Skip to main content
PMC home page
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1974 Feb;71(2):307–310. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.2.307

A Peculiar Substructure in the Postsynaptic Membrane of Torpedo Electroplax

Lelio Orci 1,2, Alain Perrelet 1,2, Yves Dunant 1,2
PMCID: PMC387992  PMID: 4521803

Abstract

Freeze-etching of Torpedo marmorata electroplax reveals an unusual substructure in one of the fracture faces of the postsynaptic membrane. This substructure consists of a lattice of closely spaced particles that are smaller than the usual 80- to 90-Å particles present in other membrane types. The lattice occurs exclusively on the B-face of the postsynaptic membrane.

Keywords: electric organ, membranes, freeze-etching, electron microscopy

Full text

PDF
310

Images in this article

308Image
on p.308

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Branton D. Fracture faces of frozen membranes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1966 May;55(5):1048–1056. doi: 10.1073/pnas.55.5.1048. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Branton D. Freeze-etching studies of membrane structure. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1971 May 27;261(837):133–138. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1971.0043. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cartaud J., Benedetti E. L., Cohen J. B., Meunier J. C., Changeux J. P. Presence of a lattice structure in membrane fragments rich in nicotinic receptor protein from the electric organ of Torpedo marmorata. FEBS Lett. 1973 Jun 15;33(1):109–113. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(73)80171-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Chalcroft J. P., Bullivant S. An interpretation of liver cell membrane and junction structure based on observation of freeze-fracture replicas of both sides of the fracture. J Cell Biol. 1970 Oct;47(1):49–60. doi: 10.1083/jcb.47.1.49. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Friend D. S., Gilula N. B. Variations in tight and gap junctions in mammalian tissues. J Cell Biol. 1972 Jun;53(3):758–776. doi: 10.1083/jcb.53.3.758. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. LUFT J. H. Improvements in epoxy resin embedding methods. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1961 Feb;9:409–414. doi: 10.1083/jcb.9.2.409. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. MOOR H., MUHLETHALER K., WALDNER H., FREY-WYSSLING A. A new freezing-ultramicrotome. J Biophys Biochem Cytol. 1961 May;10:1–13. doi: 10.1083/jcb.10.1.1. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. McNutt N. S., Weinstein R. S. The ultrastructure of the nexus. A correlated thin-section and freeze-cleave study. J Cell Biol. 1970 Dec;47(3):666–688. doi: 10.1083/jcb.47.3.666. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Mühlethaler K. Studies on freeze-etching of cell membranes. Int Rev Cytol. 1971;31:1–19. doi: 10.1016/s0074-7696(08)60055-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Nickel E., Potter L. T. Synaptic vesicles in freeze-etched electric tissue of Torpedo. Brain Res. 1970 Sep 29;23(1):95–100. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(70)90352-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Nickel E., Potter L. T. Synaptic vesicles in freeze-etched electric tissue of Torpedo. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1971 Jun 17;261(839):383–385. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1971.0070. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Pinto da Silva P., Branton D. Membrane splitting in freeze-ethching. Covalently bound ferritin as a membrane marker. J Cell Biol. 1970 Jun;45(3):598–605. doi: 10.1083/jcb.45.3.598. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. SABATINI D. D., BENSCH K., BARRNETT R. J. Cytochemistry and electron microscopy. The preservation of cellular ultrastructure and enzymatic activity by aldehyde fixation. J Cell Biol. 1963 Apr;17:19–58. doi: 10.1083/jcb.17.1.19. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. SHERIDAN M. N. THE FINE STRUCTURE OF THE ELECTRIC ORGAN OF TORPEDO MARMORATA. J Cell Biol. 1965 Jan;24:129–141. doi: 10.1083/jcb.24.1.129. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Satir B., Schooley C., Satir P. Membrane fusion in a model system. Mucocyst secretion in Tetrahymena. J Cell Biol. 1973 Jan;56(1):153–176. doi: 10.1083/jcb.56.1.153. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Tillack T. W., Marchesi V. T. Demonstration of the outer surface of freeze-etched red blood cell membranes. J Cell Biol. 1970 Jun;45(3):649–653. doi: 10.1083/jcb.45.3.649. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. VENABLE J. H., COGGESHALL R. A SIMPLIFIED LEAD CITRATE STAIN FOR USE IN ELECTRON MICROSCOPY. J Cell Biol. 1965 May;25:407–408. doi: 10.1083/jcb.25.2.407. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America are provided here courtesy of National Academy of Sciences

RESOURCES