On the Molecular Profiling of Cell Surfaces by SEM

Abstract

Cell surfaces interface with a variety of environments and, as a consequence, cell surface properties are of considerable functional importance to the biological organism. SEM immunocytochemistry (SEM-IC) is one of a range of techniques used to analyse cell surface properties. A major goal of SEM-IC centres on extended survey or high-magnification morphological analysis of cell and tissue surfaces combined with molecular profiles of these surfaces as established by gold-labelling. The properties of colloidal gold make it the marker of choice for SEM-IC and a representative gold-labelling protocol is outlined. The SEM-IC gold-labelling technique has been applied advantageously to the analysis both of cell surfaces and of cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix elements: a tabulation of the main SEM-IC biomedical applications is given. Illustrated examples demonstrate how SEM-IC provides a highly effective approach for analysis both of cell and tissue differentiation-maturation sequences, and of pathological change involving not only the entire tissue or cell surface but also minute changes in microdomain characteristics of the individual cell surface. © 1992, International Society of Histology and Cytology. All rights reserved.