Plant cell-wall microfibril disposition revealed by freeze-fractured plasmalemma not treated with glycerol.

The plasmalemmata of root tip cells of Phaseolus vulgaris L. appear to be well preserved in freeze-fractured material in which no glycerol pre-treatment has been used. The plasmalemmata retain the impressions made by the microfibrils and pit-fields of the cell walls against which these membranes are pressed in turgid cells. Material freeze-fractured in this way is therefore more suitable than glycerol-treated material (in which these impressions are not retained) for the study of membrane features which may be related to microfibril synthesis.