Laboratory of Electron Microscopy

Head: Elżbieta WYROBA

Staff: Henryk BILSKI, Szymon SUSKI

The service Lab established in 1973 providing access and assistance in the use 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, Great Britain), 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 is also available such as: Ultramicrotomes (LKB, Sweden), Critical point drying system (Polaron, Great Britain), Vacuum evaporator (JEOL Co., Japan), and Cryoultramicrotome (Leica, Austria).

Investigators from 10-14 different scientific institutions from all over the country take 6000 – 10000 electron micrographs (plates) annually. Lab is providing service in the procedure of mild drying of the biological samples in liquid CO2 (critical point), coating of the dried biological samples with neutral metals and carbon evaporation of the 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. A complete photographical service is available summing up to about 5000 prints each year.

Public education and dissemination activities of the laboratory include:

• The Modern Microscopical Methods series (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

• Special sessions open to public entitled “Secrets of the cells” during the nine consecutive “Festivals of Science” (1997-2007) – presenting the details of cell ultrastructure using three different electron microscopes to more than 1200 participants – and EU event ‘Faces behind Science – Night with Researcher’ (project 044769) in 2006.

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., Mosie- niak 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 hygro- metrica 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 potas- sium channel in skeletal muscle mitochondria. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1777: 651-659.


Publications list: wik.nencki.gov.pl