Three-dimensional reconstruction of tissues.
Cellular morphology is inherently three-dimensional. However, most histological techniques for tissue analysis focus on extracting information from two-dimensional slices of fixed samples or dissociated cells. These techniques result in a significant loss of the three-dimensional information of the tissue, including true cell volume, orientation, and whole cell shape. This unit discusses various options for three-dimensional imaging, provides a protocol for performing post-processing reconstruction based on serial slicing, and discusses the current advantages and limitations of the three-dimensional approach to quantitative tissue analysis. The focus of this protocol is on cardiac tissue, but the techniques can be applied to any solid tissue.
Cruz
Francisco
F
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Lee
Richard T
RT
Huang
Hayden
H
D000818:Animals; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006652:Histological Techniques; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D014463:Ultrasonography