The yeast lysosome-like vacuole: endpoint and crossroads

Fungal vacuoles are acidic organelles with degradative and storage capabilities that have many similarities to mammalian lysosomes and plant vacuoles. In the past several years, well-developed genetic, genomic, biochemical and cell biological tools in S. cerevisiae have provided fresh insights into vacuolar protein sorting, organelle acidification, ion homeostasis, autophagy, and stress-related functions of the vacuole, and these insights have often found parallels in mammalian lysosomes. This review provides a broad overview of the defining features and functions of S. cerevisiae vacuoles and compares these features to mammalian lysosomes. Recent research challenges the traditional view of vacuoles and lysosomes as simply the terminal compartment of biosynthetic and endocytic pathways (i.e. the "garbage dump" of the cell), and suggests instead that these compartments are unexpectedly dynamic and highly regulated.     

Intramembrane particles and filipin labelling on the membranes of autophagic vacuoles and lysosomes in mouse liver

Summary Morphologically detectable protein (intramembrane particles) and cholesterol (filipin labelling) in the membranes of autophagic vacuoles and lysosomes were studied in mouse hepatocytes using thin-section and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Both isolated autophagic vacuoles and lysosomes, and intact tissue blocks were used due to the facts (i) that lysosomes are difficult to recognize in freeze-fracture replicas of intact hepatocytes, and (i) that filipin penetration into the tissue blocks is unsatisfactory. Intramembrane particle density was low in the membranes of early autophagic vacuoles (defined as round-shaped vacuoles in which an inner membrane parallel with the outer limiting membrane was clearly visible). The lysosomal membranes contained considerably more intramembrane particles. Particle-rich lysosomes or other vesicles were observed to fuse with the early autophagic vacuoles. The membranes of nascent autophagic vacuoles with morphologically intact contents were usually not labelled by filipin, whereas the membranes of all other autophagic vacuoles and lysosomes were heavily labelled. The increased cholesterol in the membranes of slightly older autophagic vacuoles is presumably derived from cholesterol-rich lysosomes or other vesicles fusing with the vacuoles and from the degrading organelles inside the autophagic vacuoles.     

The Correlation of Digestive Vacuole pH and Size with the Digestive Cycle in Paramecium caudatum1

ABSTRACT. The temporal changes in the size and pH of digestive vacuoles (DV) in Paramecium caudatum were reevaluated. Cells were pulsed briefly with polystyrene latex spheres or heat-killed yeast stained with three sulfonphthalein indicator dyes. Within 5 min of formation the intravacuolar pH declined from ～7 to 3. With the exception of a transient and early increase in vacuolar size, vacuole condensation occurred rapidly and paralleled the acidification so that vacuoles reached their lowest pH and minimal size simultaneously. Neutralization and expansion of vacuole size began when vacuoles were GT8 min old. No labeled vacuoles were defecated prior to 21 min after formation but almost all DV were defecated within 1 h so that the digestive cycle of individual vacuoles ranged from 21 to 60 min. Based on these size and pH changes, the presence of acid phosphatase activity, and membrane morphology, digestive vacuoles can be grouped into four stages of digestion. The DV-I are GT6 min old and undergo rapid condensation and acidification. The DV-II are between 4 to 10 min old and are the most condensed and acidic vacuoles. The DV-III range in age from 8 to ～20 min and include the expanding or expanded vacuoles that result from lysosomes fusing with DV-II. The DV-IV are GD21 min old, and since digestion is presumably completed, they can be defecated. The rise in intravacuolar pH that accompanies vacuole expansion suggests that lysosomes play a role in vacuole neutralization in addition to their degradative functions. The acidification and condensation processes in DV-I appear to be unrelated to lysosomal function, as no acid phosphaiase activity has been detected at this stage, but may be related to phagosomal functions important in killing food organisms, denaturing proteins prior to digestion, and preparing vacuole membrane for fusion with lysosomes.     

