Electron Microscopic Labeling of Intercellular Spaces in Isolated Tissue Specimens with Horseradish Peroxidase

Abstract

For electron microscopic study of cellular interactions it can be useful to mark the intercellular space with an electron opaque substance. By doing so, intercellular contacts, surface membrane fusions and membrane defects, as well as junctional associations, can be demonstrated much better (Gilula 1974). Ruthenium red (Luft 1971) or lanthanum (Revel and Karnovsky 1967) have often been used for this purpose. Both substances can be applied by perfusion or by diffusion technics. Unfortunately both show a rather irregular and inconstant distribution in the interstices of tissues, regardless of which technic has been applied (Luft 1971, Gebbers and Otto 1974).