Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an electron microscopy technique in which a wide beam of electrons passes through a thin slice of specimen (<100 nm) to form an image. For biological samples, it is used to examine cell ultrastructure and subcellular localization of proteins/molecules using immnolabelling techniques. Other TEM applications are Cryo-TEM and TEM Tomography.
Equipment:
FEI Tecnai Spirit 120kV TEM
FEI Tecnai G2 Twin 200kV TEM
Sample Preparation:
(A) Biological tissue samples need to be fixed and embedded in the resin
- Initial fixation: Cryo-fixation or Chemical fixation using aldehyde fixatives
- Secondary fixation: Osmium fixation to fix lipids (Not needed for immunolabelling samples)
- Dehydration
- Infiltration/embedding in resin: Choice of resin
- Ultramicrotome sectioning
- Antibody incubation for immunolabelling
- Grid staining with uranyl acetate and lead citrate
- TEM imaging
(B) For isolated organelles, macromolecules, bacterial cells and viruses, please visit the TEM Negative Staining
Publications:
White, R. B., Wild, A. R., O’Leary, T. P., Thompson, A. J., Flibotte, S., Peng, A., Rogalski, J. C., Mair, M., Derhami, N., & Bamji, S. X. (2025). The X‐Linked Intellectual Disability Gene, ZDHHC9, Is Important for Oligodendrocyte Subtype Determination and Myelination. Glia, 73(7), 1452 – 1466. https://doi.org/10.1002/glia.70016
Palka, M. V ., Manglicmot, R. C., Lax, G., Wakeman, K. C., & Leander, B. S. (2025). Ultrastructure of Olkasia polycarbonata (Euglenozoa, Euglenida) demonstrates cytoskeletal innovations associated with the feeding and flagellar apparatuses. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 72(1), e13074. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeu.13074
Dehghani, A., & Arjmand, M. (2025). Multi-layered rubber-based nanocomposites for absorption-dominant EMI shielding and adaptive infrared camouflage. Chemical Engineering Journal, 521, 166285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.166285
Asghari, P., Scriven, D. R. L., Shahrasebi, S., Valdivia, H. H., Alsina, K. M., Valdivia, C. R., Navarro-Garcia, J. A., Wehrens, X. H. T., & Moore, E. D. W. (2024). Phosphorylation of RyR2 simultaneously expands the dyad and rearranges the tetramers. The Journal of General Physiology, 156(4) e202213108. https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.202213108
Trznadel, M., Holt, C. C., Livingston, S. J., Kwong, W. K., & Keeling, P. J. (2023). Coral-Infecting Parasites in Cold Marine Ecosystems. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4657711