Summary
The specificity of the histochemical localization of the calcium activated adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) at pH 7.4 was studied using a calcium-citro-phosphate technique. The latter involves the splitting of ATP by ATPase producing phosphate ions which then react with calcium and citrate to form an insoluble reaction product. This reaction product was detected by both light and electron microscopy. Light microscopic examination showed a darkly stained continuous reticular pattern of reaction product which surrounded individual myofibrils. This reticular pattern of reaction product was distinctly dissimilar to that found when the histochemical reactions for mitochondrial or myofibrillar ATPase were performed. Ultrastructural investigations demonstrated the presence of discrete foci of electron dense reaction product in close association with the membranes of the SR in striated muscle fibres. Only occasional flecks were seen in the vicinity of mitochondria or myofilaments. The possibility is considered that the reticular pattern of staining achieved by the calcium-citro-phosphate technique may reflect the distribution of the “extra ATPase” of the SR, an enzyme implicated in the process of calcium uptake and muscle relaxation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersson-Cedergren, E.: Ultrastructure of motor end plate and sarcoplasmic components of mouse skeletal muscle fiber as revealed by three-dimensional reconstruction from rapid serial sections. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 1, Suppl. (1959)
Barka, T., Anderson, P.: Histochemistry-theory, practice and bibliography, p. 313. New York: Hoeber Medical Division, Harper and Row Publ. Inc. 1963
Barker, L. M., McPhillips, J. J., Lawrence, G. D., Doty, S. B., Pallante, S. L., Bills, C. E., Scott, W. W., Jr., Howard, J. E.: Studies on mechanisms of calcification. Johns Hopk. med. J. (Baltimore, U.S.A.) 127, 2–22 (1970)
Bills, C. E., Eisenberg, H., Pallante, S. L.: Complexes of organic acids with calcium phosphate: The Von Kossa stain as a clue to the composition of bone mineral. Johns Hopk. med. J. (Baltimore, U.S.A.) 128, 194–207 (1971)
Chappell, J. B., Perry, S. V.: The respiratory and adenosinetriphosphatase activities of skeletal muscle mitochondria. Biochem. J. 55, 586–595 (1953)
Ebashi, S., Lipmann, F.: Adenosine triphosphate—linked concentration of calcium ions in a particulate fraction of rabbit muscle. J. Cell Biol. 14, 389–398 (1962)
Edgerton, V. R., Simpson, D. R.: The intermediate muscle fibre of rats and guinea pigs. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 17, 828–838 (1969)
Engel, A. G., Tice, L. W.: Cytochemistry of phosphatases of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. I. Biochemical studies. J. Cell Biol. 31, 473–487 (1966)
Engel, W. K.: Adenosine triphosphatase of sarcoplasmic reticulum triads and sarcolemma identified histochemically. Nature (Lond.) 200, 588–589 (1963)
Essner, E., Novikoff, A. B., Quintana, N.: Nucleoside phosphatase activities in rat cardiac muscle. J. Cell Biol. 25, 201–215 (1965)
Gauthier, G. F.: On the localization of sarcotubular ATPase activity in mammalian skeletal muscle. Histochemie 11, 97–111 (1967)
Gauthier, G. F., Padykula, H. A.: Cytochemical studies of adenosine triphosphatase activity in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. J. Cell Biol. 27, 252–260 (1965)
Giacomelli, F., Bibbiani, C., Bergamini, E., Pellegrino, C.: Two ATPases in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal muscle fibres. Nature (Lond.) 213, 679–682 (1967)
Gillespie, C. A., Simpson, D. R., Edgerton, V. R.: High glycogen content of red as opposed to white skeletal muscle fibres of guinea pigs. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 18, 552–558 (1970)
Gordon, G. D., Price, H. M., Blumberg, J. M.: Electron microscopic localization of phosphatase activities within striated muscle fibers. Lab. Invest. 16, 422–435 (1967)
Hasselbach, W.: ATP-driven active transport of Ca++ in the membranes of sarcoplasmic reticulum. Proc. roy. Soc. B 160, 501–504 (1964a)
Hasselbach, W.: Relaxing factor and the relaxation of muscle. Progr. Biophys. molec. Biol. 14, 167–222 (1964b)
Hasselbach, W., Makinose, M.: Die Calciumpumpe der “Erschlaffungsgrana” des Muskels und ihre Abhängigkeit von der ATP-Spaltung. Biochem. Z. 333, 518–528 (1961)
