Metabolic cooperation between mouse embryonal carcinoma cells and their differentiated derivatives.

Metabolic cooperation has been used as an index of intercellular communication between mouse embryonal carcinoma (EC) and other cell types. EC cells do not cooperate with differentiated cells of various properties or origins. In contrast they cooperate with cells of all other EC lines tested, including a human teratocarcinoma line, but with different efficiencies. This might reflect differences either in cell-cell interactions or in the formation of gap junctions. During in vitro differentiation, EC cells appear to remain isolated from differentiated cell types.