenesis (de novo fatty acid synthesis) varied with a diurnal periodicity. The maximal rate occurred approximately 5 hr after the end of the normal 8-hr feeding period and at this time was four- to fivefold higher than the minimum rate which occurred midway through the feeding period. A similar diurnal pattern of change persisted even when the supply of lipogenic substrate, present in the medium as pyruvate, was not limiting. Although insulin stimulated the basal rates of lipogenesis to different relative extents in hepatocytes isolated at different times of the day, in absolute terms the hormone had little effect on the overall pattern of change during the diurnal cycle. The presence of pyruvate protected lipogenesis against inhibition by glucagon. The degree of protection varied over the diurnal cycle. During the early stages of starvation (up to 24 hr) there was a continuous decline in the rate of hepatocyte lipogenesis, irrespective of whether insulin and/or lipogenic substrate (pyruvate) were available or not. After this time the decline in the rate of lipogenesis was much less rapid. Seventeen hr after removal of food from donor rats, a point was reached beyond which pyruvate was incapable of supporting the maximum basal rate of lipogenesis which occurred during the normal diurnal cycle of fed rats. After this time lipogenesis in the presence of pyruvate was inhibited by glucagon to a much greater relative extent than that observed during feeding. The results suggest that variations in the rate of lipogenesis over the diurnal cycle and during the first 24 hr of starvation could not be accounted for entirely by fluctuations in substrate availability. In contrast, changes which occurred subsequent to this (up to 43 hr of starvation) could be eliminated when lipogenic substrate was made more abundant. Longer periods of starvation were marked by a relative increase in the ability of glucagon to prevent the substrate-induced stimulation of lipogenesis.     

Reciprocal effects of epidermal growth factor on key lipogenic enzymes in primary cultures of adult rat hepatocytes. Induction of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and suppression of malic enzyme and lipogenesis

In primary cultured hepatocytes of adult rats epidermal growth factor (EGF) caused 2- to 3-fold induction of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49, G6P dehydrogenase) within 2 days. The effect of EGF was additive with a similar effect of insulin. The half-maximum dose of EGF for the induction was 1 ng/ml. Induction of this enzyme by these hormones was shown by immunotitration to be due to increase of the amount of enzyme. Furthermore, this increase in the amount of enzyme was found to result from increase of syntheses of mRNA and enzyme protein. In contrast, the induction of malic enzyme (EC 1.1.1.40, L-malate:NADP+) oxidoreductase) by insulin plus triiodothyronine was strongly suppressed by the concomitant addition of EGF. Induction of G6P dehydrogenase by EGF, like that by insulin, was not suppressed by either glucagon or dibutyryl cAMP, whereas that of malic enzyme was suppressed additively by EGF and dibutyryl cAMP. EGF also suppressed stimulation of lipogenesis by insulin, measured as incorporation of [1-14C]acetate into triglycerides and phospholipids. Another difference between the inductions of G6P dehydrogenase and malic enzyme was in their dependence on cell density; G6P dehydrogenase induction by insulin and EGF was high at low cell density (3 X 10(4) cells/cm2) and less at higher cell density (13 X 10(4) cells/cm2), whereas induction of malic enzyme was high at higher cell density and less at lower cell density. These results are consistent with the dual role of G6P dehydrogenase in lipogenesis in resting cells and in synthesis of nucleic acid in growing cells. Malic enzyme plays a role only for lipogenesis in mature hepatocytes.     

Alterations of cAMP metabolism and hormone responsiveness of cloned differentiated rat liver cells (RL-PR-C) upon spontaneous transformation

