Effects of antimicrotubular agents on the fine structure of the Golgi complex in embryonic chick osteoblasts

Embryonic chick frontal bones were cultured in the presence of colchicine or vinblastine and subsequently examined by tranmission electron microscopy. In control cultures the osteoblasts showed a large Golgi complex consisting of dictyosomes arranged in a well-defined juxtanuclear area. Microtubules were particularly numerous within this Golgi area although they could be observed throughout the cytoplasm. Colchicine and vinblastine caused the disappearance of cytoplasmic microtubules, while bundles of 10 nm diameter filaments appeared more frequently. In addition, cell polarity was lost and the Golgi complex became disorganized, with the dictyosomes randomly dispersed in the cytoplasm and showing a decreased number of cisternae and an increased number of vacuoles, the latter generally lacking stainable material. Increased number of autophagosomes were also noted. These findings indicate that microtubules function in the organization of the Golgi complex in osteoblasts. In view of the well documented role of this organelle system in collagen secretion it is suggested that previously observed secretory disturbances produced by antimicrotubular drugs may be due to a defective transfer of material to the dictyosomes and/or a defect in the packaging and transport of such material away from them.     

Fine structure of the Golgi complex during mitosis of cartilaginous cells in vitro

Chondrocytes were isolated enzymatically from guinea-pig epiphyses and grown in vitro. The fate of the Golgi complex during mitosis in relation to changes in the cytoplasmic microtubules was then studied by transmission electron microscopy. Interphase cells were observed to be polarized, with the Golgi complex occupying a well-defined juxtanuclear area of the cell's cytoplasmic pole. During prophase the cytoplasmic microtubules were largely lost, the nucleus moved to the center of the cell and the Golgi complex dissolved into single dictyosomes spread diffusely throughout the cytoplasm. The distribution of other organelles also changed to a more random pattern. In telophase, i.e. after the completion of nuclear division, the mitotic spindle decomposed and cytoplasmic microtubules reappeared. Furthermore, the organization of the Golgi complex and other organelles returned to that characteristic of interphase cells. Previous studies on cells treated with colchicine have indicated that the polarized distribution of cell organelles is dependent on the presence of intact cytoplasmic micro-tubules. It is suggested that the disappearance of such tubules observed here to be coupled with the disorganization of cell interphase structure fulfills the double function of providing free tubulin units from which to build the mitotic spindle and ensuring an approximately equal distribution of dictyosomes and other organelles to the daughter cells during cytokinesis.     

Reorganization of the Golgi apparatus of epithelial cells in the frog bladder in stimulation of water transport by antidiuretic hormone

Ultrastructural changes of Golgi apparatus of frog urinary granular cells at antidiuretic hormone (ADH) stimulation of water transport were studied. During a short-time ADH action (5 min) the fragmentation of the complex on single dictyosomes and dilution of certain cisternae is discovered. A conclusion is made that the granular cell giant vacuoles may originate from the Golgi cisternae. It is suggested that the microtubules may be involved in the translocation of dictyosomes and migration of formed vacuoles. The quantity of microtubules increases during ADH action very significantly. Moreover, the involvement of the Golgi apparatus is shown in the maintenance of the cell membrane balance due to budding of tubular structures from transcisternae and shuttling between luminal and vacuolar membranes.     

Influence of vincristine on the Golgi complex of leukaemic lymphoblasts

In vitro and in vivo effects of vincristine on the Golgi complex of leukaemic lymphoblasts were studied. The cells incubated in vitro for 4 hours with vincristine of 1.25 x 10(-5) M concentration lacked microtubules, but regularly contained paracrystals and parallel arrays of macrotubules associated with ribosomes. The Golgi complex in control lymphoblasts was represented by 1-3 dictyosomes (stacks of cisternae) grouped in one area. After exposure to vincristine the dictyosomes lay at a considerable distance from each other. In many of them the cisternae were shorter than in controls and distended or transformed into large vacuoles. In cells incubated in vitro with lower concentrations of vincristine (1.25 x 10(-6) and 1.25 x 10(-7) M) and in cells obtained after the second therapeutic dose of vincristine (in the course of normal clinical treatment) neither changes in the Golgi complex nor formation of paracrystals and macrotubules were observed.     

