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Weiner S, Shahar R. Vertebrate mineralized tissues: A modular structural analysis. Acta Biomater 2024; 179:1-12. [PMID: 38561073 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2024.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Vertebrate mineralized tissues, present in bones, teeth and scales, have complex 3D hierarchical structures. As more of these tissues are characterized in 3D using mainly FIB SEM at a resolution that reveals the mineralized collagen fibrils and their organization into collagen fibril bundles, highly complex and diverse structures are being revealed. In this perspective we propose an approach to analyzing these tissues based on the presence of modular structures: material textures, pore shapes and sizes, as well as extents of mineralization. This modular approach is complimentary to the widely used hierarchical approach for describing these mineralized tissues. We present a series of case studies that show how some of the same structural modules can be found in different mineralized tissues, including in bone, dentin and scales. The organizations in 3D of the various structural modules in different tissues may differ. This approach facilitates the framing of basic questions such as: are the spatial relations between modular structures the same or similar in different mineralized tissues? Do tissues with similar sets of modules carry out similar functions or can similar functions be carried out using a different set of modular structures? Do mineralized tissues with similar sets of modules have a common developmental or evolutionary pathway? STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: 3D organization studies of diverse vertebrate mineralized tissues are revealing detailed, but often confusing details about the material textures, the arrangements of pores and differences in the extent of mineralization within a tissue. The widely used hierarchical scheme for describing such organizations does not adequately provide a basis for comparing these tissues, or addressing issues such as structural components thought to be characteristic of bone, being present in dermal tissues and so on. The classification scheme we present is based on identifying structural components within a tissue that can then be systematically compared to other vertebrate mineralized tissues. We anticipate that this classification approach will provide insights into structure-function relations, as well as the evolution of these tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve Weiner
- Department of Chemical and Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel.
| | - Ron Shahar
- Faculty of Agriculture Food & Environment, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University Jerusalem, P.O.B. 12, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
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Østergaard M, Naver EB, Schüpbach D, Kaestner A, Strobl M, Brüel A, Thomsen JS, Schmidt S, Poulsen HF, Kuhn LT, Birkedal H. Correlative study of liquid in human bone by 3D neutron microscopy and lab-based X-ray μCT. Bone 2023; 175:116837. [PMID: 37419297 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2023.116837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Liquid plays an important role in bone that has a complex 3D hierarchical pore structure. However, liquid (water) is difficult to discern from e.g. an organic matrix by X-ray imaging. Therefore, we use a correlative approach using both high resolution X-ray and neutron imaging. Human femoral bone with liquid adsorbed into some of the pores was imaged with both the Neutron Microscope at the ICON beamline, SINQ at PSI, and by lab-based μCT using 2.7 μm voxel size. Segmentation of the two datasets showed that, even though the liquid was clearly distinguishable in the neutron data and not in the X-ray data, it remained challenging to segment it from bone due to overlaps of peaks in the gray level histograms. In consequence, segmentations from X-ray and neutron data varied significantly. To address this issue, the segmented X-ray porosities was overlaid on the neutron data, making it possible to localize the liquid in the vascular porosities of the bone sample and use the neutron attenuation to identify it as H2O. The contrast in the neutron images was lowered slightly between the bone and the liquid compared to the bone and the air. This correlative study shows that the complementary use of X-rays and neutrons is very favorable, since H2O is very distinct in the neutron data, while D2O, H2O, and organic matter can barely be distinguished from air in the X-ray data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Østergaard
- Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Estrid Buhl Naver
- Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Delia Schüpbach
- Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland.
| | - Anders Kaestner
- Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland.
| | - Markus Strobl
- Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland; Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Annemarie Brüel
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | | | - Søren Schmidt
- Data Management and Software Centre, European Spallation Source, Lund, Sweden.
