Cytochemical localization of enzyme markers in Tritrichomonas foetus

Abstract

Cytochemical techniques associated with transmission electron microscopy were used for the localization in Tritrichomonas foetus of enzymes used as markers of different cell structures. Reaction product indicating the presence of Mg(2+)-adenosine triphosphatase (Mg(2+)-ATPase) and 5'-nucleotidase was observed in the plasma membrane. Glucose-6-phosphatase was seen in association with the endoplasmic reticulum, revealing its organization as parallel cisternae. Thiamino-pyrophosphatase was located in the cis-most region of the Golgi complex. Acid phosphatase was found within lysosomes as well as in several cisternae of the Golgi complex, in contrast to previous observations in mammalian cells. These observations provide support for the use of enzyme markers in future studies on cell fractionation of T. foetus.