THE FINE STRUCTURAL LOCALIZATION OF GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATASE IN RAT LIVER

Abstract

Glucose-6-phosphatase activity was demonstrated histochemically in rat liver using either the Wachstein-Meisel medium or a modified Chiquoine medium, and the characteristic properties of the enzyme activity were confirmed. The distribution of activity in both unfixed and hydroxyadipaldehyde-fixed material was demonstrated with the electron microscope. Activity was found in both smooth- and rough-surfaced elements of the endoplasmic reticulum of hepatic cells, including the nuclear envelope, but was absent from the plasma membrane. These findings further implicate the endoplasmic reticulum as an organelle of transport, and in addition suggest that the nuclear envelope has functional as well as morphological continuity with the endoplasmic reticulum.