SDV3: Cryo-methods 2 : cell or tissue-based

Cryo-electron microscopy allows to obtain 3D purified protein structures with an optimal preservation state. One of the current challenges is to visualise/determine the structure of proteins/biological objects in their cellular environment without dissociating them from their partners and to describe molecular mechanisms by preserving them in their native environment. As a result of recent technological advances, analytical methods and new methods of sample preparation in cryo-lamellae, it is possible to analyse biological objects in a bio-mimetic context in vitro and also to gain access to the internal organisation of cells. Thanks to cryo-tomography methods and their combination with image analysis approaches using sub-momentum averaging, it is now possible to describe biological processes at sub-nanometric resolutions. These methods still require numerous methodological/technological developments. This symposium will be an opportunity to present examples of applications in this rapidly expanding field.

Keywords: Cryo-microscopy, cells, tissues, cryo-lamels, in vitro, biological processes, cellular organisation.