Peroxisomes of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans: distribution and morphological characteristics

We analyzed the distribution and morphological characteristics of peroxisomes in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans by routine electron microscopy, immunoelectron microscopy, and morphometry. Peroxisomes were mainly contained in the epithelial cells of the digestive tract and pharyngeal gland, but some were observed in other cells. Their shape varied from round to twisted. The matrix of most peroxisomes was coarse and uneven, and contained electron-dense nucleoids and frequently tubular substructures. The diameter of peroxisomes in the gut (0.185 micro m) was smaller than that in pharyngeal gland (0.262 micro m). The volume density of peroxisomes per 100 micro m(2) of cytoplasm was 1.86 in the gut and 1.75 in the pharyngeal gland. After treatment with clofibrate, the diameter of peroxisomes increased approximately 1.11-fold in the gut and 1.2-fold in the pharyngeal gland. The volume density of peroxisomes also increased by 2.2-fold in the gut and 2.6-fold in the pharyngeal gland. The labeling density for catalase-2 was almost identical between gut and pharyngeal gland peroxisomes. The results show that in C. elegans peroxisomes mainly distribute in the epithelial cells of the gut and pharyngeal gland. Peroxisomes of the pharyngeal gland are larger than those of the gut, but peroxisomes of both tissues contain catalase-2 at similar concentrations.