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Related Concept Videos

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction01:07

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) can be used to determine the 3D structure of biological samples with the help of techniques such as electron microscope tomography and single-particle reconstruction. While single-particle reconstruction can examine macromolecules and macromolecular complexes in vitro conditions only, tomography permits the study of cell components or small cells in vivo.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
Cryo-electron Microscopy01:28

Cryo-electron Microscopy

Conventional electron microscopy (EM) involves dehydration, fixation, and staining of biological samples, which distorts the native state of biological molecules and results in several artifacts. Also, the high-energy electron beam damages the sample and makes it difficult to obtain high-resolution images. These issues can be addressed using cryo-EM, which uses frozen samples and gentler electron beams. The technique was developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson, for...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Single Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy: From Sample to Structure
11:52

Single Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy: From Sample to Structure

Published on: May 29, 2021

3-D structures of macromolecules using single-particle analysis in EMAN.

Steven J Ludtke1

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|September 14, 2010
PubMed
Summary

Single-particle reconstruction uses transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to create 3-D molecular models. This guide details using EMAN software for initial low-resolution reconstructions from TEM images.

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Structural Studies of Macromolecules in Solution using Small Angle X-Ray Scattering
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Structural Studies of Macromolecules in Solution using Small Angle X-Ray Scattering

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Last Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Single Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy: From Sample to Structure
11:52

Single Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy: From Sample to Structure

Published on: May 29, 2021

Do's and Don'ts of Cryo-electron Microscopy: A Primer on Sample Preparation and High Quality Data Collection for Macromolecular 3D Reconstruction
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Do's and Don'ts of Cryo-electron Microscopy: A Primer on Sample Preparation and High Quality Data Collection for Macromolecular 3D Reconstruction

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Structural Studies of Macromolecules in Solution using Small Angle X-Ray Scattering
07:19

Structural Studies of Macromolecules in Solution using Small Angle X-Ray Scattering

Published on: November 5, 2018

Area of Science:

  • Structural biology
  • Biophysics
  • Microscopy

Background:

  • Single-particle reconstruction (SPR) is a powerful technique for determining the 3D structure of molecules and macromolecular assemblies.
  • Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is used to capture 2D images of individual particles.
  • These images are computationally combined to generate a high-resolution 3D map.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide a protocol for performing an initial low-resolution 3D reconstruction using SPR.
  • To introduce the EMAN software suite as a user-friendly option for single-particle analysis.
  • To guide researchers in obtaining preliminary structural information.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizes transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for image acquisition.
  • Employs computational methods to combine multiple 2D particle images into a 3D volume.
  • Specifically details the use of the EMAN software package for data processing and reconstruction.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrates the feasibility of obtaining low-resolution 3D reconstructions.
  • Highlights EMAN as an accessible software for single-particle analysis.
  • Provides a foundational understanding for more advanced structural determination.

Conclusions:

  • Single-particle reconstruction with TEM, particularly using EMAN, enables the determination of molecular structures.
  • The protocol facilitates initial low-resolution structural analysis, serving as a basis for further refinement.
  • This technique is crucial for advancing structural biology and understanding macromolecular function.