title: Electron tomography of rabbit cardiomyocyte three-dimensional ultrastructure.
abstract: The field of cardiovascular research has benefitted from rapid developments in imaging technology over the last few decades. Accordingly, an ever growing number of large, multidimensional data sets have begun to appear, often challenging existing pre-conceptions about structure and function of biological systems. For tissue and cell structure imaging, the move from 2D section-based microscopy to true 3D data collection has been a major driver of new insight. In the sub-cellular domain, electron tomography is a powerful technique for exploration of cellular structures in 3D with unparalleled fidelity at nanometer resolution. Electron tomography is particularly advantageous for studying highly compartmentalised cells such as cardiomyocytes, where elaborate sub-cellular structures play crucial roles in electrophysiology and mechanics. Although the anatomy of specific ultra-structures, such as dyadic couplons, has been extensively explored using 2D electron microscopy of thin sections, we still lack accurate, quantitative knowledge of true individual shape, volume and surface area of sub-cellular domains, as well as their 3D spatial interrelations; let alone of how these are reshaped during the cycle of contraction and relaxation. Here we discuss and illustrate the utility of ET for identification, visualisation, and analysis of 3D cardiomyocyte ultrastructures such as the T-tubular system, sarcoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria and microtubules.
authors.affiliation: National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK. Electronic address: e.rog-zielinska@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Eva A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Rog-Zielinska
authors.affiliation: National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK.
authors.forename: Callum M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Eileen T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: O'Toole
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morphew
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoenger
authors.affiliation: National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, UK; Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Centre Freiburg - Bad Krozingen, Medical School of the University of Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kohl
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055032:Electron Microscope Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods*; D008870:Microtubules / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008929:Mitochondria, Heart / Q000648:ultrastructure; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D011817:Rabbits; D012519:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum / Q000648:ultrastructure
keywords: 3D imaging; Microtubule; Sarcoplasmic reticulum; T-tubules