Ultrathin Liquid Cells for Microsecond Time-Resolved Cryo-EM.

ABSTRACT: Microsecond time-resolved cryo-electron microscopy promises to significantly advance our understanding of protein function by rendering cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) fast enough to observe proteins at work. This emerging technique involves flash melting a cryo sample with a laser beam to provide a brief time window during which dynamics are initiated. When the laser is switched off, the sample revitrifies, arresting the proteins in their transient configurations. However, observations have so far been limited to tens of microseconds only, due to the instability of the thin liquid film under laser irradiation. Here, we seal samples between two ultrathin, vapor-deposited silicon dioxide membranes to extend the observation window by an order of magnitude. These membranes not only allow f

SUBMITTER: Curtis WA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12247871 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature