Summary
A quantitative approach was made to describe cellular autophagy in normal rat liver cells and during starvation from 1 to 10 days. The following methods were combined: 1) morphometric evaluation of light and electron microscopical photographs; 2) counting of autophagic vacuoles directly on the electron microscope screen. In controls (24 animals) the frequency of autophagic vacuoles containing all the main cytoplasmic constituents, endoplasmic reticulum + ground substance, mitochondria, microbodies, and glycogen shows marked diurnal variations. During long term starvation (38 animals) this rhythm is no longer visible when comparing animals killed at day and at night.
Corresponding to the well known reduction of cytoplasmic glycogen this compound was no longer found within autophagic vacuoles during starvation. The mean frequency of autophagic vacuoles containing other cytoplasmic constituents does not change during starvation. The ratio between free and segregated mitochondria was found to be about 1900:1 in both, controls and starved animals. From this value the duration between segregation and destruction of a mitochondrion was calculated to be about 16 min. The ratio of free to segregated microbodies was lower than that of mitochondria, namely 1100:1, suggesting a shorter life time of microbodies.
Hepatocyte volume was calculated to be 74 % of the initial value at the first day and 47 % at the 10th day of starvation. This atrophy of liver cells is interpreted to be a consequence of reduced synthetic activities, whereas destruction of cytoplasmic constituents proceeds at a normal rate. From the 5th day of starvation cell necroses and cytoplasmic debris are observed in acinocentral parts of liver lobules. The necrotic material is phagocytized by Kupffer cells. The labilization of liver lysosomes during starvation described by others seems to be related, therefore, to the enlarged and more fragile heterophagosomes of Kupffer cells but not to a stimulation of cellular autophagy.
Zusammenfassung
In läppchenperipheren Leberepithelien normal ernährter (24) und 1–10 Tage hungernder (38) Ratten wurden Phänomene der cellulären Autophagie und der Zellatrophie durch Kombination folgender Methoden quantitativ untersucht: 1) morphometrische Auswertung lichtmikroskopischer und elektronenmikroskopischer Aufnahmen; 2) Auszählung autophagischer Vacuolen direkt am Schirm des Elektronenmikroskops. Bei den Kontrolltieren wird die tageszeitliche Rhythmik der cellulären Autophagie erneut nachgewiesen. Im Hungerzustand ist dagegen die Häufigkeit autophagischer Vacuolen von der Tageszeit bzw. vom Licht-Dunkel-Wechsel unabhängig.
Entsprechend der drastischen Glykogenreduktion sind glykogenhaltige Vacuolen bei hungernden Tieren praktisch nicht mehr nachweisbar.
Die Relation freier zu segregierten Organellen ändert sich während der Hungerperiode nicht. Sie beträgt für Mitochondrien etwa 1900:1, woraus sich eine Destruktionszeit von etwa 16 min errechnen läßt, und für Microbodies etwa 1100:1, was mit einer kürzeren Lebenszeit dieser Organellen vereinbar ist.
Die hungerbedingte Zellatrophie mit einer Reduktion des Zellvolumens bis auf 47% des Ausgangswertes beruht also nicht auf einem gesteigerten Abbau von Cytoplasmabestandteilen durch Autophagie, sondern am ehesten auf einer reduzierten Syntheseleistung, wofür biochemische Umsatzstudien sprechen. Die von anderen Autoren beschriebene Erhöhung freier lysosomaler Enzymaktivitäten bei langfristigem Hunger findet eine Erklärung in läppchenzentralen Einzelnekrosen, deren Phagocytose große und deshalb relativ fragile Heterolysosomen in den von Kupfferschen Sternzellen entstehen läßt.
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This work was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. The technical assistance of Miss H. Kreck is gratefully acknowledged.
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Pfeifer, U. Cellular autophagy and cell atrophy in the rat liver during long-term starvation. Virchows Arch. Abt. B Zellpath. 12, 195–211 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02893998
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02893998