Secretagogue induction of cell differentiation in pancreatic acinar cells in vitro

The effect of two different types of secretagogues on rat pancreatic acinar cells cultured onto a reconstituted basement membrane was studied. Cells cultured without any secretagogue were able to reaggregate but did not form monolayer patches. Most of them lost their differentiated ultrastructural characteristics but regained their polarity. In contrast, when CCK, caerulein, or carbamylcholine was added to the culture medium cells developed both acini-like structures and cell monolayer patches. The cells retained the differentiated ultrastructural appearance and polarity resembling their in situ morphology. Furthermore, secretagogue-conditioned cells presented higher amylase contents. The use of secretagogue antagonists such as L-364,718 and L-365,260 for caerulein, or atropine and mecamylamine for carbamylcholine, did not profoundly modify the cultures and the morphological effects triggered by the secretagogues alone. However, both CCK antagonists and cholinergic antagonists inhibited to a certain degree the secretory stimulation. Our data support the theory that a major role is played by secretagogues in conjunction with the basement membrane for the maintenance of differentiation in pancreatic acinar cells in vitro which appears to be independent from their secretory effect.