Radioautographic studies on radiosulfate incorporation in the digestive organs of mice

The sulfate uptake and accumulation in mouse digestive organs were studied by light microscopic radioautography. Two litters of normal ddY mice 30 day s after birth, each consisting of 3 animals, were studied. One litter of an imals were sacrificed 30 min after the intraperitoneal injections with phos phate buffered (Na2SO4)-S-35, and the other litter animals were sacrificed 12 hr after the injections. Then several digestive organs, the parotid glan d, the submandibular gland, the sublingual gland, antrum and fundus of the stomach, the duodenum, the jejunum, the ileum, the caecum, the ascending co lon and the descending colon were taken out. The tissues were fixed, dehydr ated, embedded in epoxy resin, sectioned, picked up onto glass slides, coat ed with radioautographic emulsion by a dipping method. After the exposure, they were developed, stained with toluidine blue and analyzed by light micr oscopy. As the results, many silver grains were observed on serous cells of the sal ivary glands, mucosa and submucosa of the stomach, villous cells and crypt cells of the small intestines and whole mucosa of the large intestines at 3 0 min after the injection. Then at 12 hr after the injection silver grains were observed on mucous cells of the salivary glands, some of the stomach g lands, and mucigen granules of goblet cells in the small intestines and the large intestines. The numbers of silver grains observed in respective orga ns at 30 min were less than those at 12 hr. From these results, it is concluded that glycoprotein synthesis was demonst rated in several digestive organs by radiosulfate incorporation. In the sal ivary glands the silver grains were more observed in serous cells at 30 min , while in mucous cells more at 12 hr than 30 min after the injection. In o ther organs the silver grains were more at 30 min than at 12 hr. These resu lts show the time difference of glycoprotein synthesis in respective organs .