Single cell angular scattering of organelles: bridging the gap between simple models and experimental data

2D angular scattering data can be inverted to produce useful estimates of organelle size distribution. Scattering theory models for the inversion, however, typically include simplifying assumptions. Using 3D optical diffraction tomography (ODT), these simplifications can be explored one at a time to quantify increasing discrepancy with the experimental angular scattering values. We find that the strongest discrepancies are due to cell/medium refractive-index mismatch and to cytosol heterogeneity. This talk will offer suggestions for mitigating artifacts in the ODT reconstruction. It will also discuss whether 3D datasets—–that have knowledge of individual organelle shape and location—–can provide guidance for how to obtain ensemble averages from 2D datasets, which are more convenient to obtain experimentally.