Scanning Electron Microscopy to characterize cell shape in Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

This protocol describes the preparation of Sulfolobus acidocaldarius cells for imaging in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Sulfolobus acidocaldarius is a species of thermoacidophilic archaea. Due to their small cell size (in the micron range), morphological studies rely on high-resolution imaging methods like super-resolution light microscopy or electron microscopy. Electron microscopy is the method of choice when imaging the finest details of cells ultrastructure. SEM has the advantage of imaging surface features of whole cells, as opposed to ultrathin sections used in transmission electron microscopy, providing a three-dimension-like view of cells.