Effects of leupeptin on endocytosis and membrane recycling in rat visceral yolk-sac endoderm

The effect of exposure to leupeptin (25 micrograms/ml for 24 h) on the endocytotic activity and the membrane flow of apical cell membranes was studied in endodermal cells of cultured rat visceral yolk sacs by applying a double-labelling method using concanavalin-A ferritin (Con-A Fer) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Control and leupeptin-treated yolk sacs were labelled with Con-A Fer at 4 degrees C and then incubated with HRP for 5, 15 or 60 min at 37 degrees C. In controls, HRP reaction product was detected after 5 min in many of the apical vacuoles as well as a few lysosomes; after 15 min, reaction product was observed in all apical vacuoles and in lysosomes of various sizes. These HRP-positive structures usually contained a variable amount of membrane-bound Fer. After 60 min, all apical vacuoles and almost all lysosomes exhibited HRP reactions, but only some of these structures contained Fer particles. At this time, many apical canaliculi (which are involved in membrane recycling) exhibited positive HRP reactions and sometimes also contained Fer particles. In leupeptin-treated cells, HRP reaction product and variable amounts of membrane-bound Fer particles were found in apical vacuoles after 5 min; after 15 min, both labels were also observed in some small lysosomes, and after 60 min, they were found in all apical vacuoles as well as some small and middle-sized lysosomes. Significantly fewer labelled apical vacuoles, lysosomes and apical canaliculi were present after leupeptin treatment than in controls at corresponding times. At all times examined, the giant lysosomes found in leupeptin-treated cells did not exhibit any labeling.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Autophagy, cathepsin L transport, and acidification in cultured rat fibroblasts.

The mechanisms of enzyme delivery to and acidification of early autophagic vacuoles in cultured fibroblasts were elucidated by cryoimmunoelectron microscopic methods. The cation-independent mannose-6-phosphate receptor (MPR) was used as a marker of the pre-lysosomal compartment, and cathepsin L and an acidotropic amine (3-(2,4-dinitroanilino)-3'-amino-N-methyl-dipropylamine (DAMP), a cytochemical probe for low-pH organelles) as markers of both pre-lysosomal and lysosomal compartments. In addition, cationized ferritin was used as an endocytic marker. In ultrastructural double labeling experiments, the bulk of all the antigens was found in vesicles containing tightly packed membrane material. These vesicles also contained small amounts of endocytosed ferritin and probably correspond to the MPR-enriched pre-lysosomal compartment. Some immunolabeling was also visible in the trans-Golgi network. In addition, cathepsin L, DAMP, and large amounts of ferritin were found in smaller vesicles which can be classified as mature lysosomes. Early autophagic vacuoles were defined as vesicles containing recognizable cytoplasm. MPR, cathepsin L, and DAMP, but not ferritin, were detected in the early vacuoles. Inhibition of the acidification in the early vacuoles by monensin did not prevent the delivery of MPR and cathepsin L. The presence of MPR in the vacuoles suggests that cathepsin L is not delivered to early autophagic vacuoles solely by fusion with mature, MPR-deficient lysosomes. Furthermore, although lysosomes were loaded with endocytosed ferritin, it was not detected in autophagic vacuoles. Either the trans-Golgi network or the MPR-enriched pre-lysosomes may be the main source of enzymes and acidification machinery for the autophagic vacuoles in fibroblasts.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Acid Phosphatase in the Digestive Vacuoles and Lysosomes of Paramecium caudatum: A Timed Study1

Enzyme cytochemistry was used to determine when acid phosphatase (AcPase) becomes associated with the digestive vacuoles (DVs) of axenically grown Paramecium caudatum that were pulsed with latex beads for 2–3 min. When cells were incubated in the Gomori medium, AcPase was not observed in the discoidal vesicles, the acidosomes, and the newly released DVs up to 3 min old or in most DVs 3–6 min old. The number of AcPase-positive DVs increased to 56% when DVs were 12–18 min old. Similar results were obtained using the napthol AS-TR phosphate-hexaotized rosanilin method at the light microscopic level where hundreds of DVs were scored though the maximal level of positive DVs obtained by this method was lower. In addition to DVs of specific ages, AcPase was found in ER, in some Golgi vesicles, and small vesicles similar in diameter to Golgi vesicles which may represent primary lysosomes in this ciliate. Larger vesicles abundant near the DV-II were only partially filled with reaction product. These vesicles, which could be identified by their paracrystalline sheets and a prominent glycocalyx lining the luminal surface of their membranes, fit the definition for secondary lysosomes. These results, which indicate that lysosomes fuse with DVs only after they have attained a certain age, suggest the existence of specific recognition factors on the membranes of secondary lysosomes as well as DV-II.     

