In vitro characteristics of the lipid-filled interstitial cell associated with postnatal lung growth: evidence for fibroblast heterogeneity.

This study explores the in vitro modulation of the lipid-filled phenotype of the lipid interstitial cell (LIC) isolated from the developing rat lung. Isolated LIC lose their cytoplasmic lipid droplets when cultured in fetal bovine serum (FBS) but retain their potential for lipid storage, since they rapidly reaccumulate lipid when subcultured in neonatal rat serum (NRS) and to a lesser extent in adult rat serum (ARS). The return of LIC to a lipid-filled state may not represent cell differentiation, since it occurs in the presence of bromodeoxyuridine. NRS contains twice the free fatty acids (FFA) of FBS and ARS, and doubling the FFA concentration of FBS and ARS increases LIC storage lipids. Serum triglyceride (TG) is 10 times higher in ARS and 23 times higher in NRS than in FBS. Since LIC lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity is in the range of 3T3-L1 adipocytes (0.56 vs. 1.72 units/mg DNA), the LIC has the potential of incorporating serum lipoprotein-triglyceride. The LPL activity of LIC is 9-12 times that of fetal and adult rat lung fibroblasts and 50 times that of human lung, trachea, or skin fibroblasts; LIC are probably a source of endothelial LPL in the developing lung. The response of LIC and ARLF cyclic-AMP to hormones known to influence lipid synthesis or degradation showed that: only LIC responded to glucagon; prostaglandin E1 was a more potent stimulus to LIC; isoproterenol was a more potent stimulus to ARLF; and neither cell responded to ACTH. The unique nature of LIC tends to support further the concept of fibroblast heterogeneity within tissues.