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Methionine Requirement and Replacement by Homocysteine in Tissue Cultures of Selected Rodent and Human Malignant and Normal Cells¹

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021

An absolute methionine requirement for cell growth in culture was observed in four experimental rodent neoplasms, namely, P815/ara-C, L1210, lymphoma 5178Y, and Walker 256. Normal human fibroblast (F-136-35-56) and the human malignant cell lines HeLa and mammary adenocarcinoma (AlAb) cells in culture showed equal growth in 0.1 mM L-methionine or 0.1 to 0.4 mM DL-homocysteine. A human pancreas adenocarcinoma (Capan-1) had somewhat more stringent requirements for DL-homocysteine, whereas a human lung adenocarcinoma (A-549) responded poorly, and a human acute lymphoblastic leukemia (CCRF-HSB-2) responded not at all to equimolar or excess DL-homocysteine in the absence of L-methionine. These differences in requirement for methionine and the ability or inability to replace methionine by homocysteine indicate that a general discrimination between benign and malignant tissues on the grounds of their methionine requirement is not possible for human cells.

¹ This study was supported by Grants CA-19050 and CA-08748 from the National Cancer Institute, NIH, Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed.

Received 1/ 3/78. Accepted 5/ 3/78.

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