Clonal lines of teratocarcinoma cells in vitro: differentiation and cytogenetic characteristics.

Clonal lines of embryonal carcinoma cells have been established in culture from four independently-derived transplantable teratocarcinomas of mice: three from strain C3H and one from strain 129/Sv. Cells from all lines retain the capacity to differentiate into a variety of tissue types both in tumors formed following the injection of cells into syngeneic animals and in vitro under appropriate culture conditions. Analysis of their G-banded chromosomes indicated that the four lines have near-diploid but not absolutely normal karyotypes. The same chromosomal abnormalities were often present in more than one line. Tetraploid embryonal carcinoma cells made by Colcemid or cytochalasin B treatment were also pluripotential in spite of chromosomal instability. Hybrid cells were readily obtained between diploid or tetraploid embryonal carcinoma cells and mouse 3T3 fibroblasts. Hybrid cells failed to differentiate and were contact inhibited like the 3T3 parent.