Laser-assisted cryoEM method preserves protein structure
Combining mass spectrometry, or MS, and cryogenic electron microscopy, or cryoEM, has long promised high-resolution 3D reconstructions of proteins. Past attempts were limited by low resolution and protein compaction.
Keaton Mertz, Drew Jordahl and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Morgridge Institute for Research developed a laser-assisted cryoEM method that overcomes these barriers, paving the way for broader MS–cryoEM integration. They published their findings in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.
The method uses a laser built into transmission electron microscopy grids to liquefy ice particles. When the laser is turned off, proteins rehydrate and regain their native structure before refreezing, producing samples suitable for reconstruction.
Testing with β-galactosidase, the team showed that protein structure was restored without compaction. Results matched those from conventional plunge freezing but with fewer distortions. The researchers expect the technique will enable studies of more complex protein systems.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in Science
Science highlights or most popular articles
Building a better model for drug delivery across the blood–brain barrier
Industry and academic scientists collaborated to develop a rat with humanized iron-transport receptors, enabling research into iron homeostasis and drugs that cross the brain’s barrier.
Fat synthesis enzyme crucial for milk fat and newborn growth
Researchers found that a deficiency of the fatty acid synthesis enzyme stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 reduced mammary gland function during lactation and caused low birth weight in newborns that were fed milk from enzyme-deficient glands.
Flipping lipids and slime molds
A dull first job nearly pushed JBC associate editor Todd Graham out of science. Then a slime mold project changed his path. Now, he studies membrane biology and reflects on discovery, persistence and mentoring through uncertainty.
How smelling death alters worm behavior
Researchers have found that the roundworm C. elegans can smell death, and it changes how the worms behave, reproduce and age.
A chance encounter with the lab
Payton Stevens never planned to become a pancreatic cancer researcher. A temporary job set him on a path from rural Kentucky to leading research on Wnt signaling and metastasis, where he now pairs discovery with mentorship and science advocacy.
Light-activated small molecule could transform eye infection treatment
Contact lenses raise the risk of infectious keratitis, a leading cause of blindness worldwide. A biotech company is commercializing a light-activated therapy using a ROS-generating molecule to rapidly kill microbes in the cornea to preserve vision.