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On the Development of Electron Cryo-Microscopy (Nobel Lecture)
1UNIL - Université de Lausanne, Fac. of Biology and Medicine, Deptm. of Ecology and Evolution, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|July 10, 2018
Summary
Electron microscopy requires samples to be dry, causing molecules to stick. Vitrifying water suspension enables electron-cryo microscopy by preserving biological specimens.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Microscopy
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Electron microscopes require a vacuum environment, necessitating dry biological specimens.
- Drying biological samples causes molecular adhesion, hindering high-resolution imaging.
- Overcoming this limitation is crucial for visualizing cellular structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present the solution enabling electron-cryo microscopy.
- To explain the principle of preserving biological specimens for electron microscopy.
Main Methods:
- Specimen suspension in vitrifying water.
- Rapid cooling to prevent ice crystal formation.
Main Results:
- Vitrifying water prevents ice crystal formation during rapid cooling.
- Preserved molecular structure of biological specimens in an hydrated state.
- Enabled high-resolution imaging of biological samples via electron microscopy.
Conclusions:
- Suspension in vitrifying water is key to electron-cryo microscopy.
- This method overcomes the drying artifact in electron microscopy.
- Facilitates detailed structural analysis of biological molecules.
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