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Updated: May 24, 2026

In situ TEM of Biological Assemblies in Liquid
Published on: December 30, 2013
Visualizing macromolecular complexes with in situ liquid scanning transmission electron microscopy
James E Evans1, Katherine L Jungjohann, Peony C K Wong
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616, United States. James.Evans@pnnl.gov
Abstract:
A central focus of biological research is understanding the structure/function relationship of macromolecular protein complexes. Yet conventional transmission electron microscopy techniques are limited to static observations. Here we present the first direct images of purified macromolecular protein complexes using in situ liquid scanning transmission electron microscopy. Our results establish the capability of this technique for visualizing the interface between biology and nanotechnology with high fidelity while also probing the interactions of biomolecules within solution. This method represents an important advancement towards allowing future high-resolution observations of biological processes and conformational dynamics in real-time.
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