Synopsis
On examination with ultrastructural methods for visualizing thevicinal glycols and acid groups of complex carbohydrates, the most superficial surface epithelium of the rat gastric corpus displayed biphasic mucous droplets consisting of a cortex of hexose-rich (i.e. periodate-reactive) neutral mucosubstance and an uncharacterized denser core plus monophasic droplets with the neutral mucosubstance. In many surface epithelial cells of the foveolae, the biphasic and monophasic droplets with the neutral mucosubstance intermingled in varying proportions with monophasic droplets showing uniform periodate reactivity, a variable degree of dialyzed ironbinding—demonstrative of acidic glycoconjugate, and high iron—diamine affinity—demonstrative of sulphomucin. Deep foveolar epithelium displayed only monophasic droplets, most of which contained acidic periodate-reactive complex carbohydrate. Underiying cells, designated isthmus cells, exhibited monophasic or occasional biphasic granules containing sulphated, hexose-rich mucosubstance. Nascent droplets or granules near the Golgi zone differed from the mature organelles in the distribution of the glycoconjugate. Mucous neck cells occupied a deeper stratum and displayed a uniform population of monophasic mucous droplets with a loose meshwork of neutral mucosubstance.
Techniques for demonstrating hexoses ultrastructurally stained all Golgi cisternae in the mucigenic epithelium, showing increasing reactivity toward the maturing face. Distinctive cistemae with moderate reactivity in the Golgi complex of isthmus cells were interpreted as GERL. Acidic mucosubstances were visualized only in the inner, mature cisternae of the Golgi complex of cells storing acidic glycoconjugates, and not in cisternae interpretable as GERL.
The apical plasmalemma of isthmus cells uniquely exhibited abundant sulphated glycoconjugate and that of parietal cells revealed a less prominent, periodic neutral mucosubstance. Lateral and basal plasmalemmae varied from unstained to slightly reactive; basement membranes showed moderate reactivity with methods for visualizing complex carbohydrates. Abundance of glycogen further characterized surface epithelial cells of the corpus and of some parietal cells
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Coghill, S. B. &Hopwood, D. (1977). Electron histochemistry of mucosubstances in normal human rectal epithelium.Histochem. J. 9, 231–40.
Corpron, R. E. (1966). The ultrastructure of the gastric mucosa in normal and hypophysectomized rats.Am. J. Anat. 118, 53–90.
Davies, D. V. &Young, L. (1954). Radioautographic studies of the digestive tracts of rats injected with inorganic sulphate labelled with sulphur-35.Nature 173, 448–9.
Hally, A. D. (1959). The fine structure of the gastric parietal cell in the mouse.J. Anat. 93, 217–25.
Hand, A. R. &Oliver, C. (1977). Relationship between the Golgi apparatus, GERL and secretory granules in acinar cells of the rat exorbital lacrimal gland.J. Cell Biol. 74, 399–413.
Hayward, A. F. (1967). The fine structure of gastric epithelial cells in the suckling rabbit with particular reference to the parietal cell.Z. Zellforsch. 78, 474–83.
Helander, H. F. (1964). Ultrastructure of gastric fundus glands of refed mice.J. Ultrastruct. Res. 10, 160–75.
Helander, H. F. (1969). Ultrastructure and function of gastric mucoid and zymogen cells in the rat during development.Gastroenterology 56, 53–70.
Ito, S. (1967). Anatomic structure of the gastric mucosa. InHandbook of Physiology, Sec. 6.Alimentary Canal, Vol. 2,Secretion, (eds. C. F. Cose & W. Heidel). pp. 705–41.
Ito, S. &Winchester, R. J. (1963). The fine structure of the gastric mucosa in the bat.J. Cell Biol. 16, 541–77.
Jennings, M. A. &Florey, H. W. (1956). Autoradiographic observations on the mucous cells of the stomach and intestine.Q. J. l Exp. Physiol. 41, 131–52.
Katsuyama, T. & Spicer, S. S. (1977a). Histochemical differentiation of complex carbohydrates with variants of the Concanavalin A—horseradish peroxidase method.J. Histochem. Cytochem. (in press).
Katsuyama, T. &Spicer, S. S. (1977b). Ionic components of secretory cell surfaces in relation to secretory function.Histochem. J. 9, 467–93.
