Fig. 2: TEM and FIB-SEM imaging of cuticle secretory vesicles in mussel foot tissue. | Nature Communications

Fig. 2: TEM and FIB-SEM imaging of cuticle secretory vesicles in mussel foot tissue.

From: Hierarchically-structured metalloprotein composite coatings biofabricated from co-existing condensed liquid phases

Fig. 2: TEM and FIB-SEM imaging of cuticle secretory vesicles in mussel foot tissue.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

a TEM image of osmium stained cuticle secretory vesicle from region similar to Fig. 1d. Contrast is achieved by different osmium staining with the proto-matrix (pm) staining the heaviest, the crescent phase (cp) staining the lightest and the proto-granules (pg) staining in between. Scale bar = 200 nm. b FIB-SEM image of osmium stained region of cuticle gland similar to Fig. 1d. Contrast is inverted compared to TEM, but pg, pm and cp can clearly be differentiated. Scale bar = 1000 nm. c Using electron density contrast, secretory vesicles and their inner structure were reconstructed in 3D from an image stack consisting of 392 images. d Magnified and cropped 3D image of a cuticle secretory vesicle showing all three phases. e STEM-EDS compositional analysis of native cuticle granule and matrix regions, showing distribution of nitrogen and sulfur in the region in the STEM-HAADF image in the left panel. Scale bar = 500 nm. f Relative sulfur wt% (not calibrated) collected from a transect across four secretory vesicles in dotted box in e reveals that pg has approximately one half the amount of sulfur as pm.

Back to article page