Growth and differentiation of cell hybrids obtained by fusing mouse PCC4aza1 teratocarcinoma cells and mouse spleen cells under different in vitro culture conditions

Cell hybrids obtained by fusing mouse PCC4aza1 teratocarcinoma cells and spleen cells induced to proliferation and treated with the demethylating agent 5-azacytidine prior to fusion are described. The obtained hybrids demonstrated no expression of T lymphocyte marker genes CD11 and CD45, which indicates possible somatic nucleus reprogramming by factors present in teratocarcinoma cells. Irrespective of culture conditions, cell hybrids demonstrated a relatively stable chromosome number: they lost on average no more than four chromosomes after 30 passages. Culturing in medium containing hypoxanthine, aminopterin, and thymidine (selective conditions) decreased the differentiation capacity of cell hybrids compared to nonselective conditions, which is likely due to the inhibition of their metabolism. For the first time, teratocarcinoma cell hybrid differentiation into cardiomyocytes under the influence of DMSO has been demonstrated in vitro.     

PCC4azal teratocarcinoma stem cell differentiation in culture: I. Biochemical studies

PCC4azal embryonal carcinoma cells were observed to spontaneously differentiate under defined culture conditions to endoderm-like cells and subsequently to giant cells. This differentiation was examined by determining the specific activities of several enzymes in the stem and endoderm-like cell populations. With differentiation, the level of alkaline and acid phosphatase activities remained unchanged, plasminogen activator specific activity increased fivefold, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) specific activity decreased to 40% of its original level. Isozyme analysis revealed a shift of the LDH isozymes toward LDH₁ with the appearance of LDH₂ for the first time in the endoderm-like cells. The surface antigen SSEA-1 was detected by indirect immunofluorescence on virtually all of the stem cells. However, the SSEA-1 antigen was not present on many of the endoderm-like cells, and it was completely undetectable on giant cells as assayed by immunofluorescence. The expression of H-2 antigen was examined in a similar manner using anti-H-2^b antiserum; this antigen was not detected on the stem, endoderm-like, or giant cells. Thus, there are defined biochemical changes that accompany the differentiation of PCC4azal stem cells in culture.     

PCC4azal teratocarcinoma stem cell differentiation in culture: II. Morphological characterization

The ultrastructural morphology of the PCC4azal embryonal carcinoma cells and their differentiated counterparts, endoderm-like cells and giant cells, was characterized and compared with that of the cells of embryoid bodies. The ultrastructure of the PCC4azal embryonal carcinoma cells is similar to that of the embryonal carcinoma cells of the embryoid body. These cells are small, with a large nucleus and relatively few cytoplasmic organelles. Gap junctions and modified adherens junctions are formed at some areas of intercellular contact between the embryonal carcinoma cells. The differentiated PCC4azal endoderm-like cells have a more developed cytoplasm, containing an extensive endoplasmic reticulum with large Golgi regions. Most striking is the de novo appearance of epithelial-like junctional complexes which join the apical borders between the endoderm-like cells, thus polarizing the cell monolayer. The zonula occludens junctions of the junctional complex are extensive, consisting of six or more strands of tight junctional ridges. Terminal webs are present in the apical regions that are inserted into the zonula adherens region of the junctional complex. Gap junctions continue to join neighboring cells, and some gap junctions are intercalated within tight junctional ridges. The ultrastructure of the differentiated endodermal cells of the embryoid bodies is very similar to that of the PCC4azal endoderm-like cells. The embryoid body endodermal cells form similar junctional complexes which also contain continuous belts of tight junctions that are intercalated with gap junctions. As the PCC4azal endoderm-like cells are transformed to giant cells, a massive cytoskeleton is formed, consisting of a large complex system of 10-nm filaments, microtubules, and 7-nm microfilaments. The junctional complexes that were present during the endodermal stage are partially disassembled as the giant cells migrate apart. Thus, the differentiation process in this system is characterized by significant and distinctive morphological changes.     

PCC4azal teratocarcinoma stem cell differentiation in culture: III. Cell-to-cell communication properties

The cell-to-cell communication properties of the PCC4azal embryonal carcinoma cells and their differentiated endoderm-like cells and giant cells were characterized by ionic coupling, metabolic coupling, and transfer of an injected fluorescein dye. All PCC4azal cell types communicate well with one another: stem cells with stem cells, endoderm-like cells with endoderm-like cells, and giant cells with giant cells. In addition, the stem cells communicate well with giant cells as assayed by metabolic coupling. The ability of the undifferentiated teratocarcinoma cells to metabolically couple with a variety of heterologous cell types was examined. The stem cells were always efficient donors but very poor recipients in almost all combinations with cells of fibroblast or epithelial morphology that were derived from several different species. In contrast, these same heterologous cell types were both efficient donors and efficient recipients with each other.     

