Nanoimaging granule dynamics and subcellular structures in activated mast cells using soft X-ray tomography.

ABSTRACT: Mast cells play an important role in allergic responses. During activation, these cells undergo degranulation, a process by which various kinds of mediators stored in the granules are released. Granule homeostasis in mast cells has mainly been studied by electron microscopy (EM), where the fine structures of subcellular organelles are partially destroyed during sample preparation. Migration and fusion of granules have not been studied in detail in three dimensions (3D) in unmodified samples. Here, we utilized soft X-ray tomography (SXT) coupled with fluorescence microscopy to study the detailed structures of organelles during mast cell activation. We observed granule fission, granule fusion to plasma membranes, and small vesicles budding from granules. We also detected lipid droplets, whic

SUBMITTER: Chen HY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5066221 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature