In vitro differentiation of fat-storing cells parallels marked increase of collagen synthesis and secretion.

Fat-storing cells were isolated and purified from livers of normal adult rats and maintained in primary culture. By light and electron microscopy it was established that they underwent phenotypic changes into cells with the ultrastructural characteristics of myofibroblasts, between the third and sixth day in culture. These morphological changes were accompanied by a 2-fold increase of L-[3H]proline incorporation into secretory proteins and an 11-fold increase into secreted collagenase-sensitive proteins. In contrast, incorporation into cell layer-associated proteins and into cell layer-associated collagenase-sensitive proteins was not significantly elevated. Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) in combination with fluorography, demonstrated that the main collagen type secreted by the myofibroblast-like cells was collagen type I. Collagen types III and IV, and fibronectin were present in lesser amounts. The similarity between the well known in vivo alterations of fat-storing cells under pathological conditions and the spontaneous in vitro differentiation described in this study, makes primary cultures of fat-storing cells a valuable tool for studying their role in chronic liver disease.