The behavior of the X chromosomes in intra- and interspecific hybrid cells of murine teratocarcinoma PCC4azal

We have demonstrated that X chromosomes are reactivated in hybrids obtained by fusion of mouse PCC4azaI teratocarcinoma cells (XO, 39HPRT-) with splenocytes from mouse females heterozygous in Hprt gene. These hybrids are capable of spontaneous differentiation. We also obtained similar interspecies hybrids of PCC4azaI cells with bone marrow cells of the American mink. The majority of such hybrids remained undifferentiated, however, after long-term cultivation at high cell density they differentiated into epithelial- or fibroblast-like cells similarly to PCC4azaI cells. Two hybrids had the autosomal complement of the mouse and two X chromosomes (mouse and mink); both X chromosomes were active. These X chromosomes were not inactivated during differentiation in vitro.     

In vitro differentiation of mouse teratocarcinoma cells monitored by intermediate filament expression

Teratocarcinoma differentiation has been studied using sera specific for each of the five intermediate filament (IF) classes. These antibodies distinguish cells of epithelial, muscle, neural, astrocytic, and mesenchymal origin. In embryoid bodies, derived from embryo transplants and obtained in the ascitic fluid by transplantation of teratocarcinoma, the cells of the inner cellular mass did not express any of these intermediate filament types while the outer cells expressed cytokeratin. Intermediate filament expression in the embryoid body thus appears analogous to that in the blastocyst and differs from that in embryonal carcinoma (EC) lines. Twelve EC lines have now been shown to express vimentin although in some EC lines not all cells express vimentin. Other established permanent differentiated cell lines, derived from EC lines in vitro or from tumors in vivo, have been characterized with respect to the type of IF they contain. The distribution of different IF types has been examined in EC cells induced to differentiate by addition of retinoic acid. The proportion of cells expressing each type of intermediate filament appears to depend on the EC cell line used, on the inducing agent, and on the length of treatment. Thus, for instance, F9 cells express cytokeratin, PCC3 derivatives express vimentin, many 1009 derivatives express either glial fibrillar acidic protein (GFA) or neurofilament proteins. Overall the results obtained are in excellent agreement with emerging principles of intermediate filament expression during embryonic differentiation, thus emphasizing the potential use of the various EC lines to study differentiation in culture.     

Somatic cell hybrids between totipotent mouse teratocarcinoma and rat hepatoma cells.

We have produced somatic cell hybrids between totipotent mouse teratocarcinoma cells and rat hepatoma cells. These hybrids were tested for the expression of liver specific functions expressed in the hepatoma cell parent and for their ability to differentiate when injected into nude mice. The results of this study indicate that hybrid cell clones do not resemble either of the parental cells, since they do not produce albumin and tyrosine aminotransferase that are expressed in the rat hepatoma parent, and are incapable of forming either teratocarcinomas or hepatomas when injected in experimental animals.     

Human myotube differentiation in vitro in different culture conditions

Human muscle cells derived from satellite cells, maintained in standard tissue culture conditions, do not differentiate as rapidly or as completely as myoblasts from other species (chicken, rat, mouse). In an attempt to improve myogenesis, we studied the effects of modifying the culture media and of coculturing muscle with nerve cells, using myoblasts grown in standard culture media as the basis for comparison. Myogenesis was measured by fusion index, creatine kinase (CK) activity; acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity (total and molecular forms); and the number of acetylcholine receptors (AChR). Modification of culture media accelerated fusion of myoblasts, but the cell density decreased and myotubes were unable to survive for long periods. In contrast, coculturing muscle with nerve cells increased both cell density and the number of myotubes. CK, AChE and AChR increased in the presence of defined media. In the nerve-muscle cocultures the increase was less marked. Manipulating culture conditions modified the molecular forms of AChE. Only a (4 + 6.5) S peak was present in control cultures, but a 10S peak appeared in defined media. The 16S form was detected only in nerve-muscle cocultures. This study shows that fusion of human myoblasts and differentiation of myotubes in tissue culture can be accelerated by removal of serum macromolecules. Further differentiation of myotubes was achieved only in the nerve-muscle cocultures.     

Curcumin-induced differentiation of mouse embryonal carcinoma PCC4 cells.

