NTERA-2

The NTERA-2 (also designated NTERA2/D1, NTERA2, or NT2) cell line is a clonally derived, pluripotent human embryonal carcinoma cell line.^[1]

NTERA-2 cells before (left) and after (right) differentiation induced by exposure to retinoic acid. The bottom panels show NTERA-2 cells expressing GFAP, a neural precursor marker, after differentiation.

Characteristics

NTERA-2 cells exhibit biochemical and developmental properties similar to the cells of the early embryo, and can be used to study the early stages of human neurogenesis. The cells exhibit a high nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio, prominent nucleoli, and the expression of the glycolipid antigen SSEA-3. They also express nestin and vimentin, which are found in neuroepithelial precursor cells, as well as microtubule-associated proteins expressed in human neuroepithelium.^[2] NTERA-2 cells also accumulate cytoplasmic glycogen.^[3]

Differentiation

NTERA-2 cells differentiate when exposed to retinoic acid and lose expression of SSEA-3. Differentiation produces neurons via asymmetric cell division, and these cells form interconnected axon networks and express tetanus toxin receptors and neurofilament proteins.^[4] By 10–14 days of exposure to retinoic acid, NTERA-2 cells begin to take on the morphological characteristics of neurons, such as rounded cell bodies and processes.^[2] NTERA-2 cells can also produce a small number of oligodendrocyte-type cells, but they cannot differentiate into astrocytes.^[5]

Research

Because of their similarity to human embryonic stem cells, NTERA-2 cells are used to study the dopaminergic differentiation of neuronal precursor cells.^[6] They have also been proposed as an in vitro test system for developmental neurotoxicity.^[7]

History

NTERA-2 cells were originally isolated from a lung metastasis from a 22-year-old male patient with primary embryonal carcinoma of the testis. The tumor was xenografted onto a mouse, and from this cells were cloned into the NTERA-2 cell line.^[3]