In normal Rat Liver Primary Culture (RL-PR-C) liver cells, cAMP was low prior to confluency, then rose continuously as cells became contact inhibited. In contrast, spontaneously transformed RL-PR-C cells did not become contact inhibited, and cAMP decreased steadily with increasing cell density. Normal cells released large amounts of cAMP into the extracellular fluid at all densities, while transformed cells did not do so at any density. Neither exogenous db-cAMP nor phosphodiesterase inhibitors reversed the uncontrolled growth of transformed cells, nor did conditioned media from contact-inhibited normal cells.While both normal and transformed RL-PR-C hepatocytes produced large amounts of cAMP in response to epinephrine and cholera toxin, transformed cells were much more sensitive to these agents; however, only normal cells responded to glucagon. Although the plasma membrane adenylate cyclase of transformed hepatocytes responded better than did that of normal cells to epinephrine, cholera toxin and fluoride, the basal cyclase activity of transformed cells was only about half that of normal cells. The adenylate cyclase of transformed cells did not respond to glucagon, although the number of glucagon receptors of such cells far exceeded that of normal cells. The V_max of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase of normal hepatocytes was five times that of transformed cells, although the K_m was unchanged.The data indicate that spontaneous transformation of diploid differentiated RL-PR-C hepatocytes leads to cultural hormone receptor and cAMP changes similar to those seen in undifferentiated fibroblasts and other cells transformed by viruses and chemical carcinogens. Although there are significant changes in various parameters of cAMP metabolism upon transformation, decreased cAMP per se does not seem to be responsible for transformation. Furthermore, it is possible that following transformation, these hepatocytes lose some factor necessary for coupling of the glucagon receptor to adenylate cyclase.     

Intrahepatic assembly of very low density lipoproteins. Varied synthetic response of individual apolipoproteins to fasting

Hepatocytes obtained from rats fed for 3 days chow (control) or drinking water only (fasted) were used to examine how metabolic state affects lipogenesis, apolipoprotein synthesis, and the capacity to secrete de novo synthesized triacylglycerol. The secretion of triacylglycerol (mass and 3H-labeled via 3H2O incorporation) by both groups of cells was constant for 30 h. Moreover, cells from fasted rats secreted triacylglycerol at rates which were markedly reduced (mass -84%; 3H-labeled -91%). To assess the relative capacities of the two groups of hepatocytes to augment triacylglycerol secretion in response to stimulated lipogenesis, cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of glucose. Control cells responded to glucose by increasing equally the synthesis and secretion of [3H] triacylglycerol. When cells from fasted rats were challenged with glucose, triacylglycerol secretion was not increased. Rather, it accumulated intracellularly. Double-reciprocal plot analysis of the capacity to augment triacylglycerol secretion in response to glucose showed that cells from fasted rats had a greater than 10-fold decrease in V'max. Moreover, fasting changed the synthesis and secretion of apolipoproteins selectively: secretion of low molecular weight apo-B was decreased 50%, large molecular weight apo-B was unchanged, and apo-E was increased 2-4-fold. Analysis of the lipoproteins from both groups of cells on Bio-Gel A-50m showed that the very low density lipoprotein secreted by cells from fasted rats was smaller. In addition, all of the increased de novo synthesized apo-E secreted by cells from fasted rats eluted after the triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins. The combined data show that: 1) the synthesis of individual very low density lipoprotein apolipoproteins is independently regulated, and 2) the synthesis (availability) of apo-B determines the capacity of the hepatocyte to assemble/secrete triacylglycerol-rich very low density lipoprotein.     

Control of glycolysis and lipogenesis in the liver by glucagon at the phosphofructokinase-fructose 1,6-diphosphatase site

We have examined the effects of glucagon on lipogenesis from fasted-refed rats incubated under two conditions, either without added substrate or with 10 mml-lactate. Net glycolysis (from glycogen) occurs in the absence of glucagon. This glycolysis is inhibited by glucagon under conditions of no added lactate, and reversed by glucagon to a net gluconeogenesis in the presence of 10 mm lactate. Glucagon markedly inhibits fatty acid synthesis (estimated by incorporation of tritium from THO) in hepatocytes incubated without added substrate; but, in the presence of 10 mml-lactate, the inhibition of fatty acid synthesis is only about 10%. The inhibition of lipogenesis from endogenous glycogen is primarily caused by inhibition of glycolysis. Glucagon markedly lowers the $\text{C}\text{-4,5,6}\text{C}\text{-1,2,3}$ ratio in glucose produced from [1-¹⁴C]galactose, indicating a strong inhibition of phosphofructokinase flux. The $\text{C}\text{-1,2,3}\text{C}\text{-4,5,6}$ ratio in glucose from [1-¹⁴C]glycerol is only slightly less than 1, indicating an active fructose diphosphatase flux even under conditions of active net glycolysis. Glucagon increases this ratio only slightly, suggesting that an acute increase of fructose diphosphatase activity by glucagon may occur, but is of much less importance than the decrease of phosphofructokinase.     

