Alterations in growth requirements of kidney epithelial cells in defined medium associated with malignant transformation

Scavenger receptor BI promotes cytoplasmic accumulation of lipoproteins in clear-cell renal cell carcinoma

Clear-cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs) are characterized by inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene and intracellular lipid accumulation by unknown pathomechanisms. The immunochemical analysis of 356 RCCs revealed high abundance of apoA-I and apoB, as well as scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI) in the ccRCC subtype. Given the characteristic loss of VHL function in ccRCC, we used VHL-defective and VHL-proficient cells to study the potential influence of VHL on lipoprotein uptake. VHL-defective patient-derived ccRCC cells and cell lines (786O and RCC4) showed enhanced uptake as well as less resecretion and degradation of radio-iodinated HDL and LDL (¹²⁵I-HDL and ¹²⁵I-LDL, respectively) compared with the VHL-proficient cells. The ccRCC cells showed enhanced vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and SR-BI expression compared with normal kidney epithelial cells. Uptake of ¹²⁵I-HDL and ¹²⁵I-LDL by patient-derived normal kidney epithelial cells as well as the VHL-reexpressing ccRCC cell lines, 786-O-VHL and RCC4-O-VHL cells, was strongly enhanced by VEGF treatment. The knockdown of the VEGF coreceptor, neuropilin-1 (NRP1), as well as blocking of SR-BI significantly reduced the uptake of lipoproteins into ccRCC cells in vitro. LDL stimulated proliferation of 786-O cells more potently than 786-O-VHL cells in a NRP1- and SR-BI-dependent manner. In conclusion, enhanced lipoprotein uptake due to increased activities of VEGF/NRP1 and SR-BI promotes lipid accumulation and proliferation of VHL-defective ccRCC cells.

Validation of the safety of MDCK cells as a substrate for the production of a cell-derived influenza vaccine

Cell culture-based production methods may assist in meeting increasing demand for seasonal influenza vaccines and developing production flexibility required for addressing influenza pandemics. MDCK-33016PF cells are used in propagation of a cell-based seasonal influenza vaccine (Optaflu^®); but, like most continuous cell lines, can grow in immunocompromised mice to produce tumors. It is, therefore, essential that no residual cells remain within the vaccine, that cell lysates or DNA are not oncogenic, and that the cell substrate does not contain oncogenic viruses or oncogenic DNA. Multiple, redundant processes ensure the safety of influenza vaccines produced in MDCK-33016PF cells. The probability of a residual cell being present in a dose of vaccine is approximately 1 in 10³⁴. Residual MDCK-DNA is ≤10 ng per dose and the ß-propiolactone used to inactivate influenza virus results in reduction of detectable DNA to less than 200 base pairs (bp). Degenerate PCR and specific PCR confirm exclusion of oncogenic viruses. The manufacturing process has been validated for its capacity to remove and inactivate viruses. We conclude that the theoretical risks arising from manufacturing seasonal influenza vaccine using MDCK-33016PF cells are reduced to levels that are effectively zero by the multiple, orthogonal processes used during production.

Cell Adhesion, Polarity, and Epithelia in the Dawn of Metazoans

Transporting epithelia posed formidable conundrums right from the moment that Du Bois Raymond discovered their asymmetric behavior, a century and a half ago. It took a century and a half to start unraveling the mechanisms of occluding junctions and polarity, but we now face another puzzle: lest its cells died in minutes, the first high metazoa (i.e., higher than a sponge) needed a transporting epithelium, but a transporting epithelium is an incredibly improbable combination of occluding junctions and cell polarity. How could these coincide in the same individual organism and within minutes? We review occluding junctions (tight and septate) as well as the polarized distribution of Na+-K+-ATPase both at the molecular and the cell level. Junctions and polarity depend on hosts of molecular species and cellular processes, which are briefly reviewed whenever they are suspected to have played a role in the dawn of epithelia and metazoan. We come to the conclusion that most of the molecules needed were already present in early protozoan and discuss a few plausible alternatives to solve the riddle described above.

