Quantitative Structural Analysis of Fat Crystal Networks by Means of Raman Confocal Imaging

Spirillum serpens possesses a surface layer protein which exhibits a regular hexagonal packing of the morphological subunits. A morphological model of the structure of the protein has been proposed at a resolution of about 25 Å, in which the morphological unit might be described as having the appearance of a flared-out, hollow cylinder with six ÅspokesÅ at the flared end. In order to understand the detailed association of the macromolecules, it is necessary to do a high resolution structural analysis. Large, single layered arrays of the surface layer protein have been obtained for this purpose by means of extensive heating in high CaCl2, a procedure derived from that of Buckmire and Murray. Low dose, low temperature electron microscopy has been applied to the large arrays.As a first step, the samples were negatively stained with neutralized phosphotungstic acid, and the specimens were imaged at 40,000 magnification by use of a high resolution cold stage on a JE0L 100B. Low dose images were recorded with exposures of 7-9 electrons/Å2. The micrographs obtained (Fig. 1) were examined by use of optical diffraction (Fig. 2) to tell what areas were especially well ordered.

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RNA polymerase: Preparation and structural analysis of helical polymers

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010011091x ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 42 ◽

pp. 152-153

Author(s):

E. Loren Buhle ◽

Pamela Rew ◽

Ueli Aebi

Keyword(s):

Structural Analysis ◽

Rna Polymerase ◽

Molecular Level ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Helical Polymers ◽

X Ray ◽

E Coli ◽

The Past ◽

Ordered Arrays ◽

Low Ionic Strength

While DNA-dependent RNA polymerase represents one of the key enzymes involved in transcription and ultimately in gene expression in procaryotic and eucaryotic cells, little progress has been made towards elucidation of its 3-D structure at the molecular level over the past few years. This is mainly because to date no 3-D crystals suitable for X-ray diffraction analysis have been obtained with this rather large (MW ~500 kd) multi-subunit (α2ββ'ζ). As an alternative, we have been trying to form ordered arrays of RNA polymerase from E. coli suitable for structural analysis in the electron microscope combined with image processing. Here we report about helical polymers induced from holoenzyme (α2ββ'ζ) at low ionic strength with 5-7 mM MnCl2 (see Fig. 1a). The presence of the ζ-subunit (MW 86 kd) is required to form these polymers, since the core enzyme (α2ββ') does fail to assemble into such structures under these conditions.

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Interpreting HVEM of muscle-cell impulse networks

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s042482010012103x ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (1) ◽

pp. 126-127

Author(s):

Paul DeCosta ◽

Kyugon Cho ◽

Stephen Shemlon ◽

Heesung Jun ◽

Stanley M. Dunn

Keyword(s):

Structural Analysis ◽

Muscle Cell ◽

Electron Micrographs ◽

Relative Size ◽

Automatic Classification ◽

Nerve Fibers ◽

Analysis Algorithm ◽

Structural Networks

Introduction: The analysis and interpretation of electron micrographs of cells and tissues, often requires the accurate extraction of structural networks, which either provide immediate 2D or 3D information, or from which the desired information can be inferred. The images of these structures contain lines and/or curves whose orientation, lengths, and intersections characterize the overall network.Some examples exist of studies that have been done in the analysis of networks of natural structures. In, Sebok and Roemer determine the complexity of nerve structures in an EM formed slide. Here the number of nodes that exist in the image describes how dense nerve fibers are in a particular region of the skin. Hildith proposes a network structural analysis algorithm for the automatic classification of chromosome spreads (type, relative size and orientation).

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Confocal imaging of calcium in intact ventricular muscle provides a new view of excitation-contraction coupling

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100166154 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 738-739

Author(s):

W.G. Wier

Keyword(s):

Local Control ◽

Cardiac Tissue ◽

Cell Function ◽

Isolated Heart ◽

Cardiac Cells ◽

Confocal Imaging ◽

Ion Concentration ◽

Heart Cell ◽

Free Calcium ◽

Heart Cells

A fundamentally new understanding of cardiac excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling is being developed from recent experimental work using confocal microscopy of single isolated heart cells. In particular, the transient change in intracellular free calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i transient) that activates muscle contraction is now viewed as resulting from the spatial and temporal summation of small (∼ 8 μm3), subcellular, stereotyped ‘local [Ca2+]i-transients' or, as they have been called, ‘calcium sparks'. This new understanding may be called ‘local control of E-C coupling'. The relevance to normal heart cell function of ‘local control, theory and the recent confocal data on spontaneous Ca2+ ‘sparks', and on electrically evoked local [Ca2+]i-transients has been unknown however, because the previous studies were all conducted on slack, internally perfused, single, enzymatically dissociated cardiac cells, at room temperature, usually with Cs+ replacing K+, and often in the presence of Ca2-channel blockers. The present work was undertaken to establish whether or not the concepts derived from these studies are in fact relevant to normal cardiac tissue under physiological conditions, by attempting to record local [Ca2+]i-transients, sparks (and Ca2+ waves) in intact, multi-cellular cardiac tissue.

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