The glucagon-insulin antagonism and glucagon-dexamethasone synergism in the induction of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in cultured rat hepatocytes

In hepatocytes precultured for 24 h with dexamethasone glucagon increased phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity 3-4-fold with a half maximal activity increase at 30 pM. The half maximal effective glucagon concentration was enhanced 10-fold to 300 pM when insulin was added simultaneously. The glucagon-insulin antagonism was maximally expressed when glucagon was present at low physiological concentrations. At equimolar doses it was only in the concentration range around 0.1 nM that glucagon and insulin became powerful antagonists; at higher levels glucagon was the dominant hormone. In hepatocytes not pretreated with dexamethasone glucagon still enhanced phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase activity, but the half maximal effective dose raised more than 30-fold to 1 nM. The degree of stimulation, however, remained essentially unchanged. Thus dexamethasone shifted the glucagon sensitivity of the cells into the physiological concentration range; it exerted a half maximal effect at 10 nM. Dexamethasone was not required for the enzyme induction proper if the cells had been pretreated with the glucocorticoid. The amount of the glucagon-stimulated enzyme induction was dependent on the time period of cell pretreatment with dexamethasone. Glucagon enhanced enzyme activity to the same constant suboptimal level irrespective of whether cells had been pretreated with glucocorticoid for 1 or for 14 h. If cells were pretreated for more than 15 h, glucagon linearly increased enzyme activity further until the maximal value was reached after 24 h pretreatment. The glucagon-insulin antagonism and the glucagon-glucocorticoid synergism were observed at physiological hormone concentrations indicating that the interaction should be effective also in vivo. Dexamethasone does not seem to be generally permissive for the inducing action of glucagon, but rather sensitizes the cell towards lower physiological hormone concentrations.     

Effects of hormones and pyruvate on the rates of secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein triacylglycerol and cholesterol by rat hepatocytes

The secretion of very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) triacylglycerol and cholesterol was determined under various conditions in hepatocytes prepared from rats maintained on a controlled lighting and feeding schedule. The rate of lipogenesis in hepatocytes prepared from rats during the feeding period was 2-3-fold higher than that in cells prepared immediately before the animals had access to food. However, there were no corresponding changes in the rates of secretion of triacylglycerol and cholesterol. Pyruvate alone stimulated triacylglycerol secretion but had no effect on the secretion of cholesterol. Despite its stimulation of lipogenesis, insulin suppressed the secretion of both triacylglycerol and cholesterol. This effect on triacylglycerol secretion was more pronounced when lipogenesis was enhanced in the presence of pyruvate. Thus, insulin may act to alleviate hypertriglyceridaemia, which may arise during periods of increased hepatic lipogenesis. The inhibitory effect of glucagon on cholesterol secretion was much less pronounced than that on the secretion of triacylglycerol. The inhibitory effects of glucagon were reversed by pyruvate on cholesterol secretion differed according to whether glucagon was present or absent. These results suggest that the rate of hepatic VLDL triacylglycerol secretion is not necessarily coupled to the rate of lipogenesis in the liver; nor is there any obligatory coupling between the output of triacylglycerol and cholesterol associated with VLDL.     

Uptake and transport of glucagon by rat liver: evidence for transcytotic pathway

Summary The binding of¹²⁵I-glucagon to the cell surface and the pathway of intracellular transport of this hormone by rat hepatocytes in vivo were studied by light and EM autoradiography. Radiolabeled glucagon injected into the blood stream was taken up predominantly by the hepatocytes. Negligible radioactivity was found to be associated with other cell types such as endothelial or Kupffer cells. Our results indicate that at early time points after injection glucagon has been preferentially interacting with the sinusoidal domain of the hepatocytes and found to be associated with coated pits and uncoated vesicles corresponding to endosomes. At 15–20 min time intervals glucagon grains were found within hepatocyte interior. Later, at 30 min after injection glucagon grains accumulate in the Golgi-lysosomal region of hepatocyte often in close proximity to the opening of the bile canaliculi. Accordingly a portion of internalized¹²⁵I-glucagon was found to be released into the bile thereby indicating that a transcytotic pathway may be involved in this peptide's clearance process.     