Cell polarity and epithelial oncogenesis

Pathologists have long recognized that tumour formation in epithelia leads to disruption of normal epithelial cell polarity. Despite this, few studies have taken advantage of new information on the biogenesis of cell polarity to analyse the process of epithelial oncogenesis. Recent studies of epithelial cell lines now indicate that the pattern of breakdown of polarity during oncogenesis may reflect the way in which normal epithelial cells achieve polarity. These results suggest not only a novel way to study the development of polarity in vitro, but also new ideas for the early detection of cancer.

Identification, cellular distribution and potential function of the metalloprotease-disintegrin MDC9 in the kidney

The complex interactions of glomerular and tubular epithelial cells with the basal laminae play a critical role in renal function. Disruption of these interactions has been widely implicated in glomerular diseases and acute renal failure. MDC are a large family of membrane-bound proteins containing metalloprotease, disintegrin (integrin interaction sites), and cysteine-rich domains. Little information is available concerning the presence of MDC in the kidney or their role in renal pathophysiology. Using degenerate PCR primers for the conserved metalloprotease and disintegrin domains of this protein family, cDNA templates from tubules, whole glomeruli, and glomerular epithelial cells (GEC) yielded a single, 195-bp product, which on sequence analysis corresponded to a region in the disintegrin domain of MDC9. Northern analysis of poly(A)+ RNA from tubules, whole glomeruli, and GEC revealed a 3.9-kb transcript, identical to that of mouse MDC9. Using antibodies generated against a 21-amino acid peptide present in the metalloprotease domain of MDC9, Western analysis of concanavalin A-enriched glomerular microsomal extracts demonstrated both processed (76 kD) and unprocessed (116 kD) forms of MDC9, which upon reduction changed to the corresponding 84- and 124-kD forms. Histochemical studies revealed a basolateral localization of intrinsic MDC9 protein in renal cortical tubule cells and glomerular visceral epithelial cells, which colocalized with the beta1 integrin chain. Expression of green fluorescence protein MDC9 chimeric constructs in GEC or polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells revealed a similar punctate basolateral surface localization. Transient overexpression of the soluble disintegrin domain-green fluorescence protein chimera in GEC led to dramatic changes in cellular morphology with rounding and detachment from cell monolayers. These studies document the presence of MDC9 in renal epithelial cells and suggest an important role for MDC9 in renal epithelial cellular interactions with the basal lamina and adjoining cells.

Phospholipids regulate growth and function of MDCK cells in hormonally defined serum free medium

The effects of the simple phospholipids phosphatidic acid (PA) and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) on the growth and function of Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells has been studied. We observed that PA and LPA not only stimulated the growth of MDCK cells (at 20 microM), but also stimulated the growth of normal rabbit kidney cells in serum free medium (albeit at a lower dosage of 5 microM). Evidence was obtained that PA interacts synergistically with insulin so as to elicit a growth stimulatory effect. Recently, extracellular PA and LPA were proposed to stimulate mitogenesis in several types of animal cells by binding to particular sites on the plasma membrane which are coupled to signaling mechanisms such as adenylate cyclase via a pertussis toxin sensitive, inhibitory guanosine triphosphate binding protein (Gi protein) (15). However, even when the pertussis toxin dosage was increased to 50 ng/ml, LPA still had a dramatic growth stimulatory effect on MDCK cells. In the absence of LPA pertussis toxin was slightly growth stimulatory to MDCK cells. Phospholipids such as PA and LPA have been observed to prevent prostaglandin-induced increases in adenylate cyclase activity in other cell types via their effects on such a pertussis toxin sensitive Gi protein. If PA and LPA act on MDCK cells in this manner, then these phospholipids may possibly prevent the effect of PGE1 on the growth of normal MDCK cells. However PGE1 was still growth stimulatory to normal MDCK cells. The effects of PA on PGE1 independent variants of MDCK cells, which have elevated intracellular cyclic AMP levels (22), were also examined. In the presence of PA, PGE1 remained growth inhibitory, rather than growth stimulatory to the PGE1 independent cells. However, the PA dosage required to elicit an optimal growth response (5 microM) was dramatically reduced, as compared with normal MDCK cells (20 microM). This altered dosage requirement could be explained by the elevated intracellular cyclic AMP levels in the PGE1 independent variants. Like PGE1 and 8-bromocyclic AMP, PA and LPA also significantly increased the initial rate of Rb+ uptake by confluent monolayers of MDCK cells. The increase in the initial rate of Rb+ uptake could be explained by an increase in the ouabain-sensitive component of Rb+ uptake. An increase in the initial rate of ouabain-insensitive Rb+ uptake was also observed in LPA treated MDCK cell cultures.

