Preferential inhibition of growth and protein synthesis in Rous sarcoma virus transformed cells by diphtheria toxin.

Protein synthesis in Rous sarcoma virus-transformed cultured chick embryo cells is shown to be more sensitive to diphtheria toxin than protein synthesis in normal chick embryo fibroblasts. Similarly, cells from viral-induced sarcomas are more sensitive to diphtheria toxin than cells from normal tissues of the same chicken. Diphtheria toxin inhibits the growth of virus-transformed chick cells in culture at a concentration that has no effect on control cells.