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Fine structural localization of acid phosphomonoesterase in the osteoblasts and osteocytes of fracture callus

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Summary

The fine structural localization of acid phosphatase was studied in osteoblasts and osteocytes of fracture callus in the rat using glutaraldehyde-fixed EDTA-decalcified, dimethylsulfoxide-treated tissues incubated in a modified Gomori lead salt medium. The results showed that enzyme was not only localized in conventional lysosomes but also in Golgi cisternae, Golgi associated vesicles, and — in the case of osteoblasts — GERL-like regions. The Golgi regions were large and abundant in osteoblasts and small and inconspicuous in osteocytes while lysosomes were of approximately equal size in the two cell types but appeared to be more concentrated in osteocytes. The results were discussed in relation to the possible role of lysosomes and lysosomal enzymes in osteocytic osteolysis and the functional diversity of the Golgi apparatus in osteogenic cells.

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Göthlin, G., Ericsson, J.L.E. Fine structural localization of acid phosphomonoesterase in the osteoblasts and osteocytes of fracture callus. Histochemie 35, 81–91 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00303668

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