Combined use of serial block face SEM and focused ion beam SEM elucidates the 3D ultrastructure of blood platelets and thrombi

Abstract

With the emergence of the 3D electron microscopy techniques, serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) and focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM), it has become feasible to image cellular and tissue ultrastructure at a nanoscale. In the field of homeostasis and thrombosis, both techniques enable investigation of platelet activation and clotting. We find that FIB-SEM provides 3D ultrastructure from volumes in the range 10,000 to 100,000 cubic micrometers, revealing alpha-granules and the canalicular system at a near-isotropic spatial resolution of ∼5 nm.