Instruct-ERIC Events

MPIB: Integrative approaches for cellular cryo-electron tomography - Correlative imaging and focused ion beam micromachining

Training
Date: 03-Sep-2012

Instruct

An Instruct funded course

(Course date TBC)

Course Overview:

The study of complex biological samples from ‘cellular landscapes to molecular territories’ is essentially a threefold task:

  • Identify features of interest
  • Navigate these
  • And finally, target and capture high-resolution snapshots that represent bona fide cellular events.

The first two tasks can be addressed by correlative cryofluorescence microscopy, which offers the possibility to navigate large cellular volumes and to localize specific cellular targets. These targets can then be accessed directly by focused ion beam milling (FIB) and further investigated by cryo-electron tomography. We have assembled a ‘pipeline’ based on different technologies and tools to facilitate this strategy without compromising versatility and expandability. This course aims at giving insights into the whole experimental setup. Attendees will be given practical lessons into every step of the entire workflow for its routine application in cryo-electron tomography of larger cellular structures. We will furthermore discuss the current state of integrating optical (light) and electron microscopy with a view to performing cryo-electron tomography in an efficient and targeted manner. Additionally the course will give a platform to discuss the difficulties and challenges of such novel approaches in integrative imaging.