Cryo-EM Services

Electron microscopy (EM) has become an extremely popular method for the
ultrastructural study of macromolecules, cells and tissues. An aqueous biological
sample is frozen rapidly and irradiated with a beam of electrons. A detector
senses how the electrons are scattered and a computer reconstructs the 3D-
shape of the molecule.

Why you need this service?

 You have small amount of materials;
 The material is hard to crystallize;
 You are looking into the molecules in atomic details;
 It is a large biomolecular complex (>150 kDa, up to 2000 Å);
 You want to observe the real "native state" structure.
See the comparison of Crystallography, NMR, and EM
Service Processes: (Take protein as an example)

After protein purification, these

Sample preparation
samples will be treated with cryo-
fixation. In this method, protein
samples are placed on a specially
treated EM grid consisting of tiny
holes in a film supported by a metal
frame. The grid is then plunged into
liquid ethane to flash-freeze it,
resulting in the protein samples being
embedded in a thin layer of vitreous
ice. Once the frozen-hydrated grid is
prepared, it is placed in the electron
microscope and kept at approximately -
180 K throughout the experiment.
  Data collection;
 Initial 3D model calculation;
 Beam-induced motion correction;
 Micrograph screening;
 Automatic particle picking and
normalization;
EM imaging and data  2D, 3D classification and refinement.
processing

Using our high-performance computers

and software packages, we are able to
interpret EM maps and reconstruct them
into three-dimensional structural
models that satisfy principles of
physics and stereochemistry. (Our
scientists are also very experienced
with challenging targets such
as membrane proteins by manual
Model building and intervention to improve the initial fit
refinement or even build de novo models.) After
an initial model is built, refinement
is performed to maximize the agreement
between the model and experimentally
observed data by adjusting atomic
coordinates, B factors, and other
parameters.
Your Specific Sample Types

Small Proteins
 Membrane Proteins

VLP (Virus-like Particles)

Virus Particles

DNA Sample
Antigen-antibody Complex

Ribosomes

Subcellular Organelles

Biological Tissues
 Bacteriophages

Protein-ligands Complex

Cryo-EM for Nanomaterials

Cryo-EM for Filaments

 Discuss Details with Our Experts
Related Services
Ordering Process

Feel free to contact us for more information.

References
1. Grassucci RA, et al. (2007) "Preparation of macromolecular complexes for
cryo-electron microscopy". Nat Protoc2(12):3239-3246.
2. Doerr A. (2016) "Single-particle cryo-electron microscopy". Nat Meth 13(1):23-
23.
3. Thompson RF, et al. (2016) "An introduction to sample preparation and
imaging by cryo-electron microscopy for structural biology". Methods 100:3-15.