Distinctive characteristics of nucleoli of two established cell lines

Nucleoli of cultured cells of the established lines KB and L were found to possess a distinctive fine structural organization. The major portion of the nucleolar volume was composed of compact, particulate material. Spheroidal fibrillar zones about 0.4 micro in diameter occurred within the particulate mass. These fibrillar zones had a central light area and a denser rim. Toyocamycin treatment, which sharply inhibited the appearance of newly synthesized RNA in the cytoplasm, caused the gradual disappearance of the fibrillar material from nucleoli. Actinomycin D treatment, which inhibited virtually all RNA synthesis, caused varying types of segregation of nucleolar components. The morphology of nucleoli of KB and L cells and the reorganization of these nucleoli in response to drugs appear to be different from those of nucleoli of freshly initiated Chinese hamster and mouse cell lines.