Investigation of the effects of urea cycle amino acids on the expression of ALB and CEBPB in the human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line FLC-4

Cell lines are powerful tools for research into liver function at the molecular level. However, they are generally unsuitable for rigorously assessing the effects of amino acid composition, because many lines require serum-containing medium for their maintenance. Here, we aimed to investigate the effects of ornithine and arginine, which are included in the characteristic metabolic process in hepatocyte, on a human hepatoma-derived cell line (FLC-4) that can be cultured in serum-free medium. FLC-4 cells were cultured under the following three conditions: + ornithine/ – arginine, – ornithine/ – arginine, and –ornithine/ + arginine. Albumin expression evaluated by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and showed no obvious differences based on the presence of ornithine or arginine. However, the mRNA levels of two liver-enriched transcription factors (CEBPB and HNF1A), which are involved in regulating albumin expression, were significantly higher in cells grown in medium-containing arginine than that in cells grown in ornithine-containing medium. Western blotting showed that the levels both activating and inhibitory C/EBPβ isoforms were significantly increased in cells grown in arginine medium. Furthermore, we have found that depletion of both ornithine and arginine, the polyamine sources, in the medium did not cause polyamine deficiency. When ornithine and arginine were depleted, albumin production was significantly reduced at the mRNA level, CEBPB mRNA levels were increased, and the level of activating form of C/EBPβ was increased. The results of this study suggest that in hepatocyte, these two amino acids might have different functions, and because of which they elicit disparate cellular responses. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s13577-020-00383-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.