Oikonomou Catherine M, Chang Yi-Wei, Jensen Grant J
Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125, USA.
Nat Rev Microbiol. 2016 Apr;14(4):205-20. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro.2016.7. Epub 2016 Feb 29.
Electron cryotomography (ECT) enables intact cells to be visualized in 3D in an essentially native state to 'macromolecular' (∼4 nm) resolution, revealing the basic architectures of complete nanomachines and their arrangements in situ. Since its inception, ECT has advanced our understanding of many aspects of prokaryotic cell biology, from morphogenesis to subcellular compartmentalization and from metabolism to complex interspecies interactions. In this Review, we highlight how ECT has provided structural and mechanistic insights into the physiology of bacteria and archaea and discuss prospects for the future.
电子冷冻断层扫描（ECT）能够以接近天然的状态，将完整细胞以三维形式呈现至“大分子”（约4纳米）分辨率，揭示完整纳米机器的基本架构及其原位排列。自问世以来，ECT推动了我们对原核细胞生物学诸多方面的理解，从形态发生到亚细胞区室化，从新陈代谢到复杂的种间相互作用。在本综述中，我们重点介绍ECT如何为细菌和古菌生理学提供结构和机制方面的见解，并探讨其未来前景。
