Tag: cryo-EM

  • Tools and technologies for cryo electron tomography

    The mission of the Chan Zuckerberg Imaging Institute (CZII) is to enable deep insights into the architecture of complex biological systems at the molecular level, through the development and application of novel imaging technologies. The initial grand challenge for CZII is to develop technologies and methodologies to image the molecular architecture of the cell to…

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  • Structure determination by cryoEM at 100 keV

    Electron cryomicroscopy can, in principle, determine the structures of most biological molecules, but is currently limited by access, specimen preparation difficulties and cost. We present a purpose-built instrument operating at 100 keV (instead of the widely-used 300 keV instruments) – including advances in electron optics, detection and processing – that makes structure determination fast and…

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  • Cryo-EM structure of angiotensin-converting enzyme: novel structural and mechanistic insights into cooperativity, dimerization and allostery

    Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is a zinc metallopeptidase that plays a critical role in blood pressure, and fluid and electrolyte homeostasis. ACE can cleave angiotensin I, bradykinin, and many other peptide substrates. Until recently, little was known regarding the specific role of each of the two ACE domains, their 3D structural orientation, dynamics and dimerization. In…

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  • Supporting the adoption of cryo-EM by industry at Diamond Light Source

    The electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC) at Diamond Light Source offers a unique service to pharma and biotech companies to rapidly advance their discovery and development of lead compounds, biologics, or drug carriers whilst uncovering valuable information regarding biomolecule structure, stability and domain flexibility by using cryo-EM. By offering flexible access to world class cryo-EM facilities,…

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  • Unwrapping insulin signalling by cryo-EM

    The atomic structure of insulin has been known since the late 1960s, but it is only relatively recently that molecular detail has been obtained of the insulin receptor and of the way in which insulin and its receptor interact and effect signal transduction into the cellular interior. These advances have been dependent both on the…

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  • The role of single-particle cryo-EM in discovering new drugs and vaccines

    Single-particle cryo-EM, in being able to capture an entire spectrum of states of a biomolecular complex, is uniquely suited for drug discovery as well as development of vaccines. Increasingly the capacity of a biomolecule to “breathe” and change its structure dynamically in the thermal bath is recognized as key in understanding drug efficacy and, more…

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  • Latest cryo-EM results from South Africa

    The Electron Microscope Unit (EMU) at the University of Cape Town was established over sixty years ago as a regional imaging core facility serving the needs of the biological and materials science communities. Researchers in the EMU, with help from international scientists, have established the first single-particle cryo-EM resource in Africa. We support projects ranging…

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