Regulation of the Na,K-ATPase activity of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells in defined medium by prostaglandin E1 and 8-bromocyclic AMP

The role of PGE1 in regulating the activity of the Na+, K(+)-ATPase in Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells has been examined. PGE1 increased the initial rate of ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake by MDCK cells, a process that continued to occur over a 5-day period. The increase in the initial rate of ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake in MDCK cells treated with PGE1 could be explained by a 1.6-fold increase in the Vmax for ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake. The increase in the Vmax for ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake observed in MDCK cells under these conditions can be explained either by an increase in the number of active Na+ pumps, or by an increase in the efficiency of the Na+ pumps. Consistent with the former possibility is the observed increase in the number of ouabain binding sites, as well as the increase in Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity in cell lysates obtained from MDCK monolayers treated with PGE1. The involvement of cyclic AMP in mediating these effects of PGE1 on the Na+, K(+)-ATPase in MDCK cells is supported by: (1) the observation of similar effects in 8-bromocyclic AMP treated MDCK monolayers, and (2) a dramatic reduction of the stimulatory effects of PGE1 and 8-bromocyclic AMP on the Vmax for ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake, and on the number of ouabain binding sites in dibutyryl cyclic AMP resistant clone 3 (DBr3) (which is defective in cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase activity). PGE1 independent MDCK monolayers exhibit both an increase in the Vmax for ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake and an increase in the number of ouabain binding sites in response to 8-bromocyclic AMP. Apparently, the cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase defect in these PGE1 independent cells did not cause cellular cyclic AMP levels to be elevated to a sufficient extent to maximally increase the Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity in these variant cells.

Retinoic acid modulates dome formation by MDCK cells in defined medium

Retinoic acid dramatically increases the size of domes in confluent MDCK monolayers in a hormonally defined medium (medium K-1). After 4-5 days of retinoic acid treatment, enlarged domes began to appear in confluent MDCK monolayers. After 7 days with 3 x 10(-7) M retinoic acid, the majority of the domes in the monolayers were between 27 and 80 x 10(-3) microns 2 in area, whereas in control medium the majority of the domes were between 0 and 9 x 10(-3) microns 2 in area. The dependence of the retinoic acid effect on prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) was examined. In normal MDCK cells, the effects of retinoic acid on dome size were observed only in medium K-1 supplemented with PGE1. This observation indicated that retinoic acid did not elicit its effects simply by stimulating PGE production. In contrast, in monolayers of PGE1-independent MDCK cells, retinoic acid treatment resulted in an increase in dome frequency even in medium K-1 lacking PGE1. This observation can be explained by the elevated cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels in these PGE1-independent MDCK cells. Dibutyryl cAMP-resistant MDCK cells, which normally do not form domes in medium K-1, were also studied. Remarkably, the dibutyryl cAMP-resistant MDCK cells were observed to form domes at a significant frequency when medium K-1 was supplemented with retinoic acid. However in medium K-1 lacking PGE1, an effect of retinoic acid on dome formation by dibutyryl cAMP-resistant MDCK monolayers was not observed. The inability of dibutyryl cAMP-resistant MDCK cells to form domes in medium K-1 has previously been attributed to their decreased cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. The stimulatory effects of retinoic acid on dome formation may possibly be due to an increase in the activity of a particular cAMP-dependent protein kinase or activation of a separate pathway.

