Imagine a leaf the size of Scotland or bacteria the size of a car and you will get some idea of what it is like to see things two millions times their usual size. That is exactly what scientists at SCRI will soon be able to do with a new electron microscope.

SCRI – Scotland’s leading centre for research on crops – will strengthen its position at the forefront of microscopy and imaging when it takes delivery of a new JEM 1400 Transmission Electron Microscope, the first of its kind in Scotland.

The installation of the new microscope marks a new era of electron microscopy at SCRI and coincides with the 50^th anniversary of this technology.  Since the first microscope was installed in 1957, SCRI has been at the forefront of plant electron microscopy and during this period the technique has contributed significantly to scientific research.

An electron microscope allows observation of objects much smaller than can be seen through a conventional light microscope. For instance, bacteria can only just be seen through a light microscope, which magnifies objects up to one thousand times. However an electron microscope allows scientists to see much smaller objects, such as viruses and proteins.

Alison Roberts, head of SCRI’s Cell Biology and Imaging Group, where the new microscope will be installed, said: “Imagine that you could magnify objects two million times…at this magnification, a leaf would be the size of Scotland; a plant pathogenic bacteria sitting on the leaf would be the size of a car; a virus inside the leaf would be the size of a golf ball; and a protein might be the size of a lentil.”

“An electron microscope allows scientists to see and understand the building blocks of plants and their pests and pathogens.”

Electron microscopy has played a key role in many important discoveries at SCRI, such as identifying the feeding structures of nematodes, aphids and mites and spotting subtle differences between species of nematodes. Significant discoveries have been made in identifying new classes of plant viruses and the mechanisms of their transmission. For example, current studies are working to understand the disease mechanism of late blight in potatoes and factors influencing potato tuber texture.

These microscopes also allow structural changes in plants to be seen during development of crops, or to identify the effects of external influences such as pathogens or changes in the environment. The new microscope, equipped with fully digital imaging, will allow scientists to continue this ground-breaking work.

Electron microscopy has traditionally required years of experience such is the complexity of the instrumentation and the demands of the technique. However, the modern, user-friendly JEM 1400 will make this technique more accessible to scientists, and will allow imaging at higher resolutions than ever before at SCRI.

Alison Roberts said: “We’re excited to be the first in Scotland to take delivery of this new model and are looking forward to utilising the fully-digital, enhanced capabilities of the JEM to advance the research projects at SCRI.”

The JEM 1400 Transmission Electron Microscope is being supplied by JEOL, a leading global supplier of scientific instruments used for research and development. It is fitting that, some 40 years after the first JEOL microscope was installed at the research institute in Invergowrie, this company continues to supply and support electron microscopy at SCRI.

More information from:

Phil Taylor, Head of Communications, SCRI, Invergowrie, Dundee, DD2 5DA. Tel: 01382 562731.