Enzyme-synthetic approach to demonstration of phosphorylase activity in the living rabbit cornea.

An enzyme-synthetic method of demonstrating phosphorylase was applied to the living rabbit cornea, and polyglucose particles synthesized from glucose-1-phosphate in vivo were studied electron microscopically. In the corneas in which the medium for phosphorylase was applied from the anterior chamber or the bulbar subconjunctiva, synthesized polyglucose particles were found in the cytoplasmic matrices of the epithelium. When the medium was deposited in the conjunctival sac, a few synthesized polyglucose particles were found in the cytoplasmic matrices of only the superficial layer of the corneal epithelium. These findings suggest that metabolites for glycogen metabolism come mainly from the aqueous humor in the anterior chamber. The polyglucose particles synthesized by the enzyme-synthetic method in vivo resemble native glycogen particles. In addition, these particles were not overproduced because the synthesis of polyglucose is probably regulated in vivo.