A morphometric study of the pulmonary Clara cell in normal and nitrosoheptamethyleneimine-treated European hamsters.

Previous studies have identified the bronchial Clara cell as the progenitor of the lung tumors induced in European hamsters by nitrosoheptamethyleneimine (NHMI). Using stereological methods, we compared the ultrastructure of Clara cells from untreated animals and lung tumor cells, induced by NHMI, in the European hamster. The composition and volume of the cytoplasm was significantly altered in the tumor cells whereas the nuclei did not show any measurable changes in size or structure when compared with the controls.