scholarly journals Ultrathin Cryosections: An Important Tool for Immunofluorescence and Correlative Microscopy1

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 707-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshihiro Takizawa ◽  
John M. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Colloidal Gold ◽  
Ultrathin Section ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Placental Tissue ◽  
Counting Procedure ◽  
Fluorescence And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Ultrathin Cryosections ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Number Of Particles

Here we show that ultrathin cryosections of placental tissue can be used as a substrate in immunofluorescence experiments. A high degree of spatial resolution can be achieved in these preparations because there is essentially no out-of-focus fluorescence. Therefore, immunofluorescence microscopy using ultrathin cryosections provides a very useful method for determining the precise subcellular localization of antigens in tissues. In addition, ultrathin cryosections of placenta also serve as a substrate for correlative immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy using FluoroNanogold as the detection system. In correlative microscopy, the exact same structures in the same ultrathin section were observed by both fluorescence and electron microscopy. Using a particle counting procedure and electron microscopy, we compared the labeling obtained with colloidal gold and FluoroNanogold and found a higher number of particles with silver-enhanced FluoroNanogold than with colloidal gold.

Fluoronanogold: An Efficient Labeling Reagent for Immunocytochemistry

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 990-991
Author(s):  
J.M. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Colloidal Gold ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Ultrastructural Level ◽  
Detection Systems ◽  
Wide Acceptance ◽  
History Of ◽  
A Cell ◽  
High Degree

The field of immunocytochemistry comprises a large body of methodologies whose purpose is to obtain spatial and temporal information about biological samples with a high degree of chemical specificity. The major differences in immunocytochemical methods are: (1) type of sample preparation (i.e., pre-embedding or post-embedding) and (2) type of detection system (i.e., chromogenic, fluorochromes, or particulate). The history of advances in immunocytochemistry can be understood, to a large extent, through the development of the various detection systems. All of these labeling systems have their appropriate applications and are in use today.The introduction of colloidal gold as a particulate immunoprobe revolutionized immunocytochemistry, particularly at the ultrastructural level. The fact that these probes are discrete particles that are electron dense contributes to their wide acceptance. Due to the particulate nature of these probes, labeling density over a given structure or region of a cell can be determined by simple counting procedures.

scholarly journals FluoroNanogold Is a Bifunctional Immunoprobe for Correlative Fluorescence and Electron Microscopy

2000 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 481-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshihiro Takizawa ◽  
John M. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Fluorescence Microscopy ◽  
Gold Particle ◽  
High Spatial Resolution ◽  
Human Neutrophils ◽  
Secondary Antibody ◽  
Marker Protein ◽  
Cytoplasmic Granules ◽  
Fluorescence And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Ultrathin Cryosections

We applied a fluorescent ultrasmall immunogold probe, FluoroNanogold (FNG), to immunocytochemistry on ultrathin cryosections. FNG has the properties of both a fluorescent dye-conjugated antibody for fluorescence microscopy and a gold particle-conjugated antibody for electron microscopy. Therefore, this bifunctional immunoprobe permits correlative microscopic observation of the same cell profiles labeled in a single labeling procedure by these two imaging methods. We demonstrate the utility of FNG as a secondary antibody for immunocytochemical labeling of myeloperoxidase (a marker protein for azurophilic granules) in ultrathin cryosectioned human neutrophils. Its detection requires high spatial resolution because neutrophils contain many cytoplasmic granules. There was a one-to-one relationship between fluorescent structures labeled with FNG and organelle profiles labeled with the same silver-enhanced FNG in ultrathin cryosections. Use of FNG immunocytochemistry on ultrathin cryosections is an ideal methodology for highresolution correlative fluorescence and electron microscopy and can provide unique information that may be difficult to obtain with a single imaging regimen.

scholarly journals Correlative Microscopy Using FluoroNanogold on Ultrathin Cryosections: Proof of Principle