[Coordinate control of cell growth and transport functions in a kidney cell line]

Several protein kinases have been shown to be involved in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Molecules, regulating the activity of these protein kinases, also effect the activity of certain transport systems. Genetic experiments, suggesting a similar connection between the regulation of cell growth and transport functions in MDCK cells, are discussed.

Dibutyryl cyclic AMP resistant MDCK cells in serum free medium have reduced cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase activity and a diminished effect of PGE1 on differentiated function

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) has a stimulatory effect both on the growth and the expression of differentiated function of Madin Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) cells in a hormonally defined medium (Medium K-1). While the stimulatory effect of PGE1 on MDCK cell growth is observed in subconfluent cultures, the effect of PGE1 on differentiated function (i.e., dome formation) is observed at confluency. PGE1 may possibly affect growth and such differentiated functions by separate mechanisms. In order to examine this possibility, dibutyryl cyclic AMP resistant variants of MDCK were selected. All of the variants were partially resistant to the growth inhibitory effects of dibutyryl cyclic AMP and theophylline. The cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase activity of four of the five variant clones studied was significantly reduced as compared with normal MDCK cells. The dependence of the kinase activity of several of the dibutyryl cyclic AMP resistant variants (DBr2 and DBr3) on the cyclic AMP concentration in the reaction mixture was compared with that of normal MDCK cells. At all of the cyclic AMP concentrations tested DBr2 and DBr3 cells had reduced protein kinase activity as compared with normal MDCK cells. This reduced activity could be attributed to a decrease in the Vmax for kinase in the two variants, rather than to a change in the Km of kinase for cyclic AMP. The cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity of dibutyryl cyclic AMP resistant variants was also studied. Unlike PGE1 independent clone 1, DBr2 and DBr3 cells did not differ significantly from normal MDCK cells with regard to their ability to degrade cyclic AMP. The growth and functional responsiveness of DBr2 and DBr3 cells to PGE1 was also examined. DBr2 and DBr3 cells were shown to retain a normal growth response to PGE1. However the capacity of DBr2 and DBr3 cells to form domes in response to PGE1 was dramatically reduced as compared with normal MDCK cells. Nevertheless DBr3 cells were shown to still retain the capacity to form domes in response to other inducers. The effect of PGE1 on one of the functional parameters involved in dome formation (the activity of the Na+/K+ATPase) was examined. The rate of ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake was observed to be elevated in confluent monolayers of normal MDCK cells maintained in Medium K-1, as compared with monolayers maintained in Medium K-1 minus PGE1.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Hormonal regulation of the System A amino acid transport adaptive response mechanism in a kidney epithelial cell line (MDCK)

When mammalian cells are starved for amino acids, the activity of the A amino acid transport system increases, a phenomenon called adaptive regulation. We have examined the effects of those factors which support Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell growth in a defined medium on the derepression of System A activity. Of the five factors which supported MDCK cell growth, insulin was found to be an absolute requirement for derepression. In contrast, PGE1 was a negative controlling factor for the transport system. Growth of MDCK cells in the absence of PGE1 resulted in elevated System A activity which derepressed poorly upon amino acid starvation. Kinetic analysis of alpha-(methylamino) isobutyric acid (mAIB) uptake as a function of substrate concentration showed that the elevated A activity observed when cells were grown in the absence of PGE1 was kinetically similar to the activity induced by starvation for amino acids. Transport of mAIB by amino-acid-fed cells grown in the presence of PGE1 was characterized by a linear Eadie-Hofstee graph and by a relatively low Vmax. Transport by cells starved for amino acids or by cells grown in the absence of PGE1 was characterized by biphasic kinetics for mAIB transport and by elevated Vmax values. An influence of growth factors on the inactivation of derepressed A activity was also observed. In the presence of cycloheximide the rate of loss of A activity in amino-acid-starved cells was 1/4-1/2 that of amino-acid-fed cells. Insulin slowed inactivation in the absence of most amino acids in a protein-synthesis-independent manner, but insulin did not influence the more rapid inactivation observed in amino-acid-fed cells. These results indicate that the level of System A activity observed in response to regulation by amino acids represents a balance between carrier synthesis and inactivation, which can be positively or negatively influenced by growth factors.

