Variant embryonal carcinoma cells lacking SSEA-1 and Forsmann antigens remain developmentally pluripotent

Surface marker antigens in the characterization of human embryonic stem cells

The use of cell surface antigens to characterise embryonic stem (ES) cells, and to monitor their differentiation, has had a long history, stretching back to the early studies of differentiation antigens in the haematopoietic system, and their application to teratocarcinomas and embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells in the laboratory mouse. A wide series of such antigens, which include both glycolipids and glycoproteins are now extensively used in studies of human ES cells. Many of these were first identified using both mouse and human EC cells, although the cell surface antigen phenotype of human EC and ES cells has proved to be significantly different from that of murine EC and ES cells.

Lex glycosphingolipids-mediated cell aggregation

Glycoconjugates bearing oligosaccharide Lex, Galbeta1-->4(Fucalpha1-->3)GlcNAcbeta1-->3R, are found on the surface of several cell types. Although recent studies have indicated that Lexon both glycosphingolipids (GSL) and polylactosaminoglycans can mediate under certain experimental conditions Lex-Lexinteractions, cell-cell interactions based exclusively on LexGSLs have not been demonstrated. In this study we show that preincubation of nonaggregating rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cells with purified LexGSLs resulted in incorporation of the GSLs into plasma membrane, as determined by immunostaining, and formation of aggregates in the presence of Ca2+; no aggregates were formed after preincubation of the cells with globoside or sphingomyelin. Lex-mediated aggregation was inhibited by removal of Ca2+or by addition of lactofucopentaose III but not by lactose or lacto-N-fucopentaose II. In a mixture of Lex-positive and Lex-negative RBL cells most of the aggregates were composed exclusively of Lex-positive cells. The combined data suggest that interactions between LexGSL on opposite cell surfaces are strong enough to allow formation of stable cell-cell contacts.

States of developmental commitment of a mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line differentiating along a neural pathway

The embryonal carcinoma cell line PCC7-S-AzaR1 (clone 1009) has been shown to differentiate in the presence of all-trans retinoic acid and dibutyryl cAMP into cells of predominantly neural properties (Paulin, D., H. Jakob, F. Jacob, K. Weber, and M. Osborn. 1982. Differentiation. 22:90-99). By analyzing the marker expression of derivatives in further detail, we characterized the two major cell phenotypes as neuron- and fibroblast-like and the two minor ones as astroglia- and endothelial-like. The stability of developmental commitment of clone 1009 was tested by recloning. The isolated subclones exhibited different patterns of chemically induced derivatives, with some of them (denoted N-clones) producing only a single (neuronal) cell type. As shown by long-term cultures in the absence of retinoic acid, the properties of isolated subclones remained essentially stable. In contrast to the clones producing neuron-like and other derivatives upon induced differentiation, the (exclusively neuronal) derivatives of N-clones detached and died within a few days in culture. If maintained in the presence of other neural cell types, however, their survival was dramatically extended indicating a requirement for specific interactions with other cells of the same tissue. The patterns of derivatives obtained from N-clones depended on the chemical nature of the substrate on which they were grown. Thus, when seeded on laminin-coated surfaces before induced differentiation, N-clones developed not only to neuron-like derivatives but rather to the same four derivatives observed with the original cell pool. These and further results suggest a common cell lineage of the identified phenotypes. The isolated subclones of uninduced cells probably represent different states of commitment within the same developmental pathway. Their stability offers the opportunity to analyze the nature of cellular commitment on the cellular, molecular, and genetic levels. This makes the family of clones derived from PCC7-S-AzaR1 (clone 1009) cells an advantageous in vitro model of mammalian brain early ontogenesis.

Murine embryonal carcinoma cell-surface sialyl LeX is present on a novel glycoprotein and on high-molecular-weight lactosaminoglycan

Carbohydrate-specific monoclonal antibodies were used to demonstrate the expression of a new membrane glycoprotein on F9 murine embryonal carcinoma cells. Sialyl LeX was detected using monoclonal antibody FH6 in a sensitive, cell monolayer radioimmunoassay. The antigen codistributed in gel filtration of a crude homogenate and in a membrane-enriched fraction with two known lactosaminoglycan markers, i and SSEA-1 (LeX or X hapten). Sialyl LeX was further shown to be carried by a novel glycoprotein, termed small lactosaminoglycan-like glycoprotein (sLAG) which could be purified by immunoaffinity chromatography. In two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis this glycoprotein had an apparent molecular weight of 45 kDa and a pI of about 6.5. The more differentiated cell line PYS-2 also expressed sialyl LeX and i antigens but not LeX, and FH6-reactive sLAG could be extracted from PYS-2 membranes. Sialylation of fucosylated type 2 carbohydrate chains (X haptens) thus may be an early modification of embryonic carbohydrate antigens.

