[The use of freeze-etching in the ultrastructural study of the cornea]

The freeze-etching and freeze-fracturing techniques allow a good examination of fixed and unfixed tissues by the mean of transmission electron microscope. As compared with usual techniques of fixed and embedded tissues we can observe the ultrastructural characteristics of the rabbit cornea: epithelium, stroma and endothelium. This technique is the best one to give a good view of the intercellular junctions. 1) On the epithelial layers we describe intracytoplasmic bunches of filaments and numerous desmosomes. After freeze-fracturing the desmosomes appeared to be formed of aggregated particles on fractured faces. These particles are possibly the point of attachment of intracytoplasmic tonofibrils.