Mode of cell surface marker changes during retinoic acid-induced differentiation in pluripotent embryonal carcinoma cells

Suppression of c-mos expression in teratocarcinoma cells with a new type of inducer of differentiation, 3,5-di-tert-butylchalcone 4'-carboxylic acid

The treatment of 311 cells, a pluripotent mouse teratocarcinoma cell line, with a new type of inducer, 3,5-di-tert-butylchalcone 4'-carboxylic acid (Ch55), results in the suppression of the c-mos gene, accompanied by early marker changes associated with cell differentiation, i.e., the enhanced secretion of plasminogen activator and the decrease in peanut agglutinin receptors and glucose transport. This indicates that Ch55 is a potent inducer of teratocarcinoma cells and suppresses c-mos expression.

Expression of c-mos proto-oncogene in undifferentiated teratocarcinoma cells

Proto-oncogene c-mos, the cellular homologue of the transforming gene of Moloney murine sarcoma virus, has been characterized by the lack of expression in a variety of differentiated tissues, possibly because of the existence of an inhibitory upstream sequence. We detected mos-related transcripts in undifferentiated embryonal carcinoma cells of pluripotential cell line 311. The sizes of three major transcripts detected were estimated to be 1.8, 4.6 and 6.1-kilobases (kb) by northern analysis. Furthermore, these transcriptions were suppressed when the cell differentiation was induced by retinoic acid. Taken together, the results suggest that mos product plays a role in early stages of development.