Identification of ultrastructural details of the astrocyte process system in neural tissue of the brain using correlative scanning probe and transmission electron microscopy

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Abstract

Nanoscale morphological features of branched processes of glial cells may be of decisive importance for neuron-astrocytic interactions in health and disease. The paper presents the results of a correlation analysis of images of thin processes of astrocytes in the nervous tissue of the mouse brain, obtained by scanning probe microscopy and transmission electron microscopy with high spatial resolution. Samples were prepared and imaged using a unique hardware combination of ultramicrotomy and scanning probe microscopy. It was shown that the images identified details of astrocytes with a thickness of the order of tens of nanometers, which can be used in the future to reconstruct the three-dimensional structure of astrocytic processes by integrating a series of sequential images of ultrathin sections of nervous tissue.

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About the authors

О. I. Agapova

Shumakov National Medical Research Center of Transplantology and Artificial Organs

Email: igor.agapov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow

А. Е. Efimov

Shumakov National Medical Research Center of Transplantology and Artificial Organs

Email: igor.agapov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow

E. A. Obraztsova

Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences; Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology

Email: igor.agapov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow; Dolgoprudny

K. E. Mochalov

Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: igor.agapov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow

D. O. Solovyeva

Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences

Email: igor.agapov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow

V. A. Oleinikov

Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences; National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute)

Email: igor.agapov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow; Moscow

I. I. Agapov

Shumakov National Medical Research Center of Transplantology and Artificial Organs

Author for correspondence.
Email: igor.agapov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Moscow

S. V. Gautier

Shumakov National Medical Research Center of Transplantology and Artificial Organs; Sechenov University

Email: igor.agapov@gmail.com

Academician

Russian Federation, Moscow; Moscow

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2. Complementary TEM and SPM images of astrocyte areas. Overview images (left) and enlarged areas (right). In the magnified images, the thin processes of astrocytes in TEM images are marked with color, and symbols indicate complementary regions.

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