Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31553060›Full record

ArticleJournal of microscopy2019

Current outcomes when optimizing 'standard' sample preparation for single-particle cryo-EM.

B Carragher, Y Cheng, A Frost, R M Glaeser, G C Lander, E Nogales, H-W Wang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of microscopy, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 34 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

34 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Structural Biology for Target Identification and Validation.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. VitroJet: new features and case studies.Acta crystallographica. Section D, Structural biology · 2024
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Structural Analysis of Protein Complexes by Cryo-Electron Microscopy.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2024
    Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

B CarragherSimon Electron Microscopy Center, New York Structural Biology Center, New York, U.S.A.ORCID 0000-0002-0624-5020
Y ChengHHMI and Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.ORCID 0000-0001-9535-0369
A FrostDepartment of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.ORCID 0000-0003-2231-2577
R M GlaeserLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.ORCID 0000-0003-1955-1825
G C LanderDepartment of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, U.S.A.ORCID 0000-0003-4921-1135
E NogalesMolecular and Cell Biology Department, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, U.S.A.ORCID 0000-0001-9816-3681
H-W WangMinistry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Beijing Frontier Research Center of Biological Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.

Funding

TUBULIN STRUCTURE BY ELECTRON CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP01GM051487 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIF-LAWRENC BERKELEY LAB · PI NOGALES, EVA · 1994 to 2018
$27.6M
TRD #3: An automated and streamlined pipeline for in-situ molecular microscopyP41GM103310 · NIGMS · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · PI DE MARCO, ALEX, KIEFT, JEFFREY S · 2012 to 2021
$14.7M
Structure, States and Transition in ABC Transporters pp360-431P01GM111126 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI SALI, ANDREJ · 2015 to 2019
$9.8M
Structural mechanism of integrin-mediated TGF-b activationR01HL134183 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI Yifan Cheng, Stephen L Nishimura · 2016 to 2026
$5.9M
Structural studies of function and regulation of microtubules and transcriptional gene expression machineryR35GM127018 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI Eva Nogales · 2018 to 2026
$4.3M
Molecular basis of axonal transport described by high-resolution 3D imagingDP2EB020402 · NIBIB · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · PI LANDER, GABRIEL C · 2014 to 2014
$2.8M
Structures and gating mechanisms of TRP ion channelsR01GM098672 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI CHENG, YIFAN · 2011 to 2018
$2.6M
Toward Atomic Resolution of Membranes and Membrane-Associated MachinesDP2GM110772 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF UTAH · PI FROST, ADAM · 2013 to 2013
$2.2M
Acquisition of an electron microscope for high-resolution single particle cryo-EMS10OD021741 · OD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI CHENG, YIFAN · 2016 to 2016
$2.0M
Regulated Mitochondrial MorphologyR01GM127673 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI BULKLEY, DAVID · 2018 to 2021
$1.2M
Linux cluster for near atomic resolution single particle cryo-EMS10OD020054 · OD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI CHENG, YIFAN · 2015 to 2015
$456k
Howard Hughes Medical InstituteNHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL134183NIBIB NIH HHS DP2 EB020402NIGMS NIH HHS DP2 GM110772NIGMS NIH HHS P01 GM051487NIGMS NIH HHS P01 GM111126NIGMS NIH HHS P41 GM103310NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM098672NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM127673NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM127018NIH HHS S10 OD020054NIH HHS S10 OD021741
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Although high-resolution single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is now producing a rapid stream of breakthroughs in structural biology, it nevertheless remains the case that the preparation of suitable frozen-hydrated samples on electron microscopy grids is often quite challenging. Purified samples that are intact and structurally homogeneous - while still in the test tube - may not necessarily survive the standard methods of making extremely thin, aqueous films on grids. As a result, it is often necessary to try a variety of experimental conditions before finally finding an approach that is optimal for the specimen at hand. Here, we summarize some of our collective experiences to date in optimizing sample preparation, in the hope that doing so will be useful to others, especially those new to the field. We also hope that an open discussion of these common challenges will encourage the development of more generally applicable methodology. Our collective experiences span a diverse range of biochemical samples and most of the commonly used variations in how grids are currently prepared. Unfortunately, none of the currently used optimization methods can be said, in advance, to be the one that ultimately will work when a project first begins. Nevertheless, there are some preferred first steps to explore when facing specific problems that can be more generally recommended, based on our experience and that of many others in the cryo-EM field.

Indexed as

Cryoelectron MicroscopyMacromolecular SubstancesSingle Molecule ImagingSpecimen HandlingMacromolecular SubstancesAir-water interfacebiological cryo-EMsample preparation

Identifiers

PMID31553060
PMCPMC7050573

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.