• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.171-175
• /
• 2016

A distinctive neuronal network in the brain is believed to make us unique individuals. Electron microscopy is a valuable tool for examining ultrastructural characteristics of neurons, synapses, and subcellular organelles. A recent technological breakthrough in volume electron microscopy allows large-scale circuit reconstruction of the nervous system with unprecedented detail. Serial-section electron microscopy-previously the domain of specialists-became automated with the advent of innovative systems such as the focused ion beam and serial block-face scanning electron microscopes and the automated tape-collecting ultramicrotome. Further advances in microscopic design and instrumentation are also available, which allow the reconstruction of unprecedentedly large volumes of brain tissue at high speed. The recent introduction of correlative light and electron microscopy will help to identify specific neural circuits associated with behavioral characteristics and revolutionize our understanding of how the brain works.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.45 no.1
• /
• pp.41-50
• /
• 2022

The recently developed correlative super-resolution fluorescence microscopy (SRM) and electron microscopy (EM) is a hybrid technique that simultaneously obtains the spatial locations of specific molecules with SRM and the context of the cellular ultrastructure by EM. Although the combination of SRM and EM remains challenging owing to the incompatibility of samples prepared for these techniques, the increasing research attention on these methods has led to drastic improvements in their performances and resulted in wide applications. Here, we review the development of correlative SRM and EM (sCLEM) with a focus on the correlation of EM with different SRM techniques. We discuss the limitations of the integration of these two microscopy techniques and how these challenges can be addressed to improve the quality of correlative images. Finally, we address possible future improvements and advances in the continued development and wide application of sCLEM approaches.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
• /
• v.41 no.2
• /
• pp.87-93
• /
• 1999

Under Light and Scanning electron microscope, the pupal morphology of mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori Linn. revealed the prothorax and metathorax, well developed mesothorax, less defined last pair of sporacle, well exposed prothoracic femora and wing pads approaching the anterior margin of Ab III. The important sex separating characters viz, wegiht, antennal elevations, intersegmental lines and genings have discussed. Further, two separate openings bursa copulatrix and ovipositional opening were observed, performing different functions in abult moth.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.17 no.10
• /
• pp.1721-1726
• /
• 2007

Comparative morphology among species of the genus Calostoma, including C. cinnabarina, C. ravenelii, and C. japonicum, was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Spore morphology of C. cinnabarina and C. ravenelii showed no dramatic differences by light microcopy and scanning electron microscopy. To differentiate these species, atomic force microscopy was employed. Quantitative analysis of the surface roughness of basidiospores revealed subtle differences in height fluctuation at the nanometer scale between the species of Calostoma. Basidiospores of C. cinnabarina had a relatively rougher surface than those of C. ravenelii at $2.0{\times}2.0\;{\mu}m^2$ scan areas.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.47 no.1
• /
• pp.3-7
• /
• 2017

The automatic equipment for three-dimensional electron microscopy (3DEM) can acquire serial sections of a large sample in a relatively short time, and is especially suitable for the connectomics, which is a field related to understanding the brain structure as a whole. As many results obtained through 3DEM using automatic serial sections have been published in the field of brain research, many researchers continue to apply this technique to various samples. We reviewed the equipment for automatic serial sectioning, the block preparation method, the limitations of 3DEM, and future directions.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.84-92
• /
• 2022

To understand the microcircuitry of the brain, the anatomical and functional connectivity among neurons must be resolved. One of the technical hurdles to achieving this goal is that the anatomical connections, or synapses, are often smaller than the diffraction limit of light and thus are difficult to resolve by conventional microscopy, while the microcircuitry of the brain is on the scale of 1 mm or larger. To date, the gold standard method for microcircuit reconstruction has been electron microscopy (EM). However, despite its rapid development, EM has clear shortcomings as a method for microcircuit reconstruction. The greatest weakness of this method is arguably its incompatibility with functional and molecular analysis. Fluorescence microscopy, on the other hand, is readily compatible with numerous physiological and molecular analyses. We believe that recent advances in various fluorescence microscopy techniques offer a new possibility for reliable synapse detection in large volumes of neural circuits. In this minireview, we summarize recent advances in fluorescence-based microcircuit reconstruction. In the same vein as these studies, we introduce our recent efforts to analyze the long-range connectivity among brain areas and the subcellular distribution of synapses of interest in relatively large volumes of cortical tissue with array tomography and superresolution microscopy.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.49-56
• /
• 1982

A case of systemic cryptococcosis developed in 4 year old boy was described and illustrated by light and electron microscope. Light microscopically, the upper dermis of the skin showed chronic nonspecific inflammation with numerous spherical spores surrounded by a clear halo created by the wide gelatinous capsule. Ultrastructurally, the C. neoformans showed the wide capsule containing microfibrils that appeared to radiate from the cell wall and to coil and interwine in various directions. The cell was uninucleate with a single nucleolus. Along the inner nuclear envelope, numerous small vesicles were present. In addition, C. neoformans presented membranous organelles derived from the plasma membrane and comparable to bacterial mesosomes.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.71-82
• /
• 1995

The ultrastructure and storage reserves of the Capsicum annuum seeds were studied in order to identify structure and to localize storage components in the endosperm using light microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The seed coat was composed of one cell layer which contained a large number of lipid bodies, while most of the endosperm cells did not showed many lipid bodies. During seed maturation, the endosperm cells were continuously degenerated by the autophagy. Various types of plastids were also distinguished in the endosperm cells. They contained starch grains surrounded by electron-dense tiny particles, plastoglobuli, and vasicular bodies.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.87-95
• /
• 2018

Immunoelectron microscopy using an antigen-antibody reaction in an electron microscope is a very useful tool to identify the components of a tissue in an electron microscope. Many researchers also use immunoelectron microscopy. Nonetheless, immunoelectron microscopy is rarely introduced systematically, and immunoelectron microscopy can be carried out without fully understanding the principles, and cases of poor understanding can often be seen in the vicinity. Therefore, in order to make it easier to understand, we will first introduce the principles of immunoelectron microscopy and describe practical methods.

• Applied Microscopy
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.86-107
• /
• 1991

An experimental study was performed to observe the early effects of monocrotaline on pulmonary vascular system by means of light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, attempting to expore the mechanism behind the process of pulmonary hypertension. Experimental animal(Sprague-Dawley male rats ; 150-200g B. W.) were intra-peritoneal administered with 100mg/kg B. W. monocrotaline. Authors observed light microscopically various gradational increase of wall thickness in pulmonary muscular and non-muscular arteries in duration from 2 weeks to 5 weeks after monocrotaline administration and the changes were more sever in the latter than the former. The scanning electron microscopy shows severe and diffuse endothelical cell swelling, microvilli and microbleb formation since 1 hour after monocrotaline administration and during the course, after 5 hours the severity of endothelial cell damage was prominent with presence of fibrin, webs, platelet thrombi and white cell adherence. It was concluded that the monocrotaline primarily induced severe and diffuse endothelial cell damage of pulmonary arteries and laterly added the participation of platelets, which attributed to the pathogenesis of monocrotaline induced pulmonary vascular lesions in relation to pulmonary hypertension.