Cryo-EM Is a Powerful Tool, But Helical Applications Can Have Pitfalls

Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Egelman ◽  
Fengbin Wang
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Structural Biology ◽  
Macromolecular Complexes ◽  
Atomic Structures ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Main Technique

In structural biology, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has emerged as the main technique for determining the atomic structures of macromolecular complexes. This has largely been due to the introduction of direct...

scholarly journals Single-particle cryo-EM—How did it get here and where will it go

Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 361 (6405) ◽  
pp. 876-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Structural Biology ◽  
Single Particle ◽  
Electron Crystallography ◽  
The Past ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Future ◽  
Electron Cryotomography

Cryo–electron microscopy, or simply cryo-EM, refers mainly to three very different yet closely related techniques: electron crystallography, single-particle cryo-EM, and electron cryotomography. In the past few years, single-particle cryo-EM in particular has triggered a revolution in structural biology and has become a newly dominant discipline. This Review examines the fascinating story of its start and evolution over the past 40-plus years, delves into how and why the recent technological advances have been so groundbreaking, and briefly considers where the technique may be headed in the future.

scholarly journals Rapid high-resolution structure analysis of small, biotechnologically relevant enzymes by cryo-electron microscopy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Dimos ◽  
Carl P.O. Helmer ◽  
Andrea M. Chanique ◽  
Markus C. Wahl ◽  
Robert Kourist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Structural Biology ◽  
Structure Analysis ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution Structure ◽  
Fast Development ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industries ◽  
Exquisite Specificity ◽  
Resolution Structure

Enzyme catalysis has emerged as a key technology for developing efficient, sustainable processes in the chemical, biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. Plants provide large and diverse pools of biosynthetic enzymes that facilitate complex reactions, such as the formation of intricate terpene carbon skeletons, with exquisite specificity. High-resolution structural analysis of these enzymes is crucial to understand their mechanisms and modulate their properties by targeted engineering. Although cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has revolutionized structural biology, its applicability to high-resolution structure analysis of comparatively small enzymes is so far largely unexplored. Here, we show that cryo-EM can reveal the structures of ~120 kDa plant borneol dehydrogenases at or below 2 Å resolution, paving the way for the fast development of new biocatalysts that provide access to bioactive terpenes and terpenoids.

scholarly journals Advances in Structure Modeling Methods for Cryo-Electron Microscopy Maps

Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eman Alnabati ◽  
Daisuke Kihara
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Structure Modeling ◽  
Rapid Progress ◽  
Macromolecular Complexes ◽  
Modeling Methods ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Density Maps

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has now become a widely used technique for structure determination of macromolecular complexes. For modeling molecular structures from density maps of different resolutions, many algorithms have been developed. These algorithms can be categorized into rigid fitting, flexible fitting, and de novo modeling methods. It is also observed that machine learning (ML) techniques have been increasingly applied following the rapid progress of the ML field. Here, we review these different categories of macromolecule structure modeling methods and discuss their advances over time.

scholarly journals Thermo-Cryo-Electron Microscopy of Macromolecular Complexes

2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (S2) ◽  
pp. 136-137
Author(s):  
N Cheng ◽  
J Conway ◽  
G Cardone ◽  
D Winkler ◽  
B Firek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Macromolecular Complexes ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA, August 7–August 11, 2011.

Uncovering the structures of modular polyketide synthases

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kira J. Weissman
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Structural Biology ◽  
Structural Characterization ◽  
Small Angle ◽  
Single Particle ◽  
Polyketide Synthases ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Scattering ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy

This review covers a breakthrough in the structural biology of the gigantic modular polyketide synthases (PKS): the structural characterization of intact modules by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering.

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