Insulin secretion in vivo and in vitro from transplantable NEDH rat insulinoma and derived clonal RINm5F cell line.

The function of clonal insulin-secreting RINm5F cells was compared with parent tumoural B-cells from radiation-induced NEDH rat insulinoma and a RINm5Fr cell line established following transplantation of RINm5F cells in NEDH rat. After 3 days culture, tumoural B-cells contained 156 micrograms insulin/10(6) cells and released 57-82 ng insulin/10(6) cells/h during acute incubations at 2.6 mM Ca2+. RINm5F cells contained 0.56 ng insulin/10(6) cells and released 62-181 pg insulin/10(6) cells/h. Unlike tumoural B-cells, secretion was stimulated 1.7-2.4-fold by 5 mM theophylline, 1 microM glucagon, 25 mM K+, or 7.6 mM Ca2+. Subscapular transplantation of cultured tumoural B-cells or RINm5F cells (2.8 X 10(7) cells/rat) resulted in an encapsulated tumour associated with progressive hyperinsulinaemia, hypoglycaemia and death by 28-46 days and 39-44 days respectively. A RINm5Fr cell line was established in culture from a 19 g tumour 20 days after transplantation. RINm5Fr cells contained 2.69 ng insulin/10(6) cells and released 385-1,017 pg insulin/10(6) cells/h (p less than 0.001 compared with RINm5F cells). Secretion was not augmented by glucose, but at 16.7 mM glucose it was stimulated 1.5-fold by 5 mM theophylline, 1.6-fold by 1 microM glucagon and inhibited 0.6-fold by somatostatin. At 5.6 mM glucose, secretion was stimulated 1.6-fold by 25 mM K+, 2.5-fold by 7.8 mM Ca2+, 2.1-fold by 20 microM A23187, 1.5-fold by 20 mM leucine and 1.4-fold by 100 microM tolbutamide. These data indicate fundamental differences between rat insulinoma cells and the derived RIN cell lines. Transplantation is a useful means to enhance the function of RINm5F cells.