Macromolecular complexes are intrinsically flexible and often challenging to purify for structure determination by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Such complexes can be studied by ...cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) combined with subtomogram alignment and classification, which in exceptional cases achieves subnanometer resolution, yielding insight into structure-function relationships. However, it remains challenging to apply this approach to specimens that exhibit conformational or compositional heterogeneity or are present in low abundance. To address this, we developed emClarity ( https://github.com/bHimes/emClarity/wiki ), a GPU-accelerated image-processing package featuring an iterative tomographic tilt-series refinement algorithm that uses subtomograms as fiducial markers and a 3D-sampling-function-compensated, multi-scale principal component analysis classification method. We demonstrate that our approach offers substantial improvement in the resolution of maps and in the separation of different functional states of macromolecular complexes compared with current state-of-the-art software.
The influence of segregation bands and deformation streamline on mechanical properties is investigated via in-situ technology. The results reveal that the anisotropy is caused by the segregation ...bands. The microstructure and grain orientation of the matrix were obviously rotated, and the strain gradient between matrix and segregation promotes crack initiation.
•Cryo-electron tomography (cryoET) subtomogram averaging has emerged as a structural biology method for sparse and heterogenerous sampls.•CryoET subtomogram averaging enables in situ structure ...determination.•CryoET subtomogram classification can delineate different conformational states of macromolecular complexes.•Future developments in cryoET and correlative super resolution microscopy promises to bring unprecedented integration of cell biology and structural biology.
Cryo-electron tomography (cryoET) can provide 3D reconstructions, or tomograms, of pleomorphic objects such as organelles or cells in their close-to-native states. Subtomograms that contain repetitive structures can be further extracted and subjected to averaging and classification to improve resolution, and this process has become an emerging structural biology method referred to as cryoET subtomogram averaging and classification (cryoSTAC). Recent technical advances in cryoSTAC have had a profound impact on many fields in biology. Here, I review recent exciting work on several macromolecular assemblies demonstrating the power of cryoSTAC for in situ structure analysis and discuss challenges and future directions.
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the immunomodulatory effect and antiviral activity of Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) in crucian carp and epithelioma papulosum cyprinid (EPC) cells. Two ...diets containing 0 and 2 g/kg, APS were fed crucian carp for 56 days. The results showed that supplementation with APS significantly upregulated the immune-related indices including the levels of IgM, the activities of LZM, AKP and ACP, and the contents of C3 and C4. At the same time, compared with the CK group, adding APS to the feed significantly upregulated the expression of IL-8, IL-10, IL-1β, IFN-α, IFN-γ, MyD88, TGF-β and TNF-α in the spleen, kidney, liver and intestine of crucian carp. In addition, when the crucian carp were injected with SVCV, the survival rates of fish in the APS group and the control group were 48.87% and 13.76%, respectively. These results indicated that dietary APS could improve the resistance of crucian carp against SVCV infection. APS also significantly decreased viral titer and inhibited apoptosis induced by SVCV in EPC cells. These results indicated that APS could stimulate the immune response of crucian carp and improve the abilities of crucian carp and EPC cells to resist SVCV infection.
•Supplementing Astragalus polysaccharides can significantly up-regulate immune parameters and enhance the immune response of crucian carp.•Dietary Astragalus polysaccharides could improve the resistance of crucian carp against SVCV infection.•Astragalus polysaccharides could significantly decrease viral titer and inhibited apoptosis induced by SVCV in EPC cells.
Understanding of the construction and function of the HIV capsid has advanced considerably in the last decade. This is due in large part to the development of more sophisticated structural ...techniques, particularly cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) and cryo-electron tomography (cryoET). The capsid is known to be a pleomorphic fullerene cone comprised of capsid protein monomers arranged into 200-250 hexamers and 12 pentamers. The latter of these induce high curvature necessary to close the cone at both ends. CryoEM/cryoET, NMR, and X-ray crystallography have collectively described these interactions to atomic or near-atomic resolutions. Further, these techniques have helped to clarify the role the HIV capsid plays in several parts of the viral life cycle, from reverse transcription to nuclear entry and integration into the host chromosome. This includes visualizing the capsid bound to host factors. Multiple proteins have been shown to interact with the capsid. Cyclophilin A, nucleoporins, and CPSF6 promote viral infectivity, while MxB and Trim5α diminish the viral infectivity. Finally, structural insights into the intra- and intermolecular interactions that govern capsid function have enabled development of small molecules, peptides, and truncated proteins to disrupt or stabilize the capsid to inhibit HIV replication. The most promising of these, GS6207, is now in clinical trial.
The structure of chromatin plays pivotal roles in regulating gene transcription, DNA replication and repair, and chromosome segregation. This structure, however, remains elusive. Here, using cryo-FIB ...and cryo-ET, we delineate the 3D architecture of native chromatin fibres in intact interphase human T-lymphoblasts and determine the in situ structures of nucleosomes in different conformations. These chromatin fibres are not structured as uniform 30 nm one-start or two-start filaments but are composed of relaxed, variable zigzag organizations of nucleosomes connected by straight linker DNA. Nucleosomes with little H1 and linker DNA density are distributed randomly without any spatial preference. This work will inspire future high-resolution investigations on native chromatin structures in situ at both a single-nucleosome level and a population level under many different cellular conditions in health and disease.
