Efficient Single Particle and Tilt Series Workflow for a Cryo-EM Core

AbstractCryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) tomography is a powerful tool for in situ structure determination. However, this method requires the acquisition of tilt series, and its time consuming throughput of acquiring tilt series severely slows determination of in situ structures. By treating the electron densities of non-target protein as non-Gaussian distributed noise, we developed a new target function that greatly improves the efficiency of the recognition of the target protein in a single cryo-EM image without acquiring tilt series. Moreover, we developed a sorting function that effectively eliminates the false positive detection, which not only improves the resolution during the subsequent structure refinement procedure but also allows using homolog proteins as models to recognize the target protein. Together, we developed an in situ single particle analysis (isSPA) method. Our isSPA method was successfully applied to solve structures of glycoproteins on the surface of a non-icosahedral virus and Rubisco inside the carboxysome. The cryo-EM data from both samples were collected within 24 hours, thus allowing fast and simple structural determination in situ.

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In situ structure determination using single particle cryo-electron microscopy images

10.21203/rs.3.rs-94639/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jing Cheng ◽

Bufan Li ◽

Long Si ◽

Xinzheng Zhang

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Structure Determination ◽

Single Particle ◽

Structure Refinement ◽

Target Function ◽

Target Protein ◽

Particle Analysis ◽

Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽

Tilt Series

Abstract Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) tomography is a powerful tool for in situ structure determination. However, this method requires the acquisition of tilt series, and its time consuming throughput of acquiring tilt series severely slows determination of in situ structures. By treating the electron densities of non-target protein as non-Gaussian distributed noise, we developed a new target function that greatly improves the efficiency of the recognition of the target protein in a single cryo-EM image without acquiring tilt series. Moreover, we developed a sorting function that effectively eliminates the false positive detection, which not only improves the resolution during the subsequent structure refinement procedure but also allows using homolog proteins as models to recognize the target protein. Together, we developed an in situ single particle analysis (isSPA) method. Our isSPA method was successfully applied to solve structures of glycoproteins on the surface of a non-icosahedral virus and Rubisco inside the carboxysome. The cryo-EM data from both samples were collected within 24 hours, thus allowing fast and simple structural determination in situ.

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Localization of immunolabels by electron microscopy and image averaging

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100075208 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 41 ◽

pp. 282-283

Author(s):

J. Frank ◽

P.-Y. Sizaret ◽

A. Verschoor ◽

J. Lamy

Keyword(s):

Electron Microscopy ◽

Single Particle ◽

Attachment Site ◽

Uranyl Acetate ◽

Limulus Polyphemus ◽

Resolution Limit ◽

Electron Microscopic ◽

Image Averaging ◽

Top View ◽

Better Than

The accuracy with which the attachment site of immunolabels bound to macromolecules may be localized in electron microscopic images can be considerably improved by using single particle averaging. The example studied in this work showed that the accuracy may be better than the resolution limit imposed by negative staining (∽2nm).The structure used for this demonstration was a halfmolecule of Limulus polyphemus (LP) hemocyanin, consisting of 24 subunits grouped into four hexamers. The top view of this structure was previously studied by image averaging and correspondence analysis. It was found to vary according to the flip or flop position of the molecule, and to the stain imbalance between diagonally opposed hexamers (“rocking effect”). These findings have recently been incorporated into a model of the full 8 × 6 molecule.LP hemocyanin contains eight different polypeptides, and antibodies specific for one, LP II, were used. Uranyl acetate was used as stain. A total of 58 molecule images (29 unlabelled, 29 labelled with antl-LPII Fab) showing the top view were digitized in the microdensitometer with a sampling distance of 50μ corresponding to 6.25nm.

