Matrix control of protein diffusion in biological membranes

Mobility of fluorescent derivatives of cytochrome c in mitochondria

Motion of cytochrome c bound to giant (2-10-micron diam) mitochondria isolated from the waterbug Lethocerus indicus was examined using the technique of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. Fluorescent cytochrome c was exchanged for native cytochrome c through partly damaged outer membrane. Recovery profiles were not statistically different when the fluorescence from iron-free cytochrome c or fluorescein-labeled cytochrome c was used and were essentially the same in the presence or absence of an uncoupler. In the presence of excess porphyrin cytochrome c, the apparent diffusion coefficient was 6 X 10(-11) cm2/s in 0.3 M sucrose-mannitol-EDTA and 3 X 10(-10) cm2/s in 0.10 M KCl/0.10 M sucrose. At concentrations of porphyrin cytochrome c that are stoichiometric with cytochrome c oxidase and for mitochondria in which excess cytochrome c was washed away, two components were observed in the recovery profile. The diffusion coefficient of the fast component was 1 X 10(-10) cm2/s. The second component showed no recovery during the time scale of measurement (D less than 10(-12) cm2/s). We speculate on the origin of the immobile fraction.

Measurement of the lateral diffusion coefficients of ubiquinones in lipid vesicles by fluorescence quenching of 12-(9-anthroyl)stearate

The lateral diffusion coefficients of some ubiquinone homologues have been measured in phospholipid vesicles exploiting the fluorescence quenching of the probe 12-(9-anthroyl)stearate by the quinones. Diffusion coefficients higher than 10(-6) cm2 X s-1 have been found at 25 degrees C, compatible with the localization of the ubiquinones in the low-viscosity midplane region of the bilayer.

A laser-induced ultrasonic probe of the mechanical properties of aligned lipid multibilayers

The recently developed laser-induced phonon spectroscopy (LIPS) technique is applied to the determination of dynamic mechanical properties of aligned dilauroylphosphatidylcholine (DLPC) multibilayer arrays containing 2 and 20% water by weight. Sample excitation by two crossed 100-ps laser pulses generates a longitudinal ultrasonic wave whose wavelength depends on the crossing angle. In these experiments, the acoustic wave propagates parallel to the bilayer planes. The ultrasonic velocity and attenuation are monitored through the diffraction of a variably delayed probe pulse by the acoustic grating. The velocity measures the lateral area compressibility of the bilayers, while the attenuation is related to the viscosity. Velocities obtained in the gel and liquid crystal phases are compared with those found previously using Brillouin scattering. The acoustic attenuation is shown to be an order of magnitude more sensitive to the gel-liquid crystal phase transition than the velocity. The lipid area compressibility and viscosity of DLPC-20% water multilayers with and without 100 mM CaCl2 are found to be identical within our experimental error.

Lateral diffusion of wild-type and mutant Ld antigens in L cells

We have compared the lateral diffusion of intact transmembrane proteins, wild-type H-2Ld antigens, with that of mutants truncated in the cytoplasmic domain. Diffusion coefficients and mobile fractions were similar for all molecules examined, from wild-type Ld antigens with 31 residues on the cytoplasmic side of the plasma membrane to mutants with only four residues in the cytoplasmic domain. This result limits ways in which the lateral diffusion of a major histocompatibility antigen, a transmembrane protein, can be constrained by interactions with other molecules.

Lateral diffusion of an 80,000-dalton glycoprotein in the plasma membrane of murine fibroblasts: relationships to cell structure and function