Plant natural products have been extensively exploited in food, medicine, flavor, cosmetic, renewable fuel, and other industrial sectors. Synthetic biology has recently emerged as a promising means ...for the cost‐effective and sustainable production of natural products. Compared with engineering microbes for the production of plant natural products, the potential of plants as chassis for producing these compounds is underestimated, largely due to challenges encountered in engineering plants. Knowledge in plant engineering is instrumental for enabling the effective and efficient production of valuable phytochemicals in plants, and also paves the way for a more sustainable future agriculture. In this manuscript, we briefly recap the biosynthesis of plant natural products, focusing primarily on industrially important terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenylpropanoids. We further summarize the plant hosts and strategies that have been used to engineer the production of natural products. The challenges and opportunities of using plant synthetic biology to achieve rapid and scalable production of high‐value plant natural products are also discussed.
This review highlights the potential of using plants as chassis to produce industrially important natural products (terpenoids, alkaloids, and phenylpropanoids). Comprehensive engineering strategies to achieve rapid and scalable production of high‐value natural products in plants are discussed.
•Segregation bands could improve the wear resistance of the rail.•Segregation bands severely reduced the rolling contact fatigue of the rail.•Segregation caused inhomogeneous strain and crack ...initiation in the test.•The friction heat caused dynamic recovery of dislocation.
Rolling contact fatigue (RCF) is the main failure mode of wheel-rail system. In this work, the influence of non-uniform microstructure on the rolling contact fatigue performance in bainitic rail steel was investigated. According to the results, an increase in degree of segregation enabled material to improve the wear resistance through the improvement of the local hardness of the rail, but seriously reduced the rolling contact fatigue performance of the rail. The crack propagated along the segregation band, thereby leading to the failure of the specimen. The main cause of fatigue crack initiation was the non-uniform strain distribution under cyclic loading due to different hardness values between the matrix and the segregation region. A large number of dislocations produced by plastic deformation on the surface of the specimen segmented grains into nanocrystals. Meanwhile, it can be seen from the in-situ heating transmission electron microscope (TEM) that the friction heat generated during RCF test was enough to support the occurrence of dynamic recovery.
Left-handed gold nanoparticle double helices were prepared using a new method that allows simultaneous synthesis and assembly of discrete nanoparticles. This method involves coupling the processes of ...peptide self-assembly of and peptide-based biomineralization of nanoparticles. In this study, AYSSGAPPMPPF (PEPAu), an oligopeptide with an affinity for gold surfaces, was modified with an aliphatic tail to generate C12−PEPAu. In the presence of buffers and gold salts, amphiphilic C12−PEPAu was used to both control the formation of monodisperse gold nanoparticles and simultaneously direct their assembly into left-handed gold nanoparticle double helices. The gold nanoparticle double helices are highly regular, spatially complex, and they exemplify the utility of this methodology for rationally controlling the topology of nanoparticle superstructures and the stereochemical organization of discrete nanoparticles within these structures.
As key functional units in neural circuits, different types of neuronal synapses play distinct roles in brain information processing, learning, and memory. Synaptic abnormalities are believed to ...underlie various neurological and psychiatric disorders. Here, by combining cryo-electron tomography and cryo-correlative light and electron microscopy, we distinguished intact excitatory and inhibitory synapses of cultured hippocampal neurons, and visualized the
3D organization of synaptic organelles and macromolecules in their native state. Quantitative analyses of >100 synaptic tomograms reveal that excitatory synapses contain a mesh-like postsynaptic density (PSD) with thickness ranging from 20 to 50 nm. In contrast, the PSD in inhibitory synapses assumes a thin sheet-like structure ∼12 nm from the postsynaptic membrane. On the presynaptic side, spherical synaptic vesicles (SVs) of 25-60 nm diameter and discus-shaped ellipsoidal SVs of various sizes coexist in both synaptic types, with more ellipsoidal ones in inhibitory synapses. High-resolution tomograms obtained using a Volta phase plate and electron filtering and counting reveal glutamate receptor-like and GABA
receptor-like structures that interact with putative scaffolding and adhesion molecules, reflecting details of receptor anchoring and PSD organization. These results provide an updated view of the ultrastructure of excitatory and inhibitory synapses, and demonstrate the potential of our approach to gain insight into the organizational principles of cellular architecture underlying distinct synaptic functions.
To understand functional properties of neuronal synapses, it is desirable to analyze their structure at molecular resolution. We have developed an integrative approach combining cryo-electron tomography and correlative fluorescence microscopy to visualize 3D ultrastructural features of intact excitatory and inhibitory synapses in their native state. Our approach shows that inhibitory synapses contain uniform thin sheet-like postsynaptic densities (PSDs), while excitatory synapses contain previously known mesh-like PSDs. We discovered "discus-shaped" ellipsoidal synaptic vesicles, and their distributions along with regular spherical vesicles in synaptic types are characterized. High-resolution tomograms further allowed identification of putative neurotransmitter receptors and their heterogeneous interaction with synaptic scaffolding proteins. The specificity and resolution of our approach enables precise
analysis of ultrastructural organization underlying distinct synaptic functions.
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