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Collinson LM, Bosch C, Bullen A, Burden JJ, Carzaniga R, Cheng C, Darrow MC, Fletcher G, Johnson E, Narayan K, Peddie CJ, Winn M, Wood C, Patwardhan A, Kleywegt GJ, Verkade P. Volume EM: a quiet revolution takes shape. Nat Methods 2023; 20:777-782. [PMID: 37076630 PMCID: PMC7614633 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-023-01861-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Volume Electron Microscopy is a group of techniques that reveal the 3D ultrastructure of cells and tissues through volumes greater than 1 cubic micron. A burgeoning grass roots community effort is fast building the profile, and revealing the impact, of vEM technology in the life sciences and clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy M Collinson
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK.
| | - Carles Bosch
- Sensory Circuits and Neurotechnology Laboratory, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Anwen Bullen
- UCL Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jemima J Burden
- Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Raffaella Carzaniga
- Zeiss Research Microscopy Solutions, Carl Zeiss Ltd, Zeiss Group, Cambourne, UK
| | | | - Michele C Darrow
- Artificial Intelligence & Informatics, The Rosalind Franklin Institute, Didcot, UK
- SPT Labtech Ltd., Melbourn, UK
| | | | - Errin Johnson
- Dunn School Bioimaging Facility, Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Kedar Narayan
- Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Christopher J Peddie
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Martyn Winn
- UKRI-STFC, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK
| | - Charles Wood
- Future Technology Centre, School of Mechanical and Design Engineering, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Ardan Patwardhan
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Hinxton, UK
| | - Gerard J Kleywegt
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Hinxton, UK
| | - Paul Verkade
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
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2
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Livingston SJ, Chou EY, Quilichini TD, Page JE, Samuels AL. Overcoming the challenges of preserving lipid-rich Cannabis sativa L. glandular trichomes for transmission electron microscopy. J Microsc 2022. [PMID: 36542368 DOI: 10.1111/jmi.13165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Cannabis glandular trichomes produce and store an abundance of lipidic specialised metabolites (e.g. cannabinoids and terpenes) that are consumed by humans for medicinal and recreational purposes. Due to a lack of genetic resources and inherent autofluorescence of cannabis glandular trichomes, our knowledge of cannabinoid trafficking and secretion is limited to transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Advances in cryofixation methods has resulted in ultrastructural observations closer to the 'natural state' of the living cell, and recent reports of cryofixed cannabis trichome ultrastructure challenge the long-standing model of cannabinoid trafficking proposed by ultrastructural reports using chemically fixed samples. Here, we compare the ultrastructural morphology of cannabis glandular trichomes preserved using conventional chemical fixation and ultrarapid cryofixation. We show that chemical fixation results in amorphous metabolite inclusions surrounding the organelles of glandular trichomes that were not present in cryofixed samples. Vacuolar morphology in cryofixed samples exhibited homogenous electron density, while chemically fixed samples contained a flocculent electron dense periphery and electron lucent lumen. In contrast to the apparent advantages of cryopreservation, fine details of cell wall fibre orientation could be observed in chemically fixed glandular trichomes that were not seen in cryofixed samples. Our data suggest that chemical fixation results in intracellular artefacts that impact the interpretation of lipid production and trafficking, while enabling greater detail of extracellular polysaccharide organisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Livingston
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Eva Yi Chou
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Teagen D Quilichini
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jonathan E Page
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - A Lacey Samuels
- Department of Botany, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Bélanger S, Berensmann H, Baena V, Duncan K, Meyers BC, Narayan K, Czymmek KJ. A versatile enhanced freeze-substitution protocol for volume electron microscopy. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:933376. [PMID: 36003147 PMCID: PMC9393620 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.933376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Volume electron microscopy, a powerful approach to generate large three-dimensional cell and tissue volumes at electron microscopy resolutions, is rapidly becoming a routine tool for understanding fundamental and applied biological questions. One of the enabling factors for its adoption has been the development of conventional fixation protocols with improved heavy metal staining. However, freeze-substitution with organic solvent-based fixation and staining has not realized the same level of benefit. Here, we report a straightforward approach including osmium tetroxide, acetone and up to 3% water substitution fluid (compatible with traditional or fast freeze-substitution protocols), warm-up and transition from organic solvent to aqueous 2% osmium tetroxide. Once fully hydrated, samples were processed in aqueous based potassium ferrocyanide, thiocarbohydrazide, osmium tetroxide, uranyl acetate and lead acetate before resin infiltration and polymerization. We observed a consistent and substantial increase in heavy metal staining across diverse and difficult-to-fix test organisms and tissue types, including plant tissues (Hordeum vulgare), nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans) and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Our approach opens new possibilities to combine the benefits of cryo-preservation with enhanced contrast for volume electron microscopy in diverse organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heather Berensmann
- Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Valentina Baena
- Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Keith Duncan
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, MO, United States
| | - Blake C. Meyers
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, MO, United States
- Division of Plant Science and Technology, University of Missouri–Columbia, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Kedar Narayan
- Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Kirk J. Czymmek
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, MO, United States
- Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, Saint Louis, MO, United States
- *Correspondence: Kirk J. Czymmek,
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Peddie CJ, Genoud C, Kreshuk A, Meechan K, Micheva KD, Narayan K, Pape C, Parton RG, Schieber NL, Schwab Y, Titze B, Verkade P, Aubrey A, Collinson LM. Volume electron microscopy. NATURE REVIEWS. METHODS PRIMERS 2022; 2:51. [PMID: 37409324 PMCID: PMC7614724 DOI: 10.1038/s43586-022-00131-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
Life exists in three dimensions, but until the turn of the century most electron microscopy methods provided only 2D image data. Recently, electron microscopy techniques capable of delving deep into the structure of cells and tissues have emerged, collectively called volume electron microscopy (vEM). Developments in vEM have been dubbed a quiet revolution as the field evolved from established transmission and scanning electron microscopy techniques, so early publications largely focused on the bioscience applications rather than the underlying technological breakthroughs. However, with an explosion in the uptake of vEM across the biosciences and fast-paced advances in volume, resolution, throughput and ease of use, it is timely to introduce the field to new audiences. In this Primer, we introduce the different vEM imaging modalities, the specialized sample processing and image analysis pipelines that accompany each modality and the types of information revealed in the data. We showcase key applications in the biosciences where vEM has helped make breakthrough discoveries and consider limitations and future directions. We aim to show new users how vEM can support discovery science in their own research fields and inspire broader uptake of the technology, finally allowing its full adoption into mainstream biological imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher J. Peddie
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Christel Genoud
- Electron Microscopy Facility, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Anna Kreshuk
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kimberly Meechan
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
- Present address: Faculty of Biosciences, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kristina D. Micheva
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Kedar Narayan
- Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
- Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, USA
| | - Constantin Pape
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Robert G. Parton
- The Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Nicole L. Schieber
- Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yannick Schwab
- Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit/ Electron Microscopy Core Facility, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Paul Verkade
- School of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Aubrey Aubrey
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Lucy M. Collinson
- Electron Microscopy Science Technology Platform, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
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5
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Weiner E, Pinskey JM, Nicastro D, Otegui MS. Electron microscopy for imaging organelles in plants and algae. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 188:713-725. [PMID: 35235662 PMCID: PMC8825266 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Recent developments in both instrumentation and image analysis algorithms have allowed three-dimensional electron microscopy (3D-EM) to increase automated image collections through large tissue volumes using serial block-face scanning EM (SEM) and to achieve near-atomic resolution of macromolecular complexes using cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and sub-tomogram averaging. In this review, we discuss applications of cryo-ET to cell biology research on plant and algal systems and the special opportunities they offer for understanding the organization of eukaryotic organelles with unprecedently resolution. However, one of the most challenging aspects for cryo-ET is sample preparation, especially for multicellular organisms. We also discuss correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) approaches that have been developed for ET at both room and cryogenic temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan Weiner
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, Wisconsin
- Center for Quantitative Cell Imaging, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, Wisconsin
| | - Justine M Pinskey
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75390, Texas
| | - Daniela Nicastro
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas 75390, Texas
| | - Marisa S Otegui
- Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, Wisconsin
- Center for Quantitative Cell Imaging, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, Wisconsin
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Cox Jr KL, Gurazada SGR, Duncan KE, Czymmek KJ, Topp CN, Meyers BC. Organizing your space: The potential for integrating spatial transcriptomics and 3D imaging data in plants. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 188:703-712. [PMID: 34726737 PMCID: PMC8825300 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Plant cells communicate information for the regulation of development and responses to external stresses. A key form of this communication is transcriptional regulation, accomplished via complex gene networks operating both locally and systemically. To fully understand how genes are regulated across plant tissues and organs, high resolution, multi-dimensional spatial transcriptional data must be acquired and placed within a cellular and organismal context. Spatial transcriptomics (ST) typically provides a two-dimensional spatial analysis of gene expression of tissue sections that can be stacked to render three-dimensional data. For example, X-ray and light-sheet microscopy provide sub-micron scale volumetric imaging of cellular morphology of tissues, organs, or potentially entire organisms. Linking these technologies could substantially advance transcriptomics in plant biology and other fields. Here, we review advances in ST and 3D microscopy approaches and describe how these technologies could be combined to provide high resolution, spatially organized plant tissue transcript mapping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin L Cox Jr
