Growth and differentiation of an embryonal carcinoma cell line (C145b) (original) (raw)

Specificity of the control of tumor formation by the blastocyst

Cancer research, 1982

An assay to determine the mechanism of regulation of embryonal carcinoma cells by the blastocyst, which is based on a comparison of tumors produced when the cancer cells are cloned alone or after incorporation into blastocysts, was refined by labeling embryonal carcinoma cells with fluorescent microspheres and by following their fate after injection into the blastocysts. Through the use of the new techniques, it was observed that cells of one line of nullipotent embryonal carcinoma were controlled at the 50% level, those from another were not controlled, and those from a multipotent but undifferentiated line were controlled in almost absolute fashion. Single Sarcoma 180 of L1210 leukemia cells were not controlled when injected into the blastocele, but C1300 neuroblastoma cells were partially controlled. None of these tumors have a normal cellular counterpart in the blastocyst, as does embryonal carcinoma, but neurulation follows blastulation by only a few days, so that the neuroblas...

Ultrastructural differentiation of a clonal human embryonal carcinoma cell line in vitro

Cancer research, 1983

A cloned human embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell line 2102Ep derived from a testicular teratocarcinoma was characterized by means of electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry. These EC cells when plated at high cell density grow mostly as undifferentiated cells displayed relatively little pleomorphism. Eighty-five to 90% of these cells contain keratin in the form of peridesmosomal tonofilaments. Cell populations of the same clonal line plated at a low cell density contain, in addition to undifferentiated EC cells, large cells displaying complex cytoplasmic architecture, more complex junctions, and intracytoplasmic keratin in the form of bundles. Some of these cells also react with antibodies to human chorionic gonadotropin indicative of trophoblastic differentiation. Furthermore, some cells form "morules" which are multicellular aggregates composed of a core of EC cells and an attenuated, more differentiated outer cell layer. These data thus point out not only some similari...

Totipotency and normal differentiation of single teratocarcinoma cells cloned by injection into blastocysts

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1976

A definitive test for developmental totipotency of mouse malignant teratocarcinoma cells was conducted by cloning singly injected cells in genetically marked blastocysts. Totipotency was conclusively shown in an adult mosaic female whose tumor-strain cells had made substantial contributions to all of the wide range of its somatic tissues analyzed; the clonally propagated cell lineage had therefore differentiated in numerous normal directions. The test cells were from "cores" of embryoid bodies of a euploid, chromosomally male (X/Y), ascites tumor grown only in vivo by transplantation for 8 years. The capacity of cells from the same source to differentiate, in a phenotypic male, into reproductively functional sperms, has been shown in our previous experiments [(1975) Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 72, [3585][3586][3587][3588][3589]. Cells from this transplant line therefore provide material suitable for projected somatic and germ-line genetic analyses of mammalian differentiation based on "cycling" of mutation-carrying tumor cells through developing embryos. In some animals obtained from single-cell injections, tumorderived cells were sporadically distributed in developmentally unrelated tissues. These cases can be accounted for by de-

Embryo-derived teratocarcinoma: I. The role of strain and gender in the control of teratocarcinogenesis

International Journal of Cancer, 1979

The role of gender and genetic (strain-specific) factors in the regulation of teratocarcinogenesis was studied by monitoring the outgrowth of benign and malignant embryo-derived teratoid tumors, i.e., teratomas and teratocarcinomas in several mouse strains. Teratocarcinomas were produced in all mouse strains tested, but the ratio of teratoma t o teratocarcinoma varied from one strain to another. A high yield of teratocarcinomas was obtained in A/J, BALB/cJ. DBA/2J, CBA/J and C3H/J mice. irrespective of the sex of the recipient. A low yield of teratocarcinomas was obtained in both male and female C57BL/6) and AKR/J recipients, and in 129/J female recipients. For all strains but 12911 and eventually AKRiJ the sex of the recipients did not significantly affect the outgrowth of embryo-derived tumors. These data suggest the existence of mouse strains with high and low permissiveness for embryoderived teratocarcinogenesis. The sex of the recipients may influence the yield of embryo-derived teratocarcinomas in some mouse strains but i s of no consequence in others.

