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Multifunctional graphene supports for electron cryomicroscopy.

ABSTRACT: With recent technological advances, the atomic resolution structure of any purified biomolecular complex can, in principle, be determined by single-particle electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM). In practice, the primary barrier to structure determination is the preparation of a frozen specimen suitable for high-resolution imaging. To address this, we present a multifunctional specimen support for cryoEM, comprising large-crystal monolayer graphene suspended across the surface of an ultrastable gold specimen support. Using a low-energy plasma surface modification system, we tune the surface of this support to the specimen by patterning a range of covalent functionalizations across the graphene layer on a single grid. This support design reduces specimen movement during imaging, improves image quality, and allows high-resolution structure determination with a minimum of material and data.

SUBMITTER: Naydenova K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6575631 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Multifunctional graphene supports for electron cryomicroscopy.

Naydenova Katerina K Peet Mathew J MJ Russo Christopher J CJ

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20190524 24

With recent technological advances, the atomic resolution structure of any purified biomolecular complex can, in principle, be determined by single-particle electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM). In practice, the primary barrier to structure determination is the preparation of a frozen specimen suitable for high-resolution imaging. To address this, we present a multifunctional specimen support for cryoEM, comprising large-crystal monolayer graphene suspended across the surface of an ultrastable gold ...[more]

PMID: 31127045

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