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Related Concept Videos

Cryo-electron Microscopy01:28

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...
Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction01:07

Electron Microscope Tomography and Single-particle Reconstruction

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.
Electron Tomography
Electron tomography can be performed either in TEM or STEM (scanning transmission...
Overview of Electron Microscopy01:25

Overview of Electron Microscopy

The wavelengths of visible light ultimately limit the maximum theoretical resolution of images created by light microscopes. Most light microscopes can only magnify 1000X, and a few can magnify up to 1500X. Electrons, like electromagnetic radiation, can behave like waves, but with wavelengths of 0.005 nm, they produce significantly greater resolution up to 0.05 nm as compared to 500 nm for visible light. An electron microscope (EM) can create a sharp image that is magnified up to 2,000,000X.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Electron Cryotomography of Bacterial Cells
14:23

Electron Cryotomography of Bacterial Cells

Published on: May 6, 2010

Beyond structure: spectroscopic imaging in cryogenic electron microscopy.

Jongbeom Kim1, Eric A Stach1, Yi-Wei Chang2

  • 1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.

Current Opinion in Structural Biology
|June 16, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Spectroscopic cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) now reveals chemical composition and states in biological samples. This advances structural biology by linking molecular structure with function at high resolution.

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Cryo-Electron Tomography Remote Data Collection and Subtomogram Averaging
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Cryo-Electron Tomography Remote Data Collection and Subtomogram Averaging

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Electron Cryotomography of Bacterial Cells
14:23

Electron Cryotomography of Bacterial Cells

Published on: May 6, 2010

Studying the Supramolecular Organization of Photosynthetic Membranes within Freeze-fractured Leaf Tissues by Cryo-scanning Electron Microscopy
13:52

Studying the Supramolecular Organization of Photosynthetic Membranes within Freeze-fractured Leaf Tissues by Cryo-scanning Electron Microscopy

Published on: June 23, 2016

Cryo-Electron Tomography Remote Data Collection and Subtomogram Averaging
08:55

Cryo-Electron Tomography Remote Data Collection and Subtomogram Averaging

Published on: July 12, 2022

Area of Science:

  • Structural Biology
  • Microscopy
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) excels at imaging molecular structure and morphology.
  • Conventional cryo-EM offers limited insight into chemical composition or molecular states.
  • There is a need to integrate chemical information with structural data in biological specimens.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review advances in spectroscopic electron microscopy techniques.
  • To highlight methods extending cryo-EM beyond phase contrast imaging.
  • To discuss the integration of spectroscopy with cryogenic workflows for biological samples.

Main Methods:

  • Scanning-based electron microscopy techniques.
  • Spectroscopic methods including Z-contrast imaging, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS).
  • Correlative imaging workflows integrating spectroscopy with cryogenic sample preparation.

Main Results:

  • Spectroscopic techniques enable label-free mapping of elemental distributions.
  • These methods provide information on chemical states within beam-sensitive biological specimens.
  • Integration with cryogenic preparation and correlative imaging is emerging.

Conclusions:

  • Spectroscopic cryo-EM extends the capabilities of traditional cryo-EM.
  • These techniques bridge the gap between molecular structure, composition, and function.
  • Spectroscopic cryo-EM offers a powerful approach for multi-scale biological investigations.