Abstract
Trace metals play important roles in normal and in disease-causing biological functions. X-ray fluorescence microscopy reveals trace elements with no dependence on binding affinities (unlike with visible light fluorophores) and with improved sensitivity relative to electron probes. However, X-ray fluorescence is not very sensitive for showing the light elements that comprise the majority of cellular material. Here we show that X-ray ptychography can be combined with fluorescence to image both cellular structure and trace element distribution in frozen-hydrated cells at cryogenic temperatures, with high structural and chemical fidelity. Ptychographic reconstruction algorithms deliver phase and absorption contrast images at a resolution beyond that of the illuminating lens or beam size. Using 5.2-keV X-rays, we have obtained sub-30-nm resolution structural images and ∼ 90-nm-resolution fluorescence images of several elements in frozen-hydrated green algae. This combined approach offers a way to study the role of trace elements in their structural context.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 2314-2319 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
Volume | 112 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Feb 24 2015 |
Keywords
- Cryogenic biological samples
- Ptychography
- X-ray fluorescence microscopy
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General