Effects of leupeptin on endocytosis and membrane recycling in rat visceral yolk-sac endoderm

Summary The effect of exposure to leupeptin (25 g/ml for 24 h) on the endocytotic activity and the membrane flow of apical cell membranes was studied in endodermal cells of cultured rat visceral yolk sacs by applying a doublelabelling method using concanavalin-A ferritin (Con-A Fer) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Control and leupeptintreated yolk sacs were labelled with Con-A Fer at 4°C and then incubated with HRP for 5, 15 or 60 min at 37°C. In controls, HRP reaction product was detected after 5 min in many of the apical vacuoles as well as a few lysosomes; after 15 min, reaction product was observed in all apical vacuoles and in lysosomes of various sizes. These HRP-positive structures usually contained a variable amount of membrane-bound Fer. After 60 min, all apical vacuoles and almost all lysosomes exhibited HRP reactions, but only some of these structures contained Fer particles. At this time, many apical canaliculi (which are involved in membrane recycling) exhibited positive HRP reactions and sometimes also contained Fer particles. In leupeptin-treated cells, HRP reaction product and variable amounts of membrane-bound Fer particles were found in apical vacuoles after 5 min; after 15 min, both labels were also observed in some small lysosomes, and after 60 min, they were found in all apical vacuoles as well as some small and middle-sized lysosomes. Significantly fewer labelled apical vacuoles, lysosomes and apical canaliculi were present after leupeptin treatment than in controls at corresponding times. At all times examined, the giant lysosomes found in leupeptintreated cells did not exhibit any labelling. These findings indicate that, after leupeptin treatment, both endocytotic activity and membrane recycling decrease, and that fusions of the apical vacuolar system with giant lysosomes are retarded or inhibited.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 105)     

Ultracytochemistry of pancreatic damage induced by excess lysine

The ultracytochemical changes induced in the pancreas by a single large dose of lysine (400 mg/100 g body weight) were studied in male Wistar rats of 7 weeks old. The first changes in the acinar cells were marked swelling of mitochondria with increase in their calcium content and decrease in their ATP content. Early calcium deposits seemed to occur in the matrices of swollen mitochondria and later various patterns occurred. These findings suggested that damage of the acinar cells by excess lysine resulted in breakdown of the mitochondrial membrane barrier to calcium as a very early abnormality, and that extracellular calcium then entered the mitochondrial matrices and inhibited mitochondrial function. Subsequently focal areas of the cytoplasm were degraded. Autophagic vacuoles appeared in these areas, and then acid phosphatase activity in their periphery as a result of fusion with lysosomes. The reaction of acid phosphatase was demonstrated in the locally degraded rough endoplasmic reticulum within or around autophagic vacuoles, suggesting that the endoplasmic reticulum as well as lysosomes participated in the intracellular degradation of cytoplasmic organelles in damaged acinar cells.     

A role for small GTPase RhoA in regulating intracellular membrane traffic of lysosomes in invasive rat hepatoma cells

