Summary
Electron-microscopic studies of peripheral nerves as prepared by the freezeetching method show the myelin lamella to be 185 Å thick. This is the same dimension found by x-ray diffraction analysis of natural myelin. In contrast to the appearance of osmiumfixed material, the cytoplasmic surfaces of the paired membranes in the myelin lamella are apposed to two fine, separate lines, while the outer membrane sides are fused into a broader single line. The finding of a decidedly different structure for the outer and for the inner membrane surfaces appears to be the cause of the difference factor.
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This work was supported by the Swiss National Foundation (Nr. 4065). — Acknowledgement: We thank the Balzers AG. (9496 Balzers, Fürstentum Liechtenstein) for providing us with the High Vakuum Device.
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Bischoff, A., Moor, H. The ultrastructure of the “difference factor” in the myelin. Z.Zellforsch 81, 571–580 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00541015
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00541015