Electron microscopic detection of periodate reactive complex carbohydrates in human T and B lymphocytes

The periodic acid-thiocarbohydrazide-silver proteinate (PA-TCH-SP) technique, which has the same cytochemical significance as PAS staining of light microscopy, was undertaken to reveal the distribution of complex carbohydrates with vicinal glycols in human lymphocytes in several conditions at the ultra-structural level. The PA-TCH-SP method stained the clustered and the scattered cytoplasmic granules, Golgi apparatus and glycogen particles of lymphocytes. In the buffy coat, the lymphocytes with the clustered cytoplasmic granules contained less glycogen particles compared with the lymphocytes without the clustered cytoplasmic granules. The majority of T-lymphocytes separated from the venous blood possessed PA-TCH-SP positive clustered cytoplasmic granules, but glycogen particles were scanty or negligible, while B lymphocytes were rich with glycogen particles but had scanty clustered cytoplasmic granules. The T and B cell-derived cultured cell lines had a similar reactivity to the peripheral T and B cells.