Reducing effects of particle adsorption to the air-water interface in cryoEM

Abstract

Abstract Most protein particles prepared in vitreous ice for single particle cryo-electron microscopy are adsorbed to air-water or substrate-water interfaces, potentially causing particles to adopt preferred orientations. Using the Spotiton robot and nanowire grids, we can significantly reduce air-water interface issues by decreasing the dwell time of particles in thin liquid films. We demonstrate this by using single particle cryoEM and cryoET on three biological samples.