Preferential localization of SSEA-4 in interfaces between blastomeres of mouse preimplantaion embryos

The monoclonal antibody 6E2 raised against the embryonal carcinoma cell line NCR-G3 had been shown to also react with human germ cells. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) immunostaining revealed that 6E2 specifically reacts with sialosylglobopentaosylceramide (sialylGb5), which carries an epitope of stage-specific embryonic antigen-4 (SSEA-4), known as an important cell surface marker of embryogenesis. The immunostaining of mouse preimplantation embryos without fixation showed that the binding of 6E2 caused the clustering and consequent accumulation of sialylGb5 at the interface between blastomeres. These results suggest that SSEA-4 actively moves on the cell surface and readily accumulates between blastomeres after binding of 6E2.