Bile duct cells: a novel in vitro model for the study of lipid metabolism and bile acid production.

Immortalized bile duct cells (BDC), derived from transgenic mice harboring the SV40 thermosensitive immortalizing mutant gene ts458, were utilized to investigate the role of the biliary epithelium in lipid and sterol metabolism. This cell model closely resembles the in vivo situation because it expresses the specific phenotypic marker cytokeratin 19 (CK-19), exhibits the formation of bile duct-like structures, and displays well-formed microvilli projected from the apical side to central lumen. The BDC were found to incorporate [14C]oleic acid (in nmol/mg protein) into triglycerides (121 ± 6), phospholipids (PL; 59 ± 3), and cholesteryl ester (16 ± 1). The medium lipid content represented 5.90 ± 0.16% (P < 0.005) of the total intracellular production, indicating a limited lipid export capacity. Analysis of PL composition demonstrated the synthesis of all classes of polar lipids, with phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine accounting for 60 ± 1 and 24 ± 1%, respectively, of the total. Differences ...