The lateral diffusion of an 80,000-dalton major cell surface glycoprotein of murine fibroblasts has been measured. This antigen, identified through the use of monoclonal antibodies, is an integral glycoprotein distributed through the plasma membrane as judged by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy (see preceding paper). Measurements of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching were performed on the antigen-antibody complex within the plasma membrane of C3H/10T1/2 and NIH/3T3 cells after labeling the monoclonal antibody with fluorescein. Measurements were performed as a function of temperature, for interphase, mitotic, and G0 C3H/10T1/2 cells. The mean lateral diffusion coefficients (D) for the antibody-protein complex in interphase cells were in the range of 0.7-3.5 X 10(-10) cm2/s between 9 degrees and 37 degrees C, while that for the lipid analog probe, dihexadecylindocarbocyanine was about two orders of magnitude greater. This comparison indicates that peripheral interactions other than bilayer fluidity limit the lateral mobility of the antigen. The mobile fraction of mitotic, G0, and interphase cells showed a monotonic increase with temperature with most of the antibody-antigen complexes being free to move about 25 degrees C. Semi-quantitative interpretations of both the slow glycoprotein diffusion and the immobile fraction are offered. Comparison of diffusion coefficients for cells in different phases of the cell cycle does not reveal striking differences. Mobile fractions for G0 cells at 25 degrees C or less are substantially lower than in interphase cells. In all cases, there was a remarkably broad range of the fluorescence recovery data between different cells, resulting in up to a 10-fold variation in diffusion coefficients, which is far greater than the precision limits of the experiment. Diffusion values and mobile fractions were generally well within a factor of two when measured at several arbitrary points on a single cell. The origins of this cellular heterogenity remain to be elucidated. Lateral mobility in cell fragments and specific regions of single cells was also examined. The glycoprotein was mobile in ventral surface cell fragments. Its mobility was not altered in regions of cell-cell underlapping. However, the diffusion coefficient was threefold higher near the leading edge of motile cells compared to the trailing region. This difference may reflect weaker coupling of the glycoprotein to the underlying cytoskeleton in the dynamic leading edge region.

Early cytoplasmic specialization at the presumptive acetylcholine receptor cluster: a meshwork of thin filaments

Postsynaptic differentiation can be experimentally induced in cultured Xenopus myotomal muscle cells by polyornithine-coated latex beads (Peng, H. B., and P.-C. Cheng, 1982, J. Neurosci., 2:1760-1774). In this study, we examined the time course of this process. Small, punctate acetylcholine receptor (AChR) clusters were detectable as early as 1.5 h after the addition of the beads. Subsequently, both the size and the number of the clusters increased with time until a saturation level was reached between 8-24 h. Because the onset and the site of the AChR clustering could be precisely marked, we were able to examine the early structural specializations associated with presumptive AChR clusters. At 1 h, when less than 20% bead-muscle contacts displayed AChR clusters, 70% of the contacts already exhibited a meshwork of 5-6-nm filaments, which were of the same size as the thin filaments within the myofibrils and thus may contain actin. A system of cisternae similar to the smooth endoplasmic reticulum was suspended within this meshwork, but other organelles were excluded from it. This meshwork, being the earliest cytoplasmic specialization at the presumptive AChR clusters and appearing before the clusters, may be a mechanism for the clustering process.

A localized surface protein of guinea pig sperm exhibits free diffusion in its domain

Using the technique of fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching, we are studying the cellular mechanisms involved in localizing surface molecules to particular domains. A number of antigens localized to discrete surface regions have been identified with monoclonal antibodies on guinea pig sperm cells ( Primakoff , P., and D. G. Myles , 1983, Dev. Biol., 98:417-428). One of these monoclonal antibodies, PT-1, binds exclusively to the posterior tail region of the sperm cell surface. PT-1 recognizes an integral membrane protein that in complex with n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside has a sedimentation coefficient of 6.8S in sucrose density gradients. Fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching measurements reveal that within its surface domain the PT-1 antigen diffuses rapidly (D = 2.5 X 10(-9) cm2/s) and completely (greater than 90% recovery after bleaching). These results rule out for this membrane protein all models that invoke immobilization as a mechanism for maintaining localization. We propose that the mechanism for localization of the PT-1 antigen may be a barrier to diffusion at the domain boundary.

Cell poking. Determination of the elastic area compressibility modulus of the erythrocyte membrane

Cell poking, a new method for measuring mechanical properties of single cells was used to determine the elastic area compressibility modulus of osmotically swollen human erythrocytes. With this method we determined the force required to indent cells attached to a glass coverslip (Petersen, N.O., W. B. McConnaughey , and E. L. Elson , 1982, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 79:5327. Forces on the order of one millidyne and indentations on the order of one micron were detected. An analysis of these data in terms of a simplified mechanical model yielded the elastic area compressibility modulus. This analysis used a variational approach to minimize the isothermal elastic potential energy density function given by E. A. Evans and R. Skalak (Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Biomembranes, 1980, CRC Press, Boca Raton , FL). Measurements on swollen erythrocytes gave a range of values, depending in part on the osmotic conditions, of 17.9 +/- 8.2 to 34.8 +/- 12.0 mdyn /micron for the elastic area compressibility modulus at 25 degrees C. Fractional area expansion greater than 2.6 +/- 0.8% produced rapid cell lysis. These values were not corrected for the reversible movement of water across the cell membrane in response to hydrostatic pressure gradients. Our results agree reasonably with those obtained by Evans et al. (Evans, E.A., R. Waugh , and L. Melnick , 1976, Biophys. J., 16:585-595.) using micropipette aspiration under similar conditions.

Adenylate cyclase and membrane fluidity. The repressor hypothesis

The relationships between membrane fluidity as induced by drug addition and the stimulation of adenylate cyclase by hormones (mainly catecholamines), GTP, Gpp(NH)p and NaF are reviewed. In particular, the data corresponding to pigeon erythrocyte membranes are reviewed and compared with other data published in the literature. A brief summary of the theories involved in fluidity measurements and their significance at the molecular level is also given for anisotropy of fluorescence and electron spin resonance. One of the conclusions is that the cationic drugs and neutral alcohols by perturbing preferentially the inner half-layer of the bilayer induced in pigeon erythrocyte membrane correlated multiphasic changes on fluidity and adenylate cyclase activity. This and other experimental data concerning the regulation of the adenylate cyclase are discussed in regard to a new interpretation of cyclase stimulation: the repressor hypothesis. In cell membrane the catalytic unit C is repressed by its association with a repressor complex made of the hormone receptor R and the regulatory protein N. The activation of cyclase activity is the dissociation of the catalytic unit C from the repressor complex R.N according to the equilibrium: R.N.C (inactive) in equilibrium R.N + C (active). Hormones, metal ions (magnesium), and nucleotides (GTP) are the allosteric ligands which shift this equilibrium towards the dissociation state with the liberation of the active form, membrane-bound, C unit. Gpp(NH)p, fluoride and forskolin will also shift the equilibrium toward the right. GDP and free receptors favour the associated repressed state of the system.

Plasma membrane reorganization induced by tumor promoters in an epithelial cell line

The effects of phorbol ester tumor promoters on the lateral diffusion in plasma membrane lipid environments were examined by the technique of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. To this end, the probe collarein, a fluorescent lipid analog that has the property of exclusive localization in the plasma membrane, was synthesized. Measured decreases in three parameters [percentage of fluorescence bleached (30%), percentage of recovery (52%), and half-time for recovery (52%)] connoted the appearance of an immobile fraction upon exposure to tumor promoters. These data are consistent with lipid reorganization in response to a reorganization of the intra- and perimembranous macromolecular scaffolding upon the interaction of cells with tumor promoters. The idea of induced reorganization is supported by experiments in which cell shape change, brought about by either exposure to cytochalasin B or growth on matrices of collagen, fibronectin, or laminin, resulted in values in the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching technique similar to those with active phorbol esters.

Lipid diffusibility in the intact erythrocyte membrane

The lateral diffusion of fluorescent lipid analogues in the plasma membrane of intact erythrocytes from man, mouse, rabbit, and frog has been measured by fluorescence photobleaching recovery (FPR). Intact cells from dystrophic, normoblastic, hemolytic, and spherocytotic mouse mutants; from hypercholesterolemic rabbits and humans; and from prenatal, neonatal, and juvenile mice have been compared with corresponding normals. The lateral diffusion coefficient (D) for 3,3'-dioctadecylindodicarbocyanine iodide (DiI[5]) in intact normal human erythrocytes is D = 8.2 +/- 1.2 X 10(-9) cm2/s at 25 degrees C and D = 2.1 +/- 0.4 X 10(-8) cm2/s at 37 degrees C, and varies approximately 50-fold between 1 degree and 42 degrees C. The diffusion constants of lipid analogue rhodamine-B phosphatidylethanolamine (RBPE) are about twice those of DiI[5]. The temperature dependence and magnitude of D vary by up to a factor of 3 between species and are only influenced by donor age in prenatals. DiI[5] diffusibility is not perturbed by the presence of calcium or local anesthetics or by spectrin depletion (via mutation). However, lipid-analogue diffusibility in erythrocyte ghosts may differ from intact cells. Dietary hypercholesterolemia in rabbits reduces the diffusion coefficient and eliminates the characteristic break in Arrhenius plots of D found in all other cells studied except frog.

Electro-fusion of mesophyll protoplasts ofAvena sativa : Determination of the cellular adenylate-level of hybrids and its influence on the fusion process

In order to assay the viability of electrically fused mesophyll protoplasts ofAvena sativa a technique was developed to determine adenylate levels in single protoplasts and fusion products. The results demonstrate that the intracellular ATP/ADP ratios are identical before and after fusion (values between 1.4 and 1.8) and that the time of the rounding up process is directly related to the ATP level of the hybrid. This was shown by the manipulation of the intracellular ATP/ADP ratio in the light using different effectors. Hybrids with an ATP/ADP ratio of 2.3 needed 54 s to round up completely; in the presence of antimycin (inhibition of both oxidative and light-dependent cyclic electron flow: ATP/ADP=1.1) or dibromothymoquinone (plastoquinone antagonist: ATP/ADP=1.0) the time for rounding up was slightly increased (64 s and 76 s respectively), whereas after preincubation with antimycin, dichlorophenyldimethylurea (inhibition of oxidative and light-dependent electron flow) or uncouplers (ATP/ADP=0.19-0.32) this process needed 128-153s for completion. These results are discussed in relation to the viability of electrically induced fusion products and to energy-dependent events involved in the process of fusion.

Structural and dynamic states of actin in the erythrocyte

Analysis of the nucleotide tightly associated with isolated erythrocyte cytoskeletons show it to be ADP, rather then ATP. This confirms that at least a major part of the erythrocyte actin is in the F-form. A re-evaluation of the stoichiometry of spectrin and actin in the erythrocyte (taking account of a gross difference between the color responses of the two proteins on staining of electrophoretic gels) leads to values of 1x10(5) and 5x10(5) for the number of molecules of spectrin tetramer and actin respectively per cell. It has been found possible to perform spectrophotometric DNAase I assays fro actin on lysed whole cells. The concentration of monomeric actin at 0 degrees C is approximately 16 mug/ml packed cells. After washing the lysed cells the monomer pool is not re-established, indicating that only a small proportion of the actin subunits are free to dissociate. The actin monomer concentration in the cytosol remains unchanged after equilibration of the cells with cytochalasin E. The ability of actin-containing complexes in the membrane to nucleate the polymerization of added G-actin was measured fluorimetrically; it was found that membranes incubated with cytochalasin E were completely inert with respect to nucleating activity under conditions that favor appreciable growth at the slowly-growing ("pointed") ends of free actin filaments. This suggests that these ends of the actin "protofilaments" in the red cell are blocked or sterically obstructed. After treatment of the membranes with guanidine hydrochloride under conditions that dissociate F-actin, the measured concentration of actin monomer rises to approximately 180 mug/ml of packed cells, which is nearly 70 percent of the total actin content. On treatment with trypsin in the presence of DNAase, the spectrin and 4.1 are extensively degraded, but the actin remains undamaged. This treatment, followed by exposure to guanidine hydrochloride, causes a further rise in the concentration of actin responsive to the DNAase assay to 250 mug/ml of cells, compared with 270 mug/ml estimated by densitometry of stained gels. The oligomeric complex, consisting of actin, spectrin, and 4.1, that is extracted from the membrane at low ionic strength, generates no detectable actin monomer after the same treatment. From literature data on the number of cytochalasin binding sites per cell and our value for the total actin content, we obtain a number-average degree of polymerization for actin in the membrane of 12-17. The results lead to a model for the structure of the cytoskeletal network and suggest some consequences of metabolic depletion.

Effects of extracellular calcium depletion on membrane topography and occluding junctions of mammary epithelial cells in culture

Ca2+ dependence of occluding junction structure and permeability, well documented in explanted or cultured epithelial sheets, presumably reflects inherent control mechanisms. As an approach to identification of these mechanisms, we induced disassembly of zonulae occludentes in confluent monolayers of mouse mammary epithelial cells by exposure to low concentrations of the chelators, EGTA or sodium citrate. Stages in disassembly were monitored during treatment by phase-contrast microscopy and prepared for transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Cellular response included several events affecting occluding junctions: (a) Centripetal cytoplasmic contraction created tension on junction membranes and displaced intramembrane strands along lines determined by the axis of tension. (b) Destabilization of junction position, probably through increased membrane fluidity, augmented tension-induced movement of strands, resulting in fragmentation of the junction belt. (c) Active ruffling and retraction of freed peripheral membranes remodeled cell borders to produce many filopodia, distally attached by occluding-junction fragments to neighboring cell membranes. Filopodia generally persisted until mechanically ruptured, when endocytosis of the junction and adhering cytoplasmic bleb ensued. Junction disassembly thus resulted from mechanical tensions generated by initial centripetal contraction and subsequent peripheral cytoskeletal activity, combined with destabilization of the junction's intramembrane strand pattern.

