NTERA-2

The cells exhibit a high nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio, prominent nucleoli, and the expression of the glycolipid antigen SSEA-3.

[3] 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.

[6] They have also been proposed as an in vitro test system for developmental neurotoxicity.

[7] NTERA-2 cells were originally isolated from a lung metastasis from a 22-year-old male patient with primary embryonal carcinoma of the testis.

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.