Effect of Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency on Ultrastructure and Growth of Transplantable Mouse Hepatoma BRL 1.2

SUMMARY-Mouse hepatoma BRL was serially transplanted for 8 gen-erations in hosts previously made deAcient in essential fatty acids (EFA), and its ultrastructure and growth were compared with those of a subline of the same tumor in hosts on a control diet, and with the host's liver cells. The mitochondria of the hepatoma became progressively enlarged and pleomorphic. EFA-deAcient liver mitochondria also enlarged, but were only rarely pleomorphic. Cristae mitochondriales in a " hepatoma cells became vesiculative, suggestive of alteration in the membranes and accum-ulation of fluid between the inner and outer membranes. This appeared in the Arst transplant generation and persisted without change in a " subse-quent generations in EF A-deAcient hosts. This was in contrast to the cristae of EFA-deAcient hosts ' livers which remained normal in appearance except that cristae in the periportal cells increased in length and number. After 8 transplant generations in EF A-deficient hosts, the hepatoma was serially transplanted for 4 generations in normal hosts. Vesiculation o