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Ultrastructure of the Squid Axon Membrane as Revealed by Freeze-Fracture Electron Microscopy

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Summary

  1. 1.

    The structure of the axolemma of the squid giant axon was studied by freeze-fracture electron microscopy.

  2. 2.

    Three types of preparations were examined: intact axons, axons with their Schwann cell sheaths stripped off prior to freezing, and axons with their Schwann cell sheaths chemically detached but not mechanically removed.

  3. 3.

    Because of a problem of cross-fracturing, the first two types of preparations revealed very few membrane faces of the axolemma. This cross-fracturing problem, however, was eliminated when we used a complementary replication method to fracture the third type of preparation.

  4. 4.

    We found that the E-face of the axon membrane was smooth relative to the P-face, which showed many prominent intramembrane particles (IMP). The diameters of the typical IMP range from 6 to 15 nm.

  5. 5.

    The P-face of the adjacent Schwann cells also showed many large IMP. The sizes and heights of the Schwann-cell IMP, however, appear to be more homogeneous than the P-face axolemma.

  6. 6.

    On the basis of existing physiological and biochemical information about the estimated size and density of the so-called sodium-channel proteins, we suspect that some of the IMP at the P-face of the axolemma, especially those with diameters between 9 and 11 nm, may be associated with the intramembrane component of the sodium channels.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology and Molecular Biophysics, Baylor College of Medicine, 77030, Houston, Texas, USA

    Donald C. Chang

  2. Laboratory of Neurobiology, National Institute of Mental Health, 20205, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    Ichiji Tasaki

  3. Physics Department, Rice University, 77251, Houston, Texas, USA

    Donald C. Chang

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  1. Donald C. Chang
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  2. Ichiji Tasaki
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Chang, D.C., Tasaki, I. Ultrastructure of the Squid Axon Membrane as Revealed by Freeze-Fracture Electron Microscopy. Cell Mol Neurobiol 6, 43–53 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00742975

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00742975

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