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An Image Reconstruction System Applied to High Voltage Microscopy

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100115080 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 33 ◽

pp. 292-293

Author(s):

D. E. Johnson

Keyword(s):

High Voltage ◽

Prior Information ◽

Block Diagram ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Real Space ◽

Two Dimensional ◽

Efficient Manner ◽

Fourier Methods ◽

Tilt Series ◽

Methods Of Reconstruction

Increased specimen penetration; the principle advantage of high voltage microscopy, is accompanied by an increased need to utilize information on three dimensional specimen structure available in the form of two dimensional projections (i.e. micrographs). We are engaged in a program to develop methods which allow the maximum use of information contained in a through tilt series of micrographs to determine three dimensional speciman structure.In general, we are dealing with structures lacking in symmetry and with projections available from only a limited span of angles (±60°). For these reasons, we must make maximum use of any prior information available about the specimen. To do this in the most efficient manner, we have concentrated on iterative, real space methods rather than Fourier methods of reconstruction. The particular iterative algorithm we have developed is given in detail in ref. 3. A block diagram of the complete reconstruction system is shown in fig. 1.

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Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Two Forms of the Chaperonin GRO EL

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100180045 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 258-259

Author(s):

J.L. Carrascosa ◽

G. Abella ◽

S. Marco ◽

M. Muyal ◽

J.M. Carazo

Keyword(s):

Three Dimensional ◽

The Other ◽

Two Dimensional ◽

Series Method ◽

Three Dimensional Reconstruction ◽

Structural Components ◽

E Coli ◽

Dimensional Reconstruction ◽

Morphogenetic Factors ◽

Tilt Series

Chaperonins are a class of proteins characterized by their role as morphogenetic factors. They trantsiently interact with the structural components of certain biological aggregates (viruses, enzymes etc), promoting their correct folding, assembly and, eventually transport. The groEL factor from E. coli is a conspicuous member of the chaperonins, as it promotes the assembly and morphogenesis of bacterial oligomers and/viral structures.We have studied groEL-like factors from two different bacteria:E. coli and B.subtilis. These factors share common morphological features , showing two different views: one is 6-fold, while the other shows 7 morphological units. There is also a correlation between the presence of a dominant 6-fold view and the fact of both bacteria been grown at low temperature (32°C), while the 7-fold is the main view at higher temperatures (42°C). As the two-dimensional projections of groEL were difficult to interprete, we studied their three-dimensional reconstruction by the random conical tilt series method from negatively stained particles.

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Structural Studies on the Eukaryotic Ribosome

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100180033 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 48 (1) ◽

pp. 256-257

Author(s):

Adriana Verschoor ◽

Ronald Milligan ◽

Suman Srivastava ◽

Joachim Frank

Keyword(s):

Chick Embryo ◽

3D Reconstruction ◽

Single Particle ◽

Mass Density ◽

Particle Surface ◽

Uranyl Acetate ◽

Electron Microscopic ◽

Eukaryotic Ribosome ◽

Negative Stain ◽

Reconstruction Methods

We have studied the eukaryotic ribosome from two vertebrate species (rabbit reticulocyte and chick embryo ribosomes) in several different electron microscopic preparations (Fig. 1a-d), and we have applied image processing methods to two of the types of images. Reticulocyte ribosomes were examined in both negative stain (0.5% uranyl acetate, in a double-carbon preparation) and frozen hydrated preparation as single-particle specimens. In addition, chick embryo ribosomes in tetrameric and crystalline assemblies in frozen hydrated preparation have been examined. 2D averaging, multivariate statistical analysis, and classification methods have been applied to the negatively stained single-particle micrographs and the frozen hydrated tetramer micrographs to obtain statistically well defined projection images of the ribosome (Fig. 2a,c). 3D reconstruction methods, the random conical reconstruction scheme and weighted back projection, were applied to the negative-stain data, and several closely related reconstructions were obtained. The principal 3D reconstruction (Fig. 2b), which has a resolution of 3.7 nm according to the differential phase residual criterion, can be compared to the images of individual ribosomes in a 2D tetramer average (Fig. 2c) at a similar resolution, and a good agreement of the general morphology and of many of the characteristic features is seen.Both data sets show the ribosome in roughly the same ’view’ or orientation, with respect to the adsorptive surface in the electron microscopic preparation, as judged by the agreement in both the projected form and the distribution of characteristic density features. The negative-stain reconstruction reveals details of the ribosome morphology; the 2D frozen-hydrated average provides projection information on the native mass-density distribution within the structure. The 40S subunit appears to have an elongate core of higher density, while the 60S subunit shows a more complex pattern of dense features, comprising a rather globular core, locally extending close to the particle surface.

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