Correlation between growth rate and cytochemistry in Morris hepatomas

The correlation between the cytochemistry (glycoprotein, glycogen, glucose-6-phosphatase, catalase, alkaline phosphatase) and the growth rate of the fast-growing Morris hepatoma 3924A and the slow-growing Morris hepatoma 9618A was studied by utracytochemical techniques. By the chromic acid-phosphotungstic acid technique, acid glycoprotein is stained in glycocalyx, Golgi saccules and vesicles, and secretory granules of the tumor cells of both hepatomas. However, the hepatoma 3924A cells contain thicker glycocalyx and more numerous glycoprotein-rich granules than hepatoma 9618A cells. Abundant alpha and beta glycogen particles are found in hepatoma 3924A. Moderate glucose-6-phosphatase activity is observed in the cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope of hepatoma 9618A, but it is totally absent in hepatoma 3924A. High catalase activity is present in numerous peroxisomes of hepatoma 9618A. Hepatoma 3924A contains only a few catalase-positive microperoxisomes. Weak to moderate alkaline phosphatase is present in the plasma membrane and nuclear envelope of hepatoma 9618A cells, while hepatoma 3924A shows no activity of the enzyme. All the cytochemical parameters except glycoprotein show an inverse relationship with the growth rate of the hepatomas. The higher intracellular glycoprotein content of hepatoma 3924A may be related to differences in cell coat secretion (composition and activity) from the slower-growing hepatoma 9618A