Curcumin, a natural component of turmeric extracted from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, is known to exhibit a number of biological properties. In the present study, curcumin, at low concentration, was shown to induce differentiation in embryonal carcinoma cell line PCC4. In response to curcumin, PCC4 cells ceased to proliferate and showed cell cycle arrest at G1 phase after 4 hours of treatment, followed by their differentiation which is characterized by increase of nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio. The expression of hsp 70 was also seen upon 8 h of curcumin treatment, and it remained constant up to 48 h. Differentiated cells also expressed a series of differentiation markers such as lamin A, well-established actin, and keratin cytoskeleton. We used mRNA differential display analysis to identify the genes that are regulated during curcumin-induced differentiation of PCC4 cells. We cloned and sequenced three partial cDNAs that were differentially expressed in normal and differentiated cells. Sequence comparison of one downregulated cDNA (Al) has shown homology to a gene present on mouse chromosome five, while the two upregulated cDNA (C1 and C7) are homologous to several mouse ESTs clones from organs of mesodermal origin. We have identified the full-length coding sequence of the Cl fragment with a putative amino acid sequence. Tissue-specific Northern with RNA from adult mouse organs with the C1 fragment alone showed hybridization with mRNA from several tissues, whereas the same Northern with only the coding sequence showed expression of C1 gene mainly in the adult kidney. Homology search revealed that C1 sequence is part of the 3' UTR and may be common to several genes expressed in many tissues. Thus, curcumin appears to differentiate embryonal carcinoma cell PCC4, and one of the upregulated genes seems to be expressed mainly in the adult kidney.     

State of nucleolus organizers in hybrids of pluripotent and somatic mouse cells cultivated under different conditions

In the present work, we studied the state of chromosomal nucleolar organizing regions (NOR) in hybrid cells obtained by fusion of cells of embryonal carcinoma of a murine line PCC4aza1 and of cells of adult mouse spleen at cultivation of hybrids under different conditions. The obtained results have shown that long-term cultivation of hybrid cells in a selective medium containing HAT (hypoxanthine, aminopterin, thymidine) promotes preservation of nucleolar organizing chromosomes (NO chromosomes), whereas in nonselective medium predominant elimination of NO chromosomes was revealed. Under nonselective conditions, an increased number of active, i.e., Ag-positive, NORs was observed as compared to under selective conditions. These observations directly show that reprogramming of parent cell genomes in hybrids includes changes in the state of NO chromosomes. The number of active NORs depends on the conditions of cultivation of hybrid cells and can change in two main ways, i.e., by the elimination of NO chromosomes (under nonselective conditions) or by the inactivation of some NORs with maintenance of NO chromosomes (under selective conditions).     

Maintenance of Fc receptors in hybrid cell lines obtained by fusing mouse splenic macrophages with mouse myeloma cells.

Mouse splenic macrophages were fused with cells of the mouse myeloma line P3-X63-Ag8 in the presence of inactivated Sendai virus. Two continuously growing hybrid cell lines were established from fusion mixtures. These hybrid cell lines exhibited macrophage-like morphology and continued to express macrophage derived Fc receptor activity even after prolonged culture in vitro.     

Developmental characteristics of somatic cell hybrids between totipotent mouse teratocarcinoma and rat intestinal villus cells

Hybrids between mouse PCC4-azal teratocarcinoma cells and rat epithelial intestinal villus cells (PCI hybrids) are phenotypically teratocarcinoma cells. They express several teratocarcinoma-specific traits but do not express functions specific for differentiated cells. Tumour formation is partially or completely suppressed. Some of the hybrids show more extensive differentiation both in vitro and in vivo than the PCC4-azal parental line. The hybrids are capable of endoderm formation in monolayer cultures and of the formation of embryoid bodies in suspension cultures. Two of the tumour-forming hybrids generate derivatives of all three germ layers, whereas differentiation in the PCC4-azal tumours is restricted to the formation of primitive neuronal tissues.     

Phenotype and surface antigens of mouse teratocarcinoma x fibroblast cell hybrids

Numerous colonies of hybrids between PCC4-aza 1 teratocarcinoma cells and fibroblasts of the heteroploid Cl.1D cell line were examined. All of the hybrids were fibroblasts showing extinction of the multiple developmental potentialities of the teratocarcinoma cell parent, irrespective of whether the teratocarcinoma parent was diploid or tetraploid. The hybrids did not show loss of any specific chromosome contributed by the PCC4-aza 1 cell parent. In contrast with the PCC4 parental cells which carry F9 antigens and do not express H-2b, the hybrids do not express F9 antigens and carry H-2 alloantigens of both parental specificities. These results suggest that in hybrids whose phenotype is that of the Cl.1D parent, a change may occur in the genetic program of the teratocarcinoma cells.     

