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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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 29, 2026

A Robust Single-Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy cryo-EM Processing Workflow with cryoSPARC, RELION, and Scipion

A Robust Single-Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy cryo-EM Processing Workflow with cryoSPARC, RELION, and Scipion

Published on: January 31, 2022

A cryo-EM processing pipeline for microtubules using CryoSPARC.

Daniel Zhang¹, Hugo Muñoz-Hernández¹, Pavel Filipcik²

¹Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.

Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Structural Biology

|April 27, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

MiCSPARC is a new cryo-EM pipeline that simplifies the high-resolution structural analysis of microtubules. It enables detailed visualization of both decorated and undecorated microtubule structures.

Keywords:

cryo-EM helical reconstructions microtubules single-particle analysis tubulin

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Single Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy: From Sample to Structure

Single Particle Cryo-Electron Microscopy: From Sample to Structure

Published on: May 29, 2021

Area of Science:

Structural Biology
Cell Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Microtubules are essential cytoskeletal polymers with dynamic structures.
Existing cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) methods for microtubule reconstruction can be complex, especially for undecorated filaments.
Variable microtubule lattice architectures pose challenges for structural analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop an accessible and robust cryo-EM processing pipeline for determining high-resolution microtubule structures.
To enable the analysis of both decorated and undecorated microtubules using automated cryo-EM workflows.
To provide a tool for researchers studying microtubule dynamics and interactions.

Main Methods:

Development of MiCSPARC, a cryo-EM processing pipeline integrated with CryoSPARC.
Leveraging automated particle picking and rapid 3D refinement within CryoSPARC.
Application of the pipeline to undecorated GDP microtubules and kinesin-1 decorated GMPCPP filaments.

Main Results:

Achieved high-resolution cryo-EM reconstructions of microtubules up to 2.8 Å.
Demonstrated the pipeline's effectiveness for both decorated and undecorated microtubule samples.
Generated seam-corrected microtubule reconstructions, improving structural accuracy.

Conclusions:

MiCSPARC offers a user-friendly and efficient approach for high-resolution microtubule structure determination.
The pipeline facilitates the study of microtubule architecture, dynamics, and interactions with associated proteins.
MiCSPARC is a valuable tool for advancing research in microtubule-related fields, including drug discovery.