Conditions affecting the differentiation of F9 teratocarcinoma cells: Potentiation of response by cyclic amp

Abstract
F9 cells maintained in culture were shown to have a reduced ability to differentiate. The cells produced decreased amounts of alphafetoprotein when induced with retinoic acid. We show that consistent responses can be recovered after passage of F9 cells as a tumor. In addition, optimal differentiation of F9 cells to visceral endoderm may be achieved by the addition of very low concentrations of dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) to the medium.