Patwardhan Ardan, Henderson Richard, Russo Christopher J
EMBL-EBI, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK.
MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, CB2 0QH, UK.
Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2025 Jun;92:103005. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2025.103005. Epub 2025 Mar 3.
Molecular structure determination using electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM) is poised in early 2025 to surpass X-ray crystallography as the most used method for experimentally determining new structures. But the technique has not reached the physical limits set by radiation damage and the signal-to-noise ratio in individual images of molecules. By examining these limits and comparing the number and resolution of structures determined versus molecular weight, we identify opportunities for extending the application of single-particle cryoEM. This will help guide technology development to continue the exponential growth of structural biology.
利用电子冷冻显微镜（cryoEM）进行分子结构测定在2025年初有望超越X射线晶体学，成为实验测定新结构最常用的方法。但该技术尚未达到由辐射损伤和分子单幅图像中的信噪比所设定的物理极限。通过研究这些极限，并比较已测定结构的数量和分辨率与分子量的关系，我们发现了扩展单颗粒冷冻电镜应用的机会。这将有助于指导技术发展，以延续结构生物学的指数级增长。
