NTERA-2 cl.D1 (NT2/D1) (Pluripotent embryonal carcinoma, human)

Passage Frozen: 17. Current medium for propagation: Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium containing 4.5 g/L glucose, 90%; FBS, 10%. Additional Information: NTERA-2 cl.D1 is a pluripotent human embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell line which was derived in 1981 from a single cell clone of NTERA-2 cells which were established in 1980 from a nude mouse xenograft tumor of Tera-2 (ATCC HTB-106) cells. The Tera-2 cells, provided by Dr. Jorgen Fogh, were isolated from a lung metastasis from a 22-year-old Caucasian male with primary embryonal carcinoma of the testis. The NTERA-2 cl.D1 clone differentiates when exposed to retinoic acid (RA) or hexamethylene bisacetamide (HMBA). RA-induced differentiation is characterized by glycolipid changes, appearance of neurons, and induction of homeobox (HOX) gene clusters. These cells are not permissive for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), but both viruses will replicate in RA and HMBA-induced cells. These cells are useful in the study of human embryonal cell differentiation, especially along neuroectodermal lineages. References: Lab. Invest. 50: 147-162, 1984; Dev. Biol. 103: 285-293, 1984; ibid., 122: 21-34, 1987; Science (Washington, DC) 224: 159-161, 1984; Biochim. Biophys. Acta 948: 17-36, 1988; Differentiation 37: 73-79, 1988; ibid. 43: 131-138, 1990; J. Virol.: 65: 2732-2735, 1991. Submitted by: P.W. Andrews, The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA. Price Code: J