Establishment of an AFP-producing serum-independent culture cell line of human liver cancer and changes in protein synthesis associated with the absence of serum (second part).

In this study, we investigated protein (total protein) synthesis and production of such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and albumin (ALB) in the media for cultured human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Consequently, it was found that total protein (TP) in the medium was consumed rapidly in the first day, thereafter TP consumption was not quantitatively significant. Since this cell line was also found to produce transferrin (TF) and fibronectin (FN), we investigated the AFP, ALB and TF production of this cell line by adding dexamethasone, a glucocorticoid involved in protein metabolism. As a result of adding dexamethasone, it was found that AFP and ALB (or TF) production increased simultaneously.