Diffractive Imaging of Single Biomolecules

ORAL

Abstract

The resolution of Electron Microscopy (EM) images is limited by instrumentation lens aberration. Moreover, many biomolecules and supramolecular complexes are too soft and too large to be crystallized, and crystalline diffraction provides only aggregate structural properties. Coherent nanobeam electron diffraction in principle allows for diffraction-limited resolution analysis of single biomolecules. Image recovery can be achieved using oversampling and iterative phase retrieval to solve the phase problem. We will discuss the use of coherent electron diffraction and its potential to improve TEM image resolution of biomolecular systems. Preliminary diffraction data obtained from cryogenically prepared biomolecules will be presented.

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Authors

  • Nathan Schmidt

  • Robert Coridan

    • Dept. of Physics, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois, Dept. of Physics

  • John Butler

  • Thomas Angelini

  • Jian-Min Zuo

  • Gerard C.L. Wong

    • Dept of Materials Science and Engineering, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Bioengineering, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering
    • University of Illinois, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Bioengineering
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Dept. of Bioengineering