Cryogenic Electron Microscope
Cryogenic electron microscopy is an important high-resolution structural biology research method, can observe samples with transmission electron microscopy at low temperatures.
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Cryogenic electron microscope (Meng et al., 2019).
The principle of cryogenic electron microscopy:
Under 80-300 kV acceleration voltage, the cryo-electron microscope uses electron beam as the light source and electromagnetic field as the lens. When visible light passes through the specimen, it will be refracted by the optical lens to form an image, thereby obtaining the three-dimensional biological macromolecule structure.
Cryogenic electron microscope imaging methods:
- Use frozen specimens stored at liquid nitrogen or liquid helium temperature for imaging
- Inject the aqueous solution into a freezing liquid such as ethane cooled by liquid nitrogen for imaging
The use process of cryogenic electron microscope:
- Freeze the sample and keep it cold and put it into the microscope
- Use highly coherent electrons as a light source to illuminate from above, pass through the sample and nearby ice, and be scattered
- Use the detector and lens system to record and image the scattered signal
- Process the signal to get the sample structure
We provide but are not limited to:
- Study the structure of biological macromolecules in different functional states
- Determine the structure of virus-receptor complex
- Determine the fine structure of ribosomes, membrane proteins and other key cellular proteins
- Determine the high-resolution structure of biomolecules in solution
- Identify the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecule complexes
- Analyze the function of biological macromolecules nucleic acid drugs
- Provide initial molecular replacement model and initial phase for X-ray crystallographic structure analysis
- Study the structure of molecules and their polymers, those are not suitable for the application of X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Advantages of cryogenic electron microscope:
- Maintain the active and functional status of biological samples
- The observation temperature is low, which enhances the sample's ability to withstand radiation
- Directly detect the number of electrons
- Dozens of projected pictures can be obtained in one second
- No need to prepare crystals, especially suitable for the determination of the three-dimensional structure of macromolecules and their complexes that are difficult to crystallize
- High computing power
- Fast software calculation algorithm
- Clear spatial resolution
- Combined with new types of electronic microscopes, sample preparation robots and other equipment and technologies, the whole process of microscopic sample preparation, data collection and three-dimensional reconstruction can be automated or semi-automated, accelerate high-throughput screening, improve the analytic speed of the three-dimensional structure of large molecules and complexes
References
- Meng Yin, Zhaofeng Yan et al. Architecture of type VI secretion system membrane core complex. Cell Research, 2019, 29: 251-253.
- YANG Yong, CHEN Wei yi, YI Xing biao. Clinical value of weight -bearing lateral radiographs in evaluation of ankle fracture restoration. Journal of Traumatic Surgery, 2016, 18: 479-481.
*For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.