16 ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC STRUCTURE OF PROTOZOA 



polarized structure. This is particularly clear in some zoo- 

 flagellates, where a striated fiber originating at the centriole 

 terminates on the parabasal body. The Golgi sacs at this proximal 

 side of the pile are thin and sharply defined (Fig. 3, PI. I). At the 

 opposite side the sacs are less orderly and frequently inflated. 

 Grassse suggests that these sacs are in the process of breaking away 

 as swollen vesicles, carrying their contents off into the cytoplasm, 

 while their replacement is assured by constant new formation of 

 sacs at the proximal end. The proximal sacs would represent the 

 chromophilic component of the Golgi complex as seen in cells 

 stained for light microscopy; the detached, swollen vesicles at 

 the distal side compose the chromophobic zone. 



An illuminating study of protozoan Golgi bodies and their 

 possible relation to other membranes is that by Grimstone (1959a, 

 1959c) on the complex zooflagellate Trichonjmpha. In this genus 

 the outer surface of the nuclear membrane is, as usual, studded 

 with granules, and a corona of granular membranes under normal 

 conditions surrounds the nucleus. The parabasal bodies are 

 clustered about the nucleus, polarized as described by Grasse, and 

 with their proximal faces always directed toward the nuclear 

 surface. By withholding food from their termite hosts, Grimstone 

 was able to observe the effects of starvation on the wood-feeding 

 Trichonjmpha. Starvation resulted within two days in a complete 

 disappearance of granular membranes; at the same time the 

 parabasal bodies came to consist of segmented, inflated sacs only. 

 After three days, some parabasal filaments were seen associated 

 with only a few swollen sacs. Twenty-four hours after refeeding, 

 granular membranes were present but sparse, and parabasal bodies 

 consisted of exceptionally large piles of flat, oriented sacs. 

 Following another day with food, granular membranes again 

 were abundant and parabasals contained a normal complement of 

 flat and inflated sacs. Grimstone suggested that the granular 

 reticulum was contributing membranes to the parabasal bodies. 

 His cytochemical studies showed that the parabasal apparatus 

 contained acid phosphatase and a polysaccharide which also 

 appeared in some abundance near the cell membrane. He 

 postulated that the Golgi zone may function to produce a poly- 

 saccharide that could have unusual structural importance in these 

 flagellates with low protein resources. 



