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Updated: Jan 22, 2026

A 3D Cartographic Description of the Cell by Cryo Soft X-ray Tomography
Published on: March 15, 2021
The cellular landscape by cryo soft X-ray tomography
J Groen1, J J Conesa2,3, R Valcárcel2
1Mistral Beamline, Alba Light Source (Cells), Cerdanyola del Valles, 08290, Barcelona, Spain. jgroen@cells.es.
Abstract:
Imaging techniques in structural cell biology are indispensable to understand cell organization and machinery. In this frame, cryo soft X-ray tomography (cryo-SXT), a synchrotron-based imaging technique, is used to analyze the ultrastructure of intact, cryo-preserved cells at nanometric spatial resolution bridging electron microscopy and visible light fluorescence. With their unique interaction with matter and high penetration depth, X-rays are a very useful and complementary source to obtain both high-resolution and quantitative information. In this review, we are elaborating a typical cryo correlative workflow at the Mistral Beamline at the Alba Synchrotron (Spain) with the goal of providing a cartographic description of the cell by cryo-SXT that illustrates the possibilities this technique brings for specific localization of cellular features, organelle organization, and particular events in specific structural cell biology research.
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