Effects of vinblastine and colchicine on the rat adrenal cortex: morphometric and cytochemical studies

The effects of administration of anti-microtubular drugs--vinblastine and colchicine--on the ultrastructure of the zona fasciculata cells of young rat adrenal were studied. Young male rats were injected with vinblastine and sacrificed 2 hr later or with colchicine and sacrificed 3 hr after drug administration. Animals injected with isotonic saline in same experimental conditions served as controls. Ultrastructural alterations provoked by both drugs, vinblastine or colchicine, were identical and were most prominent in the Golgi areas. They appeared enlarged and crowded with round, or slightly elongated light vesicles, acid phosphatase, and osmium negatives. The Golgi dictyosomes, although keeping their normal morphology, were less numerous and presented cisternae which were narrower and shorter than controls. Electron-dense vesicles, round or elongated, and acid phosphatase positive--lysosomes--were observed in great number in the Golgi areas, intermingled with light vesicles. The relative volume of light vesicles and lysosomes of the treated animals was significantly increased when compared with controls, but the relative volume of dictyosomes was significantly decreased. Also the numerical density of light vesicles and lysosomes of the injected rats was significantly increased when compared with controls. These alterations are highly suggestive of the Golgi involvement in the adrenal secretory process.     

Ultrastructural observations of maize root tips following exposure to monensin

Summary Epidermal and outer rootcap cells of maize root tips were treated with the sodium selective ionophore, monensin, and the ultrastructural changes were studied. In the presence of 10^–5 to 10^–3 M monensin, dictyosomes became distorted, cisternae separated from the stack, and secretory vesicles were released. Released secretory vesicles disappeard from the cytoplasm suggesting that their transport to, and fusion with, the plasma membrane was unaffected. Monensin did not inhibit cytoplasmic streaming of the outer rootcap cells. No new secretory vesicles were formed on the remaining dictyosomes or dictyosome fragments. In contrast to results with animal cells, swelling of plant dictyosome cisternae was observed only after fixation in glutaraldehyde-osmium tetroxide and not after fixation in potassium permanganate. Other cell components were not altered structurally by monensin. The effects of monensin on the Golgi apparatus were reversible, and dictyosomes were either repaired or new dictyosomes were formed after the root tips were removed from the monensin.Dictyosomes in epidermal cells reacted in the same manner as those in the rootcap except that numerous secretory vesicles remained in the cytoplasm, mostly in association with dictyosome fragments. Some secretory vesicles increased in size but no evidence of vesicle-vesicle fusion was noted. Cell plate formation was partially inhibited or blocked by monensin.Mention of a commercial or proprietary product in this paper does not constitute an endorsement of this product by the USDA.     

Effects of colchicine on endocytosis and cellular inactivation of horseradish peroxidase in cultured chondrocytes

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used as a marker to study the effects of microtubule-disruptive drugs on uptake and cellular inactivation of exogenous material in cultures of embryonic chick chondrocytes. HRP was ingested by fluid endocytosis, and intracellular enzyme activity subsequently diminished exponentially with time. Cytochemically, reaction product for HRP was found in vesicles often located close to the dictyosomes of the Golgi complex. Colchicine and vinblastine caused disappearance of cytoplasmic microtubules and disorganization of the Golgi complex with concomitant reduction in the cellular uptake of HRP to about half of that in the controls. Lumicolchicine, on the other hand, left cell fine structure and HRP uptake unaffected. These results indicate that microtubules are of considerable importance in the process of fluid endocytosis in cultured chondrocytes although the exact mechanism remains to be elucidated. The rate of intracellular inactivation of ingested HRP was not affected by colchicine or vinblastine. Double-labeling experiments with colloidal thorium dioxide and HRP likewise indicated that fusion of endocytic vesicles and lysosomes is not dependent on intact microtubules. The total specific activities of the three lysosomal enzymes examined were weakly or not at all changed by treatment of the cultures with colchicine or vinblastine. It therefore seems unlikely that microtubular organization plays an important role in the production or degradation of lysosomal enzymes in cultured chondrocytes.     

