title: Some factors influencing the behavior of BHK 21 Cl 13 cells in soft agar medium.
abstract: As part of an attempt to reproduce Styles' cell transformation assay, the effect of serum concentration on the growth of normal and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4-NQO)-treated BHK 21 Cl 13 cells in soft agar medium was examined. Using medium with 10% newborn calf serum, dilution of control cultures from 5 x 10(4) to 1.56 x 10(3) cells/ml caused little increase in the number of countable (greater than 0.3 mm diameter) colonies, but 4NQO caused a marked dose-related increase. In contrast, using 20% of the same batch of serum, 4NQO-treated groups and controls diluted to comparable viability counts showed very similar increases in countable colonies. Clones greater than 0.3 mm diameter isolated from control cultures with 20% serum did not appear to be transformed when grown in agar with 10% serum. These data indicate that factors other than neoplastic transformation can influence the growth of BHK 21 Cl 13 cells in soft agar medium.
mesh_terms: D015112:4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide; D000362:Agar; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D006224:Cricetinae; D003470:Culture Media; D007668:Kidney; D008647:Mesocricetus
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D015112:4-Nitroquinoline-1-oxide; D000362:Agar