Electron Microscopic Enzyme Cytochemistry

The primary aim of enzyme cytochemistry is elucidation of intracellular localization of enzymes. Enzyme cytochemical reactions are based on the enzymatic conversion of a substrate, followed by the deposition of electron dense products at the enzyme site. So, enzyme cytochemistry reveals not only the location of enzyme but also the intensity of its catalytic activity. The data obtained by enzyme cytochemistry can be easily compared to biochemical enzyme assay in test tubes. Immunocytochemistry detects the enzyme molecule itself, but gives no information about enzyme activity. Instead, immunocytochemistry is more correlative to immnological techniques such as Western blotting. Thus, enzyme cytochemistry shows distinct biological significance from immunocytochemistry.