Observation of organelles in Leydig cells by contact soft X-ray microscopy with a laser plasma X-ray source

Kado, Masataka; Ishino, Masahiko; Tamotsu, Satoshi*; Yasuda, Keiko*; Kishimoto, Maki; Nishikino, Masaharu; Kinjo, Yasuhito*; Shinohara, Kunio*

Contact X-ray microscopy has achieved a single-shot imaging of wet biological specimens in natural condition and succeeded in imaging live mouse macrophages with hair-like structures, which was not observed before. It is very important to identify obtained features in the X-ray images, since X-ray microscopes have potential to image features that have not been visualized yet. Here, we demonstrate to image the same biological specimens both by confocal laser microscopy and soft X-ray microscopy. Staining biological specimens with well-established techniques makes easy to identify features in the fluorescence images obtained with confocal laser microscope. Comparing the X-ray images of the specimens with the fluorescence images, features found in the fluorescence images could also be identified in the X-ray images. Comparing the X-ray images to the fluorescence images, fine structures of the actin filaments in the X-ray images were identified.