scholarly journals The site of incorporation of sialic acid residues into glycoproteins and the subsequent fates of these molecules in various rat and mouse cell types as shown by radioautography after injection of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine. II. Observations in tissues other than liver.

1981 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Bennett ◽  
F W Kan ◽  
D O'Shaughnessy
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Sialic Acid ◽  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Preceding Paper ◽  
Distal Tubule ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Pancreatic Acinar Cells ◽  
Kidney Cortex ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Silver Grains

Biochemical evidence from the preceding paper indicated that [3H]N-acetylmannosamine may be used as a fairly specific precursor for the sialic acid residues of glycoproteins (and perhaps glycolipids) in radioautographs of rat liver and duodenum. In order to study the site of incorporation of this label in cell types of various tissues, we gave 40-g rats and 15-g Swiss albino mice a single intravenous injection of 8 mCi of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine and sacrificed them after 2 and 10 min. To trace the subsequent migration of the labeled glycoproteins, we injected 40-g rats with 4 mCi of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine and sacrificed them after 20 and 30 min, 1, 4, and 24 h, and 3 and 9 d. Light microscope radioautographic analysis revealed that in a great variety of cell types the label was initially localized to the Golgi region. Electron microscope radioautographic analysis of duodenal villous columnar and goblet cells, pancreatic acinar cells and Paneth cells, from rats and mice sacrificed 10 min after injection, showed that the silver grains were localized over Golgi saccules (and adjacent secretion granules). In kidney proximal and distal tubule cells reaction was initially localized to the Golgi apparatus in some areas of the kidney cortex whereas in other areas it was more diffuse. In all cells, the proportion of silver grains over the Golgi apparatus decreased with time after injection while an increasing number of grains appeared over secretion products in secretory cells or over the plasma membrane in other cell types. Lysosomes also became increasingly labeled at later time intervals. The above results suggest that in most cell types sialic acid residues are incorporated into glycoproteins (and perhaps glycolipids), primarily in the Golgi apparatus. With time, these newly synthesized molecules migrate to secretion products, to the plasma membrane, or to the lysosomes.

scholarly journals The site of incorporation of sialic acid residues into glycoproteins and the subsequent fates of these molecules in various rat and mouse cell types as shown by radioautography after injection of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine. I. Observations in hepatocytes.

1981 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Bennett ◽  
D O'Shaughnessy
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Sialic Acid ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Mouse Cell ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Light Reaction ◽  
Golgi Stack ◽  
Golgi Region ◽  
Grain Distribution ◽  
Silver Grains

To study the site of incorporation of sialic acid residues into glycoproteins in hepatocytes, we gave 40-g rats and 15-g Swiss albino mice a single intravenous injection of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine (8 mCi) and then sacrificed them after 2 and 10 min. To trace the subsequent migration of the labeled glycoproteins, we injected 40-g rats with 4 mCi of [3H]N-acetylmannosamine and sacrificed them after 20 and 30 min, 1, 4, and 24 h, and 3 and 9 d. Concurrent biochemical experiments were carried out to test the specificity of injected [3H]N-acetylmannosamine as a precursor for sialic acid residues of glycoproteins. In radioautographs from rats and mice sacrificed 10 min after injection, grain counts showed that over 69% of the silver grains occurred over the Golgi region. The majority of these grains were localized over the trans face of the Golgi stack, as well as over associated secretory vesicles and possibly GERL. In rats, the proportion of grains over the Golgi region decreased with time to 37% at 1 h, 11% at 4 h, and 6% at 24 h. Meanwhile, the proportion of grains over the plasma membrane increased from 4% at 10 min to 29% at 1 h and over 55% at 4 and 24 h; two-thirds of these grains lay over the sinusoidal membrane, and the remainder were equally divided over the lateral and bile canalicular membranes. Many silver grains also appeared over lysosomes at the 4- and 24-h time intervals, accounting for 15-17% of the total. At 3 and 9 d after injection, light microscope radioautographs revealed a grain distribution similar to that seen at 24 h, with a progressive decrease in the intensity of labeling such that by 9 d only a very light reaction remained. Because our biochemical findings indicated that [3H]N-acetylmannosamine is a fairly specific precursor for the sialic acid residues of glycoproteins (and perhaps glycolipids), the interpretation of these results is that sialic acid is incorporated into these molecules in the Golgi apparatus and that the latter then migrate to secretion products, to the plasma membrane, and to lysosomes in a process of continuous renewal. It is possible that some of the label seen in lysosomes at later time intervals may have been derived from the plasma membrane or from material arising outside the cells.

