3234 Microsc. Microanal. 27 (Suppl 1), 2021
doi:10.1017/S1431927621011144 © Microscopy Society of America 2021
Fluorescence-guided lamella fabrication with ENZEL, an integrated cryogenic CLEM solution for
the cryo-electron tomography workflow
Caspar Jonker
1
, Daan Boltje
2
, Jacob Hoogenboom
3
, Arjen Jakobi
4
, Grant Jensen
5
, Abraham Koster
6
,
Mart Last
1
, Jürgen Plitzko
7
, Stefan Raunser
8
, Sebastian Tacke
9
, Roger Wepf
10
and Sander Den Hoedt
1
1
Delmic B.V., Kanaalweg 4, 2326 EB Delft, The Netherlands, United States,
2
Department of Imaging
Physics, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands, Delft,
Netherlands,
3
Technical University Delft, United States,
4
Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University
of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, The Netherlands, United States,
5
Caltech, United
States,
6
Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg 20,
2333 ZC Leiden, The Netherlands, United States,
7
Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried,
Germany, United States,
8
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, United States,
9
Department of
Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Str. 11, 44227
Dortmund, Germany, United States,
10
Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, The University of
Queensland, St. Lucia Queensland 4072, Brisbane, Australia, United States
Cryogenic electron tomography (Cryo-ET) is an imaging technique used to obtain high resolution 3D
reconstructions of biomolecules in their near-native cellular environment. In Cryo-ET, a sample is flash
frozen, thinned to the appropriate thickness (100-200 nm) and a tomogram is captured using a cryo
transmission electron microscope (TEM). To create the thin section for the acquisition of the tomogram,
using a Focused Ion Beam in a Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB/SEM) has become the gold standard.
The FIB is used to mill away the surrounding material and create a lamella [1], [2]. Identifying the region
of interest (ROI) to mill in the right location is a crucial step, since being off-target for this process could
result in milling away your structure of interest. To overcome this, cryo-Fluorescence Microscopy (cryo-
FM) is often used to identify the region of interest and avoid ‘blind’ milling. In cryogenic Correlative
Light and Electron Microscopy (cryo-CLEM), fluorescent markers are used to label the structures or
proteins of interest, which are then found back in the FIB/SEM.
Incorporation of a cryo-FM in the cryo-ET workflow brings many challenges. Firstly, transfer of the
sample to the cryo-FM before milling (to identify ROIs) and again after milling (to ensure the ROI is not
milled away) significantly increases the handling of the sample and thereby increases the risk of
contaminating or damaging the sample [3], [4]. Secondly, the correlation of the fluorescence image with
the image in the FIB/SEM is not trivial. It requires markers for navigating to the correct spot on the sample
and if the overlay of the fluorescence and SEM images is not exactly correct, the ROI could still be missed
or milled away [5].
We have developed ENZEL, an inverted widefield fluorescence microscope that can be integrated in dual
beam systems that allows simultaneous, coincidence imaging of both FM and SEM. A custom sample
stage and micro cooler setup allow the approach of an objective lens from below the sample, directly
underneath the electron column polepiece. This setup allows imaging using SEM and FM without separate
registration.
Fluorescence imaging is especially beneficial to the cryo-ET workflow when targeting specific
intracellular compartments or distinctly localized proteins. We illustrate the benefits of this system with
several example problem cases. We performed multi-channel fluorescence imaging of plunge-frozen
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1431927621011144 Published online by Cambridge University Press