Hasselbach, W., Makinose, M.: Über den Mechanismus des Calciumtransportes durch die Membranen des sarkoplasmatischen Reticulums. Biochem. Z. 339, 94–111 (1963)
Hori, S. H., Takahashi, M.: An electron microscopic study of adenosine triphosphate—splitting enzyme in rat skeletal muscle by means of the section freeze substitution technique. Cytologia (Tokyo) 28, 331–341 (1963)
Khan, M. A., Kakulas, B. A., Papadimitriou, J. M.: The effect of EDTA on the histochemical myofibrillar ATPase reaction. Presented at the 17th. Symposium of Gesellschaft für Histochemie in Bozen, Oct. 1974b. Acta histochem. (in press)
Khan, M. A., Papadimitriou, J. M., Holt, P. G., Kakulas, B. A.: A modified histochemical technique for sarcoplasmic reticular—ATPase. Histochemie 30, 329–333 (1972a)
Khan, M. A., Papadimitriou, J. M., Holt, P. G., Kakulas, B. A.: A calcium-citro-phosphate technique for the histochemical localization of myosin ATPase. Stain Technol. 47, 277–282 (1972b)
Khan, M. A., Papadimitriou, J. M., Holt, P. G., Kakulas, B. A.: Further histochemical properties of rabbit skeletal muscle fibres. Histochemie 36, 173–183 (1973)
Khan, M. A., Papadimitriou, J. M., Kakulas, B. A.: The effect of temperature on the pH stability of myosin ATPase as demonstrated histochemically. Histochemistry 38, 181–194 (1974a)
Kielly, W. A.: Mitochondrial ATPase. In: Methods of enzymology, ed. S. P. Colowich and N. O. Kaplan, vol. 2, 593–595. New York: A.P. 1955
MacLennan, D. H.: Purification and properties of an adenosine triphosphatase from sarcoplasmic reticulum. J. biol. Chem. 245, 4508–4518 (1970)
Padykula, H. A., Gauthier, G. F.: Cytochemical studies of adenosine triphosphatases in skeletal muscle fibres. J. Cell Biol. 18, 87–107 (1963)
Padykula, H. A., Herman, E.: The specificity of the histochemical method for adenosine triphosphatase. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 3, 170–183 (1955)
Porter, K. R., Palade, G. E.: Studies on the endoplasmic reticulum. III. Its form and distribution in striated muscle cells. J. biophys. biochem. Cytol. 3, 269–300 (1957)
Rostgaard, J., Behnke, O.: Fine structural localization of adenosine nucleoside phosphatase activity in the sarcoplasmic reticulum and the T system of rat myocardium. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 12, 579–591 (1965)
Schulze, W., Wollenberger, A.: Elektronenmikroskopischer Nachweis von mitochondrialer Adenosin-triphosphatase Aktivität in tierischen Geweben. Histochemie 5, 417–429 (1965)
Sommer, J. R., Spach, M. S.: Electron microscopic demonstration of adenosinetriphosphatase in myofibrils and sarcoplasmic membranes of cardiac muscle of normal and abnormal dogs. Amer. J. Path. 44, 491–505 (1964)
Suko, J.: Alterations of Ca++ uptake and Ca++-activated ATPase of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum in hyper and hypothyroidism. Biochim. biophys. Acta (Amst.) 252, 324–327 (1971)
Tice, L. W.: In situ studies of the sarcotubular system, p. 339–350. In: Factors influencing myocardial contractility, eds. R. D. Tanz, F. Kavaler and J. Roberts. New York: Academic Press 1967
Tice, L. W., Engel, A. G.: Histochemical studies of a cation-sensitive adenosine triphosphatase of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. J. Cell Biol. 23, 97A (1964)
Tice, L. W., Engel, A. G.: Cytochemistry of phosphatases of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. II. In situ localization of the Mg++ — dependent enzyme. J. Cell Biol. 31, 489–499 (1966)
Wachstein, M., Meisel, E.: A histochemical demonstration of mitochondrial adenosine triphosphatases at a physiological pH with special reference to the demonstration of bile canaliculi. Amer. J. clin. path. 27, 13–23 (1957)
Zebe, E.: Zur Lokalisation ATP-spaltender Reaktionen im „Sarcoplasmatischen Reticulum” quergestreifter Muskeln. Histochemie 5, 32–43 (1965)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Khan, M.A., Papadimitriou, J.M. & Kakulas, B.A. On the specificity of the histochemical technique for sarcoplasmic reticular adenosine triphosphatase: A light and electron microscopic study. Histochemistry 43, 101–111 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00492439
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00492439