Subject description
Introduction to recent advances in transmission and scanning electron microscopy and their application in life sciences. Overview of cryo methods with emphasis on theory of freezing and its comparison with chemical fixation, on the use of freeze-fracturing and freeze-etching for studying cell membranes, on the studies of ultrastructure by high pressure freezing and freeze-substitution methods and on preparation of cryo-ultrathin sections. Introduction to methods for ultrastructural localization of molecules: the basic principles of immunohistocytochemistry and considerations in the field of electron microscopy, comparison of pre-embedding and post-embedding labelling. Markers of intracellular membrane traffic. Principles of electron tomography: production of three dimensional reconstructions and models of cellular structures. Examples of application of various methods to study cell organisation and function.
The subject is taught in programs
Objectives and competences
– learning in the field of electron microscopy;
– to get an overview of recent advances in electron microscopy for life sciences;
– to know possibilities of choosing appropriate method for answering scientific questions;
– to develop the ability to interpret results.
Teaching and learning methods
Lectures, demonstrations, practical work, seminars and consultations.
Expected study results
Knowledge and understanding:
– of the state-of-the-art electron microscopy and its perspectives;
– students are abel to differentiate and select suitable methods for their research in life sciences;
– students can interpret results of different methods;
– students recognise artefacts of specimen preparations in electron microscopy.
Basic sources and literature
– Electron Microscopy: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology, 1117) 3rd ed. 2014 Edition by John Kuo (Editor)
– Revijalni članki s področja in tekoča periodika. / Review articles from selected journals.
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University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering Tržaška cesta 25, 1000 Ljubljana