MITOCHONDRIA IN TISSUE CULTURES 



361 



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Fig. 12 A, mesenchyme cells from a 2-day culture of intestine from a o-day 

 chick, showing marked differences in shape, size and number of mitochondria. 

 The four cells have 74, 8, 27 and 6 mitochondria; Bensley stain; X 790 diam^; 

 b, two adjoining cells from a 2-day culture of heart from a 7-day chick; granular 

 type of mitochondria, one cell has 38 and the other 111 mitochondria. Osmic 

 acid and iron hematoxylin; X 540 diam.; c, two endodermal cells from a 2-day 

 culture of allantois from a 4-day chick; the larger cell contains about 128 and the 

 other 27 mitochondria; Bensley stain; X 790 diam. 



many cases of adjoining cells (figs. 11, 12 b) or of the same 

 kind of cells in different parts of the preparation (fig. 12 c) 

 there can be no doubt that the quantity of mitochondria is 

 markedly increased or very much decreased. This increase in 

 the quantity of ny.tochondria is most marked in a few scat- 

 tered cells in the growth from a piece of allantois (fig. 11). 



Cells with few mitochondria do not necessarily have larger 

 mitochondria and there seems to be no definite relation between 

 size and number or number and quantity. The quantity in the 

 cell differs so widely that it has so far been impossible to con- 

 nect the quantity of mitochondria with any one factor. Possibly 

 it is dependent upon the metabolism of the individual cell. 



