Scanning electron microscopy of murine skin ultrathin sections and cultured keratinocytes

Abstract

Summary: Generating high-quality electron microscopy images of the skin and keratinocytes can be challenging. Here we describe a simple protocol for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of murine skin. The protocol enables characterization of the ultrastructure of the epidermis, dermis, hair follicles, basement membrane, and cell-cell junctions. We detail the specific steps for sample preparation and highlight the critical need for proper orientation of the sample for ultrathin sectioning. We also describe the isolation and preparation of primary keratinocyte monolayers for SEM.For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Biswas et al. (2021).

Keywords

• Cell Biology
• Cell culture
• Cell isolation
• Microscopy
• Stem Cells