Mutants of embryonal carcinoma cells defective in the expression of embryoglycan.

Embryonal carcinoma cells defective in the expression of developmentally regulated carbohydrate epitope of teratocarcinoma cells (TEC-1) were isolated from mutagenized P19X1 and P19S1801A1 cells by a single-step selection technique using monoclonal antibody TEC-01 conjugated to plant toxin ricin. Three independently isolated mutant cell lines were characterized in detail. Analysis of the expression of the TEC-1 epitope in somatic cell hybrids constructed between wild-type and mutant cells and between two mutant cell types revealed that the mutant phenotypes are recessive and that the mutants belong to, at least, two complementation groups. Each mutant cell line exhibited a unique binding pattern of four monoclonal antibodies and five lectins, and different properties of large glycopeptides were distinguished by Sephadex G-50 column chromatography. The combined data suggest that our mutants identify three genes involved in the synthesis of embryoglycan, one of which appears to be the regulatory or structural gene for fucosyltransferase. One mutant cell line was completely deprived of embryoglycan and several carbohydrate structures typical of early embryonic and embryonal carcinoma cells; however, the cells were similar to parental cells in their morphology, their ability to form aggregates when cultured in suspension, their ability to differentiate into neuron-like cells after treatment with retinoic acid, and their ability to form tumors composed of embryonal carcinoma cells. Thus, embryoglycan is not required for the expression of a number of properties of the embryonal carcinoma phenotype.