Electron microscopy of chick fibroblasts infected by defective rous sarcoma virus and its helper.

Nonproducing Rous sarcoma cells of the chicken and their virus-producing as well as uninfected counterparts were studied with an electron microscope. The structural peculiarities of transformed cells included cytoplasmic annulate lamellae, aggregates of membrane-bound, glycogen-like granules, and empty, virus-like shells. Of 69 individual lines of nonproducing Rous sarcoma cells, 64 contained small numbers of viral particles. These particles were morphologically indistinguishable from mature avian tumor virus but lacked demonstrable infectivity. In sessile normal and leukosis virus-infected fibroblasts, microtubules and fibrils occurred in parallel arrays at the periphery of the cytoplasm. This cortical organization was absent from rounded Rous sarcoma cells. The characteristics of microtubular arrangement seemed to reflect differences in the locomotory activity of normal and transformed cells.