STEM tomography of high-pressure frozen and freeze-substituted cells: a comparison of image stacks obtained at 200 kV or 300 kV

Scanning transmission electron microscopic (STEM) tomography of high-pressure frozen, freeze-substituted semi-thin sections is one of multiple approaches for three-dimensional recording and visualization of electron microscopic samples. Compared to regular TEM tomography thicker sample sections can be investigated since chromatic aberration due to inelastic scattering is not a limit. The method is ideal to investigate subcellular compartments or organelles such as synapses, mitochondria, or microtubule arrangements. STEM tomography fills the gap between single-particle electron cryo-tomography, and methods that allow investigations of large volumes, such as serial block-face SEM and FIB-SEM. In this article, we discuss technical challenges of the approach and show some applications in cell biology. It is ideal to use a 300-kV electron microscope with a very small convergence angle of the primary beam (“parallel” beam). These instruments are expensive and tomography is rather time consuming, and therefore, access to such a high-end microscope might be difficult. In this article, we demonstrate examples of successful STEM tomography in biology using a more standard 200-kV microscope equipped with a field emission tip.