Immuno-Fluorescence Scanning Electron Microscopy of Biological Cells

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can produce striking three-dimensional images of biological cells and tissues with submicron resolution of surface morphology. Such cell surfaces are often complex blends of folds, extrusions, and pockets that may be necessary in the positioning of specific molecules within interaction range of each other. Thus, surface changes can have a spatial control over some molecular functions, and identification of select molecules at distinct morphological locations becomes critical to our understanding of total cell function.