Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Cell Biology logoLink to The Journal of Cell Biology
. 1980 Mar 1;84(3):808–814. doi: 10.1083/jcb.84.3.808

Bovine colostrum supports the serum-free proliferation of epithelial cells but not of fibroblasts in long-term culture

M Klagsbrun
PMCID: PMC2110570  PMID: 7358799

Abstract

Medium lacking serum but supplemented with milk will support the growth of sparse cells in culture. Milk obtained within 8 h after the birth of a calf (day 1 colostrum) is the most effective in supporting proliferation. In mixed cultures of early-passage bovine embryonic kidney (BEK) or early-passage calf kidney (CK) cells, both epithelial cells and fibroblasts grow in Dulbecco’s modified eagle’s medium (DMEM) supplemented with serum. However, only cells that appear to be epithelial-like grow in DMEM supplemented with colostrum. Sparse cultures of early-passage human and rat fibroblasts that grow readily in DMEM supplemented with serum do not grow in DMEM supplemented with colostrum. Canine kidney epithelial cells (MDCK), when plated sparsely, grow exponentially in DMEM supplemented with day 1 bovine colostrum. The generation time is 26 h, the same growth rate as in DMEM supplemented with calf serum. The MDCK cells can be subcultured and regrown to confluence repeatedly in colostrum-supplemented DMEM. Growth in DMEM supplemented with colostrum does not alter the morphological characteristics of the MDCK cells, which are polygonal, contain microvilli at the apical surface, and are connected by tight junctions and desmosomes. MDCK cells do not proliferate in DMEM supplemented with milk obtained 1 wk after the birth of a calf.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (579.8 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Ausprunk D. H., Folkman J. Vascular injury in transplanted tissues. Fine structural changes in tumor, adult, and embryonic blood vessels. Virchows Arch B Cell Pathol. 1976 Jul 21;(1):31–44. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Breakefield X. O., Nirenberg M. W. Selection for neuroblastoma cells that synthesize certain transmitters. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1974 Jun;71(6):2530–2533. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.6.2530. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. GROVES M. L. PREPARATION OF SOME IRON-BINDING PROTEINS AND ALPHA-LACTALBUMIN FROM BOVINE MILK. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1965 Apr 12;100:154–162. doi: 10.1016/0304-4165(65)90438-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gilbert S. F., Migeon B. R. D-valine as a selective agent for normal human and rodent epithelial cells in culture. Cell. 1975 May;5(1):11–17. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(75)90086-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hayashi I., Sato G. H. Replacement of serum by hormones permits growth of cells in a defined medium. Nature. 1976 Jan 15;259(5539):132–134. doi: 10.1038/259132a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hutchings S. E., Sato G. H. Growth and maintenance of HeLa cells in serum-free medium supplemented with hormones. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Feb;75(2):901–904. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.2.901. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Klagsbrun M. Human milk stimulates DNA synthesis and cellular proliferation in cultured fibroblasts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Oct;75(10):5057–5061. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.10.5057. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kohler N., Lipton A. Platelets as a source of fibroblast growth-promoting activity. Exp Cell Res. 1974 Aug;87(2):297–301. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(74)90484-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kulka R. G., Tokins G. M., Crook R. B. Clonal differences in glutamine synthetase activity of hepatoma cells. Effects of glutamine and dexamethasone. J Cell Biol. 1972 Jul;54(1):175–179. doi: 10.1083/jcb.54.1.175. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Misfeldt D. S., Hamamoto S. T., Pitelka D. R. Transepithelial transport in cell culture. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1976 Apr;73(4):1212–1216. doi: 10.1073/pnas.73.4.1212. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Ogra S. S., Ogra P. L. Immunologic aspects of human colostrum and milk. I. Distribution characteristics and concentrations of immunoglobulins at different times after the onset of lactation. J Pediatr. 1978 Apr;92(4):546–549. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(78)80285-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pledger W. J., Stiles C. D., Antoniades H. N., Scher C. D. Induction of DNA synthesis in BALB/c 3T3 cells by serum components: reevaluation of the commitment process. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1977 Oct;74(10):4481–4485. doi: 10.1073/pnas.74.10.4481. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Querinjean P., Masson P. L., Heremans J. F. Molecular weight, single-chain structure and amino acid composition of human lactoferrin. Eur J Biochem. 1971 Jun 11;20(3):420–425. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1971.tb01408.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rindler M. J., Chuman L. M., Shaffer L., Saier M. H., Jr Retention of differentiated properties in an established dog kidney epithelial cell line (MDCK). J Cell Biol. 1979 Jun;81(3):635–648. doi: 10.1083/jcb.81.3.635. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rizzino A., Sato G. Growth of embryonal carcinoma cells in serum-free medium. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Apr;75(4):1844–1848. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.4.1844. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Steimer K. S., Boettiger D. Complementation rescue of Rous sarcoma virus from transformed mammalian cells by polyethylene glycol-mediated cell fusion. J Virol. 1977 Jul;23(1):133–141. doi: 10.1128/jvi.23.1.133-141.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Sun N. C., Sun C. R., Tennant R. W., Hsie A. W. Selective growth of some rodent epithelial cells in a medium containing citrulline. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Apr;76(4):1819–1823. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.4.1819. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Taub M., Chuman L., Saier M. H., Jr, Sato G. Growth of Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cell (MDCK) line in hormone-supplemented, serum-free medium. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Jul;76(7):3338–3342. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.7.3338. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Vogel A., Raines E., Kariya B., Rivest M. J., Ross R. Coordinate control of 3T3 cell proliferation by platelet-derived growth factor and plasma components. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1978 Jun;75(6):2810–2814. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.6.2810. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Cell Biology are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES