Laser phase plate improves structure determination of small proteins by cryo-EM
Abstract
Phase plates can, in principle, overcome the poor image contrast in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and the resulting limits on the structural reconstruction of small proteins. However, previous designs have been unstable and compromised the high-resolution signal and have thus been unable to surpass results achieved by standard cryo-EM. Here, we show that the laser phase plate (LPP), installed in a modern, custom Titan Krios microscope, enhances the resolution in single-particle reconstruction of small proteins by improving specimen-motion correction and recovery of information from the early frames, as well as particle visualization, three-dimensional classification, and alignment. These advances use standard defocus ranges and reconstruction procedures but open the door to LPