Freeze-Cleaved Lung. A Preliminary Report on the Ultrastructure of the Alveolar Sac in Normal Mouse,
Abstract
The alveolar sac of mammalian lung is lined by a layer of extracellular material that is capable of lowering the tension at the air-surface interphase. The morphology of such a sac lining layer has been difficult to demonstrate with conventional thin section electron microscopy because of certain technical limitations imposed by thin section techniques. In this study an alternative electron microscopy preparative technique called freeze-cleaving or freeze-etching has been applied to the problem of demonstrating extracellular alveolar sac lining layers. This technique permits examination of the sac wall without tissue fixation, dehydration or embedding in plastic. Further, with freeze-cleaving large areas of the topography of the alveolar sac wall are seen in three-dimensional relief. Some observations on selected membrane systems in freeze-cleaved mouse lung are described. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0727520
Entities
People
- Gerald Nash
- James C. Hogg
- N. Scott Mcnutt
- Ronald S. Weinstein
Organizations
- Air Force Research Laboratory