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Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Quantification of Subcellular Glycogen Distribution in Skeletal Muscle Fibers using Transmission Electron Microscopy
Published on: February 7, 2022
Microscale structure and function of anaerobic-aerobic granules containing glycogen accumulating organisms
Rikke Louise Meyer1, Aaron Marc Saunders, Raymond Jianxiong Zeng
1Department of Microbial Ecology, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, Denmark. rikke.meyer@biology.au.dk
Abstract:
The spatial arrangement and metabolic activity of 'Candidatus Competibacter phosphatis' was investigated in granular sludge from an anaerobic-aerobic sequencing batch reactor enriched for glycogen-accumulating organisms. In this process, the electron donor (acetate) and the electron acceptor (oxygen) were supplied sequentially in each phase. The organism, identified by fluorescence in situ hybridisation, was present throughout the granules; however, metabolic activity was limited to a 100-mum-thick layer immediately below the surface of the granules. To investigate the cause of this, oxygen microsensors and a novel microscale biosensor for volatile fatty acids were used in conjunction with chemical staining for intracellular storage polymers. It was found that the limited distribution of activity was caused by mass transport limitation of oxygen into the granules during the aerobic phase.
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