高压冷冻-冷冻替代技术在神经组织超微结构中的应用

采用高压冷冻-冷冻替代技术对小鼠和线虫这两种模式生物的神经组织进行了样品制备、超薄切片和电镜观察,并在取材方式上进行了摸索,旨在比较化学固定法(CF)、高压冷冻固定法(HPF)和化学-高压冷冻联合固定法(CF+ HPF)三种不同方式对神经组织超微结构的影响,促进高压冷冻-冷冻替代技术在神经生物学中的应用.透射电镜观察结果显示:与传统的化学固定相比,高压冷冻固定对神经组织样品具有较好的优势,能够减少化学处理所产生的人工假象;另一方面,对于不同动物的神经组织而言,所适用的固定方式也不相同,鼠脑适用于活检枪(biopsy gun)取样后直接进行HPF固定,所得结构比较完整,神经组织微观结构清晰.而在高压冷冻之前选用CF进行预固定,能加大样品结构保存的完整性,但在膜的细腻程度上不如直接进行高压冷冻制样的结果.线虫样品由于存在较厚的体壁保护,它更适于直接进行HPF处理,从而缩短了固定前的滞留时间,可有效保留腹部神经元超微结构.     

高压快速冷冻技术在两种培养细胞超微结构中的应用

高压快速冷冻(high-pressure freezing,HPF)能使样品在高压下毫秒内从室温降到液氮温度,所有分子瞬间固定在原位,随后启用冷冻置换(freeze substitution,FS),在低温下缓慢固定的同时用有机溶剂替代样品中的水分,从而保存样品的细微结构接近自然状态.本文使用高压快速冷冻/冷冻置换方法对草地贪夜蛾细胞(sf9细胞)和感染沙眼衣原体的小鼠成纤维细胞(McCoy细胞)进行电镜制样观察,同时对比传统化学固定两种细胞超微结构的差异.结果发现,利用HPF/FS技术,两种细胞中的膜结构、细胞骨架结构更能良好地保存,核膜、高尔基体和囊泡膜平滑完整,无皱缩或断裂,细胞形态更接近自然状态.     

高压冷冻及冷冻替代样品制备方法在体扫描电镜中的应用

高压冷冻及冷冻替代技术是一种利用高压和低温对含水组织样品进行瞬间冷冻固定和低温脱水的电镜样品制备技术,它因可以保存更加真实的细胞超微结构而常应用于透射电镜观察和分析。本文利用模式动物小鼠为材料,将这种技术应用于体扫描电镜的样品制备,并与常规化学固定的样品制备进行比较。结果显示在小鼠心肌组织中,高压冷冻及冷冻替代技术可以有效避免常规制备样品中的细胞器膜结构皱缩、细胞质分布不均匀、细胞核膜收缩形成锯齿状、甚至局部断裂等现象,使细胞超微结构更接近其生活时的状态。     

高压冷冻技术及其在植物细胞超微结构中的应用

冷冻固定技术可以将生物组织和细胞内所有结构和成分同时固定。因此避免了因化学渗透固定而引起的各种假象。通常,在常压下冷冻技术仅能使生物样品表面１０～３０μｍ厚度得以充分固定,而高压冷冻技术则能使样品有效固定厚度增加至６００μｍ。尽管植物组织细胞具有特殊的结构－厚壁和含大量水分的液泡,使冷冻固定较为困难,但利用高冷冻技术仍能使２００μｍ厚度的样品得到充分固定,而且能够捕获近似自然状态的细胞超微结构。本     

高压冷冻技术在拟南芥细胞微结构研究中的应用

高压冷冻技术是指以高压冷冻固定为主要内容的一种电镜技术。该技术可以充分、快速固定样品的同时,避免引入操作干扰,使得电镜结构更接近样品生活状态。本文利用拟南芥为材料,比较了高压冷冻固定及冷冻替代制备的电镜样品同常规化学固定、室温梯度脱水方法所制备样品的差异。结果显示,在拟南芥根及叶片中,高压冷冻技术可以有效地避免常规制备样品中的细胞壁收缩,细胞质不均匀分布,高尔基体及质体收缩,细胞膜及液泡膜皱缩甚至断裂等现象,使细胞结构更接近其生活时的状态。     

