Structural Features of the Nucleolus in the Mouse Germinal Vesicle Oocyte Revealed by AFM, SEM, and ToF-SIMS

The structural organization of the biological material in the nucleoli (Nucleolus-Like Bodies (NLBs)) in mouse GV oocytes has been studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Experimental samples are prepared by quick plunge freezing, followed by freeze-drying, embedding in Epon epoxy resin, and sectioning with a microtome. The biological material in the NLBs is found to be organized as a domain structure of densely packed granules with sizes from tenths of a micron to a micron.