Biological Electron Microscopy Facility

Using electron microscopes to explore the biological world.

Latest news

Block face scanning EM in bladder infection

The group of John McKinney used the Block face scanning EM technique to visualize the infection of a bladder with Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). This technique reveals that solitary bacteria can be found throughout the bladder wall and may be intracellular or pericellular (sandwiched between uroepithelial cells). The study can be viewed here.

Movie: 3D reconstruction of the infected bladder

TEM and Block face scanning EM to analyse the effect of synaptic develpment in absence of regulated vesicular release.

The group of Zoltan Molnar from the university of Oxford explore the effect of the absence of  regulated vesicular release on the synapse morphogenesis and maturation in regions that receive large and powerful cortical inputs such as in the thalamus.  This question was explored using 3D electron microscopy and immunoelectron microscopy analyses in the large, complex synpases formed between cortical sensory efferent axons and dendrites in the posterior thalamic nucleus. the study can be viewed here.