Oblique section 3-D reconstruction from thin sectioned biological specimens

Abstract

Three dimensional (3-D) image reconstruction of plastic embedded and sectioned tissue has become an important tool for imaging complex biological structures in situ. Most 3-D imaging methods combine multiple views of tilted specimens which leads to radiation damage and mass loss. On the other hand oblique section 3-D reconstruction (OSR) can produce a 3-D image from a single view because an oblique section through a 2- or 3-D periodic specimen contains 3-D information which can be folded into a 3-D image. The resolution achievable in an OSR depends on section thickness and is lowest in the direction perpendicular to the section plane. In OSR there is no missing cone or wedge in the 3-D image because of tilt angle restrictions, but finite section thickness limits the vertical resolution. Two OSR methodologies have been developed, one called Crystallographic Serial Section Reconstruction or CSSR, and another called Super Lattice Reconstruction or SLR.