Core Microscopy

EM Samples and Techniques

The following is a list of some of the samples and protocols that we have carried out in the EM facility over the past 9 years.

1. Negative staining of viruses, proteins.
2. Bacteria (negative staining, thin section, immunoEM)
3. Tissue culture for en face views e.g. studying cell-cell junctional complexes and for transverse section e.g. examination of cell adhesion sites.
4. Tissue culture using filters for development of cell junctions, cell polarity and cell migration patterns.
5. Insect CNS, PNS, muscle tissue and alimentary canal
6. Cell suspensions including blood, macrophages as well as virally infected cells .
7. Organelle suspensions (mitochondria, ribosomes, isolated pancreatic islets, liposomes, synaptosomes, exosomes)
8. Most mammalian tissue types both healthy and diseased including bladder, blood, bone marrow, brain, eye, epididymis, kidney, liver, lung, skin, spinal cord, striated muscle, heart muscle, pancreas, spleen; we have also looked at carotid artery thromboses, tumors, and various foetal tissues including blood vessels, meninges, brain, developing eye, skin and developing femoral nerve)
9. Plant tissues (healthy and virally infected).

Specialty techniques including:

1. Magnetic beads (antibody coated) for isolating specific viruses and specific organelles (e.g. exosomes)
2. Cryo-Immunogold labeling of cells and / or their organelles.
3. Imaging of immunolabeled cells using fluorescence microscopy (confocal or deconvolution) then re-imaging at the EM level the exact same cells.
4. Immunogold labeling of viruses (e.g. HCV) and isolated proteins e.g. amyloid fibrils