Regulation of phenotype in somatic cell hybrids derived by fusion of teratocarcinoma cell lines with normal or tumor-derived mouse cells

The phenotypes of somatic cell hybrids between murine embryonal carcinoma cell lines, F9 BrdU 7C12 and PCC4 aza 1, and normal murine splenic lymphocytes or thymoma-derived cell lines were compared. Analysis of morphology in vivo and in vitro of cell surface markers and of the karyotype of these cloned hybrid cells did not reveal any simple mechanism for the regulation of the phenotype of such hybrids. Hybrids of either the embryonal carcinoma cell phenotype or of a differentiated morphology (resembling neither parental cell) but not of lymphoid morphology can be derived from fusions of this type. Moreover, transition from one phenotype to the other (ECC → differentiated cell and differentiated cell → ECC) can be found with passage of clonally derived hybrid cell lines. Coordinate control of the phenotypic markers of the state of differentiation in these hybrid cells was found.     

X-chromosome activity in heterokaryons and hybrids between mouse fibroblasts and teratocarcinoma stem cells

To determine whether 2X-active cells contain factors capable of reactivating the inactive mammalian X chromosome, fibroblast lines, having a cytologically or genetically marked inactive X, were fused with 2X-active mouse embryos or ovarian teratocarcinoma stem cells. Fusions with 2–16 cell embryos were uninformative because no mitosis occurred in heterokaryons. Fusions with 2X-active teratocarcinoma cells, and screening for re-expression of alleles on the inactive X showed that reactivation did not occur with detectable frequency in heterokaryon. Hybridization of HPRT^?M. musculus × M. caroli cells with XO HPRT^? teratocarcinoma cells yielded hybrids with a frequency of >10^?6; these hybrids all expressed the Hpt allele on the inactive M. caroli X, but not the M. caroliGpd or Pgk. Late replication-banding studies of hybrids and 6-thioguanine-resistant revertants showed that the reactivated Hp⁺ allele was still located on the late replicating X. Similar results were obtained with hybridization of this line to 1X-active (male-derived) fibroblast lines, indicating that hybridization per se, rather than a specific factor contributed by the teratocarcinoma cell partner, was reponsible for the frequent localized derepression of the Hpt⁺ allele on the inactive X.     

The status of nucleolus organizing regions in hybrids of pluripotent and somatic mouse cells cultured under different conditions

In the present work we examined the status of nucleolus organizing regions of mitotic chromosomes (NOR) in hybrid cells obtained by fusion of the mouse teratocarcinoma cells PCC4aza1 and adult mouse spleenocytes upon cultivation of hybrid cells under different conditions. We have shown that extended cultivation of hybrid cells in medium supplemented with HAT (hypoxanthine, aminopterin, thymidine) promotes the maintenance of NO-chromosomes, whereas under nonselective conditions elimination of NO-chromosome occurs. In nonselective medium the number of active, i. e. Ag-positive, NORs has been augmented comparatively to that observed under selective conditions. This observation directly indicates that reprogramming of the parental cell genomes in hybrid cells includes changes in the status of chromosomal NORs. The number of active NORs depends on conditions of hybrid cells culturing and may be changed by either of the two major ways--by elimination of NO-chromosomes (under nonselective conditions) or by inactivation of some NORs, when the general number of NO-chromosomes remains unaltered (under selective conditions).     

Monolayer culture conditions suitable for primitive erythroid cell differentiation from embryonic stem cells in vitro

Embryonic stem (ES) cells effectively differentiated into primitive erythroid/mesodermal cells when grown in the absence of both a feeder layer and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). The formation of a three-dimensional structure, exogenous mesoderm induction factors and exogenous hematopoietic growth factors were not essential for their differentiation. Primitive erythroid cells were first detected on day 5 in the differentiation-permissive cultures. Differentiation into other mesodermal cells was always preceded by that into primitive erythroid cells. Precursor cells of erythroid cells but of other hematoid cells were also detected in this system. This model system is useful for studying the early steps of mesoderm formation in mouse embryogenesis.     

Hemoglobin synthesis in cell hybrids formed between teratocarcinoma and friend erythroleukemia cells

Viable hybrid cells have been isolated following fusion of Friend erythroleukemia cells and undifferentiated teratocarcinoma cells. The hybrids formed between near-diploid parental cells resembled Friend cells in their ability to grow in suspension and to synthesize hemoglobin in the presence of the chemical inducers dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ouabain. Erythropoietin (EPO) was effective in inducing hemoglobin synthesis in some of the hybrid cell lines. The hemoglobins synthesized by the hybrids were of the adult forms, but were quantitatively different from those hemoglobins synthesized by the parental Friend cells, suggesting that the fusion event modulated the expression of the hemoglobin chain genes.     

Growth of hybridoma cells under different agitation conditions

Summary The effect of mechanical agitation on hybridoma cell growth was examined in laboratory scale vessels. At an agitation rate four times that required to keep the cells in suspension, both growth rate and growth extent were reduced. However, using the minimum agitation rate required to suspend cells, no adverse effect on cell growth was observed even with a turbine agitator.