Cell suicide in starving hybridoma culture: survival-signal effect of some amino acids

Two mouse hybridoma cell lines cultured in different basal media with the iron-rich protein-free supplement were subjected to deliberate starvation by inoculation into media diluted with saline to 50% or less. In the diluted media the growth was markedly suppressed and a large fraction of cells died by apoptosis. The cells could be rescued from apoptotic death by individual additions of amino acids, such as glycine, L-alanine, L-serine, L-threonine, L-proline, L-asparagine, L-glutamine, L-histidine, D-serine, -alanine or taurine. Amino acids with hydrophobic or charged side chains were without effect. The apoptosis preventing activity manifested itself even in extremely diluted media, down to 10% of the standard medium. The activity of L-alanine in the protection of cells starving in 20% medium was shown also in semicontinuous culture. In the presence of 2 mM L-alanine the steady-state viable cell density more than doubled, with respect to control, and the apoptotic index dropped from 37% in the control to 16%. It was concluded that the apoptosis-preventing amino acids acted as signal molecules, rather than nutrients, and that the signal had a character of a survival factor. The specificity of present results, obtained with two different hybridomas, supports our view (Frank and Chládková-rámková, 1995) that the membrane transport macromolecules themselves may play the role of the recognition elements in a signal transduction pathway controlling the survival of hybridoma cells.