Summary
Frog skin, bladder wall, and sciatic nerve were treated by Ranvier's silver nitrate method and subsequently fixed and sectioned for electron microscopy. In the epidermis of the skin, more silver is found deposited in the flask cells than elsewhere, especially as a sub-apical plaque in the neck of the flask, which appears after the skin has been flooded with silver nitrate for 5 minutes. Mitochondria rich cells in the bladder also accumulate more silver than the surrounding epithelial cells, but do not show such a distinct sub-apical plaque. In myelinated nerve fibres treated similarly, silver accumulates in the paranodal regions of the axon, and outside the axon at the node. It is suggested that silver may accumulate near a site of ion transport, due to structural specialisations not visible by standard electron microscope techniques, and that the flask cells may therefore be implicated in transport in the frog skin.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, C. W. M., Bayliss, O. B., Grant, R. T.: Copper binding and cholinesterase activity around the node of Ranvier. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 17, 125–127 (1969).
Alderman, Evangeline: An experimental study of the relationship of flask cells to molting in Triturus viridescens. Anat. Rec. 57, 303–314 (1933).
Choi, J. K.: The fine structure of the urinary bladder of the toad, Bufo marinus. J. Cell Biol. 16, 53–72 (1963).
Dibona, D. R., Civan, M. M., Leaf, A.: The anatomic site of the transepithelial permeability barriers of toad bladder. J. Cell Biol. 40, 1–7 (1969).
Erlij, D.: Salt transport across isolated frog skin. Phil Trans. B 262, 153–161 (1971).
Farquhar, Marilyn G., Palade, G. E.: Cell junctions in amphibian skin. J. Cell Biol. 26, 263–291 (1965).
Hviid Larsen, E.: Characteristics of aldosterone stimulated transport in isolated skin of the toad, Bufo bufo (L.). J. ster. Biochem. 3, 111–120 (1972).
Kay, D. H. (Ed.): Techniques for electron microscopy, 2nd. ed. Oxford: Blackwell 1965.
Keller, A. R.: A histochemical study of the toad urinary bladder. Anat. Rec. 147, 367–373 (1963).
Landon, D. N., Langley, O. K.: The local chemical environment of nodes of Ranvier: a study of cation binding. J. Anat. (Lond.) 108, 419–432 (1971).
Matty, A. J., Guiness, F. E.: The histochemistry of the urinary bladder of the toad Bufo bufo in relation to hormonal studies. J. Anat. (Lond.) 98, 271–276 (1964).
Nielsen, R.: The effect of aldosterone in vitro on the active sodium transport and moulting of the frog skin. Acta physiol. scand. 77, 85–94 (1969).
Ranvier, L. A.: Traité technique d'histologie. Paris: Savy 1875.
Rudneff, M.: Ueber die epidermoidale Schicht der Froschhaut. Arch. mikr. Anat. 1, 295–298 (1865).
Voûte, C. L., Dirix, R., Nielsen, R., Ussing, H. H.: The effect of aldosterone on the isolated frog skin epithelium (R. temporaria). Exp. Cell Res. 57, 448–449 (1969).
Voûte, C.L., Hänni, S., Ammann, E.: Aldosterone induced morphological changes in amphibian epithelia in vivo. J. ster. Biochem. 3, 161–165 (1972).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Whitear, M. The location of silver in frog epidermis after treatment by ranvier's method, and possible implication of the flask cells in transport. Z.Zellforsch 133, 455–461 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00307128
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00307128