Correlated cryogenic electron and mass imaging enables sub-cellular chemical mapping in bacteria
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ABSTRACT: Electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) allows high-resolution spatial visualization of biological specimens, however, it is challenging to chemically identify densities observed in cryo-EM. To overcome this, we combined cryo-EM with chemical imaging using focused ion beam secondary ion mass spectrometry (FIB-SIMS) for integrated spatio-chemical analysis. We illustrate the correlative workflow using multiple examples, demonstrating sub-cellular localisation of molecules inside small bacterial cells. We used our workflow to illuminate the mechanism of uptake of Bisphenol-AF pollutant molecules by environmental bacteria, yielding insights into the storage of these chemicals within cytosolic phase-separated aggregates. Given the versatility of the workflow, which is compatible with cryogenic optical microscopy and FIB-milled lamellae of multicellular specimens, cryo-EM-FIB-SIMS is an effective avenue to map elemental and molecular signatures in cryo-EM.
INSTRUMENT(S):
ORGANISM(S): Caulobacter Sp. S3h41
SUBMITTER:
Catarina Franco
LAB HEAD: Tanmay A.M. Bharat
PROVIDER: PXD061926 | Pride | 2026-05-13
REPOSITORIES: Pride
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