Differentiation potential of human embryonal carcinoma cell lines.

We have established 17 embryonal carcinoma (EC) cell lines from human testicular germ cell tumors by using three different methods of in vitro cultivation. Cultures of only three of these cell lines, and of clones derived from two of them, differentiate extensively when the cells are seeded at low density. A comparison is presented of the results obtained with the three methods used to establish and maintain these cell lines, and some properties of the three pluripotential EC lines are summarized.