Cellular and Structural Studies of Eukaryotic Cells by Cryo-Electron Tomography

Open access
Date
2019-01Type
- Review Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
The architecture of protein assemblies and their remodeling during physiological processes is fundamental to cells. Therefore, providing high-resolution snapshots of macromolecular complexes in their native environment is of major importance for understanding the molecular biology of the cell. Cellular structural biology by means of cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) offers unique insights into cellular processes at an unprecedented resolution. Recent technological advances have enabled the detection of single impinging electrons and improved the contrast of electron microscopic imaging, thereby significantly increasing the sensitivity and resolution. Moreover, various sample preparation approaches have paved the way to observe every part of a eukaryotic cell, and even multicellular specimens, under the electron beam. Imaging of macromolecular machineries at high resolution directly within their native environment is thereby becoming reality. In this review, we discuss several sample preparation and labeling techniques that allow the visualization and identification of macromolecular assemblies in situ, and demonstrate how these methods have been used to study eukaryotic cellular landscapes. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000330225Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
CellsVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
MDPISubject
cryo-electron tomography; in situ structure determination; cytoskeleton; nuclear envelope; intermediate filaments; focused ion beam milling; correlative light and electron microscopy; gold nanoparticlesMore
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ETH Bibliography
yes
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