A method is described for the rapid preparation of the cell-membrane network of a wool fiber in an expanded form suitable for microscopy. The form of the network is considerably modified by prior soaking of the fiber in ethanol at ambient temperature; this is ascribed to extraction of lipids from the membranes, so destroying their mutual adhesion by releasing them from the intercellular cement.
A modification of the preparative technique is described that produces cortical cell membranes inside a tube of mutually adhering, relatively unaltered cuticle cells. This modification reveals particularly clearly the bilaterality of the cortex and any differences in reactions of the cuticle around the circumference of the fiber.
Some earlier work on the existence of a “sub-cutis,” “sub-cuticular membrane,” or “zwischenmembran” is discussed and reinterpreted in the light of certain features observed in the course of this work.
Deposition of polymers on the fiber makes the cuticle less extensible, so that it may split during preparation of the membranes.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AlexanderP., Recent Developments in Non-shrink Processes for Wool, J. Soc. Dyers Colourists66, 349–357 (1950).
2.
AlexanderP., A Resistant Membrane in Wool, Nature168, 1081–1082 (1951).
3.
AlexanderP.EarlandC., The Sub-Cuticle Membrane—A Recently Discovered Morphological Component of the Wool Fiber, Textile Res. J.20, 298–300 (1950).
4.
AlexanderP.ZahnH.HaselmannH., Comments on Reference [21], Textile Res. J.21, 236–283 (1951).
5.
AndersonC. A.LeederJ. D., Residual Lipid Contaminants in Processed Wool: The Composition of the Free Fatty Acids in Wool Fabric, Textile Res. J.35, 416–421 (1965).
6.
BlackburnS.LowtherA. G., The Action of Organic Acids on Some Fibrous Proteins: the Oxidation of Wool Keratin, Biochem. J.49, 554–559 (1951).
7.
BlaurockA. E.LiebW. R., X-Ray Diffraction Studies of Biomembranes, Nature255, 370–371 (1975).
8.
BradburyJ. H.LeederJ. D., Keratin Fibres, IV. Structure of Cuticle, Australian J. Biol. Sci.23, 843–854 (1970).
9.
BradburyJ. H.LeederJ. D.WattI. C., The Cell Membrane Complex of Wool, 4th Intnl. Wool Textile Res. Conf., Berkeley, Calif. (1970); published in Appl. Polymer Symp. No. 18, 227–236 (1971).
10.
BretscherM. S., Membrane Structure: Some General Principles, Science181, 622–629 (1973).
11.
CookJ. R.FeldtmanH. D.FleischfresserB. E., Surface Chemistry in the Application of Polymers to Wool, Proc. 5th Intnl. Wool Textile Res. Conf., Aachen, Germany (1975).
12.
CrewtherW. G., Pretreatments Which Affect the Susceptibility of Wool to Proteolysis. 1. The Effects of pH, Wetting Agents, and Solvent Extraction, Proc. Intnl. Wool Textile Res. Conf., Australia, C227–256 (1955).
13.
ElliottR. L., Discussion of the Paper: “The Cuticle of Wool,”J. Soc. Dyers Colourists66, 470 (1950).
14.
ElliottR. L.ManogueB., An Electron Microscope Study of the Surface Structure of Wool, J. Soc. Dyers Colourists68, 12–14 (1952).
15.
ElödE.ZahnH., Neuere Probleme der Wollforschung, Melliand Textilber.28, 217–221, 253–256, 291–294 (1947).
16.
FraserR. D. B.RogersG. E., Microscopic Observations of the Alkaline-Thioglycollate Extraction of Wool, Biochim. Biophys. Acta12, 484–485 (1953).
17.
FraserR. D. B.RogersG. E., The Structure of Resistant Membranes Isolated from Oxidized Wool, Textile Res. J.25, 235–241 (1955).
18.
FraserR. D. B.RogersG. E., New Aspects of the Fine Histology of Wool, Proc. Intnl. Wool Textile Res. Conf., Australia, F106–111 (1955).
19.
FreedmanR., New Ideas on the Membrane Sandwich, New Scientist66, 176 (1975).
20.
GoldenR. L.WhitwellJ. C.MercerE. H., The Amino Acid Compositions of Several Wool Fractions as Determined by Paper Chromatography, Textile Res. J.25, 334–342 (1955).
21.
GralénN.LagermalmG.PhilipB., The Sub-Cuticle Membrane—A Recently Discovered Morphological Component of the Wool Fiber, Textile Res. J.21, 234–236 (1951).
22.
HaselmannH.ZahnH., Über den histologischen Aufbau der Schuppenschicht von tierischen Haaren, Melliand Textilber.32, 1–6 (1951).
23.
HolmesA. W., Degradation of Human Hair by Papain. Part I: The Pattern of Degradation, Textile Res. J.34, 706–712 (1964).
24.
JacksonD. L. C., Modification of Wool by the Application of Linear Synthetic Polyamides. Part III: Pretreatment of Wool, Textile Res. J.23, 616–622 (1953).
25.
KingN. L. R.BradburyJ. H., The Chemical Composition of Wool. V. The Epicuticle, Australian J. Biol. Sci.21, 375–384 (1968).
