Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
2001-5-7
pubmed:abstractText
Investigations of cellular processes demand immediate arresting of the process at any given time and excellent retention of cellular material and excellent visibility of membranes. To achieve this goal we used cryofixation to arrest cellular processes instantly and tested diverse freeze-substitution protocols. Madin-Darby kidney cells and Vero cells were grown on carbon-coated sapphire disks. For cryofixation the sapphire disks covered with a cell monolayer were injected with the aid of a guillotine into liquid propane or ethane or a mixture of both cooled by liquid nitrogen. Freezing of the cryogen was prevented by using a partially insulated cylinder and by vigorous stirring that results in a substantial decrement of the freezing point of the cryogen. Cell monolayers can be cryofixed successfully using the guillotine in a safety hood at ambient temperature and humidity or at 37 degrees C and 45% humidity. The freezing unit can also be placed in a laminar flow for working under biohazard conditions. For visualizing cell membranes at high contrast and high resolution, cells were substituted in the presence of various concentrations of glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide and the temperature was raised to diverse final temperatures. Substitution for 4 hours at -90 degrees C in anhydrous acetone containing 0.25% anhydrous glutaraldehyde and 0.5% osmium tetroxide followed by a temperature rise of 5 degrees C/hour to 0 degrees C and final incubation for 1 hour at 0 degrees C resulted in high contrast and excellent visibility of subcellular components at the level of the membrane bilayer. The high spatial and temporal resolution makes this methodology an excellent tool for studying cell membrane-bound processes, such as virus-cell interactions.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
May
pubmed:issn
1059-910X
pubmed:author
pubmed:copyrightInfo
Copyright 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
15
pubmed:volume
53
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
313-21
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2001
pubmed:articleTitle
Enhanced resolution of membranes in cultured cells by cryoimmobilization and freeze-substitution.
pubmed:affiliation
Laboratory for Electron Microscopy, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland. pewild@vetanat.unizh.ch
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't