Changes in membrane transport function in G0 and G1 cells.

Abstract

AbstractConfluent quiescent monolayers of aneuploid and euploid cells in culture can be stimulated to proliferate by appropriate nutritional changes. In confluent monolayers of WI‐38 human diploid fibroblasts the uptake of cycloleucine is increased three hours after these cells are stimulated to proliferate by a change of medium plus 10% serum. No changes in the uptake of cycloleucine are observed in logarithmically‐growing WI‐38 cells exposed to fresh medium plus 10% serum, or in WI‐38 confluent monolayers in which the conditioned medium has been replaced by fresh medium with 0.3% serum (a change that does not cause stimulation of cellular proliferation in WI‐38 cells). In 3T6 cells in the stationary phase stimulated to proliferate by nutritional changes, there is a prompt increase in the uptake of cycloleucine, within one hour after stimulation of cell proliferation. Similar results were obtained with stationary 2RA cells which are SV‐40 transformed WI‐38 fibroblasts. In addition, chromatin template activity which is known to increase in the early stages after stimulation of confluent WI‐38 cells, was unchanged in confluent 3T6 or 2RA cells stimulated to proliferate.These results show that at least two of the very early biochemical events occurring in response to stimulation of cell proliferation are different in WI‐38 diploid cells and in aneuploid 2RA or 3T6 cells. It is proposed that WI‐38 cells in the stationary phase are arrested in the G0 phase of the cell cycle, while 2RA and 3T6 cells are arrested in the G1 phase.