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Heinz, V. ; Rachel, R. ; Ziegler, Christine

Application of STEM tomography to investigate smooth ER morphology under stress conditions

Heinz, V., Rachel, R. and Ziegler, Christine (2025) Application of STEM tomography to investigate smooth ER morphology under stress conditions. Journal of Microscopy.

Date of publication of this fulltext: 14 Aug 2025 10:15
Article
DOI to cite this document: 10.5283/epub.77544


Abstract

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a highly dynamic organelle that undergoes significant morphological alterations in response to cellular stress. While conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has provided valuable insights into these changes, such as the formation of crystalloid-ER and ER whorls, obtaining comprehensive three-dimensional (3D) information on these large structures ...

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a highly dynamic organelle that undergoes significant morphological alterations in response to cellular stress. While conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has provided valuable insights into these changes, such as the formation of crystalloid-ER and ER whorls, obtaining comprehensive three-dimensional (3D) information on these large structures within their cellular context has remained a challenge. To overcome these limitations, this study introduces an innovative application of dual-axis scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography to investigate ER morphology under stress conditions in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells overexpressing the cation channel polycystin-2 (PC-2). Benefitting from high-resolution, increased depth-of-focus, and reduced aberrations, STEM tomography enabled the detailed 3D reconstruction of large cellular subvolumes, providing unprecedented views of stress-induced ER structures. Our findings reveal distinct ultrastructural details of both crystalloid-ER and ER whorls. Crystalloid-ER exhibited a tubular architecture with potential interconnectedness, while ER whorls displayed a lamellar organisation and distinct membrane curvature. We observed the co-occurrence of these distinct smooth ER (sER) morphotypes within the same cell, yet they remained spatially separated, suggesting potential functional specialisation. Furthermore, we identified direct membrane contacts in mixed morphotypes, hinting at a shared origin or dynamic relationship between these structures. The study also elucidated the interactions of these organised smooth ER (OSER) structures with other organelles, such as mitochondria (MAM sites) and vesicles. In summary, the presented ultra-structural insights have a significant impact on our understanding of stress-related ER morphology changes. The ability to visualise the intricate 3D architecture and spatial relationships of these structures provides novel perspectives on the ER's adaptive responses to stress, including potential roles in lipid and protein biosynthesis and intracellular communication. These findings underscore the power of dual-axis STEM tomography for elucidating complex organellar organisation and dynamics in their native cellular context



Involved Institutions


Details

Item typeArticle
Journal or Publication TitleJournal of Microscopy
Publisher:Wiley
Open Access Type:DEAL (Wiley)
Date12 August 2025
InstitutionsBiology, Preclinical Medicine > Institut für Biophysik und physikalische Biochemie > Prof. Dr. Christine Ziegler
Projects
Funded by: Europäische Kommission (EU) (101118769)
Identification Number
ValueType
10.1111/jmi.70020DOI
Keywordscrystalloid-ER, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) morphology, ER stress, ER whorls, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), tomography
Dewey Decimal Classification500 Science > 500 Natural sciences & mathematics
500 Science > 570 Life sciences
StatusPublished
RefereedYes, this version has been refereed
Created at the University of RegensburgYes
URN of the UB Regensburgurn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-775440
Item ID77544

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