Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Sahiro, Koichi
• Kawato, Yasuhiko
• Koike, Kanae
• Sano, Tsuneji
• Nakai, Toshihiro
• Sadakane, Masahiro

Titel

Preyssler-type phosphotungstate is a new family of negative-staining reagents for the TEM observation of viruses

Ist Teil von

• Scientific reports, 2022-05, Vol.12 (1), p.7554-8, Article 7554

Ort / Verlag

England: Nature Publishing Group

Erscheinungsjahr

2022

Quelle

EZB Electronic Journals Library

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is an essential method in virology because it allows for direct visualization of virus morphology at a nanometer scale. Negative staining to coat virions with heavy metal ions must be performed before TEM observations to achieve sufficient contrast. Herein, we report that potassium salts of Preyssler-type phosphotungstates (K [P W O M ], M = Na , Ca , Ce , Eu , Bi , or Y ) are high-performance negative staining reagents. Additionally, we compare the staining abilities of these salts to those of uranyl acetate and Keggin-type phosphotungstate. The potassium salt of Preyssler-type phosphotungstates has the advantage of not requiring prior neutralization because it is a neutral compound. Moreover, the potassium counter-cation can be protonated by a reaction with H -resin, allowing easy exchange of protons with other cations by acid-base reaction. Therefore, the counter-cations can be changed. Encapsulated cations can also be exchanged, and clear TEM images were obtained using Preyssler-type compounds with different encapsulated cations. Preyssler-type phosphotungstates may be superior negative staining reagents for observing virus. Polyoxotungstates (tungsten-oxide molecules with diverse molecular structures and properties) are thus promising tools to develop negative staining reagents for TEM observations.