Cytochemical studies on the ferritin-containing vesicles of the rat incisor ameloblasts with special reference to the acid phosphatase activity.

Acid phosphatase was localized in rat incisor ameloblasts without prior decalcification. When beta-glycerophosphate was used as the substrate, an intense reaction was observed in the supranuclear region of the secretory ameloblasts. But the reaction was dramatically reduced at the transitional stage and was very weak in the maturation ameloblasts. When p-nitrophenylphosphate was the substrate, the reaction product was consistently seen in the Golgi cisternae and the vesicular components of the ameloblasts at all stages of enamel development. These observations suggest that there are two acid phosphatases in ameloblasts. One is in the secretory ameloblasts and the other in the transition and maturation ameloblasts. X-ray microanalyses for Fe and Pb showed that Fe and acid phosphatase were in the ferritin-containing vesicles at the later stage of enamel maturation. This evidence suggests that ferritin is digested in these vesicles for the release of the Fe pigment to the enamel. An increase in the number of intercellular bridges between ameloblasts was correlated with the dramatic decrease in height of ameloblasts at the pigment release stage. The ameloblast membranes were acid phosphatase positive at the intercellular bridges when p-nitrophenylphosphate was the substrate. This activity may be involved in the reduction in the surface area of the ameloblast membranes.