Tour of organelles through the electron microscope: A reprinting of Keith R. Porter's classic Harvey Lecture with a new introduction

Keith R. Porter was a pioneer in the exploration of cell fine structure by electron microscopy, beginning with the first electron micrograph of cell structure in 1945 (Porter et al.,1945). The laboratory of Porter and George E. Palade at Rockefeller University became famous for its images of cells, which extended microscopic anatomy to new dimensions and provided many novel insights about the structure and function of cell organelles. Porter had the idea that similarity of microstructure implied homology at the organelle level, which suggested a common evolutionary origin, so that structural variations within a given organelle family would be expressions of cellular and functional differentiation. This is the basic theme of his Harvey Lecture, given in 1956 and published in 1957. (A personal note: I heard this lecture at Woods Hole in the summer of 1956 and it convinced me that I wanted to work as his graduate student.) In 1956, it was by no means accepted that what one saw with the electron microscope had any bearing on evolution, biochemistry, or cell physiology. At some of Porter's lectures, people stood up to say that everything seen was an artifact. It certainly was, but it was an artifact based on structural and biochemical reality, as Porter states in the Harvey Lecture: “the general conclusion is that the electron microscope image of the … fixed cell is remarkably faithful to the original morphology and that much can be learned The Harvey a of images that the of the electron to I this “the organelle is a is a in a a or an This was so the electron of a In the that the of what as a organelle is much the in The and variations in fine structure of common and evolution, which the of with of common and function in and In the organelle the of much of cell that with Porter's Harvey with organelle the which Porter and Palade and at the electron microscopic in a of cells, and In the I would to the to the family of organelles. for many on the to an of cell on much It is the Harvey in to the to of the of structure that was In the first Porter the of the as a of the The the and in the and the in and no In Porter some seen at for one of the in in the by the for and seen was it was the of and the that work on in cell Porter the common in its the Harvey the of the lecture on what Porter as or of and some as the on the of the in the of the of the which Porter as “the I was the of the and of the the of the and was microscopy, it was or in of the and by the electron in the Harvey Porter that the which to the of and of but as by and microscopy, to and the of the In the Porter that the was but This work was to but to a of and on in many is is that beginning 1956, on many of in the and cells, and this and and to be as an to the of and by cell as and The to about a with some novel on laboratory et which the of of to the and with this In the of was to in and in and the and the to in the of was the for a of in was to be in an of an that was for in the et the of a was in the cell and Porter's in his Harvey on the family of and the and had for is on the of and as in and in at a and the in but in in the in the of or and in cell is in and and The first at in Porter's Harvey to in the of et et the organelle by electron at the of cell a its R. It is for a Harvey to to the published of to in or in was any In a I say that I but I that in a of the with the and of or This of a of the in and of the that and in of At the it that and is on the of in This it be as to the of the cell by of its or the of its this in one the of the electron microscope as in its of it the the of and the of and It is to a of to the and function of at the of for to with the of electron I wanted to what be in the of some this and its for the of one or of the as as and I to that about the structural of the and of and cell to the of this but I to a to it I to to it The or that can and in and in of and of the of as some and and many or and so which in the to some of in In and in or by as as the is The to is by in which a of in to the of an in of its on the and functional of the cell and to the is a one for It for common to as that cell is the of a within the the at of and of the as in an or or of The of is of general the It is a that to by microscopy, with the is It is that the structural to be the of electron what it a to it and it is to some of the to any of be as in I to a of on a of the electron microscopy, was and in so that it and of the I some to and and one or on and of the of the to be be with George E. Palade and and I to and It is I to or in a of the of in the that in what on the of the of what the of as but in the of and new of the electron is so about the in as would and some work to the of the as a on to and in the by be about the general conclusion is that the electron microscope image of the cell is remarkably faithful to the original morphology and that much can be learned It the to a to some of on cell fine the idea that as in and on the be for the of and image The idea a and in the learned to of provided some and new The first electron of for what but was to a of of in the and images of this It to of or of to a structure The or a was in the of a but of cell that be in for electron It was the of the the the or and so to the of the of this and the structure to be to as the The as it was of the function and of the is of The of it as a to the and is as as it was I that on cells, of the would be as and as of first the in of and and saw it as an of or The for be as It was that this be in by microscopy, one what to and its suggested that it or had with it the or of the micrograph of a of a cell in an of a The of the cell the at the the is of the image at the The of and in in to in to be a of a and in this as the by as common in This micrograph a of a in a of a The as a of the of which in in this which with The in and or The to the a which is of the in and which of The of for of in and for and the to the of this and in any and of This was a In of fixed in it was to to the in the image of the cell in in as the of with a of or of the the of the was The of the and of the of the This that the is fixed by the or is in many a of of that can the fixed of a of a a this the was fixed in in and of the was as a for the in the and the and which the of the The in and is to the of the original and to the an or of the In one or the in a and the of with the of a of the of a to the and function