26.
KrieglerA. B., Covalent Bonding between Polymers and Wool Proteins: The Extent of Covalent Bonding between Wool and a Polyurethane Prepolymer Containing Isocyanate Groups, J. Textile Inst.62, 411–414 (1971).
27.
LagermalmG.GralénN., Some Chemical Data Concerning the Epicuticle of Wool, Acta Chem. Scand.5, 1209–1210 (1951).
28.
LeachS. J.RogersG. E.FilshieB. K., The Selective Extraction of Wool Keratin with Dilute Acid. I. Chemical and Morphological Changes, Arch. Biochem. Biophys.105, 270–287 (1964).
29.
LeeA. G., Functional Properties of Biological Membranes: A Physical-Chemical Approach, Prog. Biophys. Molec. Biol.29, 3–56 (1975).
30.
LeederJ. D., The Resistant Membranes of Keratin Fibres, M.Sc. Thesis, Australian National University (1969).
31.
LeederJ. D.BradburyJ. H., Conformation of Epicuticle on Keratin Fibres, Nature218, 694–695 (1968).
32.
LeederJ. D.BradburyJ. H., The Discontinuous Nature of Epicuticle on the Surface of Keratin Fibers, Textile Res. J.41, 563–568 (1971).
33.
LehmannE., Neue Reactionen der tierischen Faser, Kolloid-Zeitschr.108, 6–10 (1944).
34.
LindbergJ., Rate of Acid Sorption by Wool Fibers, Textile Res. J.20, 381–384 (1950).
35.
LindbergJ., Relationship Between Various Surface Properties of Wool Fibers. Part III: Sorption of Dyes and Acids in Wool Fibers, Textile Res. J.23, 573–584 (1953).
36.
LindbergJ.PhilipB.GralénN., Occurrence of Thin Membranes in the Structure of Wool, Nature162, 458–459 (1948).
37.
LoftsP. F.TruterE. V., The Constitution of the Epicuticle of Wool, J. Textile Inst.60, 46–56 (1969).
38.
LundgrenH. P.WardW. H., The Keratins, in “Ultrastructure of Protein Fibers,”BoraskyR., Ed., Academic Press, New York, 1963, pp. 39–122.
39.
MakinsonK. R., Some New Observations on the Effects of Mild Shrinkproofing Treatments on Wool Fibers, Textile Res. J.38, 831–842 (1968).
40.
MakinsonK. R.LeadJ. A., The Nature and Function of the Resin in the Chlorine/Resin Shrinkproofing Treatment of Wool Tops, Textile Res. J.43, 669–681 (1973).
41.
MakinsonK. R.LeadJ. A., Mechanisms of Shrinkproofing in Polymer Treatments of Wool Tops, Proc. 5th Intnl. Wool Textile Res. Conf., Aachen, Germany (1975).
42.
MarinerP. F., Extra-Cortical Membranes and Layers of the Wool Fibre, Nature167, 231–232 (1951).
43.
MercerE. H., The Heterogeneity of the Keratin Fibers, Textile Res. J.23, 388–397 (1953).
44.
MercerE. H.LindbergJ.PhilipB., The “Subcutis” and Other Cuticular Preparations from Wool and Hair, Textile Res. J.19, 678–685 (1949).
45.
ReumuthH., “Beitrage zur Histologie und Pathologie der Wollfaser,” Dissertation, Technische Hochschule Aachen (1937).
46.
SchuringaG. J.AlgeraL.IsingsJ.UltéeA. J.Jr., Einige Bemerkungen über die Epikutikula der Wolle, Experientia8, 57–58 (1952).
47.
SchuringaG. J.SchooneveldtC. J.UltéeA. J.Jr., The Chemical Composition of the Epicuticle of Wool. II. Cross-Linking in Epicuticle Protein, Biochim. Biophys. Acta9, 506–514 (1952).
48.
SingerS. J.NicolsonG. L., The Fluid Mosaic Model of the Structure of Cell Membranes, Science175, 720–731 (1972).
49.
SwiftJ. A.BewsB., The Isolation of Membranes from Keratin Fibres with Papain and Dithiothreitol, J. Textile Inst.65, 222–224 (1974).
50.
SwiftJ. A.HolmesA. W., Degradation of Human Hair by Papain. Part II: Experiments in the Isolation and Identification of the Protective Substance, Textile Res. J.34, 777–782 (1964).
51.
SwiftJ. A.HolmesA. W., Degradation of Human Hair by Papain. Part III: Some Electron Microscope Observations, Textile Res. J.35, 1014–1019 (1965).
52.
ZahnH., Einiges aus der Wollforschung, ferner über einfache Methoden zum Nachweis von Wollschäden, Melliand Textilber.30, 275–281, 294 (1949).
53.
ZahnH., Die Epikutikula und die Allwördensche Reaktion, Melliand Textilber.32, 419–420 (1951).
54.
ZahnH., Neue Forschungsergebnisse an Wolle, Textil-Rundschau7, 305–317 (1952).
55.
ZahnH.HaselmannH., Über die Zwischenmembran in tierischen Haaren, Melliand Textilber.31, 225–230 (1950).
