Fully Mechanically Controlled Automated Electron Microscopic Tomography.

ABSTRACT: Knowledge of three-dimensional (3D) structures of each individual particles of asymmetric and flexible proteins is essential in understanding those proteins' functions; but their structures are difficult to determine. Electron tomography (ET) provides a tool for imaging a single and unique biological object from a series of tilted angles, but it is challenging to image a single protein for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction due to the imperfect mechanical control capability of the specimen goniometer under both a medium to high magnification (approximately 50,000-160,000×) and an optimized beam coherence condition. Here, we report a fully mechanical control method for automating ET data acquisition without using beam tilt/shift processes. This method could reduce the accumulation of bea

SUBMITTER: Liu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4941525 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature