An autocrine factor from Reuber hepatoma cells that stimulates DNA synthesis and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Characterization of biologic activity and evidence for a glycan structure.

Conditioned medium from Reuber H-35 or Fao hepatoma cells contains autocrine factors that both stimulate DNA synthesis and activate acetyl-coenzyme A (CoA) carboxylase in serum-deprived Fao cells. The factor(s), which appears within 4 h of serum-free culture, also increases the cell number and the mitotic index. The effects of the conditioned medium are insulinomimetic, both with respect to stimulation of DNA synthesis and acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity. However, no induction of tyrosine aminotransferase activity or stimulation of aminoisobutyric acid uptake is seen in response to the conditioned medium. Insulin over a 4-h period does not increase the concentration of DNA synthesis stimulating activity that is observed in the medium. This activity is dialyzable and is resistant to acid treatment or to heating to 60-100 degrees C and to trypsin digestion; it is not extracted with chloroform/methanol nor adsorbed by charcoal or by a C18 reverse-phase column. Fractionation of the conditioned medium derived from Reuber H-35 hepatoma cells by gel filtration chromatography reveals two low molecular weight (less than 1000) compounds that both stimulate DNA synthesis in Fao hepatoma cells. The larger compound (peak I) also stimulates the activity of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. The stimulatory effects of the peak I compound are destroyed by nitrous acid deamination, periodate oxidation, and methanolysis. Biosynthetic labeling studies indicate the probable presence of glucosamine, galactose, and perhaps phosphate in the peak I-activating material. No significant incorporation of either myoinositol or mannose into the active material has been observed. These data, taken together, are consistent with a glycan structure for this autocrine factor, which bears strong resemblance to similar insulinomimetic factors generated in BC3H1 myocytes and H-35 hepatoma cells in response to insulin and on digestion of membranes with a phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C. Further characterization of this factor may provide insight into different pathways of insulin action and could provide a strategy to check autocrine-stimulated tumor growth.