A method for freeze-fracture and scanning electron microscopy of isolated mitochondria

Electron microscopy as a methodology for the study of mitochondria based on morphological features is a standard technique that has experienced little evolution over the course of several decades. This technology has identified heterogeneity of mitochondria populations across both whole tissues, as well between individual cells, using primarily ultrathin sections for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). However, this technique constrains the evaluation of a sample to a single two-dimensional plane. To overcome this limitation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) has been successfully utilized to observe three-dimensional mitochondria structures within the complex microenvironment containing total cellular components. In response to these dual technical caveats of existing electron microscopy protocols, we developed a methodology to evaluate the three-dimensional ultrastructure of isolated mitochondria, utilizing a freeze-fracture step and rigorous preservation of sample morphology. This protocol allows for a more high-throughput analysis of mitochondria populations from a specimen of interest, as the sample has been previously purified, as well as a finer resolution of complex intra-mitochondrial structures, using the depth of field created by SEM. •Protocol designed for SEM of isolated mitochondria samples.•SEM visualizes mitochondria ultrastructure in 3-D.•Freeze-fracture creates cross-sectional plane for view of interior organelle structures.