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland 20815, USA
| | - Sai Guna Ranjan Gurazada
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
- Delaware Biotechnology Institute, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19711, USA
| | - Keith E Duncan
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Kirk J Czymmek
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
- Advanced Bioimaging Laboratory, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | | | - Blake C Meyers
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
- Division of Plant Sciences and Technology, University of Missouri–Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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Duncan KE, Czymmek KJ, Jiang N, Thies AC, Topp CN. X-ray microscopy enables multiscale high-resolution 3D imaging of plant cells, tissues, and organs. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 188:831-845. [PMID: 34618094 PMCID: PMC8825331 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Capturing complete internal anatomies of plant organs and tissues within their relevant morphological context remains a key challenge in plant science. While plant growth and development are inherently multiscale, conventional light, fluorescence, and electron microscopy platforms are typically limited to imaging of plant microstructure from small flat samples that lack a direct spatial context to, and represent only a small portion of, the relevant plant macrostructures. We demonstrate technical advances with a lab-based X-ray microscope (XRM) that bridge the imaging gap by providing multiscale high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) volumes of intact plant samples from the cell to the whole plant level. Serial imaging of a single sample is shown to provide sub-micron 3D volumes co-registered with lower magnification scans for explicit contextual reference. High-quality 3D volume data from our enhanced methods facilitate sophisticated and effective computational segmentation. Advances in sample preparation make multimodal correlative imaging workflows possible, where a single resin-embedded plant sample is scanned via XRM to generate a 3D cell-level map, and then used to identify and zoom in on sub-cellular regions of interest for high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. In total, we present the methodologies for use of XRM in the multiscale and multimodal analysis of 3D plant features using numerous economically and scientifically important plant systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith E Duncan
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Kirk J Czymmek
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | - Ni Jiang
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
| | | | - Christopher N Topp
- Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, Missouri 63132, USA
- Author for communication:
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Chang IY, Rahman M, Harned A, Cohen-Fix O, Narayan K. Cryo-fluorescence microscopy of high-pressure frozen C. elegans enables correlative FIB-SEM imaging of targeted embryonic stages in the intact worm. Methods Cell Biol 2020; 162:223-252. [PMID: 33707014 PMCID: PMC9472676 DOI: 10.1016/bs.mcb.2020.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Rapidly changing features in an intact biological sample are challenging to efficiently trap and image by conventional electron microscopy (EM). For example, the model organism C. elegans is widely used to study embryonic development and differentiation, yet the fast kinetics of cell division makes the targeting of specific developmental stages for ultrastructural study difficult. We set out to image the condensed metaphase chromosomes of an early embryo in the intact worm in 3-D. To achieve this, one must capture this transient structure, then locate and subsequently image the corresponding volume by EM in the appropriate context of the organism, all while minimizing a variety of artifacts. In this methodological advance, we report on the high-pressure freezing of spatially constrained whole C. elegans hermaphrodites in a combination of cryoprotectants to identify embryonic cells in metaphase by in situ cryo-fluorescence microscopy. The screened worms were then freeze substituted, resin embedded and further prepared such that the targeted cells were successfully located and imaged by focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). We reconstructed the targeted metaphase structure and also correlated an intriguing punctate fluorescence signal to a H2B-enriched putative polar body autophagosome in an adjacent cell undergoing telophase. By enabling cryo-fluorescence microscopy of thick samples, our workflow can thus be used to trap and image transient structures in C. elegans or similar organisms in a near-native state, and then reconstruct their corresponding cellular architectures at high resolution and in 3-D by correlative volume EM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Y Chang
- Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, United States; Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Mohammad Rahman
- The Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Adam Harned
- Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, United States; Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States
| | - Orna Cohen-Fix
- The Laboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Kedar Narayan
- Center for Molecular Microscopy, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, United States; Cancer Research Technology Program, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD, United States.
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