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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. und Ziegler, Christine (2025) Application of STEM tomography to investigate smooth ER morphology under stress conditions. Journal of Microscopy.

Veröffentlichungsdatum dieses Volltextes: 14 Aug 2025 10:15
Artikel
DOI zum Zitieren dieses Dokuments: 10.5283/epub.77544


Zusammenfassung

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



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Details

DokumentenartArtikel
Titel eines Journals oder einer ZeitschriftJournal of Microscopy
Verlag:Wiley
Datum12 August 2025
InstitutionenBiologie und Vorklinische Medizin > Institut für Biophysik und physikalische Biochemie > Prof. Dr. Christine Ziegler
Projekte
Gefördert von: Europäische Kommission (EU) (101118769)
Identifikationsnummer
WertTyp
10.1111/jmi.70020DOI
Stichwörter / Keywordscrystalloid-ER, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) morphology, ER stress, ER whorls, scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), tomography
Dewey-Dezimal-Klassifikation500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 500 Naturwissenschaften
500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik > 570 Biowissenschaften, Biologie
StatusVeröffentlicht
BegutachtetJa, diese Version wurde begutachtet
An der Universität Regensburg entstandenJa
URN der UB Regensburgurn:nbn:de:bvb:355-epub-775440
Dokumenten-ID77544

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