Appearance of functional insulin receptors during the differentiation of embryonal carcinoma cells.

Abstract

The insulin-receptor binding activity and insulin-stimulated growth response of PC13 [mouse teratoma] clone 5 cells were investigated for both the embryo carcinoma (EC) and retinoic acid-induced differentiated derivatives of this cell line. The EC cell had very few receptors and showed no demonstrable dependence on insulin for growth, but the differentiated derivative cell expressed a large number of insulin receptors and, when challenged with the hormone, independent PC13 clones. The appearance of specific receptors for growth regulatory substances may be a manifestation of a general change in growth-regulatory mechanisms accompanying EC cell differentiation and loss of malignancy.