The Activin A‐Dependent Proliferation of PCC3/A/1 Embryonal Carcinoma Cells in Serum‐Free Medium

Abstract

Examination of the growth requirements of murine embryonal carcinoma cells (EC cells) or embryonic stem cells (ES cells) in serum-free medium revealed that PCC3 EC cells required activin A to grow and/or survive in such medium. In the absence of activin A, PCC3 cells began to disintegrate within 3 days under any serum-free conditions examined. P I 9 and AT805 EC cells grew even in serum-free medium without activin A but their growth rates were slightly facilitated by its addition. F9 EC cells also grew in the medium without activin A and its addition somewhat inhibited their growth rate. Three independently isolated ES cell lines and feeder-dependent PSA-1 EC cells also grew in serum-free medium without activin A if leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) was supplemented. The addition of activin A had little effect on their growth rates. These findings suggest that PCC3 EC cells are a sort of nutritional mutant requiring activin A, thus making them useful in stidies on the growth regulatory mechanisms of EC/ES cells and/or the action of activin on EC/ ES cells.

Self‐renewal and differentiation of a basic fibroblast growth factor‐dependent multipotent hematopoietic cell line derived from embryonic stem cells

“…H‐1 ES cells (Atsumi et al 1993) were originally maintained on mitomycin C (Sigma)‐treated STO cells (Robertson 1987) feeder‐layers in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium (DMEM; Gibco BRL, Gaithersburg, MD, USA) containing 20% fetal calf serum (FCS; Hyclone, Logan, UT, USA), 10 3 unit/mL leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF; AMRAD Co.) and 10 −4 mol/L 2‐mercaptoethanol (2‐ME; Sigma). In this experiment, cells adapted to feeder‐layer free conditions were used.…”

Phosphorylation of the adenovirus E1A-associated 300 kDa protein in response to retinoic acid and E1A during the differentiation of F9 cells.

“…H-1 ES cells (Atsumi et al, 1993) were maintained in ES medium (Robertson, 1987) supplemented with 20% FCS and 103 U/ml leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF; Amrad, Melbourne, Australia) on a feeder layer of mitomycin C-treated STO cells. For experiments H-1 ES cells were grown without a feeder layer for at least three passages.…”