The presence and role of transmembrane transforming growth factor-alpha in cultures of rat liver epithelial cells.
We assessed the presence and the role of membrane TGF-alpha in two rat liver epithelial cell lines, either parental or transfected with c-fos proto-oncogene. c-fos overexpressing cells had more TGF-alpha-like activity in their membranes. When TGF-alpha was removed by elastase or neutralized, the growth rates of both cell lines were markedly reduced, but to a higher extent for parental cells. If membrane TGF-alpha seemed to play a key contribution in normal cell growth, both cell lines were unable to react to the addition of soluble TGF-alpha, showing that these two forms of growth factors are not equivalent.
Heberden
C
C
Laboratoire de Nutrition et Sécurité Alimentaire, INRA-CRJ, Jouy-en-Josas, France.
Mercier
T
T
Gaillard-Sanchez
I
I
Huet
B
B
Martel
P
P
D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology
D016211:Transforming Growth Factor alpha