title: Role of retinoic acid in maturation of fetal liver cells in vitro.
abstract: Regulation of the biosynthesis of alpha-fetoprotein and albumin was studied in a temperature-sensitive fetal rat hepatocyte line (RLA209-15) which exhibits a differentiated phenotype when grown at 40 degrees C. Retinoic acid inhibited alpha-fetoprotein production but increased albumin production. This retinoid also changed the proportion of three forms of alpha-fetoprotein; the biosynthesis of the 73,000- and 69,000-dalton variants, which are indistinguishable from authentic rat alpha-fetoprotein, was inhibited and an additional 65,000-dalton variant was induced. It has previously been shown that alpha-fetoprotein production decreases during maturation whereas albumin production increases. Our data suggest that retinoic acid induces maturation of fetal liver cells in vitro. Further, the 65,000-dalton alpha-fetoprotein variant may be characteristic of liver maturation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004224:Diterpenes; D005333:Fetus; D007700:Kinetics; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D000084562:Retinyl Esters; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D004224:Diterpenes; D000084562:Retinyl Esters; D012709:Serum Albumin; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins; D014801:Vitamin A; C014794:retinol palmitate; C012532:retinol phosphate; D014212:Tretinoin