Features of the aperiodic microfibrils associated with mouse dental basement membrane demonstrated by ultrastructural histochemistry.

Histochemical features of aperiodic microfibrils (AMF) in mouse tooth germs were examined at the electron microscopic level. Intact and EDTA-isolated materials obtained from one day old first molars were used for ruthenium red (RR) staining, ferritin permeability, periodic acid-silver methenamine (PAM) impregnation, fibronectin localisation, negative staining on cryo-sections and tannic acid fixation. Electron microscopy and negative staining demonstrated that AMF traverse the basal lamina and penetrate below the inner enamel epithelium. In addition to RR staining, PAM impregnation and tannic acid fixation showed deposition on the AMF which was associated with basal laminae. RR staining and tannic acid fixation also indicated the presence of glycoprotein-rich materials in the lamina lucida. The AMF were derived from the lamina lucida which was closely associated with tannic acid-positive granular materials. The precipitation of silver particles by PAM impregnation was seen on banded collagen fibrils, basal lamina and AMF, but the staining features of AMF differed distinctly from those of collagen fibrils. The distribution of ferritin particles revealed that the basal lamina covering EDTA-isolated papilla tissue is a continuous structure. Immuno-reactions for fibronectin were detected on the basal lamina and AMF. Our results suggest that AMF are derived from the glycoprotein-rich lamina lucida and that their histochemical characteristics resemble those of basal lamina.