Effects of induced pinocytotic activity and extreme temperatures on the morphology of golgi bodies in Amoeba proteus

Summary The morphology of the Golgi apparatus of Amoeba proteus can be influenced by substances inducing pinocytotic activity as well as by extreme temperatures. During the ingestion of a solution of 0.5% egg white the number of Golgi bodies decreases from 100% measured in control cells to 82% measured in cells showing induced pinocytosis. Simultaneously the ratio of the surface area of the cisternae at the proximal face to that of the vesicles at the distal face of single dictyosomes remains constant (1.74–1.72).The decrease and increase of the temperature of the culture medium to 4° C and 30° C respectively, causes the disappearance of most of the dictyosomes. After keeping the cells for 3–10 h at these temperatures the number of Golgi bodies was only 5–10% of the controls. A continued treatment with cold or warm culture medium leads to a partial reorganization of dictyosomes. After 15 h the number of Golgi bodies counted per cell returned to 57% at 4° C and 38% at 30° C. The ratio of the surface area of the Golgi cisternae to the surface area of the Golgi vesicles also alters under the influence of extreme temperatures. The values measured after treating the cells for 3 h, 4 h 10 h and 15 h at 4° C and 30° C amounted to 0.75, 0.85, 1.14 1.53 and 0.93, 0.38, 0.88, 1.60, respectively, compared to 1.72 of control amoebae.The different values of the ratio of the surface area of cisternae to that of vesicles indicate that there are strong morphological changes of single dictyosomes.     

Immunohistochemical,autoradiographic and electron microscopic studies on the transformation of fibroblasts into chondrocytes in the mouse subfascia induced by bone morphogenetic protein

Summary Functional morphology on the transformation of fibroblasts into chondrocytes induced by bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) was studied by light and electron microscopy using ³⁵S autoradiography and immunohistochemistry for S-100 protein and type-II collagen. A pellet containing BMP obtained from a murine osteosarcoma was transplanted into the mouse subfascia. By 3 days after implantation, many typical fibroblasts, which were free of the silver grains for ³⁵S and devoid of both S-100 protein and type-II collagen, entered the pellet region. By 5 days, the fibroblasts in the pellet region became polygonal in shape, and cytoplasmic vesicles and vacuoles appeared, both containing a homogeneous substance of low electron density. At 5 days, autoradiography revealed many silver grains for ³⁵S over the Golgi apparatus and vesicles and vacuoles of the cells in the pellet region as well as over the surrounding extracellular matrix. Moreover, the cells at 5 days displayed immunoreactivity to both proteins. The extracellular matrix around the cell began to show clear metachromasia and increased in amount with time. At 9 days all the cells in the pellet region were round or oval in shape and surrounded by an abundant cartilaginous matrix. The rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus were extremely well developed, and a large number of vacuoles and vesicles were seen in the cytoplasm. These cells showed intense immunoreactivity to both proteins, and strong accumulation of sulfur was visualized in the extracellular matrix by autoradiography. These results suggest that the fibroblasts in the pellet region change into chondroblasts by 5 days, and become typical chondrocytes by 9 days.     

