Slow-speed freezing of chemically unfixed biological tissues and long-term storage of frozen samples for cyroscanning electron microscopy
✍ Scribed by Adler, Klaus; Kruse, Joachim; Kunze, Gotthard
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1996
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 406 KB
- Volume
- 33
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1059-910X
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✦ Synopsis
We describe a procedure in which plant tissue as well as a yeast culture on agar are frozen with slow cooling rates for observation of surface structures in a cryoscanning electron microscope. A system is also presented for long-term storage of frozen specimens under liquid nitrogen, in which the material is maintained for direct observation. Some small tools are described, which are essential for making preparations using slow-speed freezing and for the storage of prepared samples. Three examples of preparations with different complications are given: the "sculptures" on the surface of a leaf of Allium schoenoprasum, an early stage of flower development of Allium cernuum, and a part of an agar-grown colony of Arxula adeninivorans. In our experience, it is possible to store fully hydrated samples under the described conditions for more than a year without damaging the fine structures. o 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.