Structural investigation of eukaryotic cells: From the periphery to the interior by cryo-electron tomography

Chunyang Wang; Matthias Wojtynek; Ohad Medalia

doi:10.1016/j.jbior.2022.100923

Structural investigation of eukaryotic cells: From the periphery to the interior by cryo-electron tomography

Adv Biol Regul. 2023 Jan:87:100923. doi: 10.1016/j.jbior.2022.100923. Epub 2022 Oct 17.

Authors

Chunyang Wang¹, Matthias Wojtynek¹, Ohad Medalia²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
² Department of Biochemistry, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: omedalia@bioc.uzh.ch.

PMID: 36280452
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2022.100923

Abstract

Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) combines a close-to-life preservation of the cell with high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) imaging. This allows to study the molecular architecture of the cellular landscape and provides unprecedented views on biological processes and structures. In this review we mainly focus on the application of cryo-ET to visualize and structurally characterize eukaryotic cells - from the periphery to the cellular interior. We discuss strategies that can be employed to investigate the structure of challenging targets in their cellular environment as well as the application of complimentary approaches in conjunction with cryo-ET.

Keywords: Actin polarity; Cell adhesion; Cryo-ET; Cryo-FIB milling; Eukaryotic cells; Membrane proteins; Nuclear pore complex.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cryoelectron Microscopy / methods
Electron Microscope Tomography* / methods
Eukaryotic Cells*
Humans