scholarly journals MIGRATION OF GLYCOPROTEIN FROM THE GOLGI APPARATUS TO THE SURFACE OF VARIOUS CELL TYPES AS SHOWN BY RADIOAUTOGRAPHY AFTER LABELED FUCOSE INJECTION INTO RATS

1974 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 258-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Bennett ◽  
C. P. Leblond ◽  
Antonio Haddad
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Electron Microscope ◽  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Early Time ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cell Type ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Cell Coat ◽  
Golgi Region ◽  
Silver Grains

A single intravenous injection of L-[3H]fucose, a specific glycoprotein precursor, was given to young 35–45 g rats which were sacrificed at times varying between 2 min and 30 h later. Radioautography of over 50 cell types, including renewing and nonrenewing cells, was carried out for light and electron microscope study. At early time intervals (2–10 min after injection), light microscope radioautography showed a reaction over nearly all cells investigated in the form of a discrete clump of silver grains over the Golgi region. This reaction varied in intensity and duration from cell type to cell type. Electron microscope radioautographs of duodenal villus columnar cells and kidney proximal and distal tubule cells at early time intervals revealed that the silver grains were restricted to Golgi saccules. These observations are interpreted to mean that glycoproteins undergoing synthesis incorporate fucose in the saccules of the Golgi apparatus. Since fucose occurs as a terminal residue in the carbohydrate side chains of glycoproteins, the Golgi saccules would be the site of completion of synthesis of these side chains. At later time intervals, light and electron microscope radioautography demonstrated a decrease in the reaction intensity of the Golgi region, while reactions appeared over other parts of the cells: lysosomes, secretory material, and plasma membrane. The intensity of the reactions observed over the plasma membrane varied considerably in various cell types; furthermore the reactions were restricted to the apical surface in some types, but extended to the whole surface in others. Since the plasma membrane is covered by a "cell coat" composed of the carbohydrate-rich portions of membrane glycoproteins, it is concluded that newly formed glycoproteins, after acquiring fucose in the Golgi apparatus, migrate to the cell surface to contribute to the cell coat. This contribution implies turnover of cell coat glycoproteins, at least in nonrenewing cell types, such as those of kidney tubules. In the young cells of renewing populations, e.g. those of gastro-intestinal epithelia, the new glycoproteins seem to contribute to the growth as well as the turnover of the cell coat. The differences in reactivity among different cell types and cell surfaces imply considerable differences in the turnover rates of the cell coats.

scholarly journals Phospholipase D2 Localizes to the Plasma Membrane and Regulates Angiotensin II Receptor Endocytosis

2004 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 1024-1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangwei Du ◽  
Ping Huang ◽  
Bruce T. Liang ◽  
Michael A. Frohman
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Angiotensin Ii ◽  
Membrane Vesicle ◽  
Membrane Vesicles ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Dominant Negative ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Resting Cells ◽  
Angiotensin Ii Receptor ◽  
Multiple Cell

Phospholipase D (PLD) is a key facilitator of multiple types of membrane vesicle trafficking events. Two PLD isoforms, PLD1 and PLD2, exist in mammals. Initial studies based on overexpression studies suggested that in resting cells, human PLD1 localized primarily to the Golgi and perinuclear vesicles in multiple cell types. In contrast, overexpressed mouse PLD2 was observed to localize primarily to the plasma membrane, although internalization on membrane vesicles was observed subsequent to serum stimulation. A recent report has suggested that the assignment of PLD2 to the plasma membrane is in error, because the endogenous isoform in rat secretory cells was imaged and found to be present primarily in the Golgi apparatus. We have reexamined this issue by using a monoclonal antibody specific for mouse PLD2, and find, as reported initially using overexpression studies, that endogenous mouse PLD2 is detected most readily at the plasma membrane in multiple cell types. In addition, we report that mouse, rat, and human PLD2 when overexpressed all similarly localize to the plasma membrane in cell lines from all three species. Finally, studies conducted using overexpression of wild-type active or dominant-negative isoforms of PLD2 and RNA interference-mediated targeting of PLD2 suggest that PLD2 functions at the plasma membrane to facilitate endocytosis of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor.

