Upregulations of metallothionein gene expressions and tolerance to heavy metal toxicity by three dimensional cultivation of HepG2 cells on VECELL 3-D inserts

Takashi Kubo; Yukie Kuroda; Shinichiro Horiuchi; Su-Ryang Kim; Yuko Sekino; Seiichi Ishida

doi:10.2131/jts.41.147

Original Article

Upregulations of metallothionein gene expressions and tolerance to heavy metal toxicity by three dimensional cultivation of HepG2 cells on VECELL 3-D inserts

Takashi Kubo, Yukie Kuroda, Shinichiro Horiuchi, Su-Ryang Kim, Yuko Sekino, Seiichi Ishida

Author information

Keywords: VECELL 3-D insert, HepG2 cell, 3-D culture, Metallothionein, Heavy metal toxicity, Global gene expression analysis

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Supplementary material

2016 Volume 41 Issue 1 Pages 147-153

DOI https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.41.147

Details

Abstract

The VECELL 3-D insert is a new culture scaffold consisting of collagen-coated ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene) mesh. We analyzed the effects of VECELL 3-D inserts on the functionality of HepG2, a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line. HepG2 cells cultured on VECELL 3-D inserts maintained a round shape, while those cultured on a standard culture plate or collagen-coated cell culture plate showed a flattened and cubic epithelial-like shape. HepG2 cells cultured on VECELL 3-D inserts had showed upregulated expression of metallothionein genes and in turn a higher tolerance to toxicity induced by heavy metals. These results suggest that HepG2 cell functions were changed by the cell morphology that is induced by culturing on a VECELL 3-D insert.

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