A Universal Approach to Analyzing Transmission Electron Microscopy with ImageJ.

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Microscopy
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) offers high-resolution imaging of subcellular structures.
• Mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) are crucial organelles in metabolic disorders.
• Quantifying their morphology and interactions is vital for research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a straightforward protocol for assessing mitochondrial and ER morphology.
• To detail the use of open-source ImageJ software for quantitative analysis.
• To enable accurate measurement of organelle features and their interactions.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for imaging.
• Applying open-source ImageJ software for image analysis.
• Quantifying mitochondrial length, width, area, circularity, and cristae morphology.
• Measuring interactions between mitochondria and ER.

Main Results:

• A reproducible method for quantifying mitochondrial morphology (length, width, area, circularity).
• Detailed assessment of mitochondrial cristae morphology.
• Accurate measurement of mitochondria-ER interactions.
• High-resolution visualizations of subcellular structures.

Conclusions:

• The protocol offers a valuable tool for quantitative analysis of mitochondria and ER.
• Enables accurate and reproducible measurements for research on metabolic disorders.
• Facilitates deeper understanding of organelle morphology and function.