Angiotensin II inhibits hepatic cAMP accumulation induced by glucagon and epinephrine and their metabolic effects

Incubation of isolated hepatocytes containing normal Ca2+ levels with angiotensin II, vasopressin or A23187 caused significant inhibition of the cAMP response to glucagon. Angiotensin II also inhibited cAMP accumulation induced by either glucagon or epinephrine in Ca2+-depleted hepatocytes. When submaximal doses of hormone were employed such that cell cAMP was elevated only 3-4-fold (approximately 2 pmol cAMP/mg wet wt cells) inhibition by angiotensin II was correlated with a decrease in phosphorylase activation. The data demonstrate that inhibition of hepatic cAMP accumulation results in reduced metabolic responses to glucagon and epinephrine and do not support the contention that the hepatic actions of glucagon are independent of cAMP.     

Quantitative analysis of internalization of glucagon by isolated hepatocytes

Biochemical methods have been used to quantitate total, acid-stable and acid-labile association of (mono[125I]iodoTyr10) glucagon with rat hepatocytes in suspension to evaluate internalization of glucagon and its receptors. Internalization is inhibited by low temperature, phenylarsine oxide, and by blocking receptor binding, consistent with receptor-mediated endocytosis. Approximately 30% of the total cell-associated hormone is internalized at 30 min of incubation. The rate declines until 90 min when the internalization of glucagon ceases, although the cells remain competent to internalize asialofetuin. From 90 min to 4 h, 27% of the maximum label internalized at 30 min remains within cells. The number of cell surface receptors decreases but the affinity of those remaining is unchanged. However, 1.7-2.7 surface receptors are lost to binding for each molecule of radiolabeled glucagon internalized. Uptake occurs according to a rate constant of 0.183 min-1 (t1/2 = 3.8 min). We conclude that (i) hepatocytes internalize a finite quantity of glucagon, implying the existence of undefined regulatory mechanisms; (ii) hormone is retained for greater than 2 h within cells and may play a physiological role within cells; and (iii) both occupied and unoccupied receptors become inaccessible to extracellular hormone as internalization proceeds; rapid recycling of receptors does not occur.     

Insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin secretion by cultured rat islet cell tumor and its clones

Cells derived from rat islet tumor and grown in culture (parent cells-RIN-m) and two clones obtained from them were used to study the effect of various secretagogues on insulin, glucagon, and somatostatin secretion. Parent cells secreted all three hormones in various quantities, while clone 5F secreted predominantly insulin and clone 14B secreted predominantly somatostatin. The secretory behavior of these cells were compared to each other and to that of normal islets. In general, as in the case of normal islets, insulin secretion was stimulated by calcium, potassium, tolbutamide, theophylline, and glucagon. It was inhibited by somatostatin. Glucagon secretion was stimulated by calcium, arginine, and theophylline. Somatostatin secretion was stimulated in clone 14B by arginine, tolbutamide, theophylline, and insulin. These cells differ from normal islets, in that they do not respond to glucose or arginine with increased insulin secretion. Also somatostatin failed to inhibit glucagon secretion. The similarity in insulin secretory responses of parent cells and clone 5F suggests that local or paracrine islet hormone secretion plays only a negligible role in the control of other hormone secretion in these cells.     

Interactions of glucagon and glucagon analogs with isolated canine hepatocytes

We have used glucagon and nine glucagon analogs to investigate the interactions of these ligands with glucagon-binding sites present on isolated canine hepatocytes. Curves reflecting the inhibition of 125I-labeled glucagon or 125I-labeled analog binding to cells by the 10 peptides spanned, overall, a 10(6)-fold range of hormone concentration, were consistent with hormone binding to two classes of binding sites in each case, and fell into two groups, one of which contained curves that were considerably more shallow than the other. Only conditions that emphasized prior binding to low affinity sites resulted in the rapid and extensive dissociation of receptor-bound ligand from isolated cells. Finally, all 10 peptides exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition of the incorporation of [14C]fructose into hepatocyte glycogen that correlated best with dissociation constants for high affinity rather than for low affinity binding. We conclude that (a) the association of ligand with the high and low affinity glucagon-binding sites of isolated canine hepatocytes is a characteristic of analogs modified at diverse sites throughout the peptide hormone, (b) the different rates of dissociation of ligand from the two populations of binding sites most probably account for the biphasic dissociation of ligand from isolated cells and for the different affinities of the two receptor populations for ligand, and (c) the activity of glucagon and glucagon analogs to inhibit the incorporation of fructose into hepatocyte glycogen arises from the association of ligand with high affinity binding sites.     

