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Related Concept Videos

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction01:07

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

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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.
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Cryo-electron Microscopy01:28

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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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Electron Transport Chain: Complex I and II01:46

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The mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) is the main energy generation system in the eukaryotic cells. However, mitochondria also produce cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to the large electron flow during oxidative phosphorylation. While Complex I is one of the primary sources of superoxide radicals, ROS production by Complex II is uncommon and may only be observed in cancer cells with mutated complexes.
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The final stage of cellular respiration is oxidative phosphorylation that consists of two steps: the electron transport chain and chemiosmosis. The electron transport chain is a set of proteins found in the inner mitochondrial membrane in eukaryotic cells. Its primary function is to establish a proton gradient that can be used during chemiosmosis to produce ATP and generate electron carriers, such as NAD+ and FAD, that are used in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle.
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Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV01:43

Electron Transport Chain: Complex III and IV

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During the electron transport chain, electrons from NADH and FADH2 are first transferred to complexes I and II, respectively. These two complexes then transfer the electrons to ubiquinol, which carries them further to complex III. Complex III passes the electrons across the intermembrane space to Cyt c, which carries them further to complex IV. Complex IV donates electrons to oxygen and reduces it to water. As electrons pass through complexes I, III, and IV, the energy released aids the pumping...
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Electron Carriers

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Electron carriers can be thought of as electron shuttles. These compounds can easily accept electrons (i.e., be reduced) or lose them (i.e., be oxidized). They play an essential role in energy production because cellular respiration is contingent on the flow of electrons.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 25, 2026

Micropatterning Transmission Electron Microscopy Grids to Direct Cell Positioning within Whole-Cell Cryo-Electron Tomography Workflows
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Micropatterning Transmission Electron Microscopy Grids to Direct Cell Positioning within Whole-Cell Cryo-Electron Tomography Workflows

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Visualizing membrane trafficking through the electron microscope: cryo-tomography of coat complexes.

Evgenia A Markova1, Giulia Zanetti1

  • 1Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, England.

Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology
|May 8, 2019
PubMed
Summary

This review details cryo-electron tomography methods for studying coat proteins, essential for intracellular transport. It summarizes recent findings on coat protein I, II, and retromer, clarifying their assembly and function.

Keywords:
COPIIcoat proteinscryo-electron tomographysubtomogram averagingthree-dimensional reconstructionvesicular transport

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Visualization of ATP Synthase Dimers in Mitochondria by Electron Cryo-tomography
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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Structural Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Coat proteins are crucial for vesicular transport, enabling molecule distribution within eukaryotic cells.
  • The arrangement of coat proteins on membranes dictates their function in intracellular trafficking.
  • Understanding coat protein structure is vital for deciphering cellular organization and function.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To present a comprehensive workflow for the structural elucidation of membrane-bound coat proteins.
  • To highlight recent advancements in cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) data acquisition and processing for coat protein studies.
  • To review current knowledge on coat protein I (COPI), coat protein II (COPII), and retromer complexes.

Main Methods:

  • Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) for high-resolution imaging of membrane-associated protein complexes.
  • Subtomogram averaging to determine the 3D structure of coat proteins.
  • In vitro reconstitution and in situ studies to investigate coat protein mechanisms.

Main Results:

  • Recent cryo-ET studies provide crucial structural insights into coat protein organization on membranes.
  • Summarized research addresses fundamental questions about membrane binding, polymerization, and assembly regulation of COPI, COPII, and retromer.
  • The review integrates new data processing techniques with established structural biology methods.

Conclusions:

  • The described workflow facilitates detailed structural analysis of coat proteins.
  • Advances in cryo-ET have significantly enhanced our understanding of coat protein function and regulation.
  • This review consolidates key findings, advancing the study of vesicular transport mechanisms.