Intranuclear synthesized and native glycogen particles in human gastric cancer: ultrastructure and histochemistry

Ultrastructural and histochemical studies on human gastric cancer cells disclosed the presence of native and synthesized glycogen particles. The glycogen particles were investigated in the histochemical synthesis of glycogen particles from glucose 1-phosphate by the phosphorylase-branching glycosyltransferase system and non-incubated native glycogen in human gastric adenocarcinoma tubulare. It was observed that focal synthesis localized inthe intracytoplasmic matrix and intranucleus. Intranuclear synthesized glycogen appeared as a rosette form ranging from 1100 to 1300 A in diameter and free particles ranging from 325 to 900 A in diagmeter. The synthesis of glycogen appeared in the nucleus as well as in the cytoplasm of the human gastric cancer cells, and the synthesized glycogen was observed as a group of particles. Newly formed glycogen particles appeared occasionally in the interchromatin area as a large macromolecular structure of rosette form. Native glycogen appeared as a free-particle (250-333 A, medium =300 A) and aggregated rosette from (694-1050 A, medium=917 A) in the autophagosome of gastric cancer cells. There was not, however, a native glycogen particle in the nuclei of gastric cancer cells. Under certain conditons the nuclei of gastric cancer cells can acquire the capacity to synthesize glycogen.