Sample Preparation and Visualization Protocol for Electron Microscopy–Based Analysis of Cyanobacteria

Abstract

Electron microscopy (EM) is an effective imaging technique that has revolutionized our knowledge of cellular and subcellular biological structures. It enables the imaging of biological materials with nanometer-scale resolution, providing precise information on cellular morphology, organelle architecture, and cellular activities. In all areas of biology, including cell biology, microbiology, and molecular biology, EM has been used extensively to investigate the ultrastructural properties of biological materials. Electron microscopes use electrons (which have very short wavelengths) as the source of illuminating waves, resulting in high image resolution. To virtualize cellular and subcellular architecture, this resolution is necessary. Cyanobacteria lack apparent structural compartmentalization for cellular functions, necessitating the use of EM to decipher structural organization and interactions between different structures. Numerous ultrastructural details, such as the organization of thylakoids, cell walls, carboxysomes, and nucleoids, are required to comprehend physiological function and evolution (Lang 1968; Mareš et al. 2019). This technique can also disclose the cellular structure of nucleic acids (Rouquette et al. 2009; Ghosh et al. 2021). © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Shailendra P. Singh, Rajeshwar P. Sinha and Donat-P. Häder; individual chapters, the contributors.