The anti-proliferative action of transforming growth factor-beta 1 on a rat intestinal epithelial cell line (RIE-1) is dependent on cell population density and culture passage number.

1. The proliferation of RIE-1 rat intestinal epithelial cells was potently but reversibly inhibited by transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1). In early-passage cultures, complete growth arrest was observed when sparse cultures were treated with TGF-beta 1 (1 ng/ml). 2. However, increasing the initial cell culture density resulted in decreased TGF-beta 1-mediated inhibition of cell proliferation. 3. Independent of this population density effect, RIE-1 cells also exhibit a marked phenotypic transition around passage-8 to -10, such that later-passage cells were less responsive to growth inhibition by TGF-beta 1.