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The possibilities and prospects of obtaining high-resolution information (below 30 Å) on biological material using the electron microscope

Some comments and reports inspired by an EMBO workshop held at Gais, Switzerland, October 1973

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2009

M. Beer ,
J. Frank ,
K.-J. Hanszen ,
E. Kellenberger  and
R. C. Williams
M. Beer
Affiliation:
Reprint requests to: E. Kellenberger, Biozentrum der Universität Abt. Mikrobiologie, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
J. Frank
Affiliation:
Reprint requests to: E. Kellenberger, Biozentrum der Universität Abt. Mikrobiologie, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
K.-J. Hanszen
Affiliation:
Reprint requests to: E. Kellenberger, Biozentrum der Universität Abt. Mikrobiologie, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
E. Kellenberger
Affiliation:
Reprint requests to: E. Kellenberger, Biozentrum der Universität Abt. Mikrobiologie, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
R. C. Williams
Affiliation:
Reprint requests to: E. Kellenberger, Biozentrum der Universität Abt. Mikrobiologie, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
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Extract

Commercially available electron microscopes routinely provide resolution of some 2–4 Å, as determined on the spacing of crystalline lattices of certain stable, small-molecular substances. On biological material either macromolecules or macromolecular assemblies— ‘biologically significant’ details below some 20 Å have hitherto not been observed.we consider as ‘biologically significant’ those structural details observed or contained in electronmicrographs which are consistent with, or confirmed by, other data obtained from biochemical or functional experiments or by other physical methods (optical, magnetic, electric).

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Research Article
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Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , May 1974 , pp. 211 - 238
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1974

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