Summary
The ultrastructure of hepatic peroxisomes was investigated in Ichthyophis glutinosus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona), employing perfusion fixation and the diaminobenzidine (DAB) technique for the visualization of catalase. The majority of peroxisomes is circular or rod-shaped, although elongated particles occasionally occur. They contain a finely granular matrix, lightly stained after the DAB procedure. Their mean diameter is approximately 0.25 μm. Serial sections reveal that the circular and rod-shaped peroxisomal profiles are cross and oblique sections of highly tortuous, tubular organelles exceeding 2 μm in length.
In addition to tubular profiles, elongated, rectangular particles, as well as straight dumbbell-shaped organelles with distinct marginal plates are observed. They range from 900 to 1650 nm in length (mean = 1200 nm). In the flattened, thin central portion of the dumbbell-shaped particle, the peroxisomal membranes form a cisterna enclosing one or two uniformly thick marginal plates, which display a definite substructure with a periodicity of 10 nm.
These findings indicate that peroxisomes in the liver of Ichthyophis exhibit a complex organization. It is suggested that the organelles undergo a specific differentiation process, morphologically characterized by the formation of enlarged segments of unusual shape.
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This study was supported by grants from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Fa 146/1-2 and Sto 75/9
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Gorgas, K., Storch, V. Marginal plates in hepatic peroxisomes of Ichthyophis glutinosus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). Cell Tissue Res. 238, 413–416 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217316
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217316