Distribution and activation of the Golgi apparatus in geotropism

We find a differential distribution of dictyosomes in the avascular tip cells of the oat (Avena sativa) coleoptile upon geostimulation. A differential activation (increased vesicle production) of the dictyosomes with respect to gravity also occurs, but only in the tip cells of the lower tissues. Similar differences in distribution and activation of dictyosomes occur also in cells subjacent to the avascular tip (1st and 5th millimeter from the apex) of both the upper and lower half-tissues. When only the outer epidermal cells below the apex are considered, the differential distribution and activation of dictyosomes occur only in the lower outer epidermis. The changes in distribution of dictyosomes begin at 6 minutes, or sooner, from the start of geostimulation, before the onset of geotropism. The kinetics of amyloplast sedimentation and Golgi movement do not appear to differ in the cells of the avascular tip. We suggest that the Golgi participates in, and possibly initiates, the differential elongation of cells of geotropically stimulated coleoptiles.     

Aphidicolin induces alterations in Golgi Complex and disorganization of microtubules of HeLa cells upon long-term administration

Treatment of HeLa cells with aphidicolin at 5 or 0.5 μg/ml induced cell cycle arrest at G₁/S or G₂/M phase, respectively, and was accompanied by unbalanced cell growth. Long-term administration of aphidicolin (more than 48 h) resulted in noticeable loss of reproductive capacity though cells were viable at the time of treatment. Immunofluorescence with anti-Golgi membrane protein monoclonal antibody (mAbG3A5) showed disfigurement of the characteristic mesh-like configuration when cells were treated for more than 48 h. Interestingly, we found that the fragmented Golgi complex formed a ring around the nucleus in more than 20% of the cells. Immunoelectron microscopy using mAbG3A5 antibody demonstrated that the stack structure of the fragmented Golgi complex in aphidicolin-arrested cells appeared partially broken up and seemed to have converted to a vesicle-like structure. Analysis using an antibody to tubulin and anticentrosome human autoimmune serum showed that alterations in the Golgi complex were induced even by the lower 0.5 μg/ml dose. These alterations were accompanied by both changes in the distribution of microtubules and an increase in the number of centrosomes. These cells lost their distinct perinuclear microtubule organiz-ing center (MTOC). On the other hand, treatment with aphidicolin at 5 μg/ml did not induce multiplication of the centrosome although the loss of distinct MTOC was still evident. No changes took place in the Golgi complex, microtubule, or centrosome of cells treated with 0.5 μg/ml aphidicolin when cycloheximide was added simultaneously to the culture. J. Cell. Physiol. 176:602–611, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Relationship between the Golgi complex and microtubules enriched in detyrosinated or acetylated α-tubulin: studies on cells recovering from nocodazole and cells in the terminal phase of cytokinesis

Double immunofluorescence microscopy was used to study the relationship between the Golgi complex and microtubules enriched in posttranslationally modified tubulins in cultured mouse L929 fibroblasts. In interphase cells, the elements of the Golgi complex were grouped around the microtubule-organizing center. From here, tyrosinated microtubules extended to the periphery of the cells, whereas the distribution of detyrosinated and acetylated microtubules largely overlapped with that of the Golgi complex. Treatment of cells with 10 M nocodazole led to the disruption of all microtubules and dispersion of the Golgi elements. Following withdrawal of the drug, tyrosinated microtubules reformed first, followed by acetylated and then detyrosinated microtubules. In parallel, the Golgi elements moved back toward the juxtanuclear region and reestablished a close spatial relationship first with the acetylated and later also with the detyrosinated microtubules. Long-term recovery in the presence of 0.15 or 0.3 M nocodazole allowed partial reformation of tyrosinated and acetylated microtubules, whereas no or only a few detyrosinated microtubules were detected. At the same time, the Golgi elements were grouped closer together around or on one side of the nucleus in close relation to acetylated microtubules. In synchronized cells released from a mitotic block, a radiating array of tyrosinated microtubules was first formed, followed by acetylated and detyrosinated microtubules. The Golgi elements initially came together in a few groups and thereafter took an overall morphology similar to that in interphase cells. During this reunification, they showed a close spatial relationship to acetylated microtubules, whereas detyrosinated microtubules appeared only later. Microtubules enriched in acetylated and/or detyrosinated tubulin thus appear to take part in establishing and maintaining the organization of the Golgi elements within an interconnected supraorganellar system. Whether the acetylation and detyrosination of tubulin are directly involved in this process or merely represent two modifications within this subpopulation of microtubules remains unknown.On leave of absence from the Department of Histology and Embryology, Institute of Biostructure, Medical School, Warsaw, Poland     

