"Half" Membrane Enrichment: Verification by Electron Microscopy

Membranes of intact erythrocytes bound to polylysine-treated glass fracture nonrandomly when covered with thin copper and frozen. Electron microscopic examination of the glass side reveals extensive areas of outer "half" membrane (B face) and of the copper side, inner "half" membrane (A face). This technique allows the ultrastructural examination of square-centimeter areas of fractured membrane and the chemical analysis of these membrane "halves".