[Electrical characteristics of normal and transformed fibroblasts in tissue culture]

The two-electrode method of input resistance measuring was shown to give lower values of resistance compared with the one-electrode balance method. Gradual growth of estimates of input resistance and membrane potential in the cause of experiment is associated with decrease in the shunting effect of the electrode puncture. The mean values of steady Rin of sparse and confluent culture did not differ when the cells were electrically disconnected (38 plus or minus 1.2 MO and 41 plus or minus 1.8 MO respectively) and differed in electrically coupled fibroblasts (54 plus or minus 4.9 MO --sparse; 29 plus or minus 2.2 MO -- confluent culture). This difference is thought to be associated with shunting effect of electrical connections. The specific resistance of membrane was estimated in normal and transformed fibroblasts.