Until some years ago serum or crude tissue extracts were used pre­ dominantly or exclusively as media supplements for the cultivation of cells. However, during this time evidence accumulated that these sup­ plements could not provide in an optimal way most of the cultivated cells with all factors necessary for their survival, their prolifer­ ation and/or differentiation. Moreover, a variety of cells could not be cultivated at all under these conditions and often the composition of the cultures changed within rather short periods of time by overgrowth of initially present subpopulations of those cells which grow well in these supplements, as for example fibroblasts. Nevertheless, using these supplements (or fractions thereof), insight could be gained into some of the influences of serum or tissue extract constituents with re­ gard to survival, proliferation and differentiation of cells in cul­ ture. It became obvious from these experiments that serum or tissue extracts did not only supply cells with nutrients or vitamins (which are now constituents of all basic media), but also with hormones as well as growth-, differentiation-, and attachment-factors. In course of time experiments were performed in which serum enriched with hormones and other growth factors was used to successfully culti­ vate those cells which could not survive in serum-supplemented media alone. Under normal conditions in an organism, however, only a small population of cells has direct contact with serum.

Inhalt

Opening Lecture.- Divining the Role of Serum in Cell Culture.- Nutritional Requirements.- Reducing the Requirement for Serum Supplements in High Yield Microcarrier Cell Culture.- Growth of Normal Human Cells in Defined Media.- Investigations on the Cultivation of Insect Cell Lines in Serum-Free Media.- Cell Proliferation and Growth Factors.- Different Signalling Systems Control the Initiation of DNA Replication in Cultured Animal Cells.- Ectopic Auto-Stimulation of Growth.- The Growth and Differentiation of Human Endothelial Cells.- 3T3 Cell Growth Initiation and Multiplication in Defined Medium Supplemented with Growth Factors and Hormones That Replace Serum.- Growth-Promoting Activity of Thrombin in Fibroblasts: Temporal Action and Early Biochemical Events in the G0 ? G1 Transition.- Pure Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Stimulates Human Fibroblasts to Proliferate in Plasma-Free Culture.- Synergistic Effect of Retinoic Acid on DNA Synthesis of Prostaglandin F2? Stimulated Swiss 3T3 Cells.- The Secretion of Growth Regulatory Molecules by PC13 Embryonal Carcinoma Cells.- Growth Regulation of L-929 Mouse Fibroblasts by Steroid Hormones and Anti-Hormones in Serum Containing and Serum-Free Media.- Synergistic Interactions of Specific Prostaglandins in Regulating the Rate of Initiation of DNA Synthesis in Swiss 3T3 Cells.- Use of Eye Derived Growth Factor from Retina (EDGF) in a Defined Medium for the Culture of Bovine Epithelial Lens Cells.- Effect of Partially Purified Preparation of Human Somatomedin A in the Three Cultured Cell Systems.- Cell-Substratum Interactions.- Role of Cell-Substratum Interactions in the Hormonal Control of Rat Prolactin Cells.- Control by the Extracellular Environment of Differentiation Pathways in an Embryonal Carcinoma Cell Line.- Interaction of Metastatic and Non-Metastatic Tumor Lines with Aortic Endothelial Cell Monolayer and Their Underlying Basal Lamina.- Control of Behaviour and Growth by Imitating the Contact Environment.- Neural Cells.- Cells of the Peripheral Nervous System; Requirements for Expression of Function in Tissue Culture.- Selection and Cultivation of Astrocytes at Different Developmental Stages.- Cholinergic Differentiation in Serum-Free Aggregating Fetal Brain Cells.- DNA Synthesis in Nuclei and Mitochondria Purified from Serum-Free or Supplemented Glial Cell Cultures.- Guanylate Cyclase Activators Hemin and Sodium Nitroprusside Stimulate the Growth of Transformed Cells in Serum-Free Medium.