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

Related Concept Videos

Cryo-electron Microscopy

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

In Vitro-Prepared A30P Alpha-Synuclein Fibrils Adopt the Conserved and Disease-Relevant Greek Key Fold.

The journal of physical chemistry. B·2026

Same author

Correction to "Microchip-Based Structure Determination of Disease-Relevant p53".

Analytical chemistry·2026

Same author

Co-detection and genomic characterization of avian rotavirus A, avian orthoreovirus, and chicken megrivirus-C using nontargeted metagenomic surveillance in Indian broiler chickens.

Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology·2026

Same author

<i>In vitro</i>-prepared A30P alpha-synuclein fibrils adopt the conserved and disease-relevant Greek key fold.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Integrated fluorescence light microscopy-guided cryo-focused ion beam-milling for in situ montage cryo-ET.

Nature protocols·2026

Same author

Capsid flexibility during Ty1 virus-like particle assembly.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 5, 2026

Advancing High-Resolution Imaging of Virus Assemblies in Liquid and Ice

Advancing High-Resolution Imaging of Virus Assemblies in Liquid and Ice

Published on: July 20, 2022

Capturing enveloped viruses on affinity grids for downstream cryo-electron microscopy applications.

Gabriella Kiss¹, Xuemin Chen¹, Melinda A Brindley²

¹Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Emory University, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.

Microscopy and Microanalysis : the Official Journal of Microscopy Society of America, Microbeam Analysis Society, Microscopical Society of Canada

|November 28, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A new affinity grid method selectively captures enveloped viruses for electron microscopy. This technique aids in studying virus structure without damaging particles, crucial for understanding human pathogens like HIV.

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Cryo-EM Sample Preparation with Streptavidin-Biotin Approach

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Cryo-EM Sample Preparation with Streptavidin-Biotin Approach

Published on: December 29, 2023

Determination of Molecular Structures of HIV Envelope Glycoproteins using Cryo-Electron Tomography and Automated Sub-tomogram Averaging

Determination of Molecular Structures of HIV Envelope Glycoproteins using Cryo-Electron Tomography and Automated Sub-tomogram Averaging

Published on: December 1, 2011

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 5, 2026

Advancing High-Resolution Imaging of Virus Assemblies in Liquid and Ice

Advancing High-Resolution Imaging of Virus Assemblies in Liquid and Ice

Published on: July 20, 2022

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Cryo-EM Sample Preparation with Streptavidin-Biotin Approach

Author Spotlight: Enhancing Cryo-EM Sample Preparation with Streptavidin-Biotin Approach

Published on: December 29, 2023

Determination of Molecular Structures of HIV Envelope Glycoproteins using Cryo-Electron Tomography and Automated Sub-tomogram Averaging

Determination of Molecular Structures of HIV Envelope Glycoproteins using Cryo-Electron Tomography and Automated Sub-tomogram Averaging

Published on: December 1, 2011

Area of Science:

Structural Biology
Virology
Microscopy Techniques

Background:

Enveloped viruses are a major cause of human disease.
Current purification methods for electron microscopy (EM) often damage these delicate structures.
Challenges include contamination and loss of viral integrity.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a novel strategy for capturing enveloped viruses.
To enable gentle and selective purification of viruses for ultrastructural analysis using EM, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET).

Main Methods:

Utilized affinity grids (AG) functionalized with nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid lipid layers.
Employed molecular adaptors for selective virus adhesion to the AG surface.
Tested the method with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) virus-like particles, influenza A, and measles virus.

Main Results:

Demonstrated successful selective capture of enveloped viruses on AG.
Preserved virus morphology and internal architecture during purification.
Validated the method for conventional EM, cryo-EM, and cryo-ET applications.

Conclusions:

The developed affinity grid strategy offers a gentle and selective method for purifying enveloped viruses.
This technique is essential for high-resolution ultrastructural analyses of pathogenic viruses.
Further refinement of AG methods will advance enveloped virus research.