Biomaterial Database

Metabolic co-operation between embryonic and embryonal carcinoma cells of the mouse. 1979

S J Gaunt, and V E Papaioannou

Mouse embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells form permeable junctions at their homotypic cell-to-cell contacts which permit intercellular exchange of metabolites (metabolic co-operation). Hooper & Slack (1977) showed how this exchange could be detected by autoradiography as the transfer of [3H]nucleotides between PC13 (a pluripotential EC line) and PC13TG8 (a variant of PC13 which is deficient in hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase). We now show that cells taken from several different tissues of early mouse embryos, that is, from the morula, the inner cell mass of the blastocyst, and the endoderm, mesoderm and embryonic ectoderm of the 8th day egg cylinder, are able to serve as donors of [3H] nucleotides to PC13TG8. In contrast, trophectodermal cells of cultured blastocysts, and the trophectodermal derivatives in the 8th day egg cylinder, that is, extra-embryonic ectoderm and ectoplacental cone cells, showed little or no metabolic co-operation with PC13TG8. With reference to some common properties of EC and embryonic cells, we suggest how our findings may provide insight into cell-to-cell interactions in the early mouse embryo.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007042	Hypoxanthines	Purine bases related to hypoxanthine, an intermediate product of uric acid synthesis and a breakdown product of adenine catabolism.
D008648	Mesoderm	The middle germ layer of an embryo derived from three paired mesenchymal aggregates along the neural tube.	Mesenchyme,Dorsal Mesoderm,Intermediate Mesoderm,Lateral Plate Mesoderm,Mesenchyma,Paraxial Mesoderm,Dorsal Mesoderms,Intermediate Mesoderms,Lateral Plate Mesoderms,Mesenchymas,Mesoderm, Dorsal,Mesoderm, Intermediate,Mesoderm, Lateral Plate,Mesoderm, Paraxial,Mesoderms, Dorsal,Mesoderms, Intermediate,Mesoderms, Lateral Plate,Mesoderms, Paraxial,Paraxial Mesoderms,Plate Mesoderm, Lateral,Plate Mesoderms, Lateral
D009028	Morula	An early embryo that is a compact mass of about 16 BLASTOMERES. It resembles a cluster of mulberries with two types of cells, outer cells and inner cells. Morula is the stage before BLASTULA in non-mammalian animals or a BLASTOCYST in mammals.	Morulas
D001755	Blastocyst	A post-MORULA preimplantation mammalian embryo that develops from a 32-cell stage into a fluid-filled hollow ball of over a hundred cells. A blastocyst has two distinctive tissues. The outer layer of trophoblasts gives rise to extra-embryonic tissues. The inner cell mass gives rise to the embryonic disc and eventual embryo proper.	Embryo, Preimplantation,Blastocysts,Embryos, Preimplantation,Preimplantation Embryo,Preimplantation Embryos
D002450	Cell Communication	Any of several ways in which living cells of an organism communicate with one another, whether by direct contact between cells or by means of chemical signals carried by neurotransmitter substances, hormones, and cyclic AMP.	Cell Interaction,Cell-to-Cell Interaction,Cell Communications,Cell Interactions,Cell to Cell Interaction,Cell-to-Cell Interactions,Communication, Cell,Communications, Cell,Interaction, Cell,Interaction, Cell-to-Cell,Interactions, Cell,Interactions, Cell-to-Cell
D002460	Cell Line	Established cell cultures that have the potential to propagate indefinitely.	Cell Lines,Line, Cell,Lines, Cell
D002970	Cleavage Stage, Ovum	The earliest developmental stage of a fertilized ovum (ZYGOTE) during which there are several mitotic divisions within the ZONA PELLUCIDA. Each cleavage or segmentation yields two BLASTOMERES of about half size of the parent cell. This cleavage stage generally covers the period up to 16-cell MORULA.	Segmentation Stage, Ovum,Cleavage Stages, Ovum,Ovum Cleavage Stage,Ovum Cleavage Stages,Ovum Segmentation Stage,Ovum Segmentation Stages,Segmentation Stages, Ovum
D004475	Ectoderm	The outer of the three germ layers of an embryo.	Apical Ectodermal Ridge,Apical Ectodermal Ridges,Ectodermal Ridge, Apical,Ectoderms
D004622	Embryo, Mammalian	The entity of a developing mammal (MAMMALS), generally from the cleavage of a ZYGOTE to the end of embryonic differentiation of basic structures. For the human embryo, this represents the first two months of intrauterine development preceding the stages of the FETUS.	Embryonic Structures, Mammalian,Mammalian Embryo,Mammalian Embryo Structures,Mammalian Embryonic Structures,Embryo Structure, Mammalian,Embryo Structures, Mammalian,Embryonic Structure, Mammalian,Embryos, Mammalian,Mammalian Embryo Structure,Mammalian Embryonic Structure,Mammalian Embryos,Structure, Mammalian Embryo,Structure, Mammalian Embryonic,Structures, Mammalian Embryo,Structures, Mammalian Embryonic
D004707	Endoderm	The inner of the three germ layers of an embryo.	Definitive Endoderm,Definitive Endoderms,Endoderm, Definitive,Endoderms