Cryogenic electron tomography

This schematic shows the concept of electron tomography. A sample is imaged in a TEM as it is tilted to different angles, resulting in a "tilt-series" of 2D images (top). This tilt-series is then computationally reconstructed into a 3D "tomogram" (bottom).

Cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET) is an imaging technique used to reconstruct high-resolution (~1–4 nm) three-dimensional volumes of samples, often (but not limited to) biological macromolecules and cells.[1][2] cryoET is a specialized application of transmission electron cryomicroscopy (CryoTEM) in which samples are imaged as they are tilted, resulting in a series of 2D images that can be combined to produce a 3D reconstruction, similar to a CT scan of the human body. In contrast to other electron tomography techniques, samples are imaged under cryogenic conditions (< −150 °C). For cellular material, the structure is immobilized in non-crystalline, vitreous ice, allowing them to be imaged without dehydration or chemical fixation, which would otherwise disrupt or distort biological structures.[3][4]

  1. ^ Gan, Lu; Jensen, Grant J. (2012-02-01). "Electron tomography of cells" (PDF). Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics. 45 (1): 27–56. doi:10.1017/S0033583511000102. ISSN 1469-8994. PMID 22082691. S2CID 11458204.
  2. ^ Dodonova, Svetlana O; Aderhold, Patrick; Kopp, Juergen; Ganeva, Iva; Röhling, Simone; Hagen, Wim J H; Sinning, Irmgard; Wieland, Felix; Briggs, John A G (2017-06-16). "9Å structure of the COPI coat reveals that the Arf1 GTPase occupies two contrasting molecular environments". eLife. 6. doi:10.7554/eLife.26691. ISSN 2050-084X. PMC 5482573. PMID 28621666.
  3. ^ Dubochet, J.; Adrian, M.; Chang, J. J.; Homo, J. C.; Lepault, J.; McDowall, A. W.; Schultz, P. (1988-05-01). "Cryo-electron microscopy of vitrified specimens" (PDF). Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics. 21 (2): 129–228. doi:10.1017/s0033583500004297. ISSN 0033-5835. PMID 3043536. S2CID 2741633.
  4. ^ Oikonomou, CM; Jensen, GJ; Chang, YW (April 2016). "A new view into prokaryotic cell biology from electron cryotomography". Nature Reviews. Microbiology. 14 (4): 205–20. doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2016.7. PMC 5551487. PMID 26923112.