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1097-1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshihiro Takizawa ◽  
Kouki Suzuki ◽  
John M. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Human Neutrophils ◽  
Fluorescence Signal ◽  
Correlative Microscopy ◽  
Reporter System ◽  
Fluorescence And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Specific Granules ◽  
Ultrathin Cryosections ◽  
Proof Of Principle

We demonstrate a fluorescent ultrasmall immunogold probe, FluoroNanogold (FNG), to be a versatile reporter system for immunocytochemical labeling of ultrathin cryosections. FNG-labeled molecules in the same ultrathin cryosections can be resolved by two imaging techniques (i.e., fluorescence and electron microscopy). Lactoferrin, a marker protein for the specific granules in human neutrophils, was employed as the target for FNG immunolabeling. The spatial resolution of the fluorescence signal from FNG-labeled specific granules was compatible with that of silver-enhanced gold signal from the same granules in electron microscopy. Our results confirm that FNG can be used as a probe for highresolution correlation between immunofluorescence and electron microscopy.

Tissue section lifting for electron microscopy

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-87
Author(s):  
Adrian F. van Dellen
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Organ System ◽  
Surrounding Tissue ◽  
Paraffin Sections ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Specific Determination ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Accuracy And Repeatability

The morphologic pathologist may require information on the ultrastructure of a non-specific lesion seen under the light microscope before he can make a specific determination. Such lesions, when caused by infectious disease agents, may be sparsely distributed in any organ system. Tissue culture systems, too, may only have widely dispersed foci suitable for ultrastructural study. In these situations, when only a few, small foci in large tissue areas are useful for electron microscopy, it is advantageous to employ a methodology which rapidly selects a single tissue focus that is expected to yield beneficial ultrastructural data from amongst the surrounding tissue. This is in essence what "LIFTING" accomplishes. We have developed LIFTING to a high degree of accuracy and repeatability utilizing the Microlift (Fig 1), and have successfully applied it to tissue culture monolayers, histologic paraffin sections, and tissue blocks with large surface areas that had been initially fixed for either light or electron microscopy.

Electron Microscopy in Molecular Biology

1967 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 2-3
Author(s):  
Cecil E. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Noise Level ◽  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Material Structure ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Shadow Casting ◽  
Electron Image ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Very High

The visualization of organic macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, viruses and virus components has reached its high degree of effectiveness owing to refinements and reliability of instruments and to the invention of methods for enhancing the structure of these materials within the electron image. The latter techniques have been most important because what can be seen depends upon the molecular and atomic character of the object as modified which is rarely evident in the pristine material. Structure may thus be displayed by the arts of positive and negative staining, shadow casting, replication and other techniques. Enhancement of contrast, which delineates bounds of isolated macromolecules has been effected progressively over the years as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 by these methods. We now look to the future wondering what other visions are waiting to be seen. The instrument designers will need to exact from the arts of fabrication the performance that theory has prescribed as well as methods for phase and interference contrast with explorations of the potentialities of very high and very low voltages. Chemistry must play an increasingly important part in future progress by providing specific stain molecules of high visibility, substrates of vanishing “noise” level and means for preservation of molecular structures that usually exist in a solvated condition.

Stereo Electron Microscopy Applied to High Resolution Freeze-Etch Replicas

1970 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 306-307
Author(s):  
L. Andrew Staehelin
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Plastic Deformation ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Smooth Surfaces ◽  
Small Particles ◽  
Membrane Surfaces ◽  
Wide Acceptance ◽  
New Information ◽  
Number Of Particles ◽  
Small Holes

Freeze-etched membranes usually appear as relatively smooth surfaces covered with numerous small particles and a few small holes (Fig. 1). In 1966 Branton (1“) suggested that these surfaces represent split inner mem¬brane faces and not true external membrane surfaces. His theory has now gained wide acceptance partly due to new information obtained from double replicas of freeze-cleaved specimens (2,3) and from freeze-etch experi¬ments with surface labeled membranes (4). While theses studies have fur¬ther substantiated the basic idea of membrane splitting and have shown clearly which membrane faces are complementary to each other, they have left the question open, why the replicated membrane faces usually exhibit con¬siderably fewer holes than particles. According to Branton's theory the number of holes should on the average equal the number of particles. The absence of these holes can be explained in either of two ways: a) it is possible that no holes are formed during the cleaving process e.g. due to plastic deformation (5); b) holes may arise during the cleaving process but remain undetected because of inadequate replication and microscope techniques.

