Two classes of vesicles are present and change in relative proportion during post-embryonic development of rectifying electrical synapses in the crayfish

The size and shape of vesicles at junctional appositions of the rectifying electrical synapses between the medial giant fibre and motor giant neurone of the crayfish were measured during the first 2 months after hatching. Summed data over this period reveal a bimodal distribution in vesicle diameter. From the day of hatching until about 7 days of age, small vesicles (circa 25 nm diameter) predominate. From day 7 onwards, larger vesicles (circa 55 nm diameter) occur in increasing numbers, until at day 56 they constitute about 85% of the population at any one junctional apposition. At intermediate ages (day 7–28) individual junctional appositions may show the same bimodal distribution in size as does the age group as a whole, indicating that large and small vesicles occur together at the same junction. The larger vesicles are mainly circular, while the small vesicles are pleomorphic, with shapes ranging from almost circular down to a shape factor of about 0.6. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.