Abstract
Lipid droplets appeared during the growing phase in the culture medium of incompletely transformed rat fibroblasts (HY1) induced by AccI-H fragments of adenovirus 12 DNA. These droplets consisted of neutral lipids, DNA, histones and RNA. Electron microscopic observations showed that the droplets had no lipid-bilayers on their surfaces which account-ed for the tendency of the droplets to readily fuse together and become larger, and that the inner structures of the droplets looked like networks of fibrous matter. Experiments with DNA hybridization showed that the droplet DNA was composed of both cellular and adenoviral DNA, and that the cellular DNA in the droplets seemed to be derived from various cell DNA sequences. These results suggest that the droplets were derived from parts of the nuclear components of HY1 cells. The mechanisms for droplet release are discussed.
