Ruthenium red-staining coat of paired neoplastic and nonneoplastic mouse cell lines in cluture

The ruthenium red-staining coat (RRSC) of a pair of neoplastic and nonneoplastic cell lines derived from a common pool of mouse embryo cells was examined by electron microscopy. The object was to establish whether a thickening of RRSC is associated with "spontaneous" neoplastic transformation of cells in culture. Ruthenium red has an affinity for acid mucopolysaccharides of the cell coat. Differences in thickness of RRSC between cells of these neoplastic and nonneoplastic lines were negligible.