Switchable resolution in soft x-ray tomography of single cells

Area of Science:

• Cell biology
• Microscopy
• Biophysics

Background:

• Cellular diversity necessitates imaging techniques with adjustable spatial resolution.
• Soft x-ray tomography (SXT) is a 3D imaging method for near-native cells.
• Current SXT objective lens limitations restrict resolution flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate switchable objective capability for SXT.
• To enhance SXT flexibility for imaging diverse cell sizes.
• To enable selection of optimal optics based on specimen and data needs.

Main Methods:

• Implemented switchable objective capability in the soft x-ray microscope.
• Tested imaging performance across a range of cell sizes (bacteria, yeast, mammalian).
• Demonstrated imaging of the same specimen with different objectives.

Main Results:

• Switchable optics allow flexible SXT without physical microscope modification.
• Achieved adaptable spatial resolution for imaging various cell types.
• Enabled high-resolution imaging of small cells and regions of interest in larger cells.

Conclusions:

• Switchable objective capability significantly advances SXT flexibility.
• This innovation allows tailored imaging for diverse cellular specimens.
• Optimized SXT resolution enhances cellular organization studies.