Analysis of F9 embryonal carcinoma cell lactosaminoglycans in relation to their differential expression during induction of differentiation

Abstract

Teratocarcinoma stem cells can be used to study the events related to a early differentiation, and many cell surface changes have been described which correlate with the different stages of early embryogenesis. In this work we analyze the [ 3H]galactose-labeled glycopeptides derived from the mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line F9. We show that the high-molecular-weight glycopeptides typical of embryonal carcinoma cells are composed of two distinct molecular weight classes, namely H1 and H3, and that retinoic acid-induced differentiation determines a relative increase of the larger peak (H1) which a mainly due to a decrease in the expression of H3 species. We also show that, beside this decrese, there is a greater increase in the species are polylactosaminoglycans N-linked to the peptidic backbone, and that induction of differentiation determines slight modifications in the structur of such species.