A differentiation-defective concanavalin-A-resistant variant of a pluripotent embryonal carcinoma cell line

A concanavalin-A(Con A)-resistant variant of the pluripotent mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line, PSA1-NG2, was isolated. This variant, designated NG2-2.16, fails to exhibit the extensive spontaneous differentiation displayed by PSA1-NG2 in colonies in vitro and in tumours in vivo. The molecular nature of the defect in NG2-2.16 cells was not revealed by quantitative studies of the binding, uptake and metabolism of tritiated Con A, or by Western blotting of membrane and whole cell homogenates, thus indicating the defect to be the result of a more subtle molecular alteration. Statistical evidence suggests that the same mutation is responsible for both the Con A resistance and the lack of spontaneous differentiation. NG2-2.16 cells were induced to differentiate by exposure to retinoic acid, suggesting that the mutation affects the regulation of differentiation rather than the potential for differentiation.

Mutants of embryonal carcinoma cells defective in the expression of embryoglycan

Embryonal carcinoma cells defective in the expression of developmentally regulated carbohydrate epitope of teratocarcinoma cells (TEC-1) were isolated from mutagenized P19X1 and P19S1801A1 cells by a single-step selection technique using monoclonal antibody TEC-01 conjugated to plant toxin ricin. Three independently isolated mutant cell lines were characterized in detail. Analysis of the expression of the TEC-1 epitope in somatic cell hybrids constructed between wild-type and mutant cells and between two mutant cell types revealed that the mutant phenotypes are recessive and that the mutants belong to, at least, two complementation groups. Each mutant cell line exhibited a unique binding pattern of four monoclonal antibodies and five lectins, and different properties of large glycopeptides were distinguished by Sephadex G-50 column chromatography. The combined data suggest that our mutants identify three genes involved in the synthesis of embryoglycan, one of which appears to be the regulatory or structural gene for fucosyltransferase. One mutant cell line was completely deprived of embryoglycan and several carbohydrate structures typical of early embryonic and embryonal carcinoma cells; however, the cells were similar to parental cells in their morphology, their ability to form aggregates when cultured in suspension, their ability to differentiate into neuron-like cells after treatment with retinoic acid, and their ability to form tumors composed of embryonal carcinoma cells. Thus, embryoglycan is not required for the expression of a number of properties of the embryonal carcinoma phenotype.

An adhesion-defective variant of F9 embryonal carcinoma cells fails to differentiate into visceral endoderm

Adhesion-defective EC cells were isolated from a population of mutagenized F9 cells by serial transfer of cells that did not adhere to gelatin-coated dishes. The variant cells grew in suspension as multicellular clusters of loosely aggregated cells. The cells adhered to, but did not flatten on, fibroblast monolayers and extracellular matrix produced by parietal-like endoderm. Two different mutant cell lines exhibited increased sensitivity to the lectin abrin and decreased sensitivity to wheat germ agglutinin, suggesting that changes in cell surface glycosylation are associated with the mutant phenotype. These adhesion-defective mutants were used to study the relationship between cell-cell adhesion and endodermal differentiation. Unlike wild-type cells, when cultured with low concentrations of retinoic acid (RA) in suspension culture, the mutant cells did not form embryoid bodies but remained as loosely adhering strings of cells. Electron microscopic examination revealed that most of the differentiated variant cells resembled parietal endoderm, and this was confirmed by immunofluorescent staining for TROMA-3 marker. The levels of some of the markers that characterize the differentiative pathways were examined by immunoprecipitation and by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The variant line produced higher levels of laminin and type IV collagen compared to the wild-type cells. alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) was produced at a significantly lower level by the variant compared to wild-type F9 cells during the differentiative process. The results show that variant cells differentiated toward parietal endoderm but have a very much restricted ability to differentiate to visceral endoderm. We conclude that aggregation and/or compaction provide some essential signals during the differentiation of F9 cells into epithelial layers of visceral endoderm.