Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026
09:16
Mixed Primary Cultures of Murine Small Intestine Intended for the Study of Gut Hormone Secretion and Live Cell Imaging of Enteroendocrine Cells
Published on: April 20, 2017
STUDIES ON THE INTRACELLULAR DIGESTIVE PROCESS IN MAMMALIAN TISSUE CULTURE CELLS.
G B Gordon1, L R Miller, K G Bensch
1Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
The Journal of Cell Biology
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Gold nanoparticles within DNA-protein coacervates were phagocytized by fibroblasts. Gold particles tracked the transformation of vacuoles into dense bodies, revealing enzyme delivery and pathway interrelationships.
Area of Science:
- Cell biology
- Biochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Phagocytosis is a key cellular process for internalizing external materials.
- Digestive vacuoles undergo complex transformations within the cell.
- The origin and delivery mechanisms of hydrolytic enzymes are crucial for cellular digestion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the cellular fate of DNA-protein coacervates containing gold nanoparticles.
- To visualize the dynamic evolution of digestive vacuoles using gold particles as markers.
- To elucidate the role of the Golgi apparatus and cytoplasmic dense bodies in cellular digestion and pathway interrelationships.
Main Methods:
- Phagocytosis of DNA-protein coacervates with colloidal gold particles by strain L fibroblasts.
- Cytochemical analysis to detect acid phosphatase and esterolytic activity.
- Electron microscopy to observe the morphological changes of vacuoles and dense bodies.
- Prelabeling of dense bodies with colloidal iron to trace their interaction with phagocytotic vacuoles.
Main Results:
- Fibroblasts readily phagocytized the gold-labeled coacervates.
- Gold particles successfully marked the transformation of digestive vacuoles into multivesicular and dense bodies.
- Acid phosphatase and esterolytic activity were detected within these evolving structures.
- Hydrolytic enzymes were delivered via vesicles originating from the Golgi region prior to visible digestion.
- Cytoplasmic dense bodies were observed to merge with phagocytotic vacuoles.
- Evidence for the interplay between phagocytotic and autophagic cellular pathways was established.
Conclusions:
- Colloidal gold serves as an effective marker for studying vacuole evolution during phagocytosis.
- The Golgi apparatus plays a critical role in supplying hydrolytic enzymes to phagocytotic vacuoles.
- Cytoplasmic dense bodies are involved in the digestive process, potentially through fusion with vacuoles.
- The study provides evidence for the integration of phagocytotic and autophagic cellular mechanisms.
