Open AccessCryo-electron tomography: an ideal method to study membrane-associated proteins
Author(s) -
Michelle A. Dunstone,
Alex de Marco
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
philosophical transactions of the royal society b biological sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1471-2970
pISSN - 0962-8436
DOI - 10.1098/rstb.2016.0210
Subject(s) - cryo electron tomography , electron tomography , resolution (logic) , nanotechnology , structural biology , cryo electron microscopy , nanometre , macromolecule , tomography , electron crystallography , low resolution , membrane protein , membrane , biological system , high resolution , chemistry , materials science , computer science , biophysics , physics , artificial intelligence , biology , optics , electron diffraction , biochemistry , remote sensing , transmission electron microscopy , scanning transmission electron microscopy , diffraction , geology
Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) is a three-dimensional imaging technique that makes it possible to analyse the structure of complex and dynamic biological assemblies in their native conditions. The latest technological and image processing developments demonstrate that it is possible to obtain structural information at nanometre resolution. The sample preparation required for the cryo-ET technique does not require the isolation of a protein and other macromolecular complexes from its native environment. Therefore, cryo-ET is emerging as an important tool to study the structure of membrane-associated proteins including pores. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Membrane pores: from structure and assembly, to medicine and technology’.
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