Department of Chemical Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Institute for Biological Electron Microscopy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Department of Chemical Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China; Institute for Biological Electron Microscopy, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2024 Oct;175:106648. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2024.106648. Epub 2024 Aug 23.
Understanding the in situ structure, organization, and interactions of macromolecules is essential for elucidating their functions and mechanisms of action. Cellular cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) is a cutting-edge technique that reveals in situ molecular-resolution architectures of macromolecules in their lifelike states. It also provides insights into the three-dimensional distribution of macromolecules and their spatial relationships with various subcellular structures. Thus, cellular cryo-ET bridges the gap between structural biology and cell biology. With rapid advancements, this technique achieved substantial improvements in throughput, automation, and resolution. This review presents the fundamental principles and methodologies of cellular cryo-ET, highlighting recent developments in sample preparation, data collection, and image processing. We also discuss emerging trends and potential future directions. As cellular cryo-ET continues to develop, it is set to play an increasingly vital role in structural cell biology.
了解生物大分子的原位结构、组织和相互作用对于阐明其功能和作用机制至关重要。细胞冷冻电子断层扫描（cryo-ET）是一项前沿技术，可以揭示生物大分子在其逼真状态下的分子分辨率结构。它还可以深入了解生物大分子的三维分布及其与各种亚细胞结构的空间关系。因此，细胞 cryo-ET 弥补了结构生物学和细胞生物学之间的差距。随着技术的快速发展，该技术在通量、自动化和分辨率方面取得了实质性的改进。本综述介绍了细胞 cryo-ET 的基本原理和方法，重点介绍了样品制备、数据采集和图像处理方面的最新进展。我们还讨论了新兴趋势和潜在的未来方向。随着细胞 cryo-ET 的不断发展，它将在结构细胞生物学中发挥越来越重要的作用。
