Production and characterization of immortalized rat hepatocytes secreting hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor.
OBJECTIVE
Hepatocyte transplantation is a recently attractive field in the treatment of liver failure and enzyme-deficient diseases. However, procurement of sufficient quantities of hepatocytes is almost impossible. We attempted to create a hepatocyte cell line that could be used for hepatocyte transplantation.


METHODS
L2A2 is a conditionally immortalized rat hepatocyte cell line produced by transfection of temperature-sensitive simian virus T antigen to the hepatocytes in the Lewis rat. Hepatocyte Growth Factor/Scatter Factor (HGF/SF)-secreting L2A2 cells, designated as SF-21, was produced by transfecting human HGF/SF cDNA into L2A2 cells.


RESULTS
This cell line was able to produce HGF/SF at the rate of 5-10 ng/10(6) cells/24 hrs, and the recombinant HGF/SF was of the expected size and was functionally active in that it could scatter Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. The SF-21 cells grew faster than its parental cell clone, and survived and proliferated at 37 degrees C in vitro. Also, the SF-21 cells were able to survive and proliferate when transplanted into the spleen of syngeneic rat, and expressed glucose-6-phosphatase.


CONCLUSIONS
These HGF/SF-secreting hepatocytes can be used as a model system to test a feasibility of using genetically engineered hepatocyte cell line for hepatocyte transplantation in the rat.
Lee
J H
JH
Department of Biochemistry, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
Kim
W H
WH
Park
H
H
Yun
C
C
Kim
B H
BH
Kwak
S J
SJ
Cho
H
H
Kim
M W
MW
D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D002460:Cell Line; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000637:transplantation; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew / Q000235:genetics; D014162:Transfection
D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor