2005-08-012024-05-18https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/703734摘要：對生物學家與醫學家來說，一般的電子顯微技術所製備的生物試片多為染色的乾切片或為冷凍後的死切片，並非活體細胞，因此，所得到的結果，往往不完全客觀正確。可是要在電子顯微鏡下觀察活體生物反應，是一項非常困難的挑戰。但我們在2004年成功利用自行研發的「生物環境穿透式電子顯微鏡」，首度觀察到水分子的確可以藉由「滲透」方式進入蠕動的細胞膜，且進一步發現，進出細胞膜的水分子會破壞酯膜分子間的交互作用力，使得水與細胞膜呈現動態平衡時，細胞膜自然形成一種與傳統物質三態明顯不同的「新的物質狀態」。此項結果可說實證了水分子進出細胞不一定需要藉由離子通道，亦解決了眾家學派對相關說法的疑惑。 過去幾年本團隊開發生物環境控制TEM，雖得到不少研究成果，但在發展上不斷受限於許多試片沒有辦法順利製備(需削薄或包埋等處理)，而大幅縮減了它該有的應用空間，尤其TEM改裝難度頗高，改裝後在操作上又不十分容易，使得此項TEM環境控制技術雖然在學術上極具重要性但一般人無法輕易掌握。所以說，發展可環境控制高解析SEM才應是正確的方向，因為一般液晶、膠體、高分子軟物質與許多生物材料其尺度皆有3nm-20nm大小，事實上是不需要<br> Abstract: The electron microscopy of hydrated biological material is important, because earlier study has shown that the fine structure of the protein crystal is severely destroyed by the usual drying and staining processes. This result illustrates the necessity of studying the biological material in a more physiological state. In 2004, we successfully construct a humidity- controllable environmental chamber in a TEM, with which we are able to study some living processes of cell membranes. We found water molecules osmose the cell membrane, and thus destroying the long-range interactions among lipid molecules. The equilibrium state of water and lipid bilayers thus exhibits the unusual combination of long-range orientational order but liquid-like nearest-neighbor positional correlations. Because of many difficulties in TEM sample preparations, our special modification for Bio-TEM has its own limit for further applications. The modification procedures are always complicated, which makes one difficult to duplicate such unique system for bio environmental control. Thus, designing and establishing an environmental SEM (ESEM) for liquid crystals, colloidal materials, polymers, and biomaterials should be a quite important research topic in microscopic science and technology, especially current high-resolution SEM has equipped resolution up to 1.2nm. More importantly, modifying and constructing the ESEM is much easier than that in TEM, so that this technique can be readily acceptable by general scientists. The other advantage is that ESEM users do not need to handle the complex and difficult sample preparations. For those medical researchers, they can simply cut off biomaterial specimen and immediately send them to ESEM for observation. Therefore, this ESEM technique is very convenient in use to those biological researchers. This project is planned for three years. We are going to construct and develop the ESEM technique for research in liquid crystals, polymers, and biomaterials. After we establish such technique, we will help those who fell interested to construct similar chamber in their SEM for biological sample study. We will also collaborate with biologists, biochemists, and medical doctors to conduct many research topics using ESEM. Our current research interests include (1) understanding how SARS and AIDS viruses attack cell membranes; (2) studying the cause for Pulmonary Edema; (3) observing kinetic interaction between certain bacterium and lipids in cell membrane; and (4) researching the kinetic reaction of antibiotic peptides with cell lipid molecules. These research topics should help in diseases and biological control. We believe that the future application potential of ESEM technique should be beyond our expectation.液晶高分子軟物質生物材料電子顯微鏡生物環境電子顯微鏡liquid crystalspolymersbiomaterialsbiological electron microscopy