Ultrastructural variations in N,N'-bis(4-aminophenyl)-N,N'-dimethylethylenediamine (BED) oxidase localization in rat liver and parotid gland with variation in length of fixation.

Abstract

The localization and reactivity of a terminal oxidase which oxidizes N,N'-bis(4-amino-phenyl)-N,N'-dimethylethylenediamine (BED) were studied in rat liver and parotid gland after varying the concentration of formaldehyde fixative and the length of fixation. Reaction product was observed in mitochondrial outer compartments, smooth elements of rough endoplasmic reticulum, some Golgi lamellae, perinuclear membranes and cytoplasmic membranous structures often associated with mitochondria. A reaction also occurred in the limiting membrane and, to some degree, in the material comprising the secretory granules of the parotid. The reaction in the mitochondrial outer compartment was extremely formaldehyde-sensitive. Controls in which diaminobenzidine (DAB) was substituted for BED showed reaction only in mitochondrial cristae and outer compartments, whereas controls without either reagent showed no reactivity.