Summary
After a specific time of glutaraldehyde-acrolein fixation, microtubule walls appear to be composed of single 6.5–7.5 nm diameter osmiophilic subunits. Variations in the duration of glutaraldehyde-acrolein and also glutaraldehyde-osmium fixation reveal a two layered wall containing osmiophilic subunits, 4.0–4.5 nm in diameter, arranged radially, in tandem. The double-layered wall is demonstrated by microdensitometer traces. These observations are discussed in relation to previously proposed models of microtubule substructure.
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Olson, L.W., Heath, I.B. Observations on the ultrastructure of microtubules. Z. Zellforsch. 115, 388–395 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00324941
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00324941