Gatan ultrascan 1000

MUG-Mel1, C8, and D5 were grown on an Aclar film (Gröpl, Tulln, Austria), fixed in 2.5% (wt/vol) glutaraldehyde and 2% (wt/vol) paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, pH 7.4, for 2 h, postfixed in 2% (wt/vol) osmium tetroxide for 2 h at room temperature, dehydrated in graded series of ethanol and embedded in TAAB (Agar Scientific, Essex, GB) epoxy resin. Ultrathin sections (70 nm thick) were cut with a UC 7 Ultramicrotome (Leica Microsystems, Vienna, Austria) and stained with lead citrate for 5 min and with uranyl acetate (UAc) for 15 min. Images were taken using a Tecnai G2 20 transmission electron microscope (FEI, Eindhoven, Netherlands) with a Gatan ultrascan 1000 charge coupled device (CCD) camera (temperature −20 °C; acquisition software Digital Micrograph; Gatan, Munich, Germany). Acceleration voltage was 120 kV^{52 (link)}.

After 5 months incubation at room temperature, dry samples of selected silica-NWs were incubated in TAAB low viscosity resin (TAAB Laboratories Equipment Ltd, Aldermaston, UK). They were left for 24 h at room temperature to infiltrate with the resin before polymerizing overnight at 60 °C. Thin (c. 90 nm) sections were cut on a Leica Ultracut ultramicrotome (Leica Microsystems [UK] Ltd., Milton Keynes, UK), collected upon TEM support grids and stained with 0.5% (w/v) uranyl acetate for 1 h. Thin sections were examined using a Hitachi 7100 TEM operated at 100 kV accelerating voltage, and digital images were acquired with a Gatan Ultrascan 1000 (2K × 2K pixel) CCD camera (Gatan, Inc., Pleasanton, USA).

MUG Lucifer prim and met cells were grown on an Aclar film (Gröpl, Tulln, Austria), fixed in 2.5% (wt/vol) glutaraldehyde and 2% (wt/vol) paraformaldehyde in 0.1 M cacodylate buffer, pH 7.4, for 2 h, postfixed in 2% (wt/vol) osmium tetroxide for 2 h at room temperature, dehydrated in graded series of ethanol and embedded in TAAB (Agar Scientific, Essex, GB) epoxy resin. Ultrathin (70 nm thick) sections were cut with a UC 7 Ultramicrotome (Leica Microsystems, Vienna, Austria) and stained with lead citrate for 5 min and with platinum blue for 15 min. Images were taken using a Tecnai G2 20 transmission electron microscope (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) with a Gatan ultrascan 1000 charge coupled device (CCD) camera (temperature −20 °C; acquisition software Digital Micrograph; Gatan, Munich, Germany). Acceleration voltage was 120 kV.