Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2169793 Current Opinion in Cell Biology 2012 7 Pages PDF
Abstract

A complete understanding of complex dynamic cellular processes such as cell migration or cell adhesion requires the integration of atomic level structural information into the larger cellular context. While direct atomic-level information at the cellular level remains inaccessible, electron microscopy, electron tomography and their associated computational image processing approaches have now matured to a point where sub-cellular structures can be imaged in three dimensions at the nanometer scale. Atomic-resolution information obtained by other means can be combined with this data to obtain three-dimensional models of large macromolecular assemblies in their cellular context. This article summarizes some recent advances in this field.

► Electron microscopy provides nm-range information on large biological assemblies. ► Cellular context can be provided by electron tomography. ► Atomic-resolution information can be combined with both types of data. ► These approaches provide an essential link between structure and cell function.

Related Topics
Life Sciences Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Cell Biology
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