X-ray structural analysis of single adult cardiomyocytes: tomographic imaging and micro-diffraction

We present a multiscale imaging approach to characterize the structure of isolated adult murine cardiomyocytes based on a combination of full-field three-dimensional coherent x-ray imaging and scanning x-ray diffraction. Using these modalities, we probe the structure from the molecular to the cellular scale. Holographic projection images on freeze-dried cells have been recorded using highly coherent and divergent x-ray waveguide radiation. Phase retrieval and tomographic reconstruction then yield the three-dimensional electron density distribution with a voxel size below 50 nm. In the reconstruction volume, myofibrils, sarcomeric organization, and mitochondria can be visualized and quantified within a single cell without sectioning. Next, we use microfocusing optics by compound refractive lenses to probe the diffraction signal of the actomyosin lattice. Comparison between recordings of chemically fixed and untreated, living cells indicate that the characteristic lattice distances shrink by ∼10% upon fixation.