Cryo-Electron Microscopy of the Giant Viruses

Microscopy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond N Burton-Smith ◽  
Kazuyoshi Murata
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
High Symmetry ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Ewald Sphere ◽  
Icosahedral Viruses ◽  
Giant Viruses ◽  
Block Based ◽  
Electron Microscopes ◽  
Acceleration Voltage

Abstract High resolution study of the giant viruses presents one of the latest challenges in cryo-electron microscopy of viruses. Too small for light microscopy, but too large for easy study at high resolution by electron microscopy, they range in size from ~0.2-2 μm, from high symmetry icosahedral viruses such as Paramecium burseria Chlorella virus 1 to asymmetric forms like Tupanvirus or Pithovirus. To attain high resolution, two strategies exist to study these large viruses by cryo-EM: firstly, increasing the acceleration voltage of the electron microscope to improve sample penetration and overcome the limitations imposed by electro-optical physics at lower voltages, and secondly the method of “block-based reconstruction” pioneered by Michael G. Rossmann and his collaborators, which resolves the latter limitation through an elegant leveraging of high symmetry, but cannot overcome sample penetration limitations. In addition, more recent advances in both computational capacity and image processing also yield assistance in studying the giant viruses. Especially, the inclusion of Ewald sphere correction can provide large improvements in attainable resolutions for 300 kV electron microscopes. Despite this, the study of giant viruses remains a significant challenge.

scholarly journals Cryo-electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography: complementary approaches to structural biology and drug discovery

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 174-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Vénien-Bryan ◽  
Zhuolun Li ◽  
Laurent Vuillard ◽  
Jean Albert Boutin
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Image Analysis ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Macromolecular Complexes ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Crystallography ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Reconstruction Methods ◽  
Electron Microscopes

The invention of the electron microscope has greatly enhanced the view scientists have of small structural details. Since its implementation, this technology has undergone considerable evolution and the resolution that can be obtained for biological objects has been extended. In addition, the latest generation of cryo-electron microscopes equipped with direct electron detectors and software for the automated collection of images, in combination with the use of advanced image-analysis methods, has dramatically improved the performance of this technique in terms of resolution. While calculating a sub-10 Å resolution structure was an accomplishment less than a decade ago, it is now common to generate structures at sub-5 Å resolution and even better. It is becoming possible to relatively quickly obtain high-resolution structures of biological molecules, in particular large ones (>500 kDa) which, in some cases, have resisted more conventional methods such as X-ray crystallography or nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Such newly resolved structures may, for the first time, shed light on the precise mechanisms that are essential for cellular physiological processes. The ability to attain atomic resolution may support the development of new drugs that target these proteins, allowing medicinal chemists to understand the intimacy of the relationship between their molecules and targets. In addition, recent developments in cryo-electron microscopy combined with image analysis can provide unique information on the conformational variability of macromolecular complexes. Conformational flexibility of macromolecular complexes can be investigated using cryo-electron microscopy and multiconformation reconstruction methods. However, the biochemical quality of the sample remains the major bottleneck to routine cryo-electron microscopy-based determination of structures at very high resolution.

scholarly journals Low cost, high performance processing of single particle cryo-electron microscopy data in the cloud

eLife ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A Cianfrocco ◽  
Andres E Leschziner
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cloud Computing ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Single Particle ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Computing Environment ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Electron Microscopes ◽  
Microscopy Data

The advent of a new generation of electron microscopes and direct electron detectors has realized the potential of single particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) as a technique to generate high-resolution structures. Calculating these structures requires high performance computing clusters, a resource that may be limiting to many likely cryo-EM users. To address this limitation and facilitate the spread of cryo-EM, we developed a publicly available ‘off-the-shelf’ computing environment on Amazon's elastic cloud computing infrastructure. This environment provides users with single particle cryo-EM software packages and the ability to create computing clusters with 16–480+ CPUs. We tested our computing environment using a publicly available 80S yeast ribosome dataset and estimate that laboratories could determine high-resolution cryo-EM structures for $50 to $1500 per structure within a timeframe comparable to local clusters. Our analysis shows that Amazon's cloud computing environment may offer a viable computing environment for cryo-EM.

Atomic structure imaging of the Si/SiO2 interface with high-resolution electron microscopy

1986 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 390-391
Author(s):  
J.L. Batstone ◽  
J.M. Gibson ◽  
Alice.E. White ◽  
K.T. Short
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Atomic Structure ◽  
High Resolution Electron Microscopy ◽  
Medium Voltage ◽  
Voltage Electron ◽  
Resolution Electron ◽  
Structural Image ◽  
Electron Microscopes ◽  
Point To Point

High resolution electron microscopy (HREM) is a powerful tool for the determination of interface atomic structure. With the previous generation of HREM's of point-to-point resolution (rpp) >2.5Å, imaging of semiconductors in only <110> directions was possible. Useful imaging of other important zone axes became available with the advent of high voltage, high resolution microscopes with rpp <1.8Å, leading to a study of the NiSi2 interface. More recently, it was shown that images in <100>, <111> and <112> directions are easily obtainable from Si in the new medium voltage electron microscopes. We report here the examination of the important Si/Si02 interface with the use of a JEOL 4000EX HREM with rpp <1.8Å, in a <100> orientation. This represents a true structural image of this interface.

scholarly journals Practical Experience with Hole-Free Phase Plates for Cryo Electron Microscopy