Comparative strengths and weaknesses of peroxidase and colloidal gold in pre- and post-embedding immunolabeling techniques

1987 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 1002-1005
Author(s):  
D. R. Abrahamson ◽  
P. L. St.John ◽  
E. W. Perry
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Horseradish Peroxidase ◽  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Colloidal Gold ◽  
Light Microscope ◽  
Ultrastructural Localization ◽  
The Other ◽  
Quantitative Studies ◽  
Dense Suspension ◽  
Antigen Localization

Antibodies coupled to tracers for electron microscopy have been instrumental in the ultrastructural localization of antigens within cells and tissues. Among the most popular tracers are horseradish peroxidase (HRP), an enzyme that yields an osmiophilic reaction product, and colloidal gold, an electron dense suspension of particles. Some advantages of IgG-HRP conjugates are that they are readily synthesized, relatively small, and the immunolabeling obtained in a given experiment can be evaluated in the light microscope. In contrast, colloidal gold conjugates are available in different size ranges and multiple labeling as well as quantitative studies can therefore be undertaken through particle counting. On the other hand, gold conjugates are generally larger than those of HRP but usually can not be visualized with light microscopy. Concern has been raised, however, that HRP reaction product, which is exquisitely sensitive when generated properly, may in some cases distribute to sites distant from the original binding of the conjugate and therefore result in spurious antigen localization.

Ultrastructural analysis of the spatial distribution of MRNA

1992 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 552-553
Author(s):  
Gary Bassell ◽  
Robert H. Singer
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
In Situ Hybridization ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Nucleic Acids ◽  
Colloidal Gold ◽  
Dna Probe ◽  
Nucleotide Analogs ◽  
Gold Particles

We have been investigating the spatial distribution of nucleic acids intracellularly using in situ hybridization. The use of non-isotopic nucleotide analogs incorporated into the DNA probe allows the detection of the probe at its site of hybridization within the cell. This approach therefore is compatible with the high resolution available by electron microscopy. Biotinated or digoxigenated probe can be detected by antibodies conjugated to colloidal gold. Because mRNA serves as a template for the probe fragments, the colloidal gold particles are detected as arrays which allow it to be unequivocally distinguished from background.

Ultrastructural studies of the relationship between actin filaments and secretory granules

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 458-459
Author(s):  
Ellen Holm Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Colloidal Gold ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Secretory Granules ◽  
Secretory Cells ◽  
Ultrastructural Studies ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Granule Membrane ◽  
Ultrathin Sections ◽  
Lowicryl K4m

In secretory cells a dense and complex network of actin filaments is seen in the subplasmalemmal space attached to the cell membrane. During exocytosis this network is undergoing a rearrangement facilitating access of granules to plasma membrane in order that fusion of the membranes can take place. A filamentous network related to secretory granules has been reported, but its structural organization and composition have not been examined, although this network may be important for exocytosis.Samples of peritoneal mast cells were frozen at -70°C and thawed at 4°C in order to rupture the cells in such a gentle way that the granule membrane is still intact. Unruptured and ruptured cells were fixed in 2% paraformaldehyde and 0.075% glutaraldehyde, dehydrated in ethanol. For TEM (transmission electron microscopy) cells were embedded in Lowicryl K4M at -35°C and for SEM (scanning electron microscopy) they were placed on copper blocks, critical point dried and coated. For immunoelectron microscopy ultrathin sections were incubated with monoclonal anti-actin and colloidal gold labelled IgM. Ruptured cells were also placed on cover glasses, prefixed, and incubated with anti-actin and colloidal gold labelled IgM.

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