Laboratory of Electron Microscopy

Head: Elżbieta WYROBA

Staff: Henryk BILSKI, Szymon SUSKI

The Laboratory of Electron Microscopy was established in 1973 and provides access/assistance to investigators from the scientific institutions from all over the country and their cooperating partners from abroad in the usage of the following equipment:

1. High Performance Biology Transmission electron microscope JEM 1400 (JEOL Co., Japan, 2008) equipped with energy-dispersive full range X-ray microanalysis system (EDS INCA Energy TEM, Oxford Instruments, UK), tomographic holder and high resolution digital camera (CCD MORADA, SiS-Olympus, Germany).
The above-mentioned equipment was installed within the project sponsored by the European Union Structural Funds:
Centre of Advanced Technology BIM ’Equipment purchase for the Laboratory of Biological and Medical Imaging’.

2. JEM 1200 EX electron microscope (manufactured in 1986) with ASID scanning device.

3. Scanning electron microscope JSM S1 (purchased in 1973).

The Other equipment such as: Ultramicrotomes (LKB, Sweden), Critical point drying system (Polaron, UK), Vacuum evaporator (JEOL Co., Japan), and Cryoultramicrotome (Leica, Austria) are also available.

In 2011 over 16 000 digital electron micrographs and almost 1400 EDS spectra were collected by the investigators affiliated with 17 different scientific institutions. The continuous efforts have been undertaken to enable new methods in electron microscopy to be introduced and available to all the users such as full qualitative and quantitative X–ray microanalysis (EDS) enabling mapping the elements.

Lab provides services in the procedure of mild drying of the biological samples in liquid CO2 (critical point drying), coating of the biological samples with neutral metals and carbon evaporation of formvar-coated specimen grids for transmission electron microscopy and microanalysis. Continuous maintenance of the equipment and a lot of repairs of the vacuum, electronic and mechanical systems are performed.

Public education and dissemination activities of the Laboratory include

• Lectures, practical training and presentations targeting undergraduate students) including the Lab practice in scanning electron microscopy for the university students) and other guests
• Training session in application of the new instruments
• EU event ‘Faces behind Science – Night with Researcher’ (project 044769) in 2006

• Special sessions open to public entitled “Secrets of the cells” during the twelve consecutive “Festivals of Science” (1997-2010) – presenting the details of cell ultrastructure using three different electron microscopes to more than 1400 participants.

Selected publications:

Boncela J., Przygodzka P., Papiewska-Pająk I., Wyroba E., Osińska M., Cierniewski C.S. (2011) Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 interacts with alpha3 subunit of proteasome and modulates its activity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 286: 6820-6831.

Bielak-Żmijewska A., Sikora-Polaczek M., Nieznański K., Mosieniak G., Kolano A.,. Maleszewski M, Styrna J., Sikora E. (2010) Curcumin disrupts meiotic and mitotic divisions via spindle impairment and inhibition of CDK1 activity. Cell Proliferation, 43: 354-364.

Krzesłowska M., Lenartowska M., Samardakiewicz S., Bilski H., Woźny A. (2010) Lead deposited in the cell wall of Funaria hygrometrica protonemata is not stable. A remobilization can occur. Environmental Pollution, 158: 325-338.

Skalska J., Piwońska M., Wyroba E., Surmacz L., Wieczorek R., Koszela-Piotrowska I., Zielińska J., Bednarczyk P., Dołowy K., Wilczyński G.M., Szewczyk A., Kunz W.S. (2008) A novel potassium channel in skeletal muscle mitochondria. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1777: 651-659.


Publications list: wik.nencki.gov.pl