High-resolution spot-scan electron microscopy of microcrystals of an α-helical coiled-coil protein

1990 ◽  
Vol 215 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.A. Bullough ◽  
P.A. Tulloch
Author(s):  
Akira Tanaka ◽  
David F. Harling

In the previous paper, the author reported on a technique for preparing vapor-deposited single crystal films as high resolution standards for electron microscopy. The present paper is intended to describe the preparation of several high resolution standards for dark field microscopy and also to mention some results obtained from these studies. Three preparations were used initially: 1.) Graphitized carbon black, 2.) Epitaxially grown particles of different metals prepared by vapor deposition, and 3.) Particles grown epitaxially on the edge of micro-holes formed in a gold single crystal film.The authors successfully obtained dark field micrographs demonstrating the 3.4Å lattice spacing of graphitized carbon black and the Au single crystal (111) lattice of 2.35Å. The latter spacing is especially suitable for dark field imaging because of its preparation, as in 3.), above. After the deposited film of Au (001) orientation is prepared at 400°C the substrate temperature is raised, resulting in the formation of many square micro-holes caused by partial evaporation of the Au film.


Author(s):  
W. H. Wu ◽  
R. M. Glaeser

Spirillum serpens possesses a surface layer protein which exhibits a regular hexagonal packing of the morphological subunits. A morphological model of the structure of the protein has been proposed at a resolution of about 25 Å, in which the morphological unit might be described as having the appearance of a flared-out, hollow cylinder with six ÅspokesÅ at the flared end. In order to understand the detailed association of the macromolecules, it is necessary to do a high resolution structural analysis. Large, single layered arrays of the surface layer protein have been obtained for this purpose by means of extensive heating in high CaCl2, a procedure derived from that of Buckmire and Murray. Low dose, low temperature electron microscopy has been applied to the large arrays.As a first step, the samples were negatively stained with neutralized phosphotungstic acid, and the specimens were imaged at 40,000 magnification by use of a high resolution cold stage on a JE0L 100B. Low dose images were recorded with exposures of 7-9 electrons/Å2. The micrographs obtained (Fig. 1) were examined by use of optical diffraction (Fig. 2) to tell what areas were especially well ordered.


Author(s):  
Robert A. Grant ◽  
Laura L. Degn ◽  
Wah Chiu ◽  
John Robinson

Proteolytic digestion of the immunoglobulin IgG with papain cleaves the molecule into an antigen binding fragment, Fab, and a compliment binding fragment, Fc. Structures of intact immunoglobulin, Fab and Fc from various sources have been solved by X-ray crystallography. Rabbit Fc can be crystallized as thin platelets suitable for high resolution electron microscopy. The structure of rabbit Fc can be expected to be similar to the known structure of human Fc, making it an ideal specimen for comparing the X-ray and electron crystallographic techniques and for the application of the molecular replacement technique to electron crystallography. Thin protein crystals embedded in ice diffract to high resolution. A low resolution image of a frozen, hydrated crystal can be expected to have a better contrast than a glucose embedded crystal due to the larger density difference between protein and ice compared to protein and glucose. For these reasons we are using an ice embedding technique to prepare the rabbit Fc crystals for molecular structure analysis by electron microscopy.


Author(s):  
S. S. Breese ◽  
H. L. Bachrach

Models for the structure of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) have been proposed from chemical and physical measurements (Brown, et al., 1970; Talbot and Brown, 1972; Strohmaier and Adam, 1976) and from rotational image-enhancement electron microscopy (Breese, et al., 1965). In this report we examine the surface structure of FMDV particles by high resolution electron microscopy and compare it with that of particles in which the outermost capsid protein VP3 (ca. 30, 000 daltons) has been split into smaller segments, two of which VP3a and VP3b have molecular weights of about 15, 000 daltons (Bachrach, et al., 1975).Highly purified and concentrated type A12, strain 119 FMDV (5 mg/ml) was prepared as previously described (Bachrach, et al., 1964) and stored at 4°C in 0. 2 M KC1-0. 5 M potassium phosphate buffer at pH 7. 5. For electron microscopy, 1. 0 ml samples of purified virus and trypsin-treated virus were dialyzed at 4°C against 0. 2 M NH4OAC at pH 7. 3, deposited onto carbonized formvar-coated copper screens and stained with phosphotungstic acid, pH 7. 3.


