Core Facility Ultrastructure Analysis

This core facility provides services in several state - of - the art techniques in electron microscopy (EM), useful whenever light microscopic resolution does not suffice for a particular morphological question. We currently use equipment of the Institute of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology of the Center for Molecular Medicine. 

Examples of research topics we have recently addressed, using the currently available microscopes, are:

• Characterising the ultrastructure of tissues or cells, by taking thin (~70nm) sections of fixed and embedded samples and examining these using transmission EM.
   
• 3d reconstructions of serial thin sections.
   
• The localisation of antigens within tissues or cells at a high optical resolution, using immunogold techniques.
   
• Surveys of cell or tissue surfaces, using scanning electron microsopy.
   
• Visualising membranes and their specialisations such as cell contacts using freeze fracture or freeze etch techniques.    

                            Microvilli (cell surface structures) clearly demonstrate the different kind of ultrastructural information gained by submitting the same structures to various preparation and labelling techniques: a) thin section technique b) freeze etch c) scanning electron microscopy technique. 

	Ultrathin section; Structures in the cytoplasm of a HEL Cell
	Immunogold-labelled ultrathin section; Localisation (arrows) of Desmin in Human Heart Muscle cells
	3D reconstruction of serial ultrathin sections
	Scanning electron micrograph of Polymer used for Tissue Engineering