Electron microscopy as a tool for 3D structure determination in molecular structural biology

Electron microscopy (EM) is a method for determining the structure of large biological assemblies that are difficult targets for X-ray crystallography. The fundamental properties and limitations of image formation in EM are described, along with the basic methods for obtaining and analyzing EM data that are currently in use.

Keywords: structural biology; electron optics; electron microscopy; cryo; 2D crystals; helical symmetry; single particle image processing; 3D reconstruction