Small GTPase RhoA regulates signal transduction from receptors in the membrane to a variety of cellular events related to cell morphology, motility, cytoskeletal dynamics, cytokinesis, and tumour progression, but it is unclear how RhoA regulates intracellular membrane dynamics of lysosomes. We showed previously by confocal immunofluorescence microscopy that the transfection of dominant active RhoA in MM1 cells causes the dispersal translocation of lysosomes stained for cathepsin D throughout the cytoplasm. Y-27632, a selective inhibitor of p160ROCK, impeded the cellular redistribution of lysosomes and promoted reclustering of lysosomes toward the perinuclear region. Here we have further investigated whether the acidic lysosomal vesicles dispersed throughout the cytoplasm are applied to the early endosomes in the endocytic pathway, and we demonstrate that the dispersed lysosomes were accessible to endocytosed molecule such as dextran, and their acidity was not changed, as determined by increased accumulation of the acidotropic probe LysoTracker Red. Brefeldin A did not induce the tabulation of these dispersed lysosomes, but it caused early endosomes to form an extensive tubular network. The dispersed lysosomes associated with cathepsin D and LIMPII were not colocalized with early endosomes, and these vesicles were not inaccessible to the endocytosed anti-transferrin receptor antibody. Moreover, wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, induced a dramatic change in LIMPII-containing structures in which LIMPII-positive swollen large vacuoles were increased and small punctate structures disappeared in the cytoplasm. These swollen vacuoles were not doubly positive for LIMPII and transferrin receptor, and were not inaccessible to the internalized anti-transferrin receptor antibody. Therefore, our novel findings presented in this paper indicate that RhoA activity causes a selective translocation of lysosomes without perturbing the machinery of endocytic pathway.     

Immunocytochemical localization of cathepsin B in rat kidney. II. Electron microscopic study using the protein A-gold technique

Thin sections of Lowicryl K4M-embedded materials were labeled with protein A-gold complex. Gold particles representing the antigen sites for cathepsin B were exclusively confined to lysosomes of each segment of the nephron. The heaviest labeling was noted in the lysosomes of the S1 segment of the proximal tubules. Labeling intensity varied considerably with the individual lysosomes. Lysosomes of the other tubular segments, such as the S2 and S3 segments of the proximal tubules, distal convoluted tubules, and collecting tubules were weakly labeled by gold particles. Quantitative analysis of labeling density also confirmed that lysosomes in the S1 segment have the highest labeling density and that approximately 65% of labeling in the whole renal segments, except for the glomerulus, was found in the S1 segment. These results indicate that in rat kidney the lysosomes of the S1 segment are a main location of cathepsin B. Further precise observations on lysosomes of the S1 segment revealed that apical vesicles, tubules, and vacuoles were devoid of gold particles, but when the vacuoles contained fine fibrillar materials, gold labeling was detectable in such vacuoles. As the lysosomal matrix becomes denser, the labeling density is increased. Some small vesicles around the Golgi complex were also labeled. These results indicate that the endocytotic apparatus including the apical vesicles, tubules, and vacuoles contains no cathepsin B. When the vacuoles develop into phagosomes, they acquire this enzyme to digest the absorbed proteins.     

Study on membrane recycling in the rat visceral yolk-sac endoderm using concanavalin-A conjugates

The internalization and intracellular movements of apical-cell-membrane material were investigated in the endodermal cells of cultured visceral yolk-sacs of rats (whole-embryo culture; explanted at 10.5 days of gestation and cultured for 24 h) using horseradish peroxidase- and ferritin-labelled concanavalin A (Con-A HRP, Con-A Fer). When visceral yolk-sac endoderm was exposed to Con-A HRP or Con-A Fer for 5 min at 4 degrees C, the apical cell membranes containing a well-developed fuzzy coat were heavily labelled, whereas apical vacuoles, lysosomes and apical canaliculi were not. Incubation of Con-A-labelled endoderm for 5-60 min at 20 degrees and 37 degrees C in Con-A-free serum resulted in a temperature-dependent internalization of membrane-bound lectin into coated vesicles, apical vacuoles and lysosomes, and the apical cell membranes were cleared of the heavy labelling. With increasing incubation time, the number of labelled vacuolar structures and the intensity of their labelling decreased gradually, whereas the number of labelled apical canaliculi increased. Thus, after 30 and 60 min at 37 degrees C, most of the apical canaliculi contained high concentrations of the markers. It was possible to observe labelled apical canaliculi that were in continuity with labelled apical vacuoles and lysosomes as well as with the apical cell membrane. These findings in rat endodermal cells indicate that constituents of the apical cell membrane are internalized in apical vacuoles and lysosomes, and are then brought back to the apical cell membrane by the apical canaliculi, which concentrate and store this membrane material.     

