Cytochemistry of gastrodermal autophagy following starvation in Schistosoma mansoni.

The gastrodermis of adult Schistosoma mansoni was examined by electron microscopy to determine the effects of starvation and the effects of hycanthone, administered in vitro. Special attention was focused on the relationship of the Golgi complexes with the process of autophagy. In general, autophagy was increased in the gastrodermis when it was exposed to stress conditions such as starvation and hycanthone. Acid phosphatase and thiamine pyrophosphatase activities were used as enzyme markers for the Golgi complexes and lysosomes. During the early stages of starvation, there was a 4-fold increase in the number of Golgi complexes per unit area in the gastrodermis. A progressive increase in the number of secondary lysosomes was evident as starvation time was increased. Hycanthone accelerated the effects of starvation. It was hypothesized that acid hydrolases are passed to the Golgi complexes via ER-derived vesicles. The enzymes are subsequently released as primary lysosomes from the Golgi complex to fuse with cytosegresomes and form secondary lysosomes (cytosomes).