cryo-electron microscopy Archives

3 January 2025 Collage of photos from outside and within the EMBL Imaging Centre

From the bench to the EMBL Imaging Centre: when science meets art

Scientists share their experiences of creating stunning images at the EMBL Imaging Centre.

CONNECTIONS

2025

connections

4 December 2024

We are EMBL: Romain Linares on the infinitely small and the infinitely large

Romain Linares talks about his role in managing the cryo-electron microscopy facility at EMBL Grenoble, how he sees this technique evolving in the coming years, and his passion for astronomy.

PEOPLE & PERSPECTIVES

2024

people-perspectives

17 October 2024 SEM image of sponge cells several grey-cylinder like shapes arranged in a circle, with a green spot in the centre.

Seeing is understanding

Imaging lets us observe biology in action – it makes visible the hidden processes of life. From its founding, EMBL has been a centre of breakthroughs and developments in bioimaging, and it continues to play a pioneering role in this field today.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2024

science-technology

15 October 2024 Visual metaphor showing the transport of vitamin B1 in the body.

Vitamin B1’s journey in your body, and why it matters

EMBL Hamburg scientists have gained molecular insights into how we absorb vitamin B1 – a mechanism with implications for disease and drug development.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2024

science-technology

8 October 2024 Illustration showing a mitochondrion covered with many ribosomes on the left, and a zoom in to the molecular structure of a ribosome facing a membrane with its smaller subunit on the right.

Illustration showing a mitochondrion covered with many ribosomes on the left, and a zoom in to the molecular structure of a ribosome facing a membrane with its smaller subunit on the right.

What we can learn from hungry yeast cells

Scientists at EMBL Heidelberg and University of Virginia revealed a new cellular response to starvation: ribosomes attach to the mitochondrial outer membrane in a very unusual way, via their small subunit. The finding made in yeast might provide insights into how cancer cells survive the harsh…

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2024

science-technology

25 June 2024 In the front, a 3D model of three molecules bound together: METTL6 in (orange), serine tRNA synthetase in (shades of lilac) and serine tRNA (black). In the background an illustration of a construction site. Two trucks with ‘UGA’ and ‘AGA’ written on them are visible at the bottom.

In the front, a 3D model of three molecules bound together: METTL6 in (orange), serine tRNA synthetase in (shades of lilac) and serine tRNA (black). In the background an illustration of a construction site. Two trucks with ‘UGA’ and ‘AGA’ written on them are visible at the bottom.

An enzyme with a smart friend

EMBL Grenoble’s Kowalinski Group analysed the structure of an enzyme responsible for modifying tRNA molecules to fine-tune protein production. They discovered that to distinguish almost identical, yet different, tRNA molecules, the enzyme uses help from another enzyme – a type of cooperation…

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2024

science-technology

19 June 2024 In the centre: green angular origami-like shapes stacked on top of each other. Small orange rectangles akin to adhesive tape are placed where the green shapes connect with each other. In the background: a circle in the middle and cancer cells on the left and right.

In the centre: green angular origami-like shapes stacked on top of each other. Small orange rectangles akin to adhesive tape are placed where the green shapes connect with each other. In the background: a circle in the middle and cancer cells on the left and right.

‘Invisible’ protein keeps cancer at bay

EMBL Hamburg scientists and collaborators discovered a new molecular mechanism in which an unstructured protein disables one of the main cancer-promoting proteins by gluing them into an elongated stack. Data from human patient samples support the role of this mechanism in prostate cancer…

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2024

science-technology

29 January 2024 Man leaning against a wall

Welcome: Kyle Morris

Kyle Morris joins EMBL-EBI as Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB) Team Leader.

LAB MATTERS PEOPLE & PERSPECTIVES

2024

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

2 November 2023

BioImage Archive democratises access to microscopy data

Users no longer need to download large datasets with the new galleries feature

2023

updates-from-data-resources

15 September 2023

Switching off the cytokine storm

EMBL Grenoble and University of Geneva researchers shed light on the molecular activation of the MAP kinase p38α, the final ‘switch’ triggering the inflammatory response.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2023

sciencescience-technology

31 May 2023 4 circles contain colourful microscopic images set against a blue-green background of sinusoidal waves.

IMAGINE-ing next-generation technology to help biologists

EMBL researchers and collaborators have begun an impactful innovation-development journey, thanks to a European Commission ‘IMAGINE’ grant.

CONNECTIONS LAB MATTERS

2023

connectionslab-matters

3 April 2023 Two male scientists with safety glasses at EMBL Imaging Centre

Dispensing microscopy expertise

Home to some of Europe’s most cutting-edge tools in molecular biology, EMBL has long shared its expertise and access to these tools through an extensive repertoire of courses, conferences, seminars, and other training. And now included in this mix is a job shadowing programme at EMBL Imaging…

LAB MATTERS SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2023

lab-mattersscience-technology

20 March 2023 Team leader Gergely Papp.

Welcome: Gergely Papp

Together with his team, Gergely Papp pushes the frontiers of technology development in the field of structural biology.

LAB MATTERS PEOPLE & PERSPECTIVES

2023

lab-matterspeople-perspectives

28 September 2022 3D structures of ribosomes are shown floating in a cellular space. A zoomed in portion shows an antibiotic molecule nested in a binding site on a ribosome.

3D structures of ribosomes are shown floating in a cellular space. A zoomed in portion shows an antibiotic molecule nested in a binding site on a ribosome.

Seeing antibiotics in action inside a pathogenic bacterium

New research by EMBL scientists shows at atomic detail how antibiotics affect the process of protein production inside bacteria.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2022

sciencescience-technology

2 December 2021 Three dimensional structure of the Lassa’s virus polymerase with its different components represented by colored filaments and cylinders. The structure is shown as an octopus-like shape in the background.

Three dimensional structure of the Lassa’s virus polymerase with its different components represented by colored filaments and cylinders. The structure is shown as an octopus-like shape in the background.

Wrangling an octopus-like viral replication machine

EMBL structural biology is part of an international collaboration addressing zoonotic disease caused by Lassa virus.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2021

sciencescience-technology

7 December 2020 Female scientist stands in front of electron microscope that is taller than she is

Seeing deeper inside cells

While cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) was first envisioned in 1968, the advances the Mahamid group are bringing to this 3D method for studying molecules directly inside cells are new, and are likely to greatly expand its use.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2020

sciencescience-technology

31 July 2020

This visual representation shows the newly identified architecture (left) of the coupled molecular machines responsible for transcription (green; DNA in magenta) and translation (blue and yellow), accompanied by the protein interaction network from mass spectrometry (centre) and the cryo-electron tomography data (right) from Mycoplasma pneumoniae that was used to model the structure. Credit: Liang Xue and Julia Mahamid/EMBL

Visualising the cell’s molecular machinery in action

A new approach that allows researchers to see molecular machinery at work inside cells has offered a deeper understanding of how bacteria produce proteins and a unique glimpse into how they respond to antibiotics.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2020

sciencescience-technology

19 December 2019 Before a biological sample reaches the beamline, a lot of work is put into its preparation. Scientists can use the wide range of services and resources at EMBL to prepare their biological samples for structural studies at the X-ray beamlines in Grenoble and Hamburg. Photo: Marietta Schupp/EMBL