Embryo-derived teratocarcinoma. III. Development of tumors from teratocarcinoma-permissive and non-permissive strain embryos transplanted to F1 hybrids

International Journal of Cancer, 1981

Seven-day-old mouse embryos of two teratocarcinoma-permissive (C3H and BALBlc) and two teratocarcinoma-non-permissive (C57BU6 and AKR) strains were transplanted t o their F, hybrids to determine the role of the genetic background of the recipient animals in controlling embryo-derived teratocarcinogenesis. The yield of teratocarcinomas in F, hybrid recipients of embryonic grafts was either identical with the yield in syngeneic recipients or increased or decreased, depending on the strain of the embryo and the F, hybrid combination. In certain hybrids, the yield of malignant tumors remained the same as in the ryngeneic recipients but the F, hybrids exerted a stimulatory effect on tumor growth and the tumors weighed more than those in syngeneic recipients. A matroclinous effect was also seen in certain hybrids. These data indicate that embryo-derived teratocarcinogenesis in histocompatible F, mice depends on the genetic background of adult recipients. The teratocarcinogenic potential of non-permissive and permissive strain mouse embryos can be modified by choosing appropriate F, hybrids for embryonic transplantations.

Fate of embryonal carcinoma cells injected into postimplantation mouse embryos

Differentiation, 2005

Embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells, stem cells of teratocarcinoma, represent an excellent model to study the developmental mechanisms that, inappropriately reactivated, can drive tumorigenesis. EC cells are very aggressive, and grow rapidly when injected into adult syngeneic mice. However, when injected into blastocysts, they revert to normality, giving rise to chimeric animals. In order to study the ability of postimplantation embryonic environment to ''normalize'' tumorigenic cells, and to study their homing, we transplanted F9, Nulli-SCC1, and P19 EC cells into 8 to 15day allogenic CD1 mouse embryos, into allogenic CD1 newborns, and into syngeneic adult mice, and evaluated tumor formation, spreading, and homing. We found that, although at all embryonic stages successful transplantation occurred, the chances of developing tumors after birth increased with the time of injection of EC cells into the embryo. In addition, using enhanced green fluorescent protein-expressing F9 cells, we demonstrated that the cells not giving rise to tumors remained latent and could be tracked down in tissues during adulthood. Our data indicate that the embryonic environment retains a certain ability to ''normalize'' tumor cells also during post-implantation development. This could occur through yet unknown epigenetic signals triggering EC cells' differentiation.

Human embryonal carcinoma grown in athymic mice and in vitro

Cancer research, 1980

Tissue from 19 human testis tumors was transplanted into athymic mice. One embryonal carcinoma, ECCS, grew rapidly, and this tumor was studied both as a xenograft and an in vitro culture of xenograft-derived tumor cells. Xenografts showed no evidence of differentiation. The embryonal carcinoma cells were heteroploid and showed alkaline phosphatase activity. When tumor cells from the xenografts were grown in vitro, the cells formed aggregates resembling embryoid bodies with epithelium-like cells in the periphery. Regularly, another population of mouse cells which showed several criteria of malignancy overgrew the culture and could be subcultured continuously. These abnormal cells may result from an in vivo or in vitro transformation of mouse stromal cells.

Presence of four stem cell populations in monolayer cultures derived from teratocarcinoma embryoid bodies

In vivo (Athens, Greece)

In the present work, flow cytometry techniques together with morphologic studies were used to perform multiparametric analyses in cell cultures derived from CE44 teratocarcinoma embryoid bodies. The intrinsic cell parameters studied by flow cytometry were size (FALS), cytoplasmic complexity (ISS) and autofluorescence, expressed as LIGFL/FALS (green fluorescence intensity on a logarithmic scale/FALS). Our results showed that CE44 teratocarcinoma yields monolayers whose cells show a marked morphological heterogeneity and can be grouped according to flow cytometric criteria into four populations that remain stable throughout the entire time of culture. Moreover, these populations showed a different immunolabelling with the differentiation markers SSEA-1, TROMA-1 and anti-vimentin.

A correlation between the capacity of cavity formation and the subsequent differentiation of teratocarcinoma embryoid body lines

Development

Seven different embryoid body (EB) lines of mouse teratocarcinoma were isolated from a single EB. With regard to each of the lines, a comparison was made of the following developmental properties, including potentiality: (1) cavity formation in a short term intraperitoneal passage, (2) growth in vivo, (3) cardiac muscle differentiation in vitro following intraperitoneal passage and (4) differentiation of solid tumours in vivo. These lines could be divided into three distinct groups with respect to their capacity for cardiac muscle differentiation. It has been shown that a high capacity for cell differentiation in vitro correlates well with the capacity for cavity formation of an EB during the in vivo period. This cavity formation was followed by the appearance of primitive-streak-like structures, from which mesodermal cells were subsequently formed.