Immunocytochemical studies of the Na-K-Cl cotransporter of shark kidney

1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (6) ◽  
pp. F927-F936 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Biemesderfer ◽  
J. A. Payne ◽  
C. Y. Lytle ◽  
B. Forbush
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Immunoelectron Microscopy ◽  
Basolateral Membrane ◽  
Distal Tubule ◽  
Rectal Gland ◽  
Apical Plasma Membrane ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Weak Staining ◽  
Basolateral Plasma Membrane ◽  
Kidney Functions

The Na-K-Cl cotransporter (NKCC or BSC) has been described in numerous secretory and reabsorptive epithelia and is an important part of the mechanism of NaCl reabsorption in both the mammalian and elasmobranch kidneys. We have recently developed a panel of four monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) raised to the 195-kDa Na-K-Cl cotransport protein of the shark rectal gland (sNKCC1), which is expressed along the basolateral plasma membrane of secretory cells in this tissue (29). Here, we report immunologic studies of the Na-K-Cl cotransporter in the kidney of the dogfish shark Squalus acanthias. Western blot analysis of shark renal microsomes using MAbs J3, J7, and J25 identified proteins of approximately 195 and 150 kDa, whereas MAb J4 was not reactive. To define the cellular and subcellular distribution of the cotransport protein, immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy studies were performed on fixed kidneys. Immunofluorescence microscopy on semithin (0.5-micron) cryosections demonstrated that MAbs J3, J7, and J25 intensely stained the apical plasma membrane of all distal tubule segments. Weak staining was also seen along the basolateral membrane of most distal nephrons. Immunoelectron microscopy confirmed this observation and showed that some of these segments were morphologically similar to diluting segments from other species. MAbs also reacted with the brush border and, to a lesser extent, the basolateral membrane of proximal tubules. This study supports the hypothesis that the lateral bundle zone of the elasmobranch kidney functions as a countercurrent exchanger and is consistent with the presence of multiple isoforms of the Na-K-Cl cotransporter in the shark kidney.

scholarly journals Spatial aspects of Ca2+ signalling in pancreatic acinar cells

1993 ◽  
Vol 184 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-144
Author(s):  
P. Thorn
Keyword(s):  
Digestive Enzymes ◽  
Acinar Cells ◽  
Fluid Secretion ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cellular Mechanism ◽  
Pancreatic Acinar Cells ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
High Affinity ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Cell Changes

Secretory cells do not only respond to an agonist with a simple rise in [Ca2+]i. It is now clear that complex patterns of [Ca2+]i elevation in terms of space and time are observed in many cell types and that these patterns may be a cellular mechanism for the regulation of different responses. Ca2+ signalling in exocrine cells of the pancreas promotes the secretion of digestive enzymes and fluid. It has been shown that at high concentrations of agonist (acetylcholine or cholecystokinin) the [Ca2+]i response is initiated in the secretory pole of the cell before spreading across the whole cell. This site of initiation of the [Ca2+]i elevation is in the region where exocytotic release of enzymes occurs and is also the site of a Ca(2+)-dependent chloride channel thought to be crucially important for fluid secretion. Lower concentrations of agonist elicit [Ca2+]i oscillations with complex repetitive patterns characteristic of each agonist. At physiological agonist concentrations, we have recently described repetitive short-lasting Ca2+ spikes that are spatially restricted to the secretory pole of the cell. In addition to these spikes, cholecystokinin also promotes slow transient Ca2+ rises that result in a global rise in Ca2+. The inositol trisphosphate (InsP3) receptor plays a crucial role in all of these various agonist responses, most of which can be reproduced by the infusion of InsP3 into the cell. The high InsP3-sensitivity of the secretory pole is postulated to be due to a localization of high-affinity InsP3 receptors. We speculate that in response to cholecystokinin the short-lasting spikes elicit exocytosis from a small ‘available pool’ of vesicles and that the broader oscillations induce both exocytosis and cell changes that involve movement of vesicles into this ‘available pool’.