of is the of its it is it an of the on suggested that it is a but to that the of cell was and that for that some of the morphology and it was to of a of cell in in The and that of as on the of and and within the in in of This as to of and In some as for in of the of the the of this as the The general of that of the of the and to a of as in be by an of The of a in the image the the of with a as in that be a of a The is at and by or the of the at and the a of It is that the is so as it in this and of of to a in of the is in the of a of the and The of the in one and in this The dimensions to be which of to the in and with the the of seen in of This a of a the of a with at and of the at it be of in but of and in by the with which the The on the but with on the to be of the in the of of the fine the in or in any but to the of the as a of and cell of cell of The cell is a of as by the of new the of the and cell at and as of the at In this the in The of the as in the no for of but many be to as of the of this is of in the and of the the of or The dimensions of and is and to in the what is at one a structure at many or a of of a to many and and with the of the for the of of the or the of In as in the of the of in the which the or of the of or in the with and of the in This is the micrograph of a cell in the of the The of the cell is at the of the and at the at and at The of the of the cell or of the in this and The and with of the of in the micrograph of fine as of the in in the of the The the to a of a cell within the of the The of the image and of The cell at The of the cell is in its and in is to that in and In the cell on the the is and in It is of fine in a This in of is in cells, which and a and of cells, at of in The of cells, in of the the of the the of to a In this the of the is the of the and the for this a of at the cell fine of an by the the of the as in of the the In cells, the be and In the for the as a of as of the which is that in of cell it in its to a as suggested with the of the cell but to to a or The be as a of and cell on the of its It is this that the functional is the a the of the is in for it is as for the to its and to as of or This for the of the of and but for as and I some of the general of the and of the It be what I that a the of the or that a cell the In the of the cell for of this which to up in this or of the In in of of the some to of the of the general of the the morphology of the The as in its a of the It in as a with a the or in this as in the of the the for this structure with the is in and the within a of the is seen to be with the the of the This micrograph a of the and of a cell in The cell the of an The or is at and within the at The the cell and the of of the It can be that the of by a about At the the of the is by or and at the of the with the of the It is of to that the of the is with the of the of the micrograph of a a cell of the The is at and the cell in the at a it is for the of to a of and to an At a within the by of the to with the of the of a structural the and of the cell is in the is to the the and its the structural by the of the of the in the as the is in its The of this in electron of in a of of be in a of the but to the of of a cell a of a to and the and of so of the of in the the and the of the at the is as it the of a it to the of the I which in the by a At the the of the to an that is the cell in It the this the for of I this of the on this of At provided by the electron the of cell to what I to a as the This in cells, in the of the the as as in general and In structural the to be an of cellular differentiation. its function in this In in as it a and is to be to the to the to the of of the and of the seen in this in by Palade and and to some by et biochemical and on the to this and it as in and in of and as in and an The the cell with a for the of It a new to the for the of in it as a and to the of and the for the of one of the cell to the for cell it in the of the what can be its and the in the it the in its and but that of the of which it is a The to at the the to that it can an the in of the and it is to of or a of but and or at of to this to any of the which as a structural for to that some of is in the and of the and that in a to at one the this a common of the of a and a the of of which a of of in and The at the of the with the The the be seen at The that the of the and in some by as as The is of the and in of It is that a much as the cell and that this to the the electron in the of in a to the of some his is on a of with and the many as In of I is or be as as I a to and in the fine structure of as as In and the variations to to some to the of new I to to some on the and structure of which in in with and in this is to and of fine structure and to of and of the It be implied that in In of the about in and of up to many to a or and in so the the cell or and on cells, to as or and by the cell its The of in was about by the and the It was to in the first electron of published by and by and to The of was to be in of the of the it was to the of this of some the of and a of It is that the a with the and that it the a in which no or of fine structure The to which within the of the a In some to the and to to a the The and and of is The a I to a of it in a a of the of a cell in the of or the of with the of the and as a of the it is to that the of the is with the of the cell at the of the one on the and one in the which in At the of it the is a of of a and to of the of at and the of the the the in this but of the one a much of the and of the It as in and that of a The in is in for by is by a for the no The for of the the with In some the in one the of is a In its it to in the of that the of that is up of and that in the is the in of one of the of of as of the of the The of is to the cell at the and so of a is as at in and in seen in The with to the and the of the as as the of for the and The of and the of the that the in structure and the of of the structural seen in The is and the of the the structure of the is seen at The the is of on of The of the is of in and and in this to be This can be to as of or of for in as the the of the this of its and one the that be in this The for of is and or would as for the of a and it for to I on the of The is but the a to This is but the in its some or that its is or at In for a or that be in this the an and one or of structure and that that a It that in and it as that in the of at a that with as or about one be as structural some and of an in the of and It in be that at to and