Characterization of chemically and virally transformed variants of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells

Oncogenic derivatives of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells were isolated in the nude mouse, and nononcogenic anchorage-independent transformants were isolated in vitro following chemical mutagenesis in vitro. These transformed cell lines as well as a Moloney sarcoma virus (MSV) transformed line were characterized with respect to their serum and anchorage requirements, growth rates, final saturation densities, and sensitivities to contact inhibition. None of these in vitro growth characteristics were found to correlate with tumorigenicity in nude mice. One tumorigenic clone, MDCK-T1, was characterized with respect to serum-free growth requirements, cAMP production, and ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity. These cells exhibited a significant reduction in the PGE1 requirement for growth, they produced higher levels of cAMP, and they expressed a reduced level of ODC activity relative to the parental MDCK cells. These findings may reflect changes in growth control mechanisms which accompany kidney epithelial cell tumorigenesis and suggest that the study of transformed lines derived in this manner could lead to the identification of in vitro properties which are associated with malignancy.

Variant (MDCK) kidney epithelial cells altered in response to inducers of dome formation and differentiation

Confluent cultures of the MDCK kidney epithelial cell line exhibit dome formation, a result of transepithelial fluid transport influenced by cell-cell and cell-substratum interaction. Dome formation was inducible by hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA) or dimethylformamide (DMF), compounds known as inducers of cell differentiation (Lever, 1979b). Analysis of the incidence of the dome-forming phenotype in colonies derived nonselectively from the MDCK cell line suggested that inducers recruit an increased fraction of the cell population to express dome formation. Variant MDCK cell lines were isolated which differed from the parental line in response to inducers while retaining cuboidal epithelial morphology. In five independently isolated and cloned MDCK variants, dome formation was not inducible by DMF and only marginally increased by HMBA. This phenotype was also associated with increased cell adhesiveness to a plastic substratum. Results from cocultivation experiments suggested that the DMF-unresponsive phenotype of variant cells may be partially overcome by cell-cell contact with wild-type cells. Sodium pump transport activity assessed by ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake was partially inhibited by HMBA and by DMF in a "wild-type" inducer-responsive clone. By contrast, DMF did not inhibit ouabain-sensitive Rb+ uptake in DMF-unresponsive variant clones, and sodium pump inhibition by HMBA was greatly diminished. This close correspondence between altered sodium pump modulation by inducers in variant clones and their altered dome-forming response reinforces our previous conclusions (Kennedy and Lever, 1984) that sodium pump modulation is closely associated with mechanisms of inducer action. Taken together, these findings implicate cell-cell interaction, cell-substratum interaction and sodium pump modulation in regulation of the differentiated phenotype of this cell line.

Analysis of the reduced growth factor dependency of simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cells

We have measured in a defined serum-free medium the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and insulin requirements of normal Swiss 3T3 cells, simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cells, and partial revertants of simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cells. Swiss 3T3 cells displayed strong requirements for both PDGF and insulin. Both of these requirements were significantly diminished in simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cells. Analysis of the PDGF and insulin requirements of the revertants indicated that the loss of either of these two growth factor requirements was not necessarily linked to the other; rather, the growth factor requirements were specifically associated with other parameters of transformation. The reacquisition of a PDGF requirement cosegregated with reversion to density-dependent growth inhibition, whereas reacquisition of a normal insulin requirement cosegregated with reversion to a normal growth dependence on calf serum. Anchorage dependence was dissociable from both growth factor requirements. The relationship between the PDGF requirement and density-dependent growth inhibition was further analyzed in normal 3T3 cells by measuring the PDGF requirement at different cell densities. At high cell densities, the requirement for PDGF became significantly greater. We suggest that at least in part the ability of transformed cells to grow to high saturation densities results from their loss of a requirement for PDGF.