HIV-1 SH01分离株在MT4细胞的超微结构特征和形态发生学研究

用外周血单个核细胞混合培养法分离到ＨＩＶ－１ ＳＨ０１株,具有典型的ＨＩＶ颗粒的形态学特征,核心颗粒呈锥形,可见芽生释放的全过程。偶尔可在胞装空泡内见到ＨＩＶ颗粒,同时还有细胞碎片和溶酶体结构,故此类空泡实际为ＨＩＶ吞噬泡。另一少见的现象是溶酶体摄取并消化ＨＩＶ颗粒,在ＨＩＶ－１ ＳＨ０１株感染７天或持续感染的ＭＴ４细胞中均可见到,后者尤为普遍。在ＨＩＶ－１ ＳＨ０１株持续感染的ＭＴ４转化细胞中,     

Study on membrane recycling in the rat visceral yolk-sac endoderm using concanavalin-A conjugates

Summary The internalization and intracellular movements of apical-cell-membrane material were investigated in the endodermal cells of cultured visceral yolk-sacs of rats (whole-embryo culture; explanted at 10.5 days of gestation and cultured for 24h) using horseradish peroxidase- and ferritin-labelled concanavalin A (Con-A HRP, Con-A Fer). When visceral yolk-sac endoderm was exposed to Con-A HRP or Con-A Fer for 5 min at 4°C, the apical cell membranes containing a well-developed fuzzy coat were heavily labelled, whereas apical vacuoles, lysosomes and apical canaliculi were not. Incubation of Con-A-labelled endoderm for 5 60 min at 20° and 37°C in Con-A-free serum resulted in a temperature-dependent internalization of membranebound lectin into coated vesicles, apical vacuoles and lysosomes, and the apical cell membranes were cleared of the heavy labelling. With increasing incubation time, the number of labelled vacuolar structures and the intensity of their labelling decreased gradually, whereas the number of labelled apical canaliculi increased. Thus, after 30 and 60 min at 37°C, most of the apical canaliculi contained high concentrations of the markers. It was possible to observe labelled apical canaliculi that were in continuity with labelled apical vacuoles and lysosomes as well as with the apical cell membrane. These findings in rat endodermal cells indicate that constitutents of the apical cell membrane are internalized in apical vacuoles and lysosomes, and are then brought back to the apical cell membrane by the apical canaliculi, which concentrate and store this membrane material.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 105)     

Zinc Dyshomeostasis Is Linked with the Loss of Mucolipidosis IV-associated TRPML1 Ion Channel

Chelatable zinc is important in brain function, and its homeostasis is maintained to prevent cytotoxic overload. However, certain pathologic events result in intracellular zinc accumulation in lysosomes and mitochondria. Abnormal lysosomes and mitochondria are common features of the human lysosomal storage disorder known as mucolipidosis IV (MLIV). MLIV is caused by the loss of TRPML1 ion channel function. MLIV cells develop large hyperacidic lysosomes, membranous vacuoles, mitochondrial fragmentation, and autophagic dysfunction. Here, we observed that RNA interference of mucolipin-1 gene (TRPML1) in HEK-293 cells mimics the MLIV cell phenotype consisting of large lysosomes and membranous vacuoles that accumulate chelatable zinc. To show that abnormal chelatable zinc levels are indeed correlated with MLIV pathology, we quantified its concentration in cultured MLIV patient fibroblast and control cells with a spectrofluorometer using N-(6-methoxy-8-quinolyl)-p-toluene sulfonamide fluorochrome. We found a significant increase of chelatable zinc levels in MLIV cells but not in control cells. Furthermore, we quantified various metal isotopes in whole brain tissue of TRPML1^−/− null mice and wild-type littermates using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and observed that the zinc-66 isotope is markedly elevated in the brain of TRPML1^−/− mice when compared with controls. In conclusion, we show for the first time that the loss of TRPML1 function results in intracellular chelatable zinc dyshomeostasis. We propose that chelatable zinc accumulation in large lysosomes and membranous vacuoles may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease and progressive cell degeneration in MLIV patients.     

Vinblastine-induced autophagocytosis in cultured fibroblasts.

1. Balb/c 3T3 fibroblasts were incubated in a medium containing 10(-5) M vinblastine for 1, 2 and 3 hr. Morphometric analyses were performed after an incubation period of 2 hr. 2. The volume fraction of advanced autophagic vacuoles increased tenfold (P less than 0.05) concomitantly with a sixfold decrease in round lysosomes (P less than 0.01). 3. The volume fractions of pleomorphic lysosomes, nascent autophagic vacuoles and residual bodies did not differ significantly from the control values. 4. In many cells, advanced autophagic vacuoles resembled multivesicular bodies, which may indicate that the type of autophagocytosis occurring in cultured fibroblasts is microautophagy.     

Interactions between Encephalitozoon cuniculi and macrophages. Parasitophorous vacuole growth and the absence of lysosomal fusion.

Encephalitozoon cuniculi grow within ever-increasing parasitophorous vacuoles (PV) in peritoneal macrophages. The PV boundary membrane conforms to a rich arrangement of blebs; similar, but free vesicles were observed within the PV space. An iron dextran-concanavalin A marker was used to express visually clustered distributions of Con A receptors on the PV boundary blebs and free vesicles; no marker was observed on other membrane surfaces within the PV. These results, combined with the observation that the PV grows while the host cytoplasm decreases in mass, implicate the PV boundary blebs of interiorizing into vesicles by a pinocytic mechanism. Phagocytic vacuoles, secondary lysosomes and pinocytic vesicles were labeled by incubating infected macrophages in minimum essential medium with ferritin. Ferritin readily accumulated in secondary lysosomes and phagocytic vacuoles; however, ferritin was excluded from parasitophorous vacuoles containing E. cuniculi. Acid phosphatase cytochemical reaction product was observed in lysosomes and phagocytic vacuoles; however, parasitophorous vacuoles with vegetative E. cuniculi were always negative.     

Sorting of mannose 6-phosphate receptors and lysosomal membrane proteins in endocytic vesicles

The intracellular distributions of the cation-independent mannose 6- phosphate receptor (MPR) and a 120-kD lysosomal membrane glycoprotein (lgp120) were studied in rat hepatoma cells. Using quantitative immunogold cytochemistry we found 10% of the cell's MPR located at the cell surface. In contrast, lgp120 was not detectable at the plasma membrane. Intracellularly, MPR mainly occurred in the trans-Golgi reticulum (TGR) and endosomes. lgp120, on the other hand, was confined to endosomes and lysosomes. MPR was present in both endosomal tubules and vacuoles, whereas lgp120 was confined to the endosomal vacuoles. In cells incubated for 5-60 min with the endocytic tracer cationized ferritin, four categories of endocytic vacuoles could be discerned, i.e., vacuoles designated MPR+/lgp120-, MPR+/lgp120+, MPR-/lgp120+, and vacuoles nonimmunolabeled for MPR and lgp120. Tracer first reached MPR+/lgp120-, then MPR+/lgp120+, and finally MPR-/lgp120+ vacuoles, which are assumed to represent lysosomes. To study the kinetics of appearance of endocytic tracers in MPR-and/or lgp120-containing pools in greater detail, cells were allowed to endocytose horse-radish peroxidase (HRP) for 5-90 min. The reduction in detectability of MPR and lgp120 antigenicity on Western blots, due to treatment of cell homogenates with 3'3-diaminobenzidine, was followed in time. We found that HRP reached the entire accessible pool of MPR almost immediately after internalization of the tracer, while prolonged periods of time were required for HRP to maximally access lgp120. The combined data suggest that MPR+/lgp120+ vacuoles are endocytic vacuoles, intermediate between MPR+/lgp120-endosomes and MPR-/lgp120+ lysosomes, and represent the site where MPR is sorted from lgp120 destined for lysosomes. We propose that MPR is sorted from lgp120 by selective lateral distribution of the receptor into the tubules of this compartment, resulting in the retention of lgp120 in the vacuoles and the net transport of lgp120 to lysosomes.     

