Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Spot-scan imaging in transmission electron microscopy.

¹Donner Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley 94720.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|January 4, 1991

Summary

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) advances protein structure determination. Spot-scan imaging overcomes beam-induced motion, enhancing image contrast and accelerating structural analysis for radiation-sensitive biological materials.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The linac coherent light source single particle imaging road map.

Structural dynamics (Melville, N.Y.)·2016

Same author

Freezing in sealed capillaries for preparation of frozen hydratedsections.

Journal of microscopy·2011

Same author

Crystalline ice as a cryoprotectant: theoretical calculation of cooling speed in capillary tubes.

Journal of microscopy·2011

Same author

Characterization of intact subcellular bodies in whole bacteria by cryo-electron tomography and spectroscopic imaging.

Journal of microscopy·2006

Same author

Crystallographic structure of tubulin: implications for dynamics and drug binding.

Cell structure and function·2004

Same author

Three-dimensional diffractive imaging for crystalline monolayers with one-dimensional compact support.

Journal of structural biology·2003

Area of Science:

Structural Biology
Microscopy Techniques
Biophysics

Background:

Determining the structure of proteins and organic materials using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a critical area of research.
Obtaining high-resolution images of radiation-sensitive biological specimens has historically presented significant challenges.
Beam-induced motion during imaging compromises image quality and structural determination accuracy in TEM.

Purpose of the Study:

To address the limitations of conventional TEM imaging for radiation-sensitive specimens.
To introduce and evaluate a novel imaging technique for improved high-resolution structural analysis.
To enhance contrast and reduce structural determination time in electron microscopy.

Main Methods:

Development and application of spot-scan imaging technique in transmission electron microscopy.
Focusing the electron beam to a small spot (approx. 1000 angstroms) and scanning over the specimen.
Recording the image by integrating signals from the scanned electron beam.

Main Results:

Spot-scan imaging effectively overcomes severe problems associated with beam-induced motion.
Elimination of specimen and image motion significantly enhances the contrast of high-resolution features.
The technique promises a substantial increase in the speed of structural determination.

Conclusions:

Spot-scan imaging represents a significant advancement in transmission electron microscopy for structural biology.
This method improves image quality and reduces artifacts caused by beam-sample interactions.
The enhanced contrast and speed enable more efficient and accurate structural analysis of sensitive biological molecules.

Related Experiment Videos