Three-dimensional structure of Golgi complex in rat intestinal epithelium and its morphological changes during fat absorption.

The three-dimensional structure of the Golgi complex in rat intestinal epithelium and its morphological alteration during fat absorption were studied by the Osmium-DMSO-Osmium method. 1. The Golgi complex consisted of a Golgi stack which was a parallel array of flattened cisternae, numerous small vesicles of similar size, condensing vacuoles which expanded from the periphery of the cisterna, and the plexus of anastomotic tubules associated with many granules of various sizes. 2. During fat absorption, the condensing vacuoles of the Golgi complex were dilated and many lipid droplets appeared within the lumen of the condensing vacuoles, while the length and number of the parallel arrayed cisternae decreased remarkably. At 60 min after fat administration the membrane alteration reached its maximum. The Golgi complex consisted of only vacuoles containing lipid droplets at this time. 3. The lipid droplets in the vacuoles were manifested with a colored scanning electron micrograph which was prepared by superimposition of the secondary electron image and the backscattered electron image from a given view field of the specimen, projected in two different colors.