Ultrastructural histochemical localization of acid phosphatase in salivary glands of Drosophila melanogaster.

The ultrastructural histochemical localization of acid phosphatase in salivary glands of third instar larvae of Drosophila melanogaster has been studied. Using Gomori's lead phosphate method for acid phosphatase detection, the optimal incubation time in the reaction medium was determined to be 30 min. When glands having wild-type acid phosphatase activity are incubated for this time, deposition of the final reaction product is observed in essentially every lysosome and artifactual staining is minimal.