The ultrastructural localization of acid phosphatase in zinc-deficient rat buccal epithelium

The ultrastructural localization of acid phosphatase was examined in the buccal epithelium from normal and zinc-deficient rats. The most obvious feature of the zinc-deficient tissue was the intercellular distribution of reaction product in the prickle cell layers. Within the prickle cells, acid phosphatase was present in conspicuous Golgi systems. This appearance is very similar to that described in tumours after treatment with various membrane-labilising agents. As zinc has been shown to have a stabilizing effect on cell membranes, it is suggested that these results may reflect an increased fragility of lysosomal and plasma membranes in the zinc-deficient epithelium.