Cellular compartmentation of lysozyme and alpha-amylase in the mouse salivary glands. Immunogold approaches at light and electron microscopy level

The research was planned to study the subcellular distribution of enzymatic secretory products within the secretory structures of the mouse major sali vary glands at light and electron microscopy level by immunogold silver sta in (IGSS) technique and double-sided post-embedding immunogold binding and silver amplification in order to speculate about their compartmentation. In particular, we experimented the above immunogold labeling approaches to lo calize the lysozyme and to verify its distribution patterns in relation to another secretion enzyme, alpha-amylase. Go-presence of lysozyme and alpha-amylase was observed in the convoluted gr anular tubule cells of the submandibular gland and in the demilunar cells o f the sublingual gland as well as in the electron-dense regions of the mott led secretory granules in the parotid gland. Exclusive binding patterns of lysozyme were observed in the acinar cells of the submandibular and subling ual glands where alpha-amylase did not occur.