- Tracing the Astroglial Cell-Lineage in Vitro by Modification of the Microenvironmental Conditions.- Growth of Perfused and Nonperfused Neuronal Cell Lines in Serum Deprived Medium.- Primary Rat Astroglial Culture in Serum-Free Supplemented Media and Effect of a Bovine Brain Factor.- Endocrine and Exocrine Cells.- Hormone Inducible Specific Gene Expression in an Isolated Whole Mammary Organ in Serum-Free Culture.- A New Culture Technique: An Approach to the in-Vitro Reconstitution of Endocrine Organs.- Hormonal Regulation of Growth and Function of Insulin-Producing Cells in Culture.- Studies on Regulation of Ovarian Steroidogenesis in Vitro: The Need for a Serum-Free Medium.- Control of Normal Phenotype and of Thyroid Differentiated Functions in the Epithelial Cell Strain FRTL.- Butyrate-Induced Growth Arrest of GH3-Cells is not Linked to a Distinct Morphological Phenotype.- Hemopoietic and Immune System.- Human B Cell Function in 20 ?l Hanging-Drop Microcultures Under Serum-Free Conditions.- Adipose Conversion of Murine Bone Marrow-Derived Macrophages in Serum-Free Medium.- Analysis of the Mitogenic Effect of Fibrinogen.- Hybridoma Formation in Serum-Free Medium.- Immune (y) Interferon Produced by Murine T-Cell Lymphomas.- TCGF-Dependent Growth of Naturally Autoreactive Cells: Regulatory Role of the Thymus.- Serum Replacement in Culture of Human Erythroid and Megakaryocytic Precursors.- Participation of Pterins and of a Pteridine Binding Variant of Alpha1-Acid Glycoprotein in the Control of Lymphocyte Transformation and of Lymphoblast Proliferation.- Liver- and Kidney-Derived Cells.- Conversion of Heterogeneous Liver Parenchyma Cells into a Homogeneous Cell Population During Cell Culture with Respect to PEPCK.- Preservation of the Adult Functionality of Hepatocytes in Serum-Free Cultures.- Isolation and Characterization of MDCK-Subcultures.- The Role of Fetal Calf Serum (FCS) During the First Stages of Hepatocytes Cultures.- Modulation of Specific Functions in Adult and Fetal Hepatocytes Maintained in a Co-Cultured System.- Cell Culture and Differentiated Properties of Nephron Epithelial Cells in Defined Medium.- Multiplication of Adult Rat Hepatocytes in Monolayer Cultures.- Short-Term Modulation of Glycogenolysis, Glycolysis and Gluconeogenesis in Cultured Hepatocytes by Arterial and Venous Oxygen Concentrations.- Muscle Cells, Epithelial Cells, Fibroadipogenic Cells, Melanocytes and Chondrocytes.- Differentiation of Primary Muscle Cells Cultured in a Serum-Free Chemically Defined Medium.- Study of a Teratoma-Derived Adipogenic Cell Line 1246 and Isolation of an Insulin-Independent Variant in Serum-Free Medium.- Primary and Secondary Cultures of Rabbit Articular Chondrocytes in a Serum-Free Medium.- Vanadate Antagonizes Detrimental Effects of Serum Deprivation in Cultured Rat Heart Muscle Cells.- Characterization of Cardiomyocytes Cultured in Serum-Free Medium.- Serum-Free Cultures of Mouse LM Fibroblasts as a Tool for Biochemical and Genetic Studies in the Cellular Responses to Interferon.- Separation and Cultivation of Normal Human Melanocytes.- The Use of Cytodex 3 Microcarriers and Serum-Free Media for the Production of a Nerve Growth Promoter from Chicken Heart Cells.- Control of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation in the Myogenic Cell Line L6 by Manipulation of Culture Conditions.- Serum-Free Culture of Adult Rat Cardiac Myocytes.- Secretion of ?-MSH-Like Molecules in a Human Melanoma Cell Line.- Growth and Differentiation of Human Muscle Cells in Defined Medium.- Tumor Cells.- Tissue Culture of Human Colon Carcinomas. Therapy Experiments in Vitro.- Human Prostatic Cells in Serum-Free Medium.- Culture of Human Lung Carcinoma Cells in Serum-Free Media.- Continuous Growth of a Human Breast Cancer Cell Line (MCF-7) in Serum-Free Medium.- Regulation of Oestrogen Responsiveness of MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cell Growth by Serum Concentration in the Culture Medium.- Induction of Differentiation in Human Solid Tumor Ce…