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Method to Visualize and Analyze Membrane Interacting Proteins by Transmission Electron Microscopy
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Studying Membrane Protein Structures by MicroED.

Michael W Martynowycz1,2,3, Tamir Gonen4,5,6

  • 1Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|April 20, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) can now determine atomic structures from small membrane protein crystals. New methods prepare challenging samples for MicroED, enabling high-resolution structural biology.

Keywords:
CryoEMEnergy filterFIB millingMembrane proteinsMicroEDMicrocrystal electron diffraction

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Area of Science:

  • Structural Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science

Background:

  • Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) offers atomic resolution for small crystals.
  • Membrane proteins often form crystals too small for X-ray crystallography but too large for MicroED.
  • Viscous media used for membrane protein crystallization complicate traditional cryo-electron microscopy grid preparation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and present effective methods for preparing membrane protein crystals for MicroED analysis.
  • To overcome challenges associated with crystal size and preparation media in MicroED.
  • To enable high-resolution structural determination of membrane proteins using MicroED.

Main Methods:

  • Direct application of crystal slurry to electron microscopy (EM) grids.
  • Focused ion beam milling (FIB-SEM) to precisely shape crystals and remove excess media.
  • Utilizing an energy filter during data collection to reduce noise.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated successful preparation of membrane protein crystals for MicroED.
  • Showcased the workflow of FIB-SEM milling for crystals of varying sizes.
  • Illustrated the preparation of the NaK ion channel for MicroED analysis.

Conclusions:

  • Two novel approaches facilitate MicroED data collection from membrane protein crystals.
  • FIB-SEM milling is a versatile technique for preparing crystals of any size for MicroED.
  • Energy filtering enhances image quality by minimizing inelastic scattering.