TY - JOUR
T1 - Membrane protein structure determination using cryo-electron tomography and 3D image averaging
AU - Bartesaghi, Alberto
AU - Subramaniam, Sriram
PY - 2009/8
Y1 - 2009/8
N2 - The vast majority of membrane protein complexes of biological interest cannot be purified to homogeneity, or removed from a physiologically relevant context without loss of function. It is therefore not possible to easily determine the 3D structures of these protein complexes using X-ray crystallography or conventional cryo-electron microscopy. Newly emerging methods that combine cryo-electron tomography with 3D image classification and averaging are, however, beginning to provide unique opportunities for in situ determination of the structures of membrane protein assemblies in intact cells and nonsymmetric viruses. Here we review recent progress in this field and assess the potential of these methods to describe the conformation of membrane proteins in their native environment.
AB - The vast majority of membrane protein complexes of biological interest cannot be purified to homogeneity, or removed from a physiologically relevant context without loss of function. It is therefore not possible to easily determine the 3D structures of these protein complexes using X-ray crystallography or conventional cryo-electron microscopy. Newly emerging methods that combine cryo-electron tomography with 3D image classification and averaging are, however, beginning to provide unique opportunities for in situ determination of the structures of membrane protein assemblies in intact cells and nonsymmetric viruses. Here we review recent progress in this field and assess the potential of these methods to describe the conformation of membrane proteins in their native environment.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.sbi.2009.06.005
DO - 10.1016/j.sbi.2009.06.005
M3 - Article
C2 - 19646859
AN - SCOPUS:69249115197
SN - 0959-440X
VL - 19
SP - 402
EP - 407
JO - Current Opinion in Structural Biology
JF - Current Opinion in Structural Biology
IS - 4
ER -