Effects of agents known to antagonize the enhancement of in vitro transformation by 12-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) on the TPA suppression of metabolic cooperation.

Utilizing the phenomenon of metabolic cooperation in Chinese hamster V79 cells, we have studied the effects of agents which suppress the 12-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) enhancement of transformation in vitro, on the TPA suppression of cell-cell communication. None of the agents tested, namely all-trans-retinoic acid, the trimethyl methoxyphenyl analogue of N-ethyl-retinamide, soybean trypsin inhibitor, antipain nor superoxide dismutase, decreased the enhanced recovery effect of TPA on metabolic cooperation. One of the compounds, retinoic acid, significantly increased the % recovery above that observed for TPA alone.