title: Cryo-electron microscopy of biological samples.
abstract: A brief summary of current cryo-electron microscopy methods for processing and imaging biological tissues is provided. The main emphasis is given to two preparation procedures: frozen-hydrated samples because of the remarkable success of cryo-electron crystallography in obtaining near atomic resolution of integral membrane proteins, and high-pressure freezing because of the wide applicability for vitrification of large samples of normal and diseased tissues for ultrastructural and immunolabeling analysis. Methods for examining certain samples with a TEM cryo-stage are summarized. This includes an introduction to the relatively new area of cryo-electron tomography, which offers the possibility to observe the three-dimensional structure of subcellular components using only their natural variations in composition to generate contrast.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599, USA. mjc@med.unc.edu
authors.forename: M Joseph
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Costello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000379:methods*; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D014867:Water