freeze-fracture electron microscopy


freeze-fracture electron microscopy

[¦frēz‚frak·chər i‚lek‚trän mi′kräs·kə·pē] (cell and molecular biology) A technique used to visualize the inside of cellular membranes. Rapidly frozen cells are ruptured (fractured) so as to split open the membrane and expose the interior surfaces. A thin layer of carbon together with a metal (usually platinum) is then evaporated over the specimen to produce a replica of the surface, which is removed and examined in the electron microscope.