Aberrant responses to growth-regulatory signals by variant kidney epithelial cells.

Cultures that achieved a higher cell density than expected were noted during study of growth regulation in monkey kidney epithelial cells of the BSC-1 line. Multiplication of the variant cells was accelerated, compared with parental cells, as the cultures approached confluence. Cytogenetic analysis, immunofluorescence antibody reactions with specific monkey serum, isoenzyme analysis, microbiological studies, and lack of growth in soft agar indicated that the variant cells were not a contaminating cell type, lacked new isoenzymes, were free of microbial contamination, and were not transformed. Confluent variant cultures did not respond to a purified growth inhibitor protein produced by BSC-1 cells that inhibits multiplication and reduces cell Na content in subconfluent variant and parental cells. Vasopressin, which is a mitogen for parental cells, was a potent growth inhibitor for confluent cultures of variant cells. Low-K or high-Na media, which stimulate proliferation of parental cells, had no effect on growth of the variant cell line. These results suggest that enhanced multiplication of the variant cells is mediated by altered signal transduction pathways and/or receptors for growth-regulatory molecules.