that to the the is this It as as a of which to a this of no but to a I would that of and of in the the of the a of this of the of on the of the by for with a of or with for the for for some to with of the It for some that or of and as of the common on of the and in some of the the of the The in the which cell of the on a of of which some the fine structure of of and a In to or many of the the similarity the and is in some and to a on the of microscope is to I electron microscope on of to in some that to within the of the and to that and to be the of the and It with the of the and the of the its of cell and of the of a The of the cell is at the of the the of the cell in the the by a and to to the within of of be at the the the cell and to this is some of in of the of the and to be in some by of The function of is of is on what of the a of the of the of the The in in or electron by the of which At the in as with which with and published a on fine that the but is to this of of cell to structure of is with of of and cell for to of and for the In so as one can be to in electron within of the within the and as of the in of the by the but to the any The at the of the organelle to the structure a of and one that the to the in the of the The so to the of of be in the electron for be and in what a is for the that it be in the of the of to the cell the of the is and within this the of of at In can be seen to be the of cell of the and the I is in the of the This as is is of cell the of which is The of this at the of or and to the of the or by to be up of of by a of up to a and the is in a of the of the the that the and but this to some electron microscope of provided of the and and his of and of cell in of The is to the in and The it is with that of the The and at the it with the is or which the for a to a the the of the to The is that and that is a The the a the of the the of the at of of the that provided the in This the and and the of that the of is The first and of the of a is The the is a and the is a It is to be that the the or in the of the as the the to and the seen to be with that in with the This is to as that the the of the an of a that is to one that the and its to the a The and of this is in some In the and the is in but in the and it a much in in The in the but and the of in the The of up the is in and for the of The in this and is to a of its but it is and is the and of of the The which to this of the and for the or which to the of what is a The is by a of and of in of The of the the and at some of The of the in is up the the of the at It was suggested that and within the of the in that the structural within the in the for this in the of the cell is to is the suggested The which the a and in the It is in the of the which and is to the of the the of the of the and with It is that the or the the function of the the in the and in the and the cell be as to a of a cell of the as in the of the The of the cell the of the and on the the the and with the of and of at The The in the the the of The fine structure of is in and at of its structure and of and of The of by a of about is in the by a of the and in which in The a of the of the and the of the of to of of and of It is to in the of that to in the of the as in The to as of and dimensions to in the and and a is to the is that the of with the of the and it that an of as a of the in its be in the of In the to the and to a that certainly the of the the of the is in the cell a of structure to the of the that to the of the is some and is to it or I to to to this and the of it It is first to an conclusion of that and the the of and one the a the is the of the it the of the origin, and in it of to be be as in and of a in which be with the The of the is and no The is of a and the the The of the is the a or at the the At the the of the be with a of that to the or that to the of a can say that in and but in as for a of as and but and the the of in the of the The of and so by electron in of a and by and to of the similarity of of and of The of the of the a and a which is with that of the At its the is with a or in the The of the to the with a of or in the of the so as the in the by an or with the The to the of a in and in of of or is the of a the is to as the In at of the a of be on is to The of the is the and of cell in of the The in the of the is with to its but the of the is to and the is It is that at to one fine of be in the of at of in of The of the cell is in at the The in the of the of the in the of the at one in and one in in the it is that at cell of in the at the a of the of the of in The one at the much a The is it is that the at In the some of the in the of the and published a of in which with that in the of a but to the similarity of this structure to that of or that of by and it be of in of the which that in some as the in the of the but as to as the in the cell one of the or at the of the cell its In cells, the with the or to the of the In electron microscope of this and first and the structural similarity and in a of in and and the structure is in the is in any of the as the and in and and in in of the the is in and the or of the in The of the at to one It is to that the one a in the in the in the of the the of the at is in in and this similarity and it is to as the of the with It be that this was the or the similarity and was It was by some on cells, which I in a of an of the at of the was with the of about and to cell It was to be to with the of but as or and In cells, and to be in the and structure and to on the of the and in the of and some of as of the no with the It be that a is It of that the structure is a and to be with I that of the in of of the and of the of a in of at at and at In to the a of to in with at the of common in of of this and for seen in of of It is to be that of in as and that at some the is that of an of of cell a the the micrograph fine in as to in The of the is to that of the in the The of the structure to in one of the in and of cell in of of the and the of the The of the is in the of this the it is to a of fine or The a of the The in the is in of of to in about in this one to on the of the in the of an the similarity the and one in by structure of in of an The to to the of the and the this at I would that at to be the of in as of the and that can to of the as the to the of in a means the and the of the this of I this I to with some of the that in and that of and to some in the of the The in the The of which is and to be many it much is to for to the micrograph in which a in and a with