Two proteins associated with secretory granule membranes identified in chicken regulated secretory cells

1994 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 1297-1308
Author(s):  
J.L. Thomas ◽  
A. Stieber ◽  
N. Gonatas
Keyword(s):  
Secretory Granule ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Secretory Granules ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Pancreatic Acinar Cells ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Electrophoretic Patterns ◽  
Granule Membrane ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Ultrathin Frozen Sections

Lately, we have identified two polypeptides of 92–94 kDa (GRL1) and 45–60 kDa (GRL2), expressed in cytoplasmic granules of chicken granulocytes and thrombocytes. Here, we report that GRL1 and GRL2 are widely distributed in all exocrine and several endocrine cell types, but not in neurons of the central nervous system, during late stages of embryonic development, as well as in newly hatched and two-month-old chickens. Immunogold studies in ultrathin frozen sections of pancreatic acinar cells show that GRL1 and GRL2 are co-localized at the periphery of zymogen granules, in granules fused with apical acinar membranes and on apical membranes of acini, while the pregranular compartments of the secretory pathway are weakly or not labeled. Semiquantitative morphometric studies indicate that GRL1 and GRL2 are equally distributed in secretory granules. A variety of physical and metabolic studies reveal that GRL2, a highly N-glycosylated polypeptide, is an intrinsic membrane protein, while GRL1 is a peripheral membrane polypeptide released by Na2CO3 treatment of granulocyte membranes. In all hematopoietic, exocrine or endocrine cells examinated, GRL1 shows identical electrophoretic patterns, while GRL2 is identified as a diffuse band, at 40–65 kDa, in hematopoietic and pancreatic cells. Taken together, the morphological and biochemical studies indicate that GRL1 and GRL2 are components of the secretory granule membrane in chicken exocrine, endocrine and hemopoietic cell types.

scholarly journals The Mammalian Sec6/8 Complex Interacts with Ca2+ Signaling Complexes and Regulates Their Activity

2000 ◽  
Vol 150 (5) ◽  
pp. 1101-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Min Shin ◽  
Xiao-Song Zhao ◽  
Weizhong Zeng ◽  
Marina Mozhayeva ◽  
Shmuel Muallem
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Secretory Granules ◽  
Pancreatic Acinar Cell ◽  
Pancreatic Acinar Cells ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Signaling Proteins ◽  
Intact Cells ◽  
Cell Extracts ◽  
Type 3

The localization of various Ca2+ transport and signaling proteins in secretory cells is highly restricted, resulting in polarized agonist-stimulated Ca2+ waves. In the present work, we examined the possible roles of the Sec6/8 complex or the exocyst in polarized Ca2+ signaling in pancreatic acinar cells. Immunolocalization by confocal microscopy showed that the Sec6/8 complex is excluded from tight junctions and secretory granules in these cells. The Sec6/8 complex was found in at least two cellular compartments, part of the complex showed similar, but not identical, localization with the Golgi apparatus and part of the complex associated with Ca2+ signaling proteins next to the plasma membrane at the apical pole. Accordingly, immunoprecipitation (IP) of Sec8 did not coimmunoprecipitate βCOP, Golgi 58K protein, or mannosidase II, all Golgi-resident proteins. By contrast, IP of Sec8 coimmunoprecipitates Sec6, type 3 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3R3), and the Gβγ subunit of G proteins from pancreatic acinar cell extracts. Furthermore, the anti-Sec8 antibodies coimmunoprecipitate actin, Sec6, the plasma membrane Ca2+ pump, the G protein subunits Gαq and Gβγ, the β1 isoform of phospholipase C, and the ER resident IP3R1 from brain microsomal extracts. Antibodies against the various signaling and Ca2+ transport proteins coimmunoprecipitate Sec8 and the other signaling proteins. Dissociation of actin filaments in the immunoprecipitate had no effect on the interaction between Sec6 and Sec8, but released the actin and dissociated the interaction between the Sec6/8 complex and Ca2+ signaling proteins. Hence, the interaction between the Sec6/8 and Ca2+ signaling complexes is likely mediated by the actin cytoskeleton. The anti-Sec6 and anti-Sec8 antibodies inhibited Ca2+ signaling at a step upstream of Ca2+ release by IP3. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton with latrunculin B in intact cells resulted in partial translocation of Sec6 and Sec8 from membranes to the cytosol and interfered with propagation of agonist-evoked Ca2+ waves. Our results suggest that the Sec6/8 complex has multiple roles in secretory cells including governing the polarized expression of Ca2+ signaling complexes and regulation of their activity.

