The fine structural organisation of Rous tumour cells

Abstract

The fibroblast-like tumour cells of Rous sarcomata have been studied in thin sections with the electron microscope. A description is given of the fine structure of the cells which includes some features not hitherto recorded. The tightly packed piles of smooth cisternae usually found only in the centrosome region have been observed, in individual Rous cells, in two separate areas of cytoplasm at opposite poles of the nucleus. Continuity between the perinuclear space and the lumen of rough surfaced cisternae of the endoplasmic reticulum has frequently been found; a similar continuity between the cisternae and the exterior of the cell has also been seen. In some cases, the cell membrane has been shown to have an unbroken connection with the outer nuclear membrane through continuity with the limiting membranes of elements of the endoplasmic reticulum. These findings are discussed.