Download MendeleyElectrospray-assisted cryo-EM sample preparation to mitigate interfacial effects.
Yang, Z., Fan, J., Wang, J., Fan, X., Ouyang, Z., Wang, H.W., Zhou, X.(2024) Nat Methods 21: 1023-1032
- PubMed: 38664529
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-024-02247-0
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
8JWH - PubMed Abstract:
Addressing interfacial effects during specimen preparation in cryogenic electron microscopy remains challenging. Here we introduce ESI-cryoPrep, a specimen preparation method based on electrospray ionization in native mass spectrometry, designed to alleviate issues associated with protein denaturation or preferred orientation induced by macromolecule adsorption at interfaces. Through fine-tuning spraying parameters, we optimized protein integrity preservation and achieved the desired ice thickness for analyzing target macromolecules. With ESI-cryoPrep, we prepared high-quality cryo-specimens of five proteins and obtained three-dimensional reconstructions at near-atomic resolution. Our findings demonstrate that ESI-cryoPrep effectively confines macromolecules within the middle of the thin layer of amorphous ice, facilitating the preparation of blotting-free vitreous samples. The protective mechanism, characterized by the uneven distribution of charged biomolecules of varying sizes within charged droplets, prevents the adsorption of target biomolecules at air-water or graphene-water interfaces, thereby avoiding structural damage to the protein particles or the introduction of dominant orientation issues.
Organizational Affiliation:
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences, Beijing Frontier Research Center of Biological Structures, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
