Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026
09:06
Cryo-EM and Single-Particle Analysis with Scipion
Published on: May 29, 2021
Cryo-EM: the revolution continues
Sriram Subramaniam1, Werner Kühlbrandt2,3, Richard Henderson4
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
Iucrj
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) has revolutionized structural biology, enabling detailed insights into complex biological systems. Advances in cryo-EM and AI promise a new era of digital biology.
Area of Science:
- Structural Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) adoption has surged, driving significant growth in structural biology research.
- The field has seen a shift from exponential to linear growth in deposited cryo-EM density maps.
- Cryo-EM provides atomic resolution insights into complex molecular assemblies and cellular structures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the transformative impact of cryo-EM on understanding biological complexity.
- To discuss the evolving landscape of cryo-EM data deposition and analysis.
- To explore the potential of cryo-EM in conjunction with artificial intelligence for future biological discoveries.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing electron cryo-microscopy for high-resolution structural determination.
- Analyzing large datasets of electron microscopy density maps.
- Integrating artificial intelligence with cryo-EM data processing.
Main Results:
- Cryo-EM enables detailed structural analysis of multiprotein complexes.
- In situ cryo-EM provides insights into protein structures within intact cells.
- Cryo-EM captures dynamic protein conformations and chemical mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- Cryo-EM has become indispensable for structural and cell biologists.
- The integration of cryo-EM with AI is set to propel digital biology forward.
- Continued advancements in cryo-EM promise deeper understanding of biological functions.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Cryo-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...
02:39Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...
02:33Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...