ADHESION OF INTERMEDIATE FILAMENTS AND LIPID DROPLETS IN ADRENAL-CELLS STUDIED BY FIELD-EMISSION SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

High-resolution field emission scanning electron microscopy was used t o study the organisation of intermediate filaments around lipid drople ts and their binding to these droplets, in primary culture of bovine a drenal cells. Whole-mount preparations of intermediate filaments and b ound lipid droplets were prepared from cells grown on Formvar-coated g rids and processed by freeze-drying. Intermediate filaments were seen as an interconnected network enveloping the entire droplet. The bound filaments appear to be directly adherent to the surface of the droplet and hence take on its curved contour. The binding of the filaments to the droplets was determined by means of tilting. This study provides a new approach to investigate the cytoskeleton and its associated stru ctures with high-resolution three-dimensional images.