From Electron Crystallography to Single Particle CryoEM (Nobel Lecture)

Area of Science:

• Structural Biology
• Microscopy Techniques
• Biophysics

Background:

• The development of electron microscopy has been crucial for understanding molecular structures.
• Early imaging techniques provided foundational insights but were limited in resolution.
• The Nobel lecture by R. Henderson traces this technological evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a historical overview of electron microscopy development.
• To highlight key milestones, including the advent of single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).
• To showcase early achievements in high-resolution structural determination.

Main Methods:

• Historical review of electron microscopy advancements.
• Description of the transition from early techniques to single particle cryo-EM.
• Presentation of historical imaging data.

Main Results:

• The evolution of electron microscopy has dramatically increased resolution capabilities.
• Single particle cryo-EM represents a major leap in structural biology.
• The first projection structure of the purple membrane at 7 Å resolution was obtained in October 1974.

Conclusions:

• Electron microscopy, particularly cryo-EM, is a powerful tool for molecular structure determination.
• Historical data demonstrates the progressive improvement in imaging resolution.
• Continued innovation in microscopy drives biological discovery.