Isolation of Synaptic Complexes in a Caesium Chloride Density Gradient: Electron Microscopic and Immunohistochemical Studies1

A technique is described for the improved isolation of synaptic complexes. Homogenates of guinea pig cerebellum and cerebral cortex were subjected to centrifugation, first in a discontinuous sucrose gradient, and secondly in a continuous caesium chloride gradient. Of the six bands that were obtained, band four contained a high proportion of synaptic complexes showing both pre‐ and postsynaptic elements attached to each other; myelin and free mitochondria were not contaminants of this fraction. Fluorescein‐labelled γ‐globulin prepared against band four reacted with synaptic regions of cerebellum and cerebral cortex, but not with cervical cord.