Search

ZHC cells, an established hepatoma cell line characterized by its capacity to synthesize and store glycogen, retain responsiveness to insulin. Sensitivity to insulin is correlated with culture development and is maximal in the confluent monolayer cultures. Insulin induces, within 2-3 h, an increase of glycogen content by stimulating the net synthesis of new glycogen molecules and without affecting their breakdown. Insulin directly acts on glycogen metabolism, and does not modify total cell protein or DNA synthesis. The ZHC cell line can provide a new model for the study of insulin regulation of glycogen metabolism, in the absence of other hormones that modulate the same pathway.

We altered the cellular lipid composition of an insulin sensitive rat hepatoma cell line through supplementation of the culture medium with linoleic acid (18:2) or 25-hydroxycholesterol, and we studied the effects on insulin stimulation of aminoacid transport system A and glycogen synthesis. The basal rate of sodium-dependent aminoisobutyric acid uptake was slightly reduced in hydroxysterol-treated cells and increased in 18:2-enriched cells. Maximal insulin stimulation of transport was decreased by about 40% in both 18:2 and 25-hydroxycholesterol modified cells, as compared to control cells. In addition to reduced responsiveness, the hydroxysterol-treated cells also showed a diminished sensitivity to insulin, as revealed by a right-shift of the dose-response curve leading to a ED50 of 1.2 X 10(-8) M (P less than 0.02), as compared to 2.45 X 10(-9) M in control cells and 2.13 X 10(-9) M in 18:2 enriched cells. Concerning glycogen synthesis, the basal rate was unaffected by 25-hydroxycholesterol supplementation and slightly reduced in cells enriched in 18:2. Maximal insulin stimulation of glycogen synthesis was reduced by about 40% in both types of lipid modified cells. 25-Hydroxycholesterol again provoked a decrease in sensitivity to insulin: the ED50 was enhanced to 4.9 X 10(-9) M (P less than 0.05), as compared to 1.25 X 10(-9) M in control cells and 1.57 X 10(-9) M in 18:2-supplemented cells. Taken together with the previously reported changes of insulin binding to lipid modified hepatoma cells (Bruneau et al. (1987) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 928, 287-296) our results demonstrate an influence of alterations of the cellular lipid composition on both binding and biological actions of insulin, leading to an insulin-resistant state. Divergences between insulin binding and action were obtained and it was suggested that post-binding events may be responsible for the observed changes. Our findings may be relevant to experimental and clinical states of insulin resistance.

The actual interest of immunoscintigraphy for the detection of liver tumours was investigated by both visual examination and quantitative analysis in 41 patients with hepatoma (HCC, 21 cases, 13 AFP-secreting), other primary or secondary liver cancer (9 cases), testicular cancer (2 cases) and cancer free cirrhosis (9 cases). All patients were injected with 123I-anti-alphafetoprotein (AFP) monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and scans were performed after 28 +/- 2 h. In the hepatoma-bearing patients, 11 positive anti AFP scans were found; 9 of them had an enhanced serum; besides, 3 non HCC tumours were also detected. With respect to hepatoma diagnosis, sensitivity was 52.5% and specificity 66.5%. For all hepatomas, it was striking that the positivity rate was 2/10 and 9/11, respectively, when HCC was and was not associated with cirrhosis. Among 6 patients with a positive anti AFP scan who were also injected with control anti hCG 123I-MAb, 5 positive anti hCG scans were surprisingly found, with specificity indices ranging between 1.00 and 1.75. The quantitative study also highlighted the importance for hepatoma detection of specific and non specific factors such as serum AFP, tumoural vascularization, non tumoural liver uptake and intrahepatic distribution of HCC. Anti AFP immunoscintigraphy appears as a poorly sensitive and moderately specific method for hepatoma diagnosis. In contrast, non tumoural liver uptake level could be more useful for discriminating HCC from liver metastases and perhaps to detect the early extension of HCC.

The influence of alterations of plasma membrane physico-chemical properties on insulin binding have been characterized in an insulin-sensitive rat hepatoma cell line adapted to grow for several generations in culture medium enriched with linoleic acid (18:2) or with 25-hydroxycholesterol. The cells took up 18:2 and 25-hydroxycholesterol added to the culture medium, without exhibiting any sign of intolerance or intoxication. These compounds respectively increased and decreased membrane fluidity at 37 degrees C. The cells demonstrated extensive changes in insulin binding parameters in response to experimental modifications of their membrane lipid composition. When determined at 4 degrees C, insulin receptors were present in the control cells at 136,000 sites/cell but this fell to 111,000 (P less than 0.05) in cells enriched in 18:2, and rose to 176,000 (P less than 0.001) in hydroxysterol-grown cells. According to a two-site model, the main effect of 18:2 was a significant increase of the number of high-affinity sites with a concomitant decrease of low-affinity sites. The hydroxysterol had the opposite effects on these parameters. The high-affinity insulin binding capacity of the hepatoma cells was affected by lipid supplementation in a similar way, whether it was determined at 4 degrees C or at 37 degrees C. Assuming a negative cooperativity model, 18:2 enhanced the degree of negative cooperativity among the sites, while 25-hydroxycholesterol reduced it. The time-course of insulin-induced receptor down-regulation was accelerated in the cells enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids, but reduced in cells exposed to 25-hydroxycholesterol. These insulin-binding alterations cannot be directly related to modifications of cellular growth rate, receptor internalization or membrane fluidity per se, and are discussed as being more likely due to membrane lipid composition than to overall cell metabolism modifications.

The Zajdela hepatoma is a transplantable ascitic tumor of the rat, characterized by a very simple ganglioside pattern, GM3 being the main compound. When these cells are adapted to monolayer culture, they undergo a maturation process and the total cellular ganglioside concentration increases progressively; GM2, GM1 and GD3 amounts rose and GD1a accumulated. These modifications in the ganglioside pattern complexity are not affected by the addition of ascitic fluid to the cultures, nor by growth in serum free, hormone-supplemented medium. They are totally reversible when the cultured hepatoma cells are reinjected into a rat and developed an ascitic tumour. Cell growth control and adhesion processes could be related to the maturation process of these hepatoma cells growing in monolayer, which may constitute a convenient model for further investigations on the regulation of membrane glycolipid composition by the external environment.