Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10822754 | Current Opinion in Structural Biology | 2005 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
Electron cryomicroscopy and single-particle reconstruction have advanced substantially over the past two decades. There are now numerous examples of structures that have been solved using this technique to better than 10Â Ã
resolution. At such resolutions, direct identification of α helices is possible and, often, β-sheet-containing regions can be identified. The most numerous subnanometer resolution structures are the icosahedral viruses, as higher resolution is easier to achieve with higher symmetry. Important non-icosahedral structures solved to subnanometer resolution include several ribosome structures, clathrin assemblies and, most recently, the Ca2+ release channel. There is now hope that, in the next few years, this technique will achieve resolutions approaching 4 Ã
, permitting a complete trace of the protein backbone without reference to a crystal structure.
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Authors
Wen Jiang, Steven J Ludtke,