X-ray laser microscopy of rat sperm nuclei.
The development of high brightness and short pulse width (< 200 picoseconds) x-ray lasers now offers biologists the possibility of high-resolution imaging of specimens in an aqueous environment without the blurring effects associated with natural motions and chemical erosion. As a step toward developing the capabilities of this type of x-ray microscopy, a tantalum x-ray laser at 44.83 angstrom wavelength was used together with an x-ray zone plate lens to image both unlabeled and selectively gold-labeled dried rat sperm nuclei. The observed images show approximately 500 angstrom features, illustrate the importance of x-ray microscopy in determining chemical composition, and provide information about the uniformity of sperm chromatin organization and the extent of sperm chromatin hydration.
Da Silva
L B
LB
Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
Trebes
J E
JE
Balhorn
R
R
Mrowka
S
S
Anderson
E
E
Attwood
D T
DT
Barbee
T W
TW
Brase
J
J
Corzett
M
M
Gray
J
J
D000818:Animals; D002458:Cell Fractionation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002843:Chromatin / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004247:DNA / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014965:X-Rays
D002843:Chromatin; D004247:DNA