大鼠睾丸间质细胞的自体吞噬活动

本文结合超微结构和细胞化学观察,研究大鼠睾丸间质细胞(Leydig细胞)中溶酶体的结??构与功能。观察结果表明,大鼠睾丸间质细胞中高尔基体非常发达,在高尔基体的成熟面存在着CMP酶阳性反应的GERL系统,说明这种细胞有不断产生溶酶体的能力。细胞化学结果也证实在睾丸间质细胞有较多的初级和次级溶酶体。睾丸间质细胞不仅有较多的溶酶体,而且还有相当数量的自噬小体,存在着活跃的自体吞噬活动。自噬小体的界膜来源于特化的光面内质网或高尔基体膜囊,包围的内容物主要是光面内质网和少量线粒体。当自噬小体与溶酶体融合后即成为自体吞噬泡,由于酶的消化作用,自体吞噬泡内的细胞器有一系列形态变化。根据CMP酶细胞化学反应,可以区分自噬小体和自体吞噬泡,后者是一种次级溶酶体,呈CMP酶阳性反应。睾丸间质细胞是分泌雄性激素的内分泌细胞,其光面内质网和线粒体在类固醇激素分泌中起重要作用,自体吞噬活动的结果是去除部分内质网和线粒体,可能在细胞水平上起着对雄性激素分泌的调节作用。     

Distribution of electric charges and concanavalin A binding sites on autophagic vacuoles and lysosomes in mouse hepatocytes

The distributions of electric charges and Concanavalin A binding sites in autophagic vacuoles and lysosomes in mouse hepatocytes were studied by utilizing a frozen ultrathin section labeling method with cationized ferritin (CF) or anionized ferritin and ferritin-conjugated Concanavalin A (Con A-F) as visual probes. Our observations revealed that the inner surface of the autophagic vacuole membrane has more anionic sites (CF binding) than other organelle membranes. This suggests that if the limiting membranes of autophagic vacuoles originate from preexisting membranes, such membranes must undergo structural and compositional alternation during the formation of the autophagic vacuoles. In contrast to CF, Con A-F showed no distinct binding to the membranes of autophagic vacuoles, but the contents of vacuoles displayed varying Con A-F binding, depending on the stage of the autophagic process. Increased binding was seen in more mature autophagic vacuoles. Since lysosomes showed a preferential accumulation of Con A-F particles, molecules with Con A-F binding sites in autophagic vacuoles may be of lysosomal origin. Con A-F distribution varied from lysosome to lysosome in the same cell, indicating heterogeneity of lysosomal contents. These results suggest that ferritin-conjugated lectin labeling methods applied to frozen, ultrathin section are a useful new approach in analyzing the natural history of autophagic vacuoles and the heterogeneity of lysosomes.     

The Golgi apparatus and lysosomes of rat pancreatic acinar cells following refeeding

Summary The short term effects of refeeding on the Golgi apparatus and lysosomes of the rat exocrine pancreas were evaluated by ultrastructural, morphometric and cytochemical methods. Ten minutes after refeeding, there was a significant enlargement of Golgi cisternae and a significant increase, compared with the controls, in the number of condensing vacuoles and lysosomes. These modifications were accompanied by the appearance of acid phosphatase activity in stacked Golgi cisternae (as well as GERL) of some cells. One hour after refeeding, there were about the same numbers of condensing vacuoles and lysosomes as in the control; Golgi cisternae were still significantly enlarged, compared with the controls, but they were no longer reactive for acid phosphatase. In both fasting and refed animals, acid phosphatase activity was demonstrable in tubular lysosomes.The data are interpreted in terms both of membrane disposal and recycling, leading to enhanced formation of zymogen granules, during physiologically stimulated secretion.