| | | | - Luise Theil Kuhn
- Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
| | - Henrik Birkedal
- Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
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Buss DJ, Rechav K, Reznikov N, McKee MD. Mineral tessellation in mouse enthesis fibrocartilage, Achilles tendon, and Hyp calcifying enthesopathy: A shared 3D mineralization pattern. Bone 2023:116818. [PMID: 37295663 DOI: 10.1016/j.bone.2023.116818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The hallmark of enthesis architecture is the 3D compositional and structural gradient encompassing four tissue zones - tendon/ligament, uncalcified fibrocartilage, calcified fibrocartilage and bone. This functional gradient accommodates the large stiffness differential between calcified bone and uncalcified tendon/ligament. Here we analyze in 3D the organization of the mouse Achilles enthesis and mineralizing Achilles tendon in comparison to lamellar bone. We use correlative, multiscale high-resolution volume imaging methods including μCT with submicrometer resolution and FIB-SEM tomography (both with deep learning-based image segmentation), and TEM and SEM imaging, to describe ultrastructural features of physiologic, age-related and aberrant mineral patterning. We applied these approaches to murine wildtype (WT) Achilles enthesis tissues to describe in normal calcifying fibrocartilage a crossfibrillar mineral tessellation pattern similar to that observed in lamellar bone, but with greater variance in mineral tesselle morphology and size. We also examined Achilles enthesis structure in Hyp mice, a murine model for the inherited osteomalacic disease X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) with calcifying enthesopathy. In Achilles enthesis fibrocartilage of Hyp mice, we show defective crossfibrillar mineral tessellation similar to that which occurs in Hyp lamellar bone. At the cellular level in fibrocartilage, unlike in bone where enlarged osteocyte mineral lacunae are found as peri-osteocytic lesions, mineral lacunar volumes for fibrochondrocytes did not differ between WT and Hyp mice. While both WT and Hyp aged mice demonstrate Achilles tendon midsubstance ectopic mineralization, a consistently defective mineralization pattern was observed in Hyp mice. Strong immunostaining for osteopontin was observed at all mineralization sites examined in both WT and Hyp mice. Taken together, this new 3D ultrastructural information describes details of common mineralization trajectories for enthesis, tendon and bone, which in Hyp/XLH are defective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel J Buss
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Katya Rechav
- Electron Microscopy Unit, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Natalie Reznikov
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marc D McKee
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Østergaard M, Naver EB, Kaestner A, Willendrup PK, Brüel A, Sørensen HO, Thomsen JS, Schmidt S, Poulsen HF, Theil Kuhn L, Birkedal H. Polychromatic neutron phase-contrast imaging of weakly absorbing samples enabled by phase retrieval. J Appl Crystallogr 2023; 56:673-682. [PMID: 37284268 PMCID: PMC10241042 DOI: 10.1107/s1600576723003011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of a phase-retrieval technique for propagation-based phase-contrast neutron imaging with a polychromatic beam is demonstrated. This enables imaging of samples with low absorption contrast and/or improving the signal-to-noise ratio to facilitate e.g. time-resolved measurements. A metal sample, designed to be close to a phase pure object, and a bone sample with canals partially filled with D2O were used for demonstrating the technique. These samples were imaged with a polychromatic neutron beam followed by phase retrieval. For both samples the signal-to-noise ratios were significantly improved and, in the case of the bone sample, the phase retrieval allowed for separation of bone and D2O, which is important for example for in situ flow experiments. The use of deuteration contrast avoids the use of chemical contrast enhancement and makes neutron imaging an interesting complementary method to X-ray imaging of bone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Østergaard
- Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Estrid Buhl Naver
- Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej 310, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anders Kaestner
- Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Peter K. Willendrup
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej 307, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
- European Spallation Source ERIC, PO Box 176, Lund, Sweden
| | - Annemarie Brüel
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 3, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Henning Osholm Sørensen
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej 307, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
- Xnovo Technology ApS, Galoche Alle 15, 1, Køge, Denmark
| | | | - Søren Schmidt
- European Spallation Source ERIC, PO Box 176, Lund, Sweden
| | - Henning Friis Poulsen
- Department of Physics, Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej 307, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Luise Theil Kuhn
- Department of Energy Conversion and Storage, Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej 310, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Henrik Birkedal
- Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds Vej 14, Aarhus, Denmark
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Christensen TEK, Chua JQI, Wittig NK, Jørgensen MRV, Kantor I, Thomsen JS, Miserez A, Birkedal H. Flexible design in the stomatopod dactyl club. IUCRJ 2023; 10:288-296. [PMID: 36912686 PMCID: PMC10161772 DOI: 10.1107/s2052252523002075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The stomatopod is a fascinating animal that uses its weaponized appendage dactyl clubs for breaking mollusc shells. Dactyl clubs are a well studied example of biomineralized hierarchical structures. Most research has focused on the regions close to the action, namely the impact region and surface composed of chitin and apatite crystallites. Further away from the site of impact, the club has lower mineralization and more amorphous phases; these areas have not been as actively studied as their highly mineralized counterparts. This work focuses on the side of the club, in what is known as the periodic and striated regions. A combination of laboratory micro-computed tomography, synchrotron X-ray diffraction mapping and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence mapping has shown that the mineral in this region undergoes the transition from an amorphous to a crystalline phase in some, but not all, clubs. This means that this side region can be mineralized by either an amorphous phase, calcite crystallites or a mixture of both. It was found that when larger calcite crystallites form, they are organized (textured) with respect to the chitin present in this biocomposite. This suggests that chitin may serve as a template for crystallization when the side of the club is fully mineralized. Further, calcite crystallites were found to form as early as 1 week after moulting of the club. This suggests that the side of the club is designed with a significant safety margin that allows for a variety of phases, i.e. the club can function independently of whether the side region has a crystalline or amorphous mineral phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thorbjørn Erik Køppen Christensen
