Effect of Dibutyryl Cyclic AMP and Serum Deprivation on the Membranes of Transformed Mouse Fibroblasts. A Freeze Fracture Study

Dibutyryl cyclic AMP inhibits growth of certain transformed mouse fibroblasts as does serum starvation. These treatments, however, fail to affect membrane structure as visualized by freeze fracture and electron microscopy. These observations suggest that such treatments do not restore the membranes of transformed cells to normal and that the organization and distribution of certain membrane proteins may be critical for the development and maintenance of the normal contact inhibited state.