Effects of indoleacetic Acid on dictyosomes of apical and expanding cells of oat coleoptiles

We found that the auxin-induced growth is mediated through the activation of the dictyosomes (collectively, the Golgi apparatus). Incubation of oat (Avena sativa) coleoptile segments in indoleacetic acid-sucrose-phosphate buffer changes significantly the number of dictyosomes in the expanding cells. A further indication of auxin enhancement of dictyosome activity is a decrease in dictyosomal cisternae (flattened membranous sacs) number. This decrease occurred after 6 minutes of incubation in auxin, and then was followed by a reduction in the organelle number per se. These times are in keeping with the rapid action of auxin-induced cell elongaton, and the latent period of geotropism. In the apical cells, the effect of indoleacetic acid is more subtle and complex. The periods of increased dictyosome utilization and of increased dictyosome synthesis in auxin-treated segments alter with those of the control. These observations indicate that dictyosomes not only have a function in cell elongation, but also may participate in processes such as auxin transport and stimuli perception. The expanding cells have five times as many dictyosomes as the cells in the apex. Dictyosome number within a cell appears to be directly proportional to the length of the cell. The fluctuation of dictyosome number and the effect of auxin on the rate of elongation of individual outer epidermis are discussed.     

The adverse effects of HEPES, TES, and BES zwitterion buffers on the ultrastructure of cultured chick embryo epiphyseal chondrocytes

Chick embryo epiphyseal chondrocytes cultured in media containing HEPES, TES, and BES zwitterion buffers, used in combination or independently, consistently developed cytoplasmic vacuoles. This cytoplasmic vacuolation was resolved when the zwitterion buffered media was replaced by media containing bicarbonate:CO2 enriched air buffer. Vacuoles were infrequent or absent in cultures grown in bicarbonate:CO2 enriched air. Chondrocytes with an established extracellular matrix showed less vacuolation than fibroblastlike and polygonal shaped cells that lacked such a matrix. The granular endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi dictyosomes of zwitterion buffered chondrocytes were distended and contained a flocculent amorphous material. Cytoplasmic vacuoles (0.5 to 3.0 micron diam) formed by the fusion and intracellular accumulation of Golgi vesicles and vacuoles also contained a flocculent material enhanced by ruthenium red. Membrane bound extracellular vacuoles containing ruthenium red stained proteoglycan aggregates were common in the extracellular matrix of zwitterion buffered cultures but were generally absent from bicarbonate treated cultures. Electron dense calcium deposits seemed much larger and more numerous in the presence of zwitterion buffers. It is suggested that HEPES, TES, and BES buffers, used alone or in combination, may adversely affect cell membrane systems, and thus the transport or secretory mechanisms operative in cultured chondrocytes, or both, resulting in vacuole formation and the intracellular accumulation of synthesized export material. Although the mechanism by which HEPES, TES, and BES induce these changes remains unclear, the use of zwitterion buffers in biological preparations should be treated with caution.     

Brefeldin A induces reversible dissociation of the Golgi apparatus in the green algaMicrasterias

