Real-Space Reconstructions of Non-Ideal Helical Models
We have studied the effects of variable pitch, particle flattening, particle curvature, imaging noise and variable negative stain on two dimensional (2D) real-space reconstructions using electron density models of the sickle cell hemoglobin (HbS) macrofiber. The HbS macrofiber, a 500 A diameter helical particle with a pitch of about 10,000 A, is formed in vitro at pH < 7.1. The Fourier transform of the particle is extremely complex due to disorder, large particle size, and variable pitch, making the indexing required for Fourier-Bessel reconstructions very difficult. However, real-space techniques require fewer assumptions about the particle order. Preliminary particle reconstructions have led us to consider the effect of non-ideal particle imaging on the reconstruction result.