Unconstrained lateral diffusion of concanavalin A receptors on bulbous lymphocytes

The lateral diffusion coefficient, D, of concanavalin A receptors and receptor complexes on the surface of lymphocytes and RDM4 lymphomas is enhanced by several orders of magnitude to D greater than 5 X 10(-9)cm2/sec by induction of swelling of the cells to bulbous form. Treatments with concanavalin A or 7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole-phallacidin induce blebs and the bulbous form. The resulting separation of the plasma membrane from most of the F-actin cytoskeleton is accompanied by release of constraints on lateral diffusion of the cell surface receptors, which allows the diffusivity of these glycoproteins to increase nearly to the limit allowed by membrane viscosity.

Surface functions during mitosis. III. Quantitative analysis of ligand-receptor movement into the cleavage furrow: diffusion vs. flow

The surface distribution of concanavalin A (Con A) bound to cell membrane receptors varies dramatically as a function of mitotic phase. The lectin is distributed diffusely on cells labeled and observed between mid-prophase and early anaphase, whereas cells observed in late anaphase or telophase demonstrate a marked accumulation of Con A-receptor complexes over the developing cleavage furrow (Berlin, Oliver, and Walter. 1978. Cell. 15:327-341). In this report, we first use a system based on video intensification fluorescence microscopy to describe the simultaneous changes in cell shape and in lectin-receptor complex topography during progression of single cells through the mitotic cycle. The video analysis establishes that fluorescein succinyl Con A (F-S Con A)-receptor complex redistribution begins coincident with the first appearance of the cleavage furrow and is essentially complete within 2-3 min. This remarkable redistribution of surface fluorescence occurs during only a modest change in cell shape from a sphere to a belted cylinder. It reflects the translocation of complexes and not the accumulation of excess labeled membrane in the cleavage furrow: first, bound fluorescent cholera toxin which faithfully outlines the plasma membrane is not accumulated in the cleavage furrow, and, second, electron microscopy of peroxidase-Con A labeled cells undergoing cleavage shows that there is a high linear density of lectin within the furrow while Con A is virtually eliminated from the poles. The rate of surface movement of F-S Con A was quantitated by photon counting during a repetitive series of laser-excited fluorescence scans across dividing cells. Results were analyzed in terms of two alternative models of movement: a flow model in which complexes moved unidirectionally at constant velocity, and a diffusion model in which complexes could diffuse freely but were trapped at the cleavage furrow. According to these models, the observed rates of accumulation were attainable at either an effective flow velocity of approximately 1 micron/min, or an effective diffusion coefficient of approximately 10(-9) cm2/s. However, in separate experiments the lectin-receptor diffusion rate measured directly by the method of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) on metaphase cells was only approximately 10(-10) cm2/s. Most importantly, photobleaching experiments during the actual period of F-S Con A accumulation showed that lectin-receptor movement during cleavage occurs unidirectionally. These results rule out diffusion and make a process of oriented flow of ligand-receptor complexes the most likely mechanism for ligand-receptor accumulation in the cleavage furrow.

Note on the interpretation of lateral diffusion coefficients

It is suggested that interpretation of lateral diffusion coefficients measured in membranes should include the effect of forces.

Restricted mobility of membrane constituents in cell-substrate focal contacts of chicken fibroblasts

We studied the lateral mobility of membrane components in cell-substrate focal contacts using the fluorescence photobleaching recovery method. The measurements were performed on isolated substrate-attached membranes of chicken gizzard fibroblasts. The diffusion coefficients of a fluorescent lipid probe and rhodamine-conjugated surface proteins within contact regions (identified by interference-reflection microscopy) were significantly lower than those measured in nonattached areas along the ventral membrane. Complete recovery of fluorescence after photobleaching of the lipid probe was measured both in focal contacts and in nonattached areas with lateral diffusion coefficient (D) of approximately 10(-8) cm2/s. This indicated that the lipid probe is free to diffuse from and into the contact regions. Rhodamine-labeled surface components (mostly proteins) exhibited almost complete recovery after bleaching (approximately 90%) in unattached regions of the ventral membrane with D congruent to 10(-9 cm2/s. The rhodamine-labeled proteins in focal contacts showed only partial recovery (approximately 50%), suggesting that large proportion of the membrane proteins in cell-substrate contacts are immobile (within the time scale of the experiments, D less than or equal to 5 x 10(-12) cm2/s. The implications of these findings on the molecular dynamics of cell contacts are discussed.

