gamma-Glutamyl transpeptidase and malignant transformation of cultured liver cells.

The relationship between gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT)and malignant cell transformation was analyzed in malignant and nonmalignant culture epithelial cell lines derived from rat livers and fibroblastic cell types derived from hamsters and mice. GGT activity was prominent (25 to 90% of cells) in 3 of 5 malignant epithelial liver cell lines. None of the 9 fibroblastic or 4 nonmalignant epithelial cell lines exhibited GGT activity. Our results suggest that by use of GGT activity we can detect in cultured liver cells a significant fraction of the spontaneously or chemically induced malignant cells. Thus, in conjunction with other markers, this marker may help in identifying tumorigenic cells in liver epithelial cultures.