Electron microscopic studies on localization of phosphatases in the laying hen parathyroid

Localization of phosphatases in the parathyroid of laying hens was examined by electron microscopy. Activities of both alkaline phosphatase and adenosine triphosphatase were intensive on the apposed plasma membranes between contiguous chief cells, but weak or almost lacking on those facing the interstitial connective tissue, and this finding differed from previous data in mammals. This difference seemed to be associated with the fact that in the parenchymal cells of the hens there was found a narrow, delicate filament-rich zone in the peripheral cytoplasm along the basal lamina. Activities of both thiamine pyrophosphatase and inosine diphosphatase were seen in most of the Golgi cisternae having serpentine tubular profiles, and this indicated that the latter cisterna belong to the Golgi apparatus. Acid phosphatase activities were mainly demonstrated in lysosomal dense bodies, including autophagic vacuoles, as well as in most of the lipofuscin granules, and only occasionally encountered in the Golgi apparatus, including the thick membranous cisternae, in contrast with findings in mammals. The reason for this weak activity in this organelle was discussed in relation to calcium metabolism, secretory products, and lysosomes in the laying hen.