Changes in mitochondrial rhodamine-123-fluorescence populations of rat hepatocytes in primary culture.
Flow cytometry analysis of mitochondria isolated from rat hepatocytes at different stages of development revealed two different rhodamine-123-stained fluorescence populations distinguishable by their main fluorescence channel. The high-fluorescence population (HFP) was minor, accounting for about 32, 33, and 23% of the total mitochondrial fraction in hepatocytes from preterm, term, and early (1 h) newborn rats, respectively. The percentage of HFP decreased during the first 20 h of hepatocytes in culture from preterm and term fetuses but not those from early newborns, in which the decrease occurred during the second day of culture. However, after 20 h in culture more than 80% of hepatocytes reached the G0/G1 phase, whatever the stage of development in which they were sown. This suggests that the observed changes in the fluorescence populations are not associated with the cell cycle; instead these changes mimic those observed during postnatal development and are therefore presumably due to mitochondrial differentiation.
Hernandez-Berciano
R
R
Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain.
Garcia
M V
MV
Lopez-Mediavilla
C
C
Orfao
A
A
Medina
J M
JM
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005333:Fetus; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005453:Fluorescence; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012235:Rhodamines
D012235:Rhodamines