Origin of Auer Bodies

Evidence accrued by electron microscopic study of in vitro tissue-cultured leukemic cells supports Ackerman’s histochemical evidence that Auer bodies are formed from azurophilic granules, a circumstance first postulated by Nakashima in 1924. The enzymatic content and structure of these granules conforms to that of lysosomes, according to deDuve’s concept. Therefore the Auer body actually represents an unusual form, or abnormal development, of lysosomes.