Trans-NIH Electron Microscopy Shared Facility

Authors

• G Zhang

Abstract

The Trans-NIH Electron Microscopy Facility situated in NIBIB’s Biomedical Engineering and Physical Science Shared Resource provides intramural investigators with tools for characterizing subcellular structure using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and serial block face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) as well as the associated specimen preparation methods. Available techniques include conventional chemical fixation, embedding and sectioning of cells and tissues for TEM and SBF-SEM, high-pressure freezing and freeze-substitution for optimized specimen preservation, and immunolabeling methods to identify specific proteins based on pre- and post-embedding procedures. The facility provides the capability for determining three-dimensional subcellular structure using automated electron tomography. In addition, investigators have access to methods for determining structure of isolated macromolecular complexes by negative staining, as well as mass mapping based on scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) of unstained preparations. The facility includes one of the few SEMs on the NIH campus, providing a capability for determining the surface morphology of cells and biomaterials, and the only one SBF-SEM (Fully automated Zeiss Sigma/Gatan 3View Serial block face SEM) on campus for providing investigators with 3D imaging of tissues (up to 300 microns across and 500 microns in depth) at the nanoscale level. Training is offered for some of the instruments in the facility so that researchers can record their own electron micrographs.

Scientific Focus Area: Structural Biology

This page was last updated on Friday, March 26, 2021