Open AccessLarge field‐of‐view scanning small‐angle X‐ray scattering of mammalian cells
Author(s) -
Cassini Chiara,
Wittmeier Andrew,
Brehm Gerrit,
Denz Manuela,
Burghammer Manfred,
Köster Sarah
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of synchrotron radiation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 99
ISSN - 1600-5775
DOI - 10.1107/s1600577520006864
Subject(s) - scattering , rendering (computer graphics) , population , characterization (materials science) , optics , materials science , computer science , physics , artificial intelligence , demography , sociology
X‐ray imaging is a complementary method to electron and fluorescence microscopy for studying biological cells. In particular, scanning small‐angle X‐ray scattering provides overview images of whole cells in real space as well as local, high‐resolution reciprocal space information, rendering it suitable to investigate subcellular nanostructures in unsliced cells. One persisting challenge in cell studies is achieving high throughput in reasonable times. To this end, a fast scanning mode is used to image hundreds of cells in a single scan. A way of dealing with the vast amount of data thus collected is suggested, including a segmentation procedure and three complementary kinds of analysis, i.e. characterization of the cell population as a whole, of single cells and of different parts of the same cell. The results show that short exposure times, which enable faster scans and reduce radiation damage, still yield information in agreement with longer exposure times.