Nature 292, 154 - 156 (09 July 1981); doi:10.1038/292154a0

Establishment in culture of pluripotential cells from mouse embryos

M. J. Evans^* & M. H. Kaufman^†

Departments of Genetics^* and Anatomy^†, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK

Pluripotential cells are present in a mouse embryo until at least an early post-implantation stage, as shown by their ability to take part hi the formation of chimaeric animals¹ and to form teratocarcinomas². Until now it has not been possible to establish progressively growing cultures of these cells in vitro, and cell lines have only been obtained after teratocarcinoma formation in vivo. We report here the establishment in tissue culture of pluripotent cell lines which have been isolated directly from in vitro cultures of mouse blastocysts. These cells are able to differentiate either in vitro or after innoculation into a mouse as a tumour in vivo. They have a normal karyotype.

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