Flash imaging of fine structures of cellular organelles by contact X-ray microscopy with a high intensity laser plasma X-ray source

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

Laser plasma X-ray sources have high intensity and short pulse duration, and are suitable for X-ray microscopy in biology. They make wet live biological specimens possible to be imaged with a single shot X-ray exposure and several works have been done to image them. However there were no reports on the imaging of fine structures of cellular organelles in a live biological cell since higher X-ray intensity is needed for it. We have developed a high intensity laser plasma X-ray source, cooperating it with contact X-ray microscopy, and observed fine structures of cellular organelles in a wet biological cells. Comparing the X-ray images and the fluorescence images of cellular organelles such as actin filaments and mitochondria we have been clearly able to identify organelles in the X-ray images and observed fine structures.