Characterization of the bone marrow adipocyte niche with three-dimensional electron microscopy
Unlike white and brown adipose tissues, the bone marrow adipocyte (BMA) exists in a microenvironment containing unique populations of hematopoietic and skeletal cells.
![Characterization of the bone marrow adipocyte niche with three-dimensional electron microscopy](https://usg.fei-software-center.com/backoffice/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1-s2.0-S8756328218300206-fx1.jpg)
To study this microenvironment at the subcellular level, we performed a three-dimensional analysis of the ultrastructure of the BMA niche with focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). This revealed that BMAs display hallmarks of metabolically active cells including polarized lipid deposits, a dense mitochondrial network, and areas of endoplasmic reticulum.