Exploring Advances in Single Particle CryoEM with Apoferritin: from Blobs to True Atomic Resolution

Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2024 Jan 31:106536. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2024.106536. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTDeciphering the three-dimensional structures of macromolecules is of paramount importance for gaining insights into their functions and roles in human health and disease. Single particle cryoEM has emerged as a powerful technique that enables direct visualization of macromolecules and their complexes, and through subsequent averaging, achieve near atomic-level resolution. A major breakthrough was recently achieved with the determination of the apoferritin structure at true atomic resolution. In this review, we discuss the latest technological innovations across the entire single-particle workflow, which have been instrumental in driving and expanding the resolution revolution and in transforming cryoEM as a mainstream technique in structural biology. We illustrate these advancements using apoferritin as an example that has served as an excellent benchmark sample for assessing emerging technologies. We further explore whether the existing technology can routinely generate atomic structures of dynamic macromolecules that more accurately represent real-world samples, the limitations in the workflow and the current approaches employed to overcome them.PMID:38307321 | DOI:10.1016/j.biocel.2024.106536
Source: The International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology - Category: Biochemistry Authors: Source Type: research