[Mouse lung adenocarcinoma (LA-795)--study by histochemistry, light and electron microscopy]

A strain of spontaneous lung adenocarcinoma of inbred T739 mice has been successfully transplanted and retained for generations in the syngenic mice. By light microscopy, the cancer cells appeared oval or cubic and were arranged in a few or multiple layers, sometimes in papillary form. Metastasis to lung was 100%. By histochemistry, it was negative for glycogen, ALKase and all mucin stains, while being positive for LDHase, G6PDHase and SDHase stains. By electron microscopy, numerous microvilli on the cell surface, lamellar bodies, osmiophilic globuli, Golgi apparatus mitochondria and granular endoplasmic reticula in the cytoplasm were observed. The lung tumor strain, recognized as mouse lung adenocarcinoma (papillary type), may derive from the type II alveolar epithelial cells.