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1316-1328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Marko ◽  
Chyongere Hsieh ◽  
Eric Leith ◽  
David Mastronarde ◽  
Sohei Motoki
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Phase Plate ◽  
Native State ◽  
Automated Data Collection ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Transmission Electron ◽  
Phase Plates ◽  
Set Up

AbstractPhase plate (PP) imaging has proven to be valuable in transmission cryo electron microscopy of unstained, native-state biological specimens. Many PP types have been described, however until the recent implementation of the “hole-free” phase plate (HFPP), imaging has been challenging. We found the HFPP to be simple to construct and to set up in the transmission electron microscopy, but care in implementing automated data collection is needed. Performance may be variable, both initially and over time, thus it is important to monitor and evaluate image quality by observing the power spectrum. We found that while some HFPPs gave transfer to high resolution without CTF oscillation, most reached high resolution when operated with modest defocus.

scholarly journals A 2.8-Angstrom-Resolution Cryo-Electron Microscopy Structure of Human Parechovirus 3 in Complex with Fab from a Neutralizing Antibody

2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aušra Domanska ◽  
Justin W. Flatt ◽  
Joonas J. J. Jukonen ◽  
James A. Geraets ◽  
Sarah J. Butcher
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Cultured Cells ◽  
Human Monoclonal Antibody ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Molecular Diagnostic ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Human Parechovirus ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy

ABSTRACTHuman parechovirus 3 (HPeV3) infection is associated with sepsis characterized by significant immune activation and subsequent tissue damage in neonates. Strategies to limit infection have been unsuccessful due to inadequate molecular diagnostic tools for early detection and the lack of a vaccine or specific antiviral therapy. Toward the latter, we present a 2.8-Å-resolution structure of HPeV3 in complex with fragments from a neutralizing human monoclonal antibody, AT12-015, using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and image reconstruction. Modeling revealed that the epitope extends across neighboring asymmetric units with contributions from capsid proteins VP0, VP1, and VP3. Antibody decoration was found to block binding of HPeV3 to cultured cells. Additionally, at high resolution, it was possible to model a stretch of RNA inside the virion and, from this, identify the key features that drive and stabilize protein-RNA association during assembly.IMPORTANCEHuman parechovirus 3 (HPeV3) is receiving increasing attention as a prevalent cause of sepsis-like symptoms in neonates, for which, despite the severity of disease, there are no effective treatments available. Structural and molecular insights into virus neutralization are urgently needed, especially as clinical cases are on the rise. Toward this goal, we present the first structure of HPeV3 in complex with fragments from a neutralizing monoclonal antibody. At high resolution, it was possible to precisely define the epitope that, when targeted, prevents virions from binding to cells. Such an atomic-level description is useful for understanding host-pathogen interactions and viral pathogenesis mechanisms and for finding potential cures for infection and disease.

scholarly journals The structure of the yeast Ctf3 complex

eLife ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M Hinshaw ◽  
Andrew N Dates ◽  
Stephen C Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cell Cycle ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Atomic Model ◽  
Kinetochore Assembly ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Molecular Interpretation ◽  
Spindle Microtubules ◽  
And Function ◽  
Assembly Site

Kinetochores are the chromosomal attachment points for spindle microtubules. They are also signaling hubs that control major cell cycle transitions and coordinate chromosome folding. Most well-studied eukaryotes rely on a conserved set of factors, which are divided among two loosely-defined groups, for these functions. Outer kinetochore proteins contact microtubules or regulate this contact directly. Inner kinetochore proteins designate the kinetochore assembly site by recognizing a specialized nucleosome containing the H3 variant Cse4/CENP-A. We previously determined the structure, resolved by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), of the yeast Ctf19 complex (Ctf19c, homologous to the vertebrate CCAN), providing a high-resolution view of inner kinetochore architecture (Hinshaw and Harrison, 2019). We now extend these observations by reporting a near-atomic model of the Ctf3 complex, the outermost Ctf19c sub-assembly seen in our original cryo-EM density. The model is sufficiently well-determined by the new data to enable molecular interpretation of Ctf3 recruitment and function.

scholarly journals Rapid high-resolution structure analysis of small, biotechnologically relevant enzymes by cryo-electron microscopy

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Dimos ◽  
Carl P.O. Helmer ◽  
Andrea M. Chanique ◽  
Markus C. Wahl ◽  
Robert Kourist ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Structural Biology ◽  
Structure Analysis ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution Structure ◽  
Fast Development ◽  
Pharmaceutical Industries ◽  
Exquisite Specificity ◽  
Resolution Structure

Enzyme catalysis has emerged as a key technology for developing efficient, sustainable processes in the chemical, biotechnological and pharmaceutical industries. Plants provide large and diverse pools of biosynthetic enzymes that facilitate complex reactions, such as the formation of intricate terpene carbon skeletons, with exquisite specificity. High-resolution structural analysis of these enzymes is crucial to understand their mechanisms and modulate their properties by targeted engineering. Although cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has revolutionized structural biology, its applicability to high-resolution structure analysis of comparatively small enzymes is so far largely unexplored. Here, we show that cryo-EM can reveal the structures of ~120 kDa plant borneol dehydrogenases at or below 2 Å resolution, paving the way for the fast development of new biocatalysts that provide access to bioactive terpenes and terpenoids.

scholarly journals High-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of the Trypanosoma brucei ribosome

Nature ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 494 (7437) ◽  
pp. 385-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yaser Hashem ◽  
Amedee des Georges ◽  
Jie Fu ◽  
Sarah N. Buss ◽  
Fabrice Jossinet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Trypanosoma Brucei ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy
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