scholarly journals Differences in intracellular transport of a fluorescent phosphatidylcholine analog in established cell lines

1989 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-374 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.G. Sleight ◽  
M.N. Abanto
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Golgi Apparatus ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Intracellular Transport ◽  
Simian Virus 40 ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Transport Pathway ◽  
Intracellular Lipid ◽  
Intracellular Vesicles ◽  
Fluorescent Lipid

The transport and metabolism of a fluorescent phosphatidylcholine analog, 1-palmitoyl-2-(N-4-nitrobenzo-2-oxa-1,3-diazole)- aminocaproyl-phosphatidylcholine [palmitoyl, C6-NBD)-PC), in BHK, CHO-K1, CHO-15B, MDCK, VA-2, Vero, V79 and WI-38 cells has been investigated. When liposomes containing (palmitoyl, C6-NBD)-PC were incubated with cells at 2 degrees C, spontaneous transfer of the fluorescent lipid from the liposomes to the cells' plasma membranes occurred. Most of the lipid transferred to the cells could be removed by incubating the cells in the presence of nonfluorescent liposomes or media containing 10% serum, suggesting that the fluorescent probe resided exclusively in the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane at 2 degrees C. After insertion into the plasma membrane, internalization of (palmitoyl, C6-NBD)-PC occurred when the cells were warmed to 37 degrees C. This resulted in four different labeling patterns: (1) little or no internalization of (palmitoyl, C6-NBD)-PC into punctate vesicles was observed in Vero cells. (2) Transport of (palmitoyl, C6-NBD)-PC to the region of the Golgi apparatus and to a small number of intracellular vesicles was observed in both V79 and CHO-K1 cell lines. (3) A large number of fluorescently labeled intracellular vesicles with little or no labeling in the region of the Golgi apparatus appeared after the internalization of (palmitoyl, C6-NBD)-PC in BHK, CHO-15B, MDCK and WI-38 cell lines. (4) Accumulation of (palmitoyl, C6-NBD)-PC in small vesicles, mitochondria and the nuclear envelope was observed in VA-2 cells. In addition, cells having a defect in glycoprotein processing and those transformed with simian virus 40 (SV40) internalized the fluorescent lipid probe differently compared with parental lines. Neither differences in rates of endocytosis nor rates of (palmitoyl, C6-NBD)-PC degradation between cell types appears to cause the observed dissimilarities in intracellular lipid transport. We suggest that these different cell types may have dissimilar pathways of intracellular lipid trafficking or differential regulation of a common transport pathway, and that the predominant pathway of lipid translocation can be altered in cells by changing the composition of their glycoproteins or by viral transformation.

scholarly journals Histochemical methods for characterizing secretory and cell surface sialoglycoconjugates.

1985 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 427-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
B A Schulte ◽  
S S Spicer
Keyword(s):  
Sialic Acid ◽  
Periodate Oxidation ◽  
Acinar Cells ◽  
Pancreatic Acinar Cells ◽  
Surface Epithelium ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Sublingual Gland ◽  
Mucous Cells ◽  
Acetylneuraminic Acid ◽  
Hamster Trachea