- Center for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT), Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
| | - Jia Qing Isaiah Chua
- Biological and Biomimetic Materials Laboratory, Center for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore
| | - Nina Kølln Wittig
- Center for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT), Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
| | - Mads Ry Vogel Jørgensen
- Center for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT), Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
| | | | - Jesper Skovhus Thomsen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Wilhelm Meyers Allé 3, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
| | - Ali Miserez
- Biological and Biomimetic Materials Laboratory, Center for Sustainable Materials (SusMat), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, 639798, Singapore
| | - Henrik Birkedal
- Center for Integrated Materials Research (iMAT), Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus C. 8000, Denmark
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Xian RP, Walsh CL, Verleden SE, Wagner WL, Bellier A, Marussi S, Ackermann M, Jonigk DD, Jacob J, Lee PD, Tafforeau P. A multiscale X-ray phase-contrast tomography dataset of a whole human left lung. Sci Data 2022; 9:264. [PMID: 35654864 PMCID: PMC9163096 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01353-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Technological advancements in X-ray imaging using bright and coherent synchrotron sources now allows the decoupling of sample size and resolution while maintaining high sensitivity to the microstructures of soft, partially dehydrated tissues. The continuous developments in multiscale X-ray imaging resulted in hierarchical phase-contrast tomography, a comprehensive approach to address the challenge of organ-scale (up to tens of centimeters) soft tissue imaging with resolution and sensitivity down to the cellular level. Using this technique, we imaged ex vivo an entire human left lung at an isotropic voxel size of 25.08 μm along with local zooms down to 6.05-6.5 μm and 2.45-2.5 μm in voxel size. The high tissue contrast offered by the fourth-generation synchrotron source at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility reveals the complex multiscale anatomical constitution of the human lung from the macroscopic (centimeter) down to the microscopic (micrometer) scale. The dataset provides comprehensive organ-scale 3D information of the secondary pulmonary lobules and delineates the microstructure of lung nodules with unprecedented detail.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Patrick Xian
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Claire L Walsh
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Stijn E Verleden
- Antwerp Surgical Training, Anatomy and Research Centre (ASTARC), University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Willi L Wagner
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
- Translational Lung Research Centre Heidelberg (TLRC), German Lung Research Centre (DZL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Alexandre Bellier
- Laboratoire d'Anatomie des Alpes Françaises (LADAF), Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - Sebastian Marussi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK
| | - Maximilian Ackermann
- Institute of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, Helios University Clinic Wuppertal, University of Witten/Herdecke, Wuppertal, Germany
- Institute of Functional and Clinical Anatomy, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Danny D Jonigk
- Institute of Pathology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
- Biomedical Research in End-stage and Obstructive Lung Disease Hannover (BREATH), German Lung Research Centre (DZL), Hannover, Germany
| | - Joseph Jacob
- Centre for Medical Image Computing, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Radiology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Peter D Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Paul Tafforeau
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Grenoble, France.
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Grandfield K, Micheletti C, Deering J, Arcuri G, Tang T, Langelier B. Atom Probe Tomography for Biomaterials and Biomineralization. Acta Biomater 2022; 148:44-60. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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Wittig NK, Birkedal H. Bone hierarchical structure: spatial variation across length scales. ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B, STRUCTURAL SCIENCE, CRYSTAL ENGINEERING AND MATERIALS 2022; 78:305-311. [PMID: 35695104 DOI: 10.1107/s2052520622001524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bone is a complex hierarchical biomineralized material, which is special amongst biominerals because it is replete with cells, namely, osteocytes. While bone has been scrutinized for centuries, many questions remain open and new research hints that the ultrastructure of bone, encompassing both the bone matrix itself and the embedded cell network, is much more heterogeneous than hitherto realized. A number of these new findings have been made thanks to the enormous developments in X-ray imaging that have occurred in recent decades, and there is promise that they will also allow many of the remaining open questions to be addressed. X-ray absorption or phase imaging affords high three-dimensional (3D) resolution and allows traversing the length scales of bone all the way down to the fine details of the lacuno-canalicular network housing the osteocytes. Multimodal X-ray imaging provides combined information covering both the length scales defined by the size of the measured volume and tomographic resolution, as well as those probed by the signal that is measured. In X-ray diffraction computed tomography (XRD-CT), for example, diffraction signals can be reconstructed tomographically, which offers detailed information about the spatial variations in the crystallographic properties of the bone biomineral. Orientational information can be obtained by tensor tomography. The combination of both small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) tensor tomography gives information on the orientation of bone nanostructure and crystals, respectively. These new technical developments promise that great strides towards understanding bone structure can be expected in the near future. In this review, recent findings that have resulted from X-ray imaging are highlighted and speculation is given on what can be expected to follow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina K Wittig
- Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | - Henrik Birkedal
- Department of Chemistry and iNANO, Aarhus University, 14 Gustav Wieds Vej, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
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