Comparison of cytokine effects on mouse pancreatic alpha-cell and beta-cell lines. Viability, secretory function, and MHC antigen expression.

Cytokine effects on permanent cell lines of transformed mouse pancreatic alpha- and beta-cells were compared. The beta-tumor cell 1 (beta TC1) line (from an adenoma created in transgenic mice expressing the SV40 large T-antigen oncogene under control of the rat insulin II promoter) produced insulin predominantly, although small quantities of intracellular glucagon (100:1 insulin to glucagon) were detectable by radioimmunoassay. The alpha TC1 line (from an adenoma created in transgenic mice expressing the SV40 large T-antigen oncogene under control of the rat preproglucagon promoter) produced not only glucagon but also considerable quantities of insulin (4:1 glucagon to insulin) and preproinsulin mRNA. We therefore cloned alpha TC1 cells and obtained 12 glucagon-producing clonal cell lines that did not produce levels of insulin detectable by radioimmunoassay. Analysis by Northern blotting of total RNA from two lines, alpha TC1 clones 6 and 9, confirmed the absence of preproinsulin mRNA. No somatostatin or pancreatic polypeptide was detected by immunohistochemical staining in alpha TC1 clones 6 or 9 or beta TC1 cells. Rat recombinant gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma; 5-250 U/ml) or mouse recombinant interleukin 1 (IL-1; 1-25 U/ml) individually inhibited DNA synthesis in beta TC1 cells after 3 days of treatment. The two cytokines in combination acted synergistically to further depress DNA synthesis and increase cytotoxicity. In contrast, alpha TC1 clone 9 cells were not sensitive to inhibition of DNA synthesis by each cytokine individually, although glucagon synthesis was inhibited. The combination of these cytokines caused marked inhibition of DNA and glucagon syntheses in alpha TC1 clone 9 cells. alpha TC1 clone 9 cells were somewhat more resistant to the cytotoxic action of the combined cytokines than were beta TC1 cells. Incubation with 50 U/ml IFN-gamma induced class II MHC molecules (I-Ab, I-Ad, and I-Ed) and enhanced the constitutive expression of class I molecules (H-2Kb and H-2Kd) on the cell surfaces of beta TC1, uncloned alpha TC1, and alpha TC1 clones 6 and 9. Thus, these cell lines are heterozygous for MHC alleles derived from both parental strains used in the construction of the transgenic mice [C57BL/6J (H-2b) and DBA/2J (H-2d)]. Class II gene transcription induced by IFN-gamma was confirmed in beta TC1 and alpha TC1 clone 9 cells by Northern blot analysis with A alpha-, A beta-, E alpha, and E beta-DNA probes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)