Author(s):  
G. Van Tendeloo ◽  
J. Van Landuyt ◽  
S. Amelinckx

Polytypism has been studied for a number of years and a wide variety of stacking sequences has been detected and analysed. SiC is the prototype material in this respect; see e.g. Electron microscopy under high resolution conditions when combined with x-ray measurements is a very powerful technique to elucidate the correct stacking sequence or to study polytype transformations and deviations from the ideal stacking sequence.


Author(s):  
L. Andrew Staehelin

Freeze-etched membranes usually appear as relatively smooth surfaces covered with numerous small particles and a few small holes (Fig. 1). In 1966 Branton (1“) suggested that these surfaces represent split inner mem¬brane faces and not true external membrane surfaces. His theory has now gained wide acceptance partly due to new information obtained from double replicas of freeze-cleaved specimens (2,3) and from freeze-etch experi¬ments with surface labeled membranes (4). While theses studies have fur¬ther substantiated the basic idea of membrane splitting and have shown clearly which membrane faces are complementary to each other, they have left the question open, why the replicated membrane faces usually exhibit con¬siderably fewer holes than particles. According to Branton's theory the number of holes should on the average equal the number of particles. The absence of these holes can be explained in either of two ways: a) it is possible that no holes are formed during the cleaving process e.g. due to plastic deformation (5); b) holes may arise during the cleaving process but remain undetected because of inadequate replication and microscope techniques.


Author(s):  
D. Johnson ◽  
P. Moriearty

Since several species of Schistosoma, or blood fluke, parasitize man, these trematodes have been subjected to extensive study. Light microscopy and conventional electron microscopy have yielded much information about the morphology of the various stages; however, scanning electron microscopy has been little utilized for this purpose. As the figures demonstrate, scanning microscopy is particularly helpful in studying at high resolution characteristics of surface structure, which are important in determining host-parasite relationships.


Author(s):  
R. Gronsky

The phenomenon of clustering in Al-Ag alloys has been extensively studied since the early work of Guinierl, wherein the pre-precipitation state was characterized as an assembly of spherical, ordered, silver-rich G.P. zones. Subsequent x-ray and TEM investigations yielded results in general agreement with this model. However, serious discrepancies were later revealed by the detailed x-ray diffraction - based computer simulations of Gragg and Cohen, i.e., the silver-rich clusters were instead octahedral in shape and fully disordered, atleast below 170°C. The object of the present investigation is to examine directly the structural characteristics of G.P. zones in Al-Ag by high resolution transmission electron microscopy.


Author(s):  
J. C. Wheatley ◽  
J. M. Cowley

Rare-earth phosphates are of particular interest because of their catalytic properties associated with the hydrolysis of many aromatic chlorides in the petroleum industry. Lanthanum phosphates (LaPO4) which have been doped with small amounts of copper have shown increased catalytic activity (1). However the physical and chemical characteristics of the samples leading to good catalytic activity are not known.Many catalysts are amorphous and thus do not easily lend themselves to methods of investigation which would include electron microscopy. However, the LaPO4, crystals are quite suitable samples for high resolution techniques.The samples used were obtained from William L. Kehl of Gulf Research and Development Company. The electron microscopy was carried out on a JEOL JEM-100B which had been modified for high resolution microscopy (2). Standard high resolution techniques were employed. Three different sample types were observed: 669A-1-5-7 (poor catalyst), H-L-2 (good catalyst) and 27-011 (good catalyst).


Author(s):  
N. Bonnet ◽  
M. Troyon ◽  
P. Gallion

Two main problems in high resolution electron microscopy are first, the existence of gaps in the transfer function, and then the difficulty to find complex amplitude of the diffracted wawe from registered intensity. The solution of this second problem is in most cases only intended by the realization of several micrographs in different conditions (defocusing distance, illuminating angle, complementary objective apertures…) which can lead to severe problems of contamination or radiation damage for certain specimens.Fraunhofer holography can in principle solve both problems stated above (1,2). The microscope objective is strongly defocused (far-field region) so that the two diffracted beams do not interfere. The ideal transfer function after reconstruction is then unity and the twin image do not overlap on the reconstructed one.We show some applications of the method and results of preliminary tests.Possible application to the study of cavitiesSmall voids (or gas-filled bubbles) created by irradiation in crystalline materials can be observed near the Scherzer focus, but it is then difficult to extract other informations than the approximated size.


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