Summary The fungal metabolite brefeldin A (BFA) causes inhibition of cell growth inMicrasterias denticulata after 2 h incubation, combined with slight malformation of the cell shape. The BFA effects on cell development are accompanied by a gradual decrease in the number of Golgi cisternae and severe structural and morphological changes of the dictyosomes which are already visible after only 10 min exposure. When the treatment is prolonged the number of dictyosomes is markedly reduced, leading to almost complete loss of Golgi bodies, particularly in the young semicell. Groups of primary wall material-containing vesicles accumulated in areas of former dictyosomes, and previously unknown vesicular bodies are found. Restitution of almost normal dictyosomes occurs within 5 h when the cells are allowed to recover from BFA treatment.Micrasterias cells incubated in BFA at concentrations below 15 M maintain their ability to divide over several generations. Our results indicate that, of the various inhibitors of the secretory pathway tested against growingMicrasterias cells, BFA is the only drug which induces complete and reversible dissociation of dictyosomes in the growing semicell. This allows deductions about the function of the processes targeted by BFA during cell development inMicrasterias.Abbreviations BFA brefeldin A - CPA cyclopiazonic acid - ER endoplasmic reticulum - TM tunicamycin     

CYTOCHALASIN B INFLUENCES DICTYOSOMAL VESICLE PRODUCTION AND MORPHOGENESIS IN THE DESMID EUASTRUM1

Cytochalasin B (CB) applied to young developing cells of the desmid Euastrum oblongum Ralfs ex Ralfs, at concentrations that do not entirely inhibit cytoplasmic streaming, retarded cell growth and caused malformations of cell shape. While the basic symmetry of the cell was maintained, only the first indentations were formed and the cell body appeared to be swollen. Electron microscopic investigations revealed that vesicle production at the dictyosomes was disturbed by cytochalasin. In contrast to untreated control cells, where vesicles with electron-dense contents (“dark vesicles”) were formed during primary wall formation, vesicles pinched off by the dictyosomes during CB treatment exhibited an “empty” appearance. These vesicles, which correspond to the “dark vesicles” in size, were accumulated around the dictyosomes without being transported to the plasma membrane and were frequently connected to the trans-cisternae of the Golgi bodies. We speculate that CB may influence the transfer of products from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the dictyosomes via transition vesicles, which results in a disturbed vesicle production at the Golgi bodies. CB also causes a shift in ER and dictyosome distribution. Moreover, a cortical actin system appears to be involved in the cell shaping of Euastrum. The arrangement of microtubules around the nucleus is not affected by the drug.     

The adverse effects of HEPES,TES, and BES zwitterion buffers on the ultrastructure of cultured chick embryo epiphyseal chondrocytes

Summary Chick embryo epiphyseal chondrocytes cultured in media containing HEPES, TES, and BES zwitterion buffers, used in combination or independently, consistently developed cytoplasmic vacuoles. This cytoplasmic vacuolation was resolved when the zwitterion buffered media was replaced by media containing bicarbonate:CO₂ enriched air buffer. Vacuoles were infrequent or absent in cultures grown in bicarbonate:CO₂ enriched air. Chondrocytes with an established extracellular matrix showed less vacuolation than fibroblastlike and polygonal shaped cells that lacked such a matrix. The granular endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi dictyosomes of zwitterion buffered chondrocytes were distended and contained a flocculent amorphous material. Cytoplasmic vacuoles (0.5 to 3.0 μm diam) formed by the fusion and intracellular accumulation of Golgi vesicles and vacuoles also contained a flocculent material enhanced by ruthenium red. Membrane bound extracellular vacuoles containing ruthenium red stained proteoglycan aggregates were common in the extracellular matrix of zwitterion buffered cultures but were generally absent from bicarbonate treated cultures. Electron dense calcium deposits seemed much larger and more numerous in the presence of zwitterion buffers. It is suggested that HEPES, TES, and BES buffers, used alone or in combination, may adversely affect cell membrane systems, and thus the transport or secretory mechanisms operative in cultured chondrocytes, or both, resulting in vacuole formation and the intracellular accumulation of synthesized export material. Although the mechanism by which HEPES, TES, and BES induce these changes remains unclear, the use of zwitterion buffers in biological preparations should be treated with caution. This work forms part of a project on Connective Tissue Remodelling supported and financed by the Medical Research Council of New Zealand, of which M. H. F. is a Career Fellow.     

