Validation of electron microscopy initial models via small angle X-ray scattering curves

Cryo electron microscopy (EM) is currently one of the main tools to reveal the structural information of biological macromolecules. The reconstruction of three-dimensional (3D) maps is typically carried out following an iterative process that requires an initial estimation of the 3D map to be refined in subsequent steps. Therefore, its determination is key in the quality of the final results, and there are cases in which it is still an open issue in single particle analysis (SPA). Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a well-known technique applied to structural biology. It is useful from small nanostructures up to macromolecular ensembles for its ability to obtain low resolution information of the biological sample measuring its X-ray scattering curve. These curves, together with further analysis, are able to yield information on the sizes, shapes and structures of the analyzed particles.

Citation

Jimenez A, Jonic S, Majtner T, Oton J, Vilas JV, Maluenda D, Mota J, et al. ‘Validation of Electron Microscopy Initial Models via Small Angle X - Ray Scattering Cur ves’. Bioinformatics 35, no. 14 (2019): 2427 – 33.

Authors from IE Research Datalab