Ultrastructural and cytochemical study on the enzyme gland of the foot of a mollusc.

The enzyme gland of the foot of the mussel Mytilus has been so far considered a gland producing and exporting a phenol oxidase catalysing the general tanning processes of byssus threads. In contrast, the present study shows that this gland produces mainly secretory granules which form the cortical layers of byssus threads. Cytochemical methods at the ultrastructural level (phosphotungstic acid at low pH, silver methenamine, periodic acid-thiosemicarbazide-silver proteinate, silver methenamine for sulphur-rich proteins demonstration) and enzyme digestion tests (pepsin, trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin) indicate that secretory granules contain glycoproteins rich in sulphydryl groups and in aromatic amino acids. The cytochemical demonstration of phenol oxidase shows that enzyme activity is present in Golgi complex, whereas it is absent in secretory granules. For this reason, phenol oxidase does not seem to be exported and utilized for tanning of byssus threads, but it might rather be involved in the elaboration and tanning of the content of the secretory granules in the enzyme gland itself.