(Left) Two
elongating C.
elegans embryos
mutant for ajm-1, which encodes a junctional protein
imaged in an agar mount using transmitted light (gray) and
confocal microscopy. One expresses AJM-1::GFP (green), and
so it is rescued. After processing for TEM (middle),
ultrastructural details can be examined. (Right) The small
red rectangle in the middle panel at higher magnification,
showing a junctional "bubble" (arrow) [Paul Sims].
We are developing techniques to perform dynamic 4d imaging
of wild-type and mutant embryos followed by high-resolution
imaging of ultrastructure using high-pressure freezing and
immunoEM. Our goal is to bridge the gap between dynamic
analysis of living embryos at the level of light microscopy
and the fine structure of cell-cell junctions during
morphogenesis.