Paraffin sections of trachea, sublingual gland, and pancreas from rats, mice, and hamsters were stained with peanut agglutinin (PNA) or Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) conjugated to horseradish peroxidase before or after enzymatic removal of sialic acid. Adjacent sections were oxidized with periodate prior to incubation with sialidase and staining with PNA and DBA. PNA binding demonstrated terminal beta-galactose in secretions, at the basolateral plasmalemma of mouse tracheal serous cells, in or at the surface of zymogen granules, and at the apical and basolateral surface of mouse and hamster pancreatic acinar cells. Sialidase digestion revealed PNA binding, demonstrative of penultimate beta-galactose, in secretions of mucous cells in tracheal and sublingual glands and at the apical glycocalyx of ciliated and secretory cells in the tracheal surface epithelium of all the rodents studied. Sialidase also imparted PNA affinity to endothelium in all three species and to secretions and the basolateral plasmalemma of tracheal serous cells and pancreatic acinar cells in the rat. Periodate oxidation blocked the enzymatic removal of N-acetylneuraminic acid as judged by prevention of staining with the sialidase-PNA procedure. Sites in which periodate prevented sialidase-PNA staining included pancreatic islet cells and at the luminal glycocalyx of ciliated and secretory cells in tracheal surface epithelium in all three rodents, most sublingual mucous cells in the hamster, pancreatic acinar cells in the rat, and endothelium, except that of the rat. Glycoconjugate in other sites remained positive with the periodate-sialidase-PNA sequence. Resistance to periodate was interpreted as evidence for the presence of terminal sialic acid with an O-acetylated polyhydroxyl side chain. DBA binding demonstrated terminal alpha-N-acetylgalactosamine in the secretion of all mucous cells in the hamster trachea and 50-90% of those in the rat, secretion and the basolateral plasmalemma of all glandular serous cells in the mouse trachea, at the apical surface of most secretory cells lining the lumen of the rat and hamster trachea, and cilia of 5-10% of ciliated cells in the rat trachea. Periodate oxidation and sialidase digestion demonstrated N-acetylneuraminic acid and penultimate alpha-N-acetylgalactosamine in cilia in the mouse trachea and sialic acid containing O-acetylated polyhydroxyl side chains subtended by N-acetylgalactosamine in the secretion of all mucous cells in the rat and hamster trachea and of 80-90% of mucous cells in the hamster sublingual gland.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

scholarly journals Cytochemical demonstration of increased phospholipid content in cell membranes in chlorphentermine-induced phospholipidosis.

1989 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
P A Coulombe ◽  
M Bendayan
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Ultrastructural Localization ◽  
Lung Parenchyma ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Biological Tissues ◽  
Gold Complex ◽  
Kidney Cortex ◽  
Phospholipid Content ◽  
Alveolar Cells ◽  
Drug Induced

We recently introduced a novel cytochemical approach to high-resolution cytochemistry of phospholipids in biological tissues. The technique consists of adsorption of bee venom phospholipase A2 to colloidal gold particles (PLA2-gold complex) and subsequent application of this complex for localization of the enzyme substrate, i.e., glycerophospholipids. In the present study, this technique was applied at the post-embedding level, in both light (LM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), to investigate drug-induced phospholipidosis, an experimental disorder in which the lysosomal catabolism of phospholipids is inhibited. Rats received one week of daily treatment (40 mg IP/kg) with chlorphentermine (CP), a cationic amphiphilic drug known to induce phospholipidosis in several tissues. Glutaraldehyde- and osmium-fixed lung and kidney tissues from both treated and control animals, were embedded in Epon and sections processed for labeling by PLA2-gold. In CP-treated specimens the presence of large osmiophilic inclusions in several cell types of lung parenchyma and kidney cortex confirmed the onset of phospholipidosis. These inclusions were densely labeled by PLA2-gold at both LM and TEM levels. Two general types of abnormal inclusions were distinguished on the basis of their ultrastructure and labeling pattern by PLA2-gold, suggesting different content or configuration of phospholipids. Moreover, quantitative evaluation of labeling density over various membrane compartments in lung alveolar cells evidenced significantly increased phospholipid content after CP treatment. In type II pneumocytes, such increases were measured in membranes of the RER, Golgi complex, outer and inner nuclear envelope, and the basolateral and apical domains of the plasma membrane. In capillary endothelial cells, the basal and luminal domains of the plasma membrane also showed an increase in labeling density. These results further demonstrate the potential usefulness of the PLA2-gold technique for in situ ultrastructural localization of phospholipids in normal and pathological tissues.

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