A negative stain for electron microscopic tomography.

ABSTRACT: While negative staining can provide detailed, two-dimensional images of biological structures, the potential of combining tomography with negative staining to provide three-dimensional views has yet to be fully realized. Basic requirements of a negative stain for tomography are that the density and atomic number of the stain are optimal, and that the stain does not degrade or rearrange with the intensive electron dose (~10⁶ e/nm²) needed to collect a full set of tomographic images. A commercially available, tungsten-based stain appears to satisfy these prerequisites. Comparison of the surface structure of negatively stained influenza A virus with previous structural results served to evaluate this negative stain. The combination of many projections of the same structure yielded detailed im

SUBMITTER: Fera A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3650645 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature