Mitogenic effects of hepatic stimulator substance on cultured nonparenchymal liver epithelial cells

We determined whether hepatic stimulator substance shares its mitogenic specificity for hepatocytes with nonparenchymal epithelial cells in the hepatocyte lineage. Cell lines designated HTC (derived from a rat hepatoma known to respond to hepatic stimulator substance) and FNRL, K‐16 and K‐22 (derived from rat liver nonparenchymal epithelial cells) were used. After exposure to hepatic stimulator substance, [³H]‐thymidine incorporation into DNA was significantly increased (p < 0.001) in HTC, FNRL and K‐16 cells, but not in K‐22 cells. Fluorescence‐activated cell sorting demonstrated that the mitogenic response to hepatic stimulator substance was associated with a greater proportion of cells entering the S phase. Epidermal growth factor, alone or in combination with hepatic stimulator substance, had no significant mitogenic effect on FNRL cells, but exposure of these cells to transforming growth factor‐β1 inhibited [³H]‐thymidine incorporation into DNA and reduced the proportion of cells in the S and G2/M phases. Simultaneous exposure of FNRL cells to hepatic stimulator substance and transforming growth factor‐β1 abrogated the inhibitory effect of transforming growth factor‐β1. Comparison of butyrate‐synchronized HTC cells with hepatic stimulator substance–treated HTC cells showed that S‐phase progression in these conditions was different, with no intervening cell cycle arrest after treatment with hepatic stimulator substance. Mitogenic stimulation of FNRL and K‐16 cells with the liver‐specific growth factor hepatic stimulator substance suggests that these cells are of hepatocyte lineage. These results strengthen the evidence for a possible link between hepatocytes and nonparenchymal liver epithelial cells during liver biogenesis and differentiation. (Hepatology 1992;15:485–491).