@article{Liu2026, 
author = {Jiaming Liu and Xiaoyu Tang and Peng Wang and Huanhuan Huang and Zihang Yu and Jingtao Zheng and Ying Liu and Meijing Li},
title = {Structural plasticity of mouse intestinal microvilli revealed by tissue-level cryo-ET},
year = {2026},
journal = {Biophysics Reports},
volume = {12},
number = {4},
pages = {296-306},
keywords = {Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), Cryo-focused ion beam (cryo-FIB), Brush border, Branched microvilli, Actin cytoskeleton},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.52601/bpr.2025.250038},
doi = {10.52601/bpr.2025.250038},
abstract = {Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) enables three-dimensional imaging of cellular architecture in a near-native state, but its use in intact mammalian tissues remains technically challenging. Here, using an optimized tissue-level cryo-ET pipeline that integrates high-pressure freezing, cryo-CLEM, and an improved serial lift-out cryo-FIB workflow, we reconstructed brush-border regions of mouse small intestine from 43 tomographic tilt series and analyzed 490 individual microvilli. Microvilli formed a quasi-regular lattice (mean inter-microvillar spacing ≈ 61 nm) with diameters of 72−114 nm and clearly resolved actin core bundles. Each protrusion bore lateral, nanobristle-like projections that were morphologically heterogeneous and, in rare cases, bridged adjacent microvilli. Importantly, we identified 27 branched microvilli (~5.5%), including Y-shaped and multi-branched forms; the organization of actin bundles in these structures is consistent with a tip-to-base division mechanism for generating daughter protrusions. These observations reveal previously underappreciated structural plasticity in the mammalian brush border and support a fission-like pathway for microvillus renewal.}
}