Ultrastructural effects of colchicine on perikarya and initial segment of rat retinal ganglion cells.

Our ultrastructural study was focused on the perikaryal region and initial segment of the axon of rat retinal ganglion cells in controls and after intraocular injections of colchicine. In control rats that region contained, among other organelles, elements of the Golgi complex and, close to them, short isolated microtubules oriented preferentially toward the axon where they funnel and aggregate in bundles. One day after sufficient doses of colchicine to inhibit axoplasmic transport (2-20 micrograms) these cytoplasmic microtubules were absent, whereas some axonal microtubules were still present but reduced in number. In addition, colchicine induced an altered distribution of organelles, leaving empty spaces in the periphery and most organelles concentrated in the perinuclear region, especially around Golgi elements where numerous vesicles and tubules accumulate at the trans face of Golgi elements. These results suggest that the vesicles that leave the Golgi and have been directed towards axoplasmic transport may need the cytoplasmic microtubules located between Golgi elements and the axonal initial segments to reach the axon.     

Cytochalasin-D causes abnormal wall-ingrowths and organelle-crowding in legume root hairs

Root hair cytoplasmic microtubules and filamentous actin are known to maintain the location of the nucleus in relation to the hair tip. After cytochalasin-D treatment, fragments of F-actin were found to be closely associated with the nucleus and plastids, and with accumulations of mitochondria, dictyosomes and vesicles. Abnormal wal ingrowths found after cytochalasin-D treatment did not occur when microtubules were depolymerised by the herbicide cremart, or when treated with both drugs. These ingrowths may occur as the cessation of streaming (by the action of cytochalasin-D) causes cell wall precursors to be unloaded next to the nearest (cortical) microtubules. Thus, when microtubules are depolymerised, vesicles are unable to unload the precursors. The significance of these results is discussed in the context of infection in theRhizobium/legume symbiosis.     

The electron microscopic and classic Golgi apparatus

The relationship of the membrane structure, designated in electron microscopy as the Golgi apparatus, to the classic Golgi apparatus in the light microscope were studied withFagopyrum. Comparison of these structures in plant cells with the same or similar structures in animal cells led to the following conclusions: there exist two groups of formations, impregnable with osmium or silver, considered as the classic Golgi apparatus. The first group contains the active membrane structures. These are the dictyosomes and the anastomosing form of the electron microscopic Golgi apparatus. To this group belongs also the endoplasmatic reticulum, which in plant cells forms dense vacuoles, having the appearance of the classic Golgi apparatus, and in animal cells occasionally has a similar arrangement as the anastomosing form of the Golgi apparatus. The second group comprises formation containing reserve and secretion material, i.e. predominantly products of the activity of the electron microscopic Golgi apparatus and of the endoplasmic reticulum (matter of the dense vacuoles, lipochondria, secretory granula etc.). In the plant cells, especially ofFygopyrum, the dictyosomes contained in the structures of the first group are separated from the formations of a reserve character in the second group, formed in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (dense vacuoles). The identity of the dictyosomes with the osmiophilic platelets, considered by some authors in the light microscope as the classic Golgi apparatus, has not been proved up to present, because of the one-sidedness of the methods used nowadays. WithFagopyrum no foundation has been observed for the assumed formation of net-form structures by grouping of the dictyosomes. Structures similar to the net-form of the classic Golgi apparatus in the animal cell form only dense vacuoles. On the basis of the differentiation of both types of formations in the plant cell, the foundations were laid for the characterization of the classic Golgi apparatus in the animal cell. The net-form of the classic Golgi apparatus in the animal cell is obviously not artificial, but reflects the ultrastructural arrangement of the electron microscopic Golgi apparatus or of the endoplasmic reticulum. The problem of the suitability and specification of the name Golgi apparatus in the animal and plant cell was also discussed. In contrast to the opinion of some authors, it does not appear useful to remove the name golgi apparatus, designating the dictyosomes and the anastomosing forms of the smooth membranes.