Extraction of membrane microviscosity from translational and rotational diffusion coefficients

We report the exact calculation of the Stokes drag for cylindrical particles diffusing in Saffman's model membrane. Simultaneous prediction of lateral and rotational diffusion coefficients suggests that microviscosities may not be as large as previously thought and implicates the bathing viscosities.

Cell surface properties of HLA antigens on Epstein-Barr virus-transformed cell lines

A number of monoclonal antibodies have been used to investigate the distributions and rates of lateral motion of the HLA-A,B, and-DR antigens on several Epstein--Barr virus-transformed B-cell lines. The lateral diffusion coefficients (D) of fluorescein conjugates of the monoclonal antibodies bound to the cell surface were determined by fluorescence recovery after pattern photobleaching. Ds of HLA-A and-B were found to be comparable and of the order of 10(-9) to 10(-10) cm2/sec for each of the seven monoclonal antibodies and four cell lines examined. The HLA antigens appear to be monomeric on the cell surface based on experiments using mixtures of arsanilic acid-conjugated and fluorescein-conjugated antibodies. Four monoclonal antibodies against DR antigens were examined. Two of these, Genox 3.53 and L243, labeled the cell surface uniformly and gave Ds comparable to those obtained for the HLA-A and -B antigens. The other two, DA2 and 2.06, rapidly patched on the cell surface and were immobile. The DA2, L243, and Genox 3.53 antibodies bound outside of the caps formed with the arsanilic acid-conjugated 2.06 antibody and a second-step rhodamine-conjugated rabbit anti-arsanilate antibody. This is consistent with recent biochemical evidence that there are multiple distinct antigens coded for by the HLA-DR region.

Removal of the Schwann sheath from the giant nerve fiber of the squid: an electron-microscopic study of the axolemma and associated axoplasmic structures

The axolemma is associated structurally and functionally with the axoplasm, forming an axolemma-ectoplasm complex. To study the structure of this complex, a new technique was developed for removing the Schwann sheath from a portion of the giant nerve fiber. An isolated fiber was treated, without loss of excitability, with trypsin dissolved in natural seawater. Next, the fiber was treated with a mild fixative and then was placed in a hypertonic solution of sucrose in seawater. The elevated sheath was transected and everted, thus exposing the surface of the axon. Desheathed axons were examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The surface of the axon has a ridge-and-groove pattern, reflecting an underlying helical arrangement of filaments which bundle and unbundle. Both left and right axons of the squid possess right-handed helical twists with a tilt angle of 10 degrees. Hemispherical protuberances about 1.5 microns at their base are observed along the ridges. Thin sections of the desheathed axons reveal that the desheathing procedure leaves the axolemma intact. Desheathed axons display electron-dense bodies associated with the axolemma and with the filaments of the ectoplasm similar to the dense bodies observed in whole fibers fixed in the presence of 10 mM Co(II) ions. Axons perfused for 40 min with a solution containing 2 mM Co(II) ions retain their excitability and display a smooth inner ectoplasmic face. A portion of the axolemma, together with adhering ectoplasm, was removed from desheathed axons, mounted between folding double grids, stained, and critical-point dried. Through this novel method a network of 10 nm filaments spaced 40 nm apart and cross-linked by filaments 5 to 7 nm in diameter was demonstrated.

Association dynamics and lateral transport in biological membranes

A theoretical analysis is presented for the interrelated effects of lateral diffusion and a simple form of molecular association (A + B in equilibrium with C) in biological membranes. Expression are derived for the characteristic functions measured in fluorescence redistribution after photobleaching experiments, corresponding to both the Fourier transform analysis of concentration in a plane and the normal mode analysis for a spherical surface. The results are related to the reputed binding of integral membrane proteins to submembranous cytoskeletal elements.