cryo-EM
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Biology
| Stands for | Cryogenic electron microscopy |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
cryo-EM stands for Cryogenic electron microscopy, a biology abbreviation.
Imaging technique that flash-freezes biological molecules in a thin layer of glassy ice and photographs them with an electron microscope, then combines thousands of images into a 3D structure. Cryo-EM now reveals proteins, viruses and molecular machines at near-atomic resolution without crystallizing them.
Example: Cryo-EM revealed the structure of the coronavirus spike protein within weeks of the genome's release.
Usage notes
Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for developing cryo-electron microscopy. Direct electron detectors introduced around 2012 triggered a "resolution revolution." Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) images structures inside intact cells.
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