1
|
Dumoux M, Glen T, Smith JLR, Ho EML, Perdigão LMA, Pennington A, Klumpe S, Yee NBY, Farmer DA, Lai PYA, Bowles W, Kelley R, Plitzko JM, Wu L, Basham M, Clare DK, Siebert CA, Darrow MC, Naismith JH, Grange M. Cryo-plasma FIB/SEM volume imaging of biological specimens. eLife 2023; 12:83623. [PMID: 36805107 PMCID: PMC9995114 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Serial focussed ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM) enables imaging and assessment of subcellular structures on the mesoscale (10 nm to 10 µm). When applied to vitrified samples, serial FIB/SEM is also a means to target specific structures in cells and tissues while maintaining constituents' hydration shells for in situ structural biology downstream. However, the application of serial FIB/SEM imaging of non-stained cryogenic biological samples is limited due to low contrast, curtaining, and charging artefacts. We address these challenges using a cryogenic plasma FIB/SEM. We evaluated the choice of plasma ion source and imaging regimes to produce high-quality SEM images of a range of different biological samples. Using an automated workflow we produced three-dimensional volumes of bacteria, human cells, and tissue, and calculated estimates for their resolution, typically achieving 20-50 nm. Additionally, a tag-free localisation tool for regions of interest is needed to drive the application of in situ structural biology towards tissue. The combination of serial FIB/SEM with plasma-based ion sources promises a framework for targeting specific features in bulk-frozen samples (>100 µm) to produce lamellae for cryogenic electron tomography.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maud Dumoux
- Structural Biology, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - Thomas Glen
- Structural Biology, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - Jake LR Smith
- Structural Biology, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Elaine ML Ho
- Artificial Intelligence and Informatics, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - Luis MA Perdigão
- Artificial Intelligence and Informatics, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - Avery Pennington
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation CampusDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - Sven Klumpe
- Research Group Cryo-EM Technology, Max Planck Institute of BiochemistryMartinsriedGermany
| | - Neville BY Yee
- Artificial Intelligence and Informatics, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - David Andrew Farmer
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation CampusDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - Pui YA Lai
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation CampusDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - William Bowles
- Structural Biology, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation CampusDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - Ron Kelley
- Materials and Structural Analysis Division, Thermo Fisher ScientificEindhovenNetherlands
| | - Jürgen M Plitzko
- Research Group Cryo-EM Technology, Max Planck Institute of BiochemistryMartinsriedGermany
| | - Liang Wu
- Structural Biology, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Mark Basham
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation CampusDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - Daniel K Clare
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation CampusDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - C Alistair Siebert
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation CampusDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - Michele C Darrow
- Artificial Intelligence and Informatics, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
| | - James H Naismith
- Structural Biology, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Michael Grange
- Structural Biology, Rosalind Franklin InstituteDidcotUnited Kingdom
- Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|