MORPHOLOGICAL AND CYTOCHEMICAL NATURE OF RED ACRIDINE ORGANGE GRANULES

A complex investigation was carried out on the nature of red fluorescing cytoplasmatic granules, developing in living cells treated with acridine orange. It was shown that these granules are lysosomes or lysosome- like structures of cells that have accumulated acridine orange. It was established that no conclusions can be made on the amount and exchange of RNA based on a study of the red cytoplasmatic granules. It is proposed that the red fluorescence of the granules is connected with the adsorption of acridine orange by proteins enzymes contained in lysosomes or lysosome-like structures. The data obtained may be the foundation for the fluorescence microscopic detection of lysosomes in living cells.