应用高压冷冻-冷冻置换技术研究受Potyvirus侵染的寄主细胞超微结构

应用高压冷冻-冷冻置换技术（HPF-FS）制备了马铃薯Y病毒属的小西葫芦黄花叶病毒（ZYMV）和大豆花叶病毒（SMV）侵染寄主植物叶细胞的超薄切片样品,并与传统化学固定方法进行比较。透射电镜观察结果显示：病毒粒子和内含体的形态分布在两种方法处理的样品中无明显差异,但高压冷冻样品的细胞超微结构精细,细胞壁与细胞质之间边界清晰,质膜平滑而完整,细胞基质丰富;细胞核和叶绿体、线粒体等形态饱满,高尔基体潴泡结构及分泌小泡清晰,在ZYMV感染细胞的叶绿体中观察到囊泡结构。而化学处理的样品普遍存在细胞结构的收缩和变形,特别是质膜褶皱,与细胞壁分离,叶绿体呈梭形,片层结构发生改变,高尔基体潴泡结构及分泌小泡相当少见。实验结果有利于正确区别病毒所引起的细胞病理变化和化学处理而产生的人工假象。     

冷冻电镜含水切片技术观察胰岛β细胞的三维超微结构

冷冻电镜含水切片技术(CEMOVIS)作为冷冻厚生物样品制备技术，对高压冷冻的样品直接进行冷冻切片，能够获得完全含水状态的生物样品的超微结构，更好地反映出细胞接近其生理条件的真实状态。本文应用冷冻含水切片技术结合冷冻电子断层扫描和三维重构技术观察到了小鼠胰岛β细胞内细胞器的高分辨超微结构。     

急速冷冻冷冻置换方法保存的肾小球毛细血管袢的超微结构

目的：用急速冷冻－冷冻置换法与普通的9化学固定技术研究比较肾小球毛细血管袢在相同灌流压条件下的超微结构。方法：用150cmH2O压力灌流活体状态下大白鼠的肾脏,用急速冷冻－冷冻置换法及普通的化学固定法制作电镜超薄切片。结果：在相同的压力下用急速冷冻－冷冻置换法所观察到的肾小球毛细血管袢上皮细胞足突裂孔膜的宽度比普通的固定方法所观察到的窄,另外用急速冷冻－冷冻置换方法观察到的肾小球毛细血管袢的其它超微结构也与普通的化学固定方法所观察到的有所不同。结论：用急速冷冻－冷冻置换法所[观察到的超微结构比用普通的化学固定法观察到的超微结构更接近活体状态。     

一种简单的快速冷冻固定和冷冻置换制备生物样品的方法

一种简单的快速冷冻固定和冷冻置换制备生物样品的方法马淑芳，傅宏兰（北京大学生物系北京１００８７１）本文介绍一种简易的快速冷冻固定，冷冻置换制备生物样品的方法，简单易行，效果颇佳。与常规的化学固定方法制备的样品相比较，其组织的超微结构可以得到良好的固定...     

一种用于标记蓝宝石盘的高压冷冻制样辅助装置

高压冷冻技术(high pressure freezing,HPF)是近年来出现的一种可以更有效保存样品原始结构的制样方法.本文介绍了针对高压冷冻制样过程中,无法区分用于培养细胞的蓝宝石盘正反两面的问题,使用3D打印技术制作模具进行喷涂特殊样式的碳膜标记,从而得以区分蓝宝石盘正反面,提高制样成功率.     

Electron microscopy of pathogenic yeasts Cryptococcus neoformans and Exophiala dermatitidis by high-pressure freezing

A high-pressure freezing method was used to observe the ultrastructure of pathogenic yeasts, Cryptococcus neoformans and Exophiala dermatitidis, after freeze-substitution and ultrathin sectioning. The method well preserved the cell structure in its natural state, since the capsule, cell wall, plasma membrane, nucleus, outer and inner nuclear membranes, nuclear pores, nucleolus, mitochondria, mitochondrial membrane and cristae, vacuoles, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, spindle pole body, ribosomes, lipid droplets, microtubules, actin filaments, and glycogen granules were clearly visible. The method was shown to freeze cells as deep as 0.1 mm by sectioning the sample perpendicular to specimen surface. The quality of the cell image was similar to that obtained by a rapid freezing method when compared using the same materials. Thus, high-pressure freezing would be useful for making serial ultrathin sections for three-dimensional analysis of cells, which should give basic information of structure and function of pathogenic yeast cells necessary for finding an effective therapy for mycoses.     

Effects of different fixation and freeze substitution methods on the ultrastructural preservation of ZYMV-infected Cucurbita pepo (L.) leaves

Different fixation protocols [chemical fixation, plunge and high pressure freezing (HPF)] were used to study the effects of Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) disease on the ultrastructure of adult leaves of Styrian oil pumpkin plants (Cucurbita pepo L. subsp. pepo var. styriaca Greb.) with the transmission electron microscope. Additionally, different media were tested for freeze substitution (FS) to evaluate differences in the ultrastructural preservation of cryofixed plant leaf cells. FS was either performed in (i) 2% osmium tetroxide in anhydrous acetone containing 0.2% uranyl acetate, (ii) 0.01% safranin in anhydrous acetone, (iii) 0.5% glutaraldehyde in anhydrous acetone or (iv) anhydrous acetone. No ultrastructural differences were found in well-preserved cells of plunge and high pressure frozen samples. Cryofixed cells showed a finer granulated cytosol and smoother membranes, than what was found in chemically fixed samples. HPF led in comparison to plunge frozen plant material to an excellent preservation of vascular bundle cells. The use of FS-media such as anhydrous acetone, 0.01% safranin and 0.5% glutaraldehyde led to low membrane contrast and did not preserve the inner fine structures of mitochondria. Additionally, the use of 0.5% glutaraldehyde caused the cytosol to be fuzzy and partly loosened. ZYMV-induced ultrastructural alterations like cylindrical inclusions and dilated ER-cisternae did not differ between chemically fixed and cryofixed cells and were found within the cytosol of infected leaf cells and within sieve tube elements. The results demonstrate specific structural differences depending on the FS-medium used, which has to be considered for investigations of selected cell structures.     

Ultrastructure of Staphylococcus aureus as revealed by microwave fixation.

The ultrastructure of the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus was examined at electron microscopic level using new chemical fixation techniques during microwave irradiation and the results obtained were compared with those obtained by other conventional techniques. By using microwave fixation the concentric circular or zipper-like structure was observed in the cell wall. This structure was observed also with the spray-freeze-etch technique but not in thin section of the cells chemically fixed by conventional technique. For chemical fixative, glutaraldehyde is more advantageous than OsO4 as a concomitant fixative during microwave irradiation and postfixation by OsO4 is unnecessary and rather harmful for the preservation of the ultrastructure. The function of the observed structure is briefly discussed.     

Application of 10-microm thin stainless foil to a new assembly of the specimen carrier in high-pressure freezing

High-pressure freezing (HPF) has been accepted generally as the most reliable method for cryoimmobilization of biological samples. However, the depth of vitreous freezing in biological samples was less than expected, probably because of the poor thermal conductivity with high water contents. In this study, we introduce a new assembly of the specimen carrier using a 10-microm thin stainless foil for the specimen chamber cover in the HPF technique and describe the fine structure of rat gastric glands processed with the assembly. A low-magnification view of the gastric surface region showed a well-preserved morphology in which the vitreous freezing reached deeper than 100-microm from the freezing face. The present results prove that the 10-microm thin stainless foil is useful in HPF, providing deep vitrification in biological samples.     

Improved preservation of fine structure of deep-sea microorganisms by freeze-substitution after glutaraldehyde fixation

A method was proposed for improving preservation of ultrastructures of deep-sea microorganisms by using rapid-freeze freeze-substitution after glutaraldehyde fixation. This method produced clear high-resolution images of cells appearing in their natural state, close to the quality of images obtained by rapidly freezing freeze-substituted specimens of living cells. The method may be useful for observing any microorganism when rapid freezing of living samples is difficult and only glutaraldehyde fixation can be carried out.     

The origins and evolution of freeze-etch electron microscopy

The introduction of the Balzers freeze-fracture machine by Moor in 1961 had a much greater impact on the advancement of electron microscopy than he could have imagined. Devised originally to circumvent the dangers of classical thin-section techniques, as well as to provide unique en face views of cell membranes, freeze-fracturing proved to be crucial for developing modern concepts of how biological membranes are organized and proved that membranes are bilayers of lipids within which proteins float and self-assemble. Later, when freeze-fracturing was combined with methods for freezing cells that avoided the fixation and cryoprotection steps that Moor still had to use to prepare the samples for his original invention, it became a means for capturing membrane dynamics on the millisecond time-scale, thus allowing a deeper understanding of the functions of biological membranes in living cells as well as their static ultrastructure. Finally, the realization that unfixed, non-cryoprotected samples could be deeply vacuum-etched or even freeze-dried after freeze-fracturing opened up a whole new way to image all the other molecular components of cells besides their membranes and also provided a powerful means to image the interactions of all the cytoplasmic components with the various membranes of the cell. The purpose of this review is to outline the history of these technical developments, to describe how they are being used in electron microscopy today and to suggest how they can be improved in order to further their utility for biological electron microscopy in the future.