F9 (Embryonal carcinoma, mouse)

Passage Frozen: Unknown. Current medium for propagation: Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium with 4.5 g/L glucose, 85%; FBS, 15%. Additional Information: The F9 was initiated by E.G. Bernstine, et al., from a testicular teratocarcinoma of a strain 129 mouse (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 70: 3899-3903, 1973). These embryonal carcinoma cells, which undergo very limited differentiation under normal culture conditions, can be induced to differentiate into parietal endoderm in the presence of retinoic acid and dibutyryl cyclic AMP. The phenotype of the new cell type is characterized by synthesis of plasminogen activator, laminin and type IV collagen and by low levels of alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase. The cell type generated by this induction is not dependent upon the continued presence of either compound, but the cAMP agents are active only on F9 cells that have been treated with retinoic acid. The F9 cell line is routinely propagated on culture surfaces that have been coated with 0.1% gelatin. References: Cell 15: 393-403, 1978; ibid., 21: 347-355, 1980. Submitted by: S. Strickland, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY. Price Code: H