Electron microscopy in morphology and molecular biology

The visualization of organic macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, viruses and virus components has reached its high degree of effectiveness owing to refinements and reliability of instruments and to the invention of methods for enhancing the structure of these materials within the electron image. The latter techniques have been most important because what can be seen depends upon the molecular and atomic character of the object as modified which is rarely evident in the pristine material. Structure may thus be displayed by the arts of positive and negative staining, shadow casting, replication and other techniques. Enhancement of contrast, which delineates bounds of isolated macromolecules has been effected progressively over the years as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 by these methods. We now look to the future wondering what other visions are waiting to be seen. The instrument designers will need to exact from the arts of fabrication the performance that theory has prescribed as well as methods for phase and interference contrast with explorations of the potentialities of very high and very low voltages. Chemistry must play an increasingly important part in future progress by providing specific stain molecules of high visibility, substrates of vanishing “noise” level and means for preservation of molecular structures that usually exist in a solvated condition.

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Electron Microscopy Methods and Protocols (Volume 17 of the Series on Methods in Molecular Biology), Edited by M.A. Nasser Hajibagheri 1999. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. xi + 281 pages. ($89.50)

Microscopy and Microanalysis ◽

10.1017/s1431927699000227 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 373-373

Author(s):

Moise Bendayan

Keyword(s):

Biological Sciences ◽

Electron Microscopy ◽

Molecular Biology ◽

To Come ◽

Molecular Morphology

At first glance, this book seems to come up short with regard to the application of electron microscopy in biological sciences. However, one has to consider that it is part of a series on molecular biology. The purpose here was not to collect a large variety of techniques related to electron microscopy but rather to focus on methods in molecular morphology. In this context, the book offers 15 short (some very short) chapters dealing with morphological approaches related to and used in molecular biology.

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Electron Microscopy in the Future

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100060064 ◽

1967 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. 10-11 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Humberto Fernández-Morán

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Molecular Biology ◽

Phase Contrast ◽

Significant Information ◽

Interatomic Distances ◽

Amount Of Information ◽

Prime Objective ◽

Point To Point ◽

Direct Readout ◽

Remarkable Progress

At this time of remarkable progress on all fronts, successive advances can only support the presage that we are on the threshold of a renaissance in electron microscopy. Thus, having already achieved point-to-point resolution of 2-3Å, it appears feasible to strive for the ultimate goal of direct readout of molecular and pauciatomic structures. Attainment of the requisite resolution and interpretation of phase contrast images in the range of interatomic distances would permit us to obtain significant information from the object in the hitherto inaccessible region of 1-2Å. This key domain contains such a great amount of information that achievement of 1Å resolution remains the prime objective, particularly in molecular biology.

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Recent advances in biological imaging

Bioscience Reports ◽

10.1007/bf01117046 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 437-449 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Helen Saibil ◽

Nicholas White

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Image Processing ◽

Molecular Biology ◽

Digital Image Processing ◽

Digital Image ◽

Light And Electron Microscopy ◽

Biological Imaging ◽

Basic Principles ◽

New Methods ◽

Recent Advances

Recent innovations in microscopy and digital image processing have greatly enhanced the power of biological imaging. Basic principles of several new methods in light and electron microscopy will be discussed, and examples presented of their application to cell and molecular biology.

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Sir Aaron Klug OM. 11 August 1926—20 November 2018

Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society ◽

10.1098/rsbm.2019.0034 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 68 ◽

pp. 273-296

Author(s):

R. A. Crowther

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Molecular Biology ◽

Royal Society ◽

Zinc Fingers ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Transfer Rna ◽

Biological Structure ◽

X Ray ◽

X Ray Crystallography ◽

Atomic Structures

Aaron Klug made outstanding contributions to the development of structural molecular biology. An early interest in viruses, stemming from work with Rosalind Franklin, prompted him to think deeply about extracting the information contained in electron micrographs. As a result, he proposed a method for making three-dimensional maps of biological specimens from the projected images given by micrographs. For this development and its application to complex molecular assemblies, he was awarded the 1982 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The recent revolution in biological structure determination, whereby atomic structures can now be determined from micrographs of frozen hydrated specimens, derives from this initial breakthrough. With colleagues, Aaron applied X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy to determine the structures and thereby understand the functions of many biological assemblies, including viruses, transfer RNA, chromatin and zinc fingers. He also made important forays into the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Aaron was director of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge from 1986 to 1996 and President of the Royal Society from 1995 to 2000.

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