Growth stimulation and apoptosis induced in cultures of neonatal rat liver cells by repeated exposures to epidermal growth factor/urogastrone with or without associated pancreatic hormones

Summary In untreated primary cultures of neonatal rat liver kept in high-calcium (1.8 mmol/l), foetal bovine serum (10%v/v)-containing minimal essential medium (FBSMEM), the absolute numbers of hepatocytes did not change between day 4 and day 9 because ongoing cell loss was counterbalanced by proliferation of a discrete sub-population of the cells. By contrast, the number of stromal cells increased linearly with time. Growth of hepatocytes and stromal cells was differently affected by the daily addition, between day 4 and day 8 of culture, of fresh medium to which peptide mitogen(s) in concentrations ranging from 10^-14 to 10^-8 mol/l had been added. Epidermal growth factor/urogastrone (EGF/URO) with or without equimolar mixtures of glucagon and insulin, induced first hyperplasia of hepatocytes and stromal cells and then apopotosis (degeneration and death) of the progeny of the stimulated cells. By contrast, equimolar mixtures of glucagon and insulin caused a progressive increase in the number of hepatocytes and stromal cells unbalanced by any increase in cell death. At subphysiological concentrations glucagon, in synergism with EGF/URO and/or some other unknown heat-stable component of serum, acted as a trophic factor for hepatocytes. By contrast, insulin alone did not enhance growth of hepatocytes, but rather blocked the mitogenic effects of EGF/URO. The three hormones exerted neither mitogenic nor apoptotic effects when administered in a low calcium (0.01 mmol/l) FBS-MEM medium.These results reveal that EGF/URO may control the size of cell populations in neonatal liver by calcium-dependent mechanisms that make it unlikely to be a promoter of hepatocyte tumours. They also show that glucagon acts as a positive trophic regulator for hepatocytes.     

Effect of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide on the glucagon and insulin binding to isolated rat hepatocytes

Summary Number and affinity constant of low affinity binding sites of insulin and glucagon to isolated hepatocytes decreased when the cells were incubated with Escherichia coli 0111:B4 lipopolysaccharide. This effect agrees with a non-specific binding of lipopolysaccharide to hepatocytes, similar to the well-recognized non-specific binding of albumin. Also, binding of different lectins to their glycoprotein receptors did not affect the [¹⁴C]lipopolysaccharide interaction with the cell membrane surface. Endotoxin depresses gluconeogenesis from lactate when the precursor was incubated with the cells for short time intervals. The longer the preincubation interval with lipopolysaccharide, the higher the inhibition of gluconeogenesis in the absence and in the presence of glucagon.The effect of endotoxin was also studied on the glucagon-induced synthesis of cyclic AMP and the glucagon binding. Levels of cyclic AMP and hormone binding decreased with increasing both endotoxin concentrations and preincubation intervals at which cells were in contact with endotoxin.     

Temperature-sensitive adult liver cell line dependent on glucocorticoid for differentiation.

A clonal rat adult hepatocyte cell line (RALA255-10G) was shown to be temperature sensitive (ts) for growth and differentiation. Glucocorticoid was necessary to maintain the maximal levels of differentiated functions in these cells. The RALA255-10G cell line was established by transforming primary adult hepatocytes with simian virus 40 tsA255 virus that is temperature sensitive for maintenance of transformation. At the permissive temperature (33 degrees C), RALA255-10G cells showed characteristics of malignant transformation, synthesized low levels of albumin and transferrin, and contained low levels of functional receptors for glucagon. At the nonpermissive temperature (40 degrees C), these cells regain the normal differentiated phenotype, and the levels of these three hepatic functions were increased. Induction of albumin and transferrin production by RALA255-10G cells at 40 degrees C was shown to be the result of the increase in the biosynthesis of these proteins. Furthermore, the albumin and transferrin produced by these cells were immunologically and electrophoretically indistinguishable from authentic rat albumin and transferrin. Glucocorticoid, which reduced the growth rate and saturation density of RALA255-10G cells at 33 degrees C, was absolutely required by these cells to synthesize albumin at both temperatures. This hormone also enhanced transferrin production and glucagon response. Our data indicate that glucocorticoid hormone is one of the factors that maintain adult hepatocytes in a differentiated state.