[Dependence of alkaline phosphatase activity in human cultured fibroblasts on the proliferative status of the culture].

The alkaline phosphatase activity was studied in embryonic lung human fibroblasts grown in vitro. The total enzyme activity per flask was constant during the log-phase of culture growth to increase significantly after confluence. The increase in the activity did not depend on the rate of culture growth, and was seen to start after the mean density equal to (37.5 +/- 5.9) X 10(3) cells/cm2 flask surface. The stimulation of cell growth may presumably slow down the synthesis of alkaline phosphatase, which resumes after the contact inhibition of DNA replication.