Active proliferation of Rous sarcoma virus-infected, but not normal, chicken heart mesenchymal cells in culture medium of physiological composition.

Normal as well as Rous sarcoma virus-infected chicken pectoral and chicken embryo fibroblasts proliferate actively in a plasma containing medium of physiological ion concentrations (Ca2+, 1.2 mM; Mg2+, 0.7 mM). Reduction of medium calcium and magnesium concentrations is necessary to achieve selective quiescence of normal fibroblasts in these cell systems. By contrast, normal chicken heart mesenchymal cells proliferate only sluggishly (one doubling or less during a 6-day period) in a plasma containing medium of physiologic ion concentrations, whereas Rous sarcoma virus-infected heart mesenchymal cells proliferate actively (more than four doublings during an initial 2-day phase of exponential growth). The chicken heart mesenchymal cell system therefore has great potential for studies of the mechanism that initiates cell replication and of the failure in cellular regulatory processes that is responsible for the autonomous initiation of replication of neoplastic cells. From comparison of the chicken heart mesenchymal cell system to dialyzed plasma-based systems in which 3T3 cells tend to proliferative quiescence, it is argued that this proliferative quiescence of 3T3 cells is a result of cell starvation and is not physiologically meaningful.