Sample preparation optimisation for array tomography volume EM of entire organisms: a case study for marine larvae
Abstract
Serial-sectioning electron microscopy allows the exploration of the 3D ultrastructure of cells, tissues or whole organisms. Sample preparation is a critical step for this technique, which determines the quality of downstream imaging and analysis. Here we optimize a high-pressure freezing sample-preparation workflow for larvae of the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii. We tested several fixation and staining methods and screened a large number of specimens by synchrotron X-ray imaging to evaluate specimen integrity and contrast. We further evaluated selected blocks by array tomography SEM to select the best performing protocols. Our protocols and robust workflow could be adapted to similar marine planktonic organisms including ciliated invertebrate larvae.
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BibTeX
@misc{szabo2026sample,
title = {{Sample preparation optimisation for array tomography volume EM of entire organisms: a case study for marine larvae}},
author = {K. Szabo and A. Kerbl and K. Mocaer and A. Svetlove and A. Pacureanu and G. Jekely},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.06.756938},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.06.756938v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Sample preparation optimisation for array tomography volume EM of entire organisms: a case study for marine larvae
AU - K. Szabo
AU - A. Kerbl
AU - K. Mocaer
AU - A. Svetlove
AU - A. Pacureanu
AU - G. Jekely
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.06.756938
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.06.756938v1
AB - Serial-sectioning electron microscopy allows the exploration of the 3D ultrastructure of cells, tissues or whole organisms. Sample preparation is a critical step for this technique, which determines the quality of downstream imaging and analysis. Here we optimize a high-pressure freezing sample-preparation workflow for larvae of the marine annelid Platynereis dumerilii. We tested several fixation and staining methods and screened a large number of specimens by synchrotron X-ray imaging to evaluate specimen integrity and contrast. We further evaluated selected blocks by array tomography SEM to select the best performing protocols. Our protocols and robust workflow could be adapted to similar marine planktonic organisms including ciliated invertebrate larvae.
ER -