Disaccharidase-deficient animals have normal ultrastructure of intestinal brush border membranes.

The intestinal disaccharidases, lactase, sucrase-isomaltase complex, and glucoamylase are proteins intimately associated with the brush-border membrane of the epithelial cell. These three enzyme activities are found in the intestine of the adult rat; lactase and glucoamylase activities are primarily associated with the intestine of the infant rat. Only glucoamylase and isomaltase activities are detected in the intestine of the California sea lion, Zalophus californianus. The activities of these enzymes are detected only in villus cells, and not in crypt cells. We have carried out electron microscopic studies of negatively stained brush-border preparations of intestinal crypt and villus cells; from the intestine of the 10-day-old rat and from that of the California sea lion. The density of the knob-like structures protruding from the brush-border membranes was not significantly different in any of these preparations. The diameter of the knobs on the preparations from crypt cells was smaller than the diameters of the knobs found on membranes prepared from the other sources. These data are discussed in terms of the relationship between the presence of knob structures and disaccharides activities associated with the brush-border membranes.