Large field-of-view scanning small-angle X-ray scattering of mammalian cells

X-ray imaging is a complementary method to electron and fluorescence
microscopy for studying biological cells. In particular, scanning small-angle
X-ray scattering provides overview images of whole cells in real space as well as
local, high-resolution reciprocal space information, rendering it suitable to
investigate subcellular nanostructures in unsliced cells. One persisting challenge
in cell studies is achieving high throughput in reasonable times. To this end,
a fast scanning mode is used to image hundreds of cells in a single scan. A way
of dealing with the vast amount of data thus collected is suggested, including
a segmentation procedure and three complementary kinds of analysis, i.e.
characterization of the cell population as a whole, of single cells and of different
parts of the same cell. The results show that short exposure times, which enable
faster scans and reduce radiation damage, still yield information in agreement
with longer exposure times.