Preparation of representative samples of subcellular fractions for electron microscopy by filtration with dextran

A simple method is described for obtaining a representative field of subcellular fractions for thin section electron microscopy. The prefixed sample is admixed together with high molecular weight dextran, filtered onto a Millipore filter, and embedded in polymer. Filtration serves to uniformly distribute structures of different sizes and densities. The dextran serves as a nonosmophilic spacer, increasing the space between individual structures and preventing sample compression during filtration onto Millipore filters. Sample aggregation can also readily be assessed by the procedure.