Some observations on the fine structure of the epidermal‐dermal junction in the skin of the frog tadpole, Rana rugosa

Special lamellated bodies, 400 to 700 Å in diameter, are observed in the adepidermal space at the epidermal‐dermal junction of the skin of the frog tadpole, Rana rugosa . Each stained lamella is about 20 Å thick and separated from adjacent lamellae by spacings of 20 to 30 Å. The lamellated bodies are demonstrated in specimens prepared with phosphotungstic acid (PTA)‐containing fixatives, but are not revealed in specimens fixed with ordinary aldehyde fixatives which lack PTA. They are sometimes observed within the cytoplasm of basal epidermal cells, suggesting their epidermal origin. Far less frequently, comparable structures are present outside the sarcolemma of skeletal muscle fibers. Three kinds of anchoring structures are observed at the epidermal‐dermal junction: anchoring filaments, anchoring fibrils, and anchoring fibers. The anchoring filaments are observed in the adepidermal space connecting hemidesmosomes to the basal lamina. They are 200 to 230 Å in diameter and have no banding pattern. Anchoring fibrils, 210 to 250 Å thick and unbanded, are present in the upper one‐third of the collagenous lamellae. Fibrils do not have a banding pattern. Direct continuity between anchoring fibrils and anchoring filaments is suggested. Anchoring fibers, about 170 mμ, thick, occur less frequently. They are composed of laterally aggregated finer fibrils which show no clear bandings. Their distal ends join with the basal lamina and they extend proximally deep into the collagenous lamellae.