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Updated: Jul 3, 2026
05:33
Light-Induced In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy for Observation of the Liquid-Soft Matter Interaction
Published on: July 26, 2022
What transmission electron microscopes can visualize now and in the future
Shirley A Müller1, Ueli Aebi, Andreas Engel
1Maurice E. Müller Institute for Structural Biology, Biozentrum, University of Basel, Klingelbergstr. 70, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland. shirley.mueller@unibas.ch
Journal of Structural Biology
|July 11, 2008
Summary
High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) has advanced significantly, enabling atomic-level structural determination of biological molecules. These improvements in sample preparation and imaging techniques offer unprecedented insights into cellular structures.
Area of Science:
- Structural Biology
- Microscopy Techniques
Background:
- Recent advancements in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have revolutionized structural biology.
- Improvements in sample preparation, particularly cryo-preservation, maintain native states for high-vacuum imaging.
Observation:
- Automated low-dose data acquisition systems facilitate electron crystallography and tomography.
- Field emission electron guns and high acceleration voltages (200-300 kV) are standard for atomic resolution.
- Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) provides high contrast and mass measurement capabilities for protein complexes.
Findings:
- Atomic structures of mammalian aquaporin-O and bacterial cytotoxin ClyA resolved.
- Visualized bacterial injectisome needle, pseudopilus, and actin filament-phalloidin binding.
- Demonstrated STEM's utility in characterizing protein complex shape and mass.
Implications:
- Future applications include single-cell proteome determination via electron tomography.
- Routine atomic-level structure determination of membrane proteins using electron crystallography is anticipated.
- Enhanced understanding of cellular mechanisms and disease pathways through detailed structural analysis.
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