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A cryostat approach to ultrathin ‘dry’ frozen sections for electron microscopy: a morphological and X‐ray analytical study
Author(s) -
Appleton T. C.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2818.1974.tb03913.x
Subject(s) - electron microscope , microanalysis , cryostat , staining , microtome , biological specimen , microscopy , scanning electron microscope , chemistry , negative stain , ultrastructure , microscope , analytical chemistry (journal) , materials science , chromatography , anatomy , optics , pathology , biology , physics , composite material , superconductivity , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , medicine
Summary Conventional preparative procedures for the examination of tissues in the electron microscope involve the use of fixatives, dehydration in alcohol or acetone, embedding in plastics and staining. Such procedures remove soluble components and are therefore often unsuitable for chemical analysis of naturally occurring electrolytes. Ultrathin frozen sections of unfixed, unembedded biological tissue can be cut onto dry glass knives, freeze‐dried and viewed in the electron microscope without staining. Morphological detail is sufficient to identify cell types and ultrastructure. X‐ray microanalysis in the analytical electron microscope (EMMA‐4) has shown that highly soluble electrolytes can be detected and that intracellular compartments are retained.