The mucosubstance coating the pneumonocytes in the lungs of Xenopus laevis and Lacerta viridis.

The layer of mucosubstance that is associated with the free surface membranes of the pneumonocytes in the lungs of the toad Xenopus laevis and the lizard Lacerta viridis was demonstrated by electron microscopy using iron oxide stain. The form and staining reactions of the mucosubstance layer were similar in both animals. In electron micrographs the mucosubstance was represented by a band of densely stained material (25-50 nm thick) which coated the entire free surface of the pneumonocytes. It appeared to be firmly attached to the outer leaflet of the superficial plasma membrane. Short lengths of osmiophilic membranes, presumed to be fragments of pulmonary surfactant, were often observed lying free in the air spaces but they did not show any affinity for iron stain. Incubation of lung sections in a solution of neuraminidase produced a marked decrease in the intensity of the surface staining; no change was detected after incubation in trypsin, papain, hyaluronidase, N-acetyl cysteine, or phosphate buffer. It is, therefore, concluded that the pneumonocyte surface coat consists mainly of a sialomucin.