Growth factor dependence of pheochromocytoma cells in chemically defined medium

✍ Scribed by Dr. Rosanne Goodman; H. R. Herschman

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 424 KB
• Volume: 7
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0360-4012
• DOI: 10.1002/jnr.490070412

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

We have previously described the isolation of a clonal pheochromocytoma cell line (PC‐G2) which responds to nerve growth factor (NGF) [Goodman and Herschman, 1978] and epidermal growth factor (EGF) [Goodman et al, 1980] with increased specific activity of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). This cell line thus can be used for studies of induction of a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of catecholamines using a homogeneous cell population under controlled environmental influences. However, the need for serum in the culture medium used to grow these cells still introduced a lack of total environmental control. Several laboratories have circumvented this problem by growing cells in chemically defined medium. In the present report we demonstrate that with a modification PC‐G2 cells can survive and grow in the chemically defined N3 medium devised by Bottenstein and Sato [1979]. While another pheochromocytoma cell line, PC‐12, was shown to grow in N3 medium without any supplement [Bottenstein et al, 1979], the PC‐G2 cells exhibit an absolute requirement for NGF or EGF in order to grow in this chemically defined medium. As was the case in the induction of TH in serum‐containing medium [Goodman and Herschman, 1978; Goodman et al, 1980], EGF was found to be 100 times more potent than NGF in the support of growth of the PC‐G2 cells. In the present report we demonstrate not only that either of these growth factors will support the growth of the PC‐G2 cells, but also that the relative potency of these two factors for support of the cell growth is similar to their relative potencies in the induction of tyrosine hydroxylase in serum‐containing medium.