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

Effect of Ca<sup>2+</sup> and Mg<sup>2+</sup> on the conformational dynamics of membrane-anchored Bcl-xL.

Biochimica et biophysica acta. Biomembranes·2026

Same author

Nanoscale Interfacial Organization Governs Maturation and Collapse in Passive versus Active Condensates.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Characterization of dynamics of encapsulated small molecule Nile red in biodegradable polymer using 2D IR methods.

The Journal of chemical physics·2026

Same author

Transiently amplified fluctuations assemble dissipative materials.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026

Same author

Live Imaging of Silver Nanostructures Electrochemically Dissolving at Open-Circuit Potential.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026

Same author

Direct Observation of Rh and La Dopant Positions in SrTiO<sub>3</sub> Nanoparticles with Atomic-Scale Electron Microscopy.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2025

Author Spotlight: Improving the Production of Self-Assembling Fibers and Peptide Hydrogels for Superior Biocompatibility

Author Spotlight: Improving the Production of Self-Assembling Fibers and Peptide Hydrogels for Superior Biocompatibility

Published on: September 6, 2024

Cryogenic Electron Microscopy Informed Molecular Dynamics Simulations to Investigate the Disulfide Hydrogel

Yuanming Song^1,2, Zhaoxu Li^1,3, Justin T Mulvey^1,3

¹Center for Complex and Active Materials, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.

Chemphyschem : a European Journal of Chemical Physics and Physical Chemistry

|March 3, 2025

Summary

Disulfide hydrogels self-assemble into stable fibers. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal hydrogen bonds are key, with thiol precursors influencing stability for tunable material design.

Keywords:

cryo‐electron microscopy hydrogel image simulation molecular dynamics simulations self‐assembly

More Related Videos

Synthesis and Characterization of 1,2-Dithiolane Modified Self-Assembling Peptides

Synthesis and Characterization of 1,2-Dithiolane Modified Self-Assembling Peptides

Published on: August 20, 2018

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides

Published on: November 21, 2013

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 24, 2025

Author Spotlight: Improving the Production of Self-Assembling Fibers and Peptide Hydrogels for Superior Biocompatibility

Author Spotlight: Improving the Production of Self-Assembling Fibers and Peptide Hydrogels for Superior Biocompatibility

Published on: September 6, 2024

Synthesis and Characterization of 1,2-Dithiolane Modified Self-Assembling Peptides

Synthesis and Characterization of 1,2-Dithiolane Modified Self-Assembling Peptides

Published on: August 20, 2018

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides

Formation of Ordered Biomolecular Structures by the Self-assembly of Short Peptides

Published on: November 21, 2013

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Biomaterials Engineering
Chemical Physics

Background:

Disulfide hydrogels leverage cysteine-based redox systems for dynamic material design.
Reversible disulfide bond formation drives active self-assembly in these hydrogels.

Purpose of the Study:

To elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind the active self-assembly of disulfide hydrogels.
To investigate the structural and dynamic properties of disulfide-assembled fibers.
To provide strategies for designing tunable materials based on controlled assembly.

Main Methods:

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) for structural analysis of fibers.
All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with cryo-EM-informed restraints.
Validation of simulations using simulated cryo-EM images.

Main Results:

Cryo-EM revealed individual fibers with a consistent diameter of 5.4 nm.
MD simulations reproduced fiber dimensions, identifying hydrogen bonds as the primary stabilizing force.
The disulfide gelator (CSSC) primarily adopts an open conformation.
Intermolecular interactions were higher at 70% CSSC conversion than 100%.
Fibers remain hydrated, with thiol precursor (CSH) playing a role in transient phase stabilization.

Conclusions:

Hydrogen bonds and CSH-CSSC interplay are crucial for disulfide hydrogel fiber stability.
MD simulations accurately model disulfide hydrogel assembly, complementing experimental data.
Findings offer insights for engineering tunable dynamic materials through controlled self-assembly.