Choline-lipid release from normal and transformed cells

The effect of albumin on phosphatidylcholine (PC) metabolism in Hep-G2, 3T3-H.ras, and 3T3 cells pre-labelled with [Me-³H]choline was studied. The [³H]choline was more efficiently taken up and incorporated into cellular phospholipids in 3T3-H.ras cells than in Hep-G2 and 3T3 cells. In each of the three cell lines, most of the [³H]choline metabolized into the phospholipids was incorporated into PC and only minor was incorporated into lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC). Bovine serum albumin stimulated the release of [³H]LPC and [³H]PC from each of the three cell lines pre-labelled with [³H]choline. [³H]PC was also released in the absence of albumin but [³H]LPC was not. The efficiency of LPC secretion represented as the proportion of medium [³H]LPC to cellular [³H]choline lipid during a chase period is approximately 9 to 14 times greater in 3T3 cells compared with the transformed 3T3-H.ras and Hep-G2 cells. A similar comparison of published data for rat hepatocytes with Hep-G2 shows secretion to be 35-75 times greater from the rat hepatocytes than from Hep-G2. Also, PC secretion from 3T3 cells was 1.6 times more effective than from 3T3-H.ras, whereas rat hepatocytes secrete PC 2.8-3.8 times more effectively than does HepG2. The measurement of specific radioactivity of cellular PC in pre-labelled 3T3 cells showed it to be similar to that of the secreted PC. However, the specific radioactivity of secreted LPC was markedly lower than that of the cellular PC, which suggests that LPC is being secreted from a PC pool distinct from that used for PC secretion.