Analysis of the reduced growth factor dependency of simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cells

We have measured in a defined serum-free medium the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and insulin requirements of normal Swiss 3T3 cells, simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cells, and partial revertants of simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cells. Swiss 3T3 cells displayed strong requirements for both PDGF and insulin. Both of these requirements were significantly diminished in simian virus 40-transformed 3T3 cells. Analysis of the PDGF and insulin requirements of the revertants indicated that the loss of either of these two growth factor requirements was not necessarily linked to the other; rather, the growth factor requirements were specifically associated with other parameters of transformation. The reacquisition of a PDGF requirement cosegregated with reversion to density-dependent growth inhibition, whereas reacquisition of a normal insulin requirement cosegregated with reversion to a normal growth dependence on calf serum. Anchorage dependence was dissociable from both growth factor requirements. The relationship between the PDGF requirement and density-dependent growth inhibition was further analyzed in normal 3T3 cells by measuring the PDGF requirement at different cell densities. At high cell densities, the requirement for PDGF became significantly greater. We suggest that at least in part the ability of transformed cells to grow to high saturation densities results from their loss of a requirement for PDGF.

PGE1-independent MDCK cells have elevated intracellular cyclic AMP but retain the growth stimulatory effects of glucagon and epidermal growth factor in serum-free medium

Prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), a component in the hormone-supplemented, serum-free medium for the Madin Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line, has been proposed to increase MDCK cell growth by increasing intracellular cyclic AMP levels. The association between increased intracellular cyclic AMP and the growth stimulatory effect of PGE1 has been examined in normal MDCK cells and in PGE1-independent variants of MDCK. These variant cells have lost the PGE1 requirement for long term growth in defined medium. Normal MDCK cells had almost twofold higher intracellular cyclic AMP levels during growth in Medium K-1 (9.0 pmol/mg protein) than in Medium K-1 minus PGE1. Furthermore, PGE1-independent clone 1 had higher intracellular cyclic AMP levels in Medium K-1 minus PGE1 than normal MDCK cells in Medium K-1. This latter observation suggests that the PGE1 requirement for MDCK cell growth is associated with the low intracellular cyclic AMP levels of this cell line. An involvement of cyclic AMP in the growth response to PGE1 is supported by these observations, as well as by the growth stimulatory effects of other agents that affect cyclic AMP metabolism in MDCK cells. These agents include glucagon, isobutyl methylxanthine (IBMX), and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. The growth of PGE1-independent clone 1 was inhibited rather than stimulated by PGE1. Similarly, PGE1-independent cell growth was inhibited by IBMX and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. However, the growth response to one agent which increases cyclic AMP (glucagon) was retained in PGE1-independent clone 1. This result suggests that the effect of glucagon is not associated with increases in intracellular cyclic AMP. The growth stimulatory effect of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on normal MDCK cells was also studied. Although EGF does not act via a cyclic AMP-mediated mechanism, EGF increased normal MDCK cell growth and substituted for PGE1 in Medium K-1. Thus, EGF and PGE1 could possibly affect similar growth-related functions in MDCK cells, although by different pathways. This possibility was examined further, using PGE1-independent clone 1. EGF, like glucagon, was still growth stimulatory to the PGE1-independent cells. Consequently, the biochemical pathways by which EGF and PGE1 increase MDCK cell growth probably do not converge.

Supplementary factors required for serum-free culture of rat kidney cells of line NRK-49F

Factors required as supplements to basal tissue culture medium for the multiplication of cells of the cloned rat fibroblast line called normal rat kidney 49F (NRK-49F) were identified as epidermal growth factor, fibronectin, insulin, and retinoic acid. The requirement for fibronectin was manifested on a clean glass surface but not on the polystyrene plastic surface tested. This set of required factors differs substantially from the factor sets required by the Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) and LLC-PK1 pig kidney lines of epithelial cells and the baby hamster kidney 21 (BHK-21) line of fibroblasts. The serum-free medium supplemented with the four factors supported rapid growth of NRK-49F cells when the initial cell population density was about 8,000 cells/cm2 or greater. At lower initial densities, cell multiplication was markedly increased by adding serum-free medium that had been conditioned by NRK-49F cells. Cell growth rate in the defined serum-free medium stayed high through two serial passages but declined in the third serial passage unless the cell-conditioned medium was added.