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PMID: 27629640 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Review

Unravelling biological macromolecules with cryo-electron microscopy.

Nature ·Vol. 537 ·No. 7620 ·2016-00-15 ·Pages 339-46

Fernandez-Leiro R, Scheres SH

Abstract

Knowledge of the three-dimensional structures of proteins and other biological macromolecules often aids understanding of how they perform complicated tasks in the cell. Because many such tasks involve the cleavage or formation of chemical bonds, structural characterization at the atomic level is most useful. Developments in the electron microscopy of frozen hydrated samples (cryo-electron microscopy) are providing unprecedented opportunities for the structural characterization of biological macromolecules. This is resulting in a wave of information about processes in the cell that were impossible to characterize with existing techniques in structural biology.

MeSH Terms
Cryoelectron Microscopy/trends Humans Membrane Proteins/chemistry,ultrastructure Models, Molecular Multiprotein Complexes/chemistry,ultrastructure
Chemicals
Membrane Proteins Multiprotein Complexes
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Fernandez-Leiro Rafael
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
Scheres Sjors H W
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0QH, UK.
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Article Info
Journal
Nature
Abbr.
Nature
ISSN
1476-4687
DOI
10.1038/nature19948
Published
2016-00-15
Pages
339-46
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
0410462
PMCID
PMC5074357
Subset
IM
Grants
Medical Research Council · MC_U105197143 · United Kingdom
Medical Research Council · MC_UP_A025_1013 · United Kingdom
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1038/nature19948 PMC Full Text View journal details
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