[Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray microanalysis of enamel during the transitional post-secretory phase of ameloblasts].
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Knob heterochromatin served as the model for the development of fluorescent chromosome in situ hybridization on maize meiotic chromosomes. The meiotic chromosomes were hybridized with a digoxigenin-labeled RNA probe of the knob repeat sequence that is a component of the morphologically determined knob heterochromatin. The fluorescein-labeled knob probe and propidium iodide counter-stained chromosomes were imaged using confocal laser scanning microscopy, which allowed for the individual analysis of each fluorescent probe emission intensity, the ability to utilize image processing techniques and the generation of high-resolution images. A composite, in register, merged image of the knob probe signal and meiotic chromosomes demonstrated exact co-localization of the knob probe and the morphologically identified knobs. The establishment of the fluorescent in situ hybridization technique in maize allows for the expanded study of the biological role of knob heterochromatin and the possibility of locating other repeat sequences on maize chromosomes.
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Scanning electrochemical microscopy has been firstly used to map the enzymatic activity in natural plant tissues. The peroxidase (POD) was maintained in its original state in the celery (Apium graveolens L.) tissues and electrochemically visualized under its native environment. Ferrocenemethanol (FMA) was selected as a mediator to probe the POD in celery tissues based on the fact that POD catalyzed the oxidation of FMA by H(2)O(2) to increase FMA(+) concentration. Two-dimensional reduction current profiles for FMA(+) produced images indicating the distribution and activity of the POD at the surface of the celery tissues. These images showed that the POD was widely distributed in the celery tissues, and larger amounts were found in some special regions such as the center of celery stem and around some vascular bundles.
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Content and distribution of diffusible ions in epithelial cells were studied by scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive electron probe X-ray microanalysis of freeze-dried cryosections from trout kidney, rat liver and Malpighian tubules of Drosophila larvae. Cryofixation of small excised kidney and liver samples by rapid immersion into liquid propane resulted in intracellular K/Na-ratios < 1. In contrast, K/Na-ratios > 7 were obtained after in situ cryofixation by means of a cryopunching device which allows tissue pieces to be frozen during excision from the intact organ. Isolated hepatocytes cryofixed in a small droplet of culture medium had a K/Na-ratio of 3.7. After culturing the hepatocytes, the K/Na-ratio increased to 24. Effects of extracellular media of different composition on the intracellular element content were studied. Malpighian tubules of Drosophila larvae were cryofixed by rapid immersion into liquid propane, and the distribution of K across the cells forming the tubules from the basal to the apical cell membrane was measured. An increasing K gradient was found from the intermediate to the apical cytoplasm. The intracellular K distribution was dependent on ions and transport inhibitors present in the fluid surrounding the Malpighian tubules within the larvae. Content and distribution of ions in epithelial cells sensitively depend on the physiological state immediately before cryofixation. Thus, electron probe X-ray microanalysis of cells and cell functions requires careful selection and control of the cell system to be studied.
We have investigated, at the single cell level, intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) modulations triggered by the high affinity receptor for IgG, Fc gamma RI, in the monocytic cell line, U937. Cells were co-loaded with the Ca(2+)-sensitive dyes, Fluo-3 and Fura-Red, by incubation with their acetoxymethyl (AM) esters and confocal ratio imaging was used to monitor the [Ca2+]i changes induced by antibody cross-linking of IgG-loaded Fc gamma RI. A single Ca2+ spike was observed in 81% of untreated cells whereas dibutyryl cAMP-induced differentiation into a more macrophage cell type resulted in a sub-population of cells (44%) responding to receptor cross-linking with calcium oscillations. This change in calcium signalling may explain the difference in functional responses triggered by Fc gamma RI in monocytes and macrophages. Analysis of the Fluo-3 and Fura-Red fluorescence, after AM-ester loading, showed that both dyes have similar photobleach rates and intracellular localization allowing compensation for shifts in focal plane, dye photobleaching and non-uniformity of dye loading. In addition, because the binding kinetics of both dyes are equivalent, accurate temporal information can be gained about [Ca2+] changes. There are, however, two major problems with this dual indicator technique. Firstly, loading from AM esters results in considerable variation between cells in the intracellular concentration ratio of the two dyes, making calibration difficult. Secondly, the fluorescence ratio, Fluo-3/Fura-Red, behaves non-linearly at Ca2+ concentrations less than approximately 500 nM and comparison with Fura-2-loaded single cell photometry studies suggests there is considerable amplitude distortion of the signal when the ratios are displayed on a linear scale. These problems may considerably limit the application of Fluo-3/Fura-Red ratiometric measurements.
Cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes are essential for xenobiotic metabolism. Although CYP450s are found in many tissues, CYP2B1/2 are primarily expressed in the rat liver. The constitutive expression in vivo of CYP2B1/2 is low but it is induced in the presence of various drugs such as phenobarbital (PB). In this study, CYP2B1/2 activity in cultured hepatocytes was assessed in situ with the introduction of a fluorogenic substrate, pentoxyresorufin. The product of 7-pentoxyresorufin-O-dealkylation (PROD), which is catalyzed specifically by CYP2B1/2, was detected using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Primary hepatocytes cultured as monolayers on collagen-coated surfaces exhibited background PROD activity and minimal PB inducibility after 4 days in culture. In contrast, rat hepatocytes organized in compacted aggregates, or spheroids, exhibited higher levels of PROD activity and retained their ability for PB induction. The results from the CLSM analysis were verified by RT-PCR and Western immunoblotting analysis. Furthermore, CLSM in conjunction with image processing techniques and three-dimensional reconstruction revealed the localization of enhanced PROD activity in the center of spheroids. The results support the use of CLSM as a powerful tool for investigating CYP2B1/2 activity in cultured rat hepatocytes.
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We developed silicon nitride cantilevers integrating a probe tip and a wave guide that is prolonged on the silicon holder with one or two guides. A micro-system is bonded to a photodetector. The resulting hybrid system enables us to obtain simultaneously topographic and optical near-field images. Examples of images obtained on a longitudinal cross-section of an optical fibre are shown.
Scanning electron-microscopy in combination with secondary electron imaging and x-ray energy spectrometry (electron-probe micro-analysis) was performed on the stratum corneum of involved and uninvolved, psoriatic skin. The significant, elemental alterations included an increase in phosphorus and calcium in the involved skin regions. A composite, chemical, elemental profile of normal and uninvolved, psoriatic stratum corneum is presented.
The nondestructive imaging of biomolecules in nanometer domains in their original location and position as adsorbed or deposited on a surface is of garners considerable experimental interest. Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is an emerging technique with its astonishing resolving power of <100-nm domains, and nondestructive nature compared with other scanning probe microscopic techniques is an emerging technique to achieve this goal. At the single-molecule level of resolution, it is possible to use the NSOM as a critical tool for visualization of proteins on surfaces to obtain more fundamental information about their orientation and locality without disturbing their original orientation and position, and level of interaction with the surface. Several areas of science and medicine can benefit from this type of study especially for biomedical and biochip applications. To illustrate possible applications, imaging of green fluorescent proteins and biomolecules associated with multidrug resistance proteins in tumor cells will be demonstrated using NSOM.
To determine the nature of binding of transcobalamin II (TC-II) to liver cells, we covalently coupled purified holo-TC-II to submicron latex minibeads using glutaraldehyde. Incubation of the probe with liver cell suspensions at 4 degrees C led to its binding by endothelial cells but not by hepatocytes or Kupffer cells, as visualized by scanning electron microscopy. At 37 degrees C, the probe was internalized by the endothelium through a system of coated pits and vesicles as shown by transmission electron microscopy. Inhibition studies by pre-incubation with excess native TC-II demonstrated the specificity of binding. Fractionation of these cell suspensions on metrizamide gradients yielded large cell (hepatocyte-rich) and small cell (endothelium-rich) fractions. The binding of the minibead probe occurred again exclusively on endothelial cells in the small cell fraction. 125I-labeled holo-TC-II also bound to the small cell but not to the large cell fraction. Binding was saturable (Ka, 0.225 X 10(9) mol/L-1) and receptor number was calculated to be 1.33 X 10(3) per cell. Time-dependent incubation of 125I-labeled TC-II with the endothelium-rich fraction led to its uptake, reaching a steady-state plateau at 4 degrees C. At 37 degrees C, however, the initial uptake was followed by gradual release of the label into the medium. We conclude that in the liver, holo-TC-II binds initially to endothelium, where it is internalized and is subsequently released probably to the interstitial space. Thus, the endothelium may play a fundamental role in the regulation of the uptake of TC-II by the liver.
A simple procedure has allowed consistent visualization of the titanium boundary of the bone-implant interface of osseointegrated titanium implants at the electron microscope level. This was accomplished by embedding the intact bone-implant specimen block with low-viscosity resin prior to removal of the device in preparation for sectioning. The titanium boundary consisted of either a thin, compact amorphous electron dense layer, a broad layer of dense amorphous granules, or both. This material was removed by decalcification in formic acid (prior to embedding) and did not diffract electrons (ie, was noncrystalline). Scanning-transmission electron microscopy-EDX analysis indicated the presence of titanium, calcium, and phosphorus in the electron dense material. Field emission scanning electron microscopy-EDX dot-mapping analysis confirmed the presence of these elements and mapped them to the same locations at the implant-interface boundary.
Within a framework of an overview of the current status and potential of X-ray microscopy, a description is given of the development of the King's College scanning instrument which produced its first images in September, 1986. The instrument was mounted on the newly-built undulator beam line at the UK Science and Engineering Research Council's SRS synchrotron. There are consequently three sites worldwide where high-resolution X-ray microscopes with zone-plate optics are in operation. The other sites are BESSY-Berlin and NSLS-Brookhaven.