How to “Read” a Vitreous Section

Abstract

Publisher Summary Cryoelectron microscopy concerns the observation of hydrated specimen at a temperature so low that water does not evaporate significantly in the microscope's vacuum. This chapter addressed various scientists confronted with CEMOVIS data. It explains the ways to read micrographs, to interpret them, and to understand what they can and cannot provide. It is only recently that cryoelectron microscopy of vitreous sections (CEMOVIS) has been established as a practical method. CEMOVIS results in images that are much closer to the native state, and they provide higher resolution than those obtained from conventional sections. In the absence of any staining and with all the water present as immobilized liquid, CEMOVIS gives a faithful representation of the native state. What is seen on the image is the real distribution of the biological material within the thickness of the section. The global contrast between different regions of the micrograph is proportional to the density difference in the corresponding regions of the specimen.