Kurosumi, K., Shibasaki, S., Uchida, G. &Tanaka, Y. (1958). Electron microscope studies on the gastric mucosa of normal rats.Archs Histol. Jap. 15, 587–624.
Lev, R. (1965). The mucin histochemistry of normal and neoplastic gastric mucosa.Lab. Invest. 14, 2080–100.
Lillibridge, C. B. (1964). The fine structure of normal human gastric mucosa.Gastroenterology 47, 269–90.
Mowry, R. &Winkler, C. H. (1956). The coloration of acidic carbohydrates of bacteria and fungi in tissue sections with special reference to capsules ofCryptococcus neoformans, Pneumococci and Staphylococci.Am. J. Path. 32, 628–9.
Moxey, P. C. &Yeomans, N. D. (1976). Identification of cell types in semithin epoxy sections of gastric fundic mucosa.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 24, 755–6.
Novikoff, A. B. (1976). The endoplasmic reticulum. A cytochemist's view.Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 73, 2781–7.
Rainsford, K. D. (1975). Electron microscopic observations on the effects of orally administered aspirin and aspirin-bicarbonate mixtures on the development of gastric mucosal damage in the rat.Gut 16, 514–27.
Rinehart, J. F. &Abul-waj, S. K. (1951). An improved method for histologic demonstration of acid mucopolysaccharides in tissues.A.M.A. Archs. Pathol. 52, 189–94.
Rubin, W., Ross, L. L., Sleisenger, M. H. &Jeffries, G. H. (1968). The normal human gastric epithelia—A fine structural study.Lab. Invest. 19, 598–626.
Sannes, P. L., Katsuyama, T. & Spicer, S. S. (1978). Tannic acid-metal salt sequences in histochemistry and ultrastructural cytochemistry.J. Histochem. Cytochem. (in press).
Sedar, A. W. (1969). Electron microscopic demonstration of polysaccharides associated with acid-secreting cells of the stomach after ‘inert dehydration’.J. Ultrastruct. Res. 28, 112–24.
Shehan, D. G. &Jervis, H. R. (1976). Comparative histochemistry of gastrointestinal mucosubstances.Am. J. Anat. 146, 103–32.
Shibasaki, S. (1961). Experimental cytological and electron microscopic studies on the rat gastric mucosa.Archs Histol. Jap. 21, 251–88.
Shimamoto, K., Kawai, K., Murakami, K., Misaki, F., Kohli, Y., Yamashita, S., Hattori, T. &Fujita, S. (1973). Autoradiographic studies on the mucin metabolism in human gastric mucosa with special reference to intestinal metaplasia.Acta Hepato-Gastroenterol. 20, 490–8.
Spicer, S. S. (1960). A correlative study of the histochemical properties of rodent acid mucopolysaccharides.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 8, 18–35.
Spicer, S. S. (1965). Diamine methods for differentiating mucosubstances histochemically.J. Histochem. Cytochem. 13, 211–34.
Spicer, S. S., Hardin, J. H. & Setser, M. E. (1978). Ultrastructural visualization of sulfated complex carbohydrates in blood and epithelial cells with the high iron diamine procedure. (Submitted for publication).
Spicer, S. S., Leppi, T. J. &Henson, J. G. (1967). Sulfate-containing mucosubstances of dog gastric mucosa.Lab. Invest. 16, 795–802.
Stevens, C. E. &Leblond, C. P. (1953). Renewal of the mucous cells in the gastric mucosa of the rat.Anat. Rec. 115, 231–45.
Thiéry J. P. (1967). Mise en évidence des polysaccharides sur coupes funes en microscopie électronique.J. Microscopie 6, 987–1018.
Wetzel, M. L., Wetzel, B. K. &Spicer, S. S. (1966). Ultrastructural localization of acid mucosubstances in the mouse colon with iron-containing stains.J. Cell Biol. 30, 299–315.
Winborn, W. B. &Bockman, D. E. (1968). Origin of lysosomes in parietal cells.Lab. Invest. 19, 256–64.
Yeomans, N. D. (1976). Electron microscopic study of the repair of aspirin-induced gastric erosions.Am. J. dig. Dis. 21, 533–41.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Spicer, S.S., Katsuyama, T. & Sannes, P.L. Ultrastructural carbohydrate cytochemistry of gastric epithelium. Histochem J 10, 309–331 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01007562
Received:
Revised:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01007562