title: SV-40 virus-induced neoplastic transformation of hamster brain cells in vitro. Studies with scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
abstract: Neoplastic transformation of one-day-old hamster brain cells was produced by infection with SV-40 virus and verified by phase contrast microscopy, growth in semisolid media, and intracranial tumor production after inoculation of the cells into other one-day-old hamsters. Transformed cells were studied by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The numerous alterations in cell surface structure and in nuclear and cytoplasmic organization suggest a marked increase in cell metabolism and in the rate of mitosis and cell division. Cilia with a nine-to-zero pattern of microtubule doublets were present in cells with intermediate size filaments which stained for glial fibrillary acidic protein. The findings indicate that infection of one-day-old hamster brain cells in culture by SV-40 virus results in their transformation to a neoplastic state and the transformed cells are differentiating neoplastic astrocytes.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001921:Brain / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006224:Cricetinae; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D013539:Simian virus 40; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000648:ultrastructure*