Xiaoqi Zhang, Zuobin Wang, Haiyue Yu, Zengren Tao, Wei Ji
Osteoblasts are the functional cells capable of bone formation in the bone microenvironment and play an important role in bone growth, development, and the maintenance of bone mass. The cells cultured in vitro are derived from preosteoblasts in tissues and possess the ability to divide and proliferate. Osteoblasts form the bone matrix by secreting collagen and other matrix proteins, which provides a foundation for the deposition of minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, ultimately resulting in the formation of hard bone tissue. Bone diseases affect the quality of life and the aging of the population. Bone diseases such as osteoporosis, fractures, bone tumours, and arthritis have a significant impact on quality of life, especially among the elderly population. These realities remind us that we should pay more attention to bone and joint health. Therefore, it is particularly important to study the imaging and characterisation of mechanical properties of bone cells, which provides a basis for the research of bone diseases in human beings.
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In this short and popular review, we summarise some of our findings analysing the replication cycles of large DNA viruses using scanning transmission electron tomography (STEM tomography) that we applied in the laboratory of Paul Walther. It is also a tribute to a very kind and expert scientist, who recently retired. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), in particular cryo-EM, has benefited tremendously from recent developments in instrumentation. However, TEM imaging remains limited by the thickness of the specimen and classical thin-section TEM typically generates 2D representations of 3D volumes. Although TEM tomography can partly overcome this limitation, the thickness of the sample, the volume that can be analysed in 3D, remains limiting. STEM tomography can partly overcome this problem, as it allows for the analysis of thicker samples, up to 1 µm in thickness. As such, it is an interesting imaging technique to analyse large DNA viruses, some of which measure 1 µm or more, and which is the focus of our research interest.
在这篇简短而通俗的评论中,我们总结了我们在保罗-瓦尔特(Paul Walther)实验室使用扫描透射电子断层扫描技术(STEM断层扫描)分析大型DNA病毒复制周期的一些研究成果。这也是对最近退休的一位非常和蔼可亲的专家科学家的致敬。透射电子显微镜(TEM),特别是冷冻电子显微镜,从最近的仪器发展中获益匪浅。然而,透射电子显微镜成像仍然受到试样厚度的限制,传统的薄片透射电子显微镜通常生成三维体积的二维图像。虽然 TEM 层析技术可以部分克服这一限制,但样品的厚度,即可进行三维分析的体积,仍然是限制因素。STEM 层析技术可以部分克服这一问题,因为它可以分析厚度达 1 微米的较厚样品。因此,它是一种有趣的成像技术,可用于分析大型 DNA 病毒,其中一些病毒的厚度可达 1 微米或更厚,而这正是我们的研究兴趣所在。
{"title":"Scanning transmission electron tomography to study virus assembly: Review for the retirement of Paul Walther.","authors":"Susanne Wieczorek, Jacomina Krijnse Locker","doi":"10.1111/jmi.13374","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/jmi.13374","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this short and popular review, we summarise some of our findings analysing the replication cycles of large DNA viruses using scanning transmission electron tomography (STEM tomography) that we applied in the laboratory of Paul Walther. It is also a tribute to a very kind and expert scientist, who recently retired. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), in particular cryo-EM, has benefited tremendously from recent developments in instrumentation. However, TEM imaging remains limited by the thickness of the specimen and classical thin-section TEM typically generates 2D representations of 3D volumes. Although TEM tomography can partly overcome this limitation, the thickness of the sample, the volume that can be analysed in 3D, remains limiting. STEM tomography can partly overcome this problem, as it allows for the analysis of thicker samples, up to 1 µm in thickness. As such, it is an interesting imaging technique to analyse large DNA viruses, some of which measure 1 µm or more, and which is the focus of our research interest.</p>","PeriodicalId":16484,"journal":{"name":"Journal of microscopy","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142729703","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Claire van den Berg, Nonhlanhla P. Khumalo, Malebogo N. Ngoepe
Scalp hair is a key feature of humans and its variability has been the subject of a broad range of studies. A small subset of these studies has focused on geometric quantification of human scalp hair fibres, however the use of race- and ethnicity-based classification systems makes it challenging to draw objective conclusions about fibre variability. Furthermore, sample preparation techniques for micro-imaging studies often alter the original form of hair fibres. This study sought to determine which of the commonly reported descriptors could be resolved using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for fibres of varying curl. Images obtained from micro-CT were used to reconstruct three-dimensional images that were then analysed. The study also explored the capabilities and limitations of micro-CT as an imaging modality by comparing and cross-validating findings with those obtained from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and laser micrometry. The former deals with surface imaging while the latter deals with cross-sectional measurements. Micro-CT was found to be highly effective at resolving cross-sectional ellipsoidal parameters, but performed more poorly than SEM in reconstructing surface level details at a 2