Cell surface heparan sulphate and adhesive property of sublines of rat ascites hepatoma AH7974.

Two variants (74AD and 74FL) established from rat ascites hepatoma AH7974 were examined for the production of glycosaminoglycans in culture. There was no difference between the adhesive (74AD) and the floating (74FL) variants in quantity of glycosaminoglycans produced by their cultivation in minimum essential medium supplemented with 10% foetal calf serum. However, they were distinctly different in the distribution patterns of heparan sulphate. In 74FL, about 70% of total heparan sulphate was found in the culture medium in soluble form, whereas in 74AD, only 7% was found in the medium and the rest was in the cell-substratum complex. In a serum-free medium, 74AD cells grew without adhering to the substratum. After cultivation, more than 90% of total heparan sulphate was found in the cell-associated fractions and the rest in the substratum fractions. No heparan sulphate was detected in the culture medium. On the other hand, 74FL cells released heparan sulphate to the serum-free medium as much as to the serum-containing medium. The increase in amount of heparan sulphate in the culture medium of 74FL cells was supposed to be caused by failure of the cells to deposit heparan sulphate at the cell surface and not caused by increased production. Cell-substratum adhesion mechanisms involving cell surface heparan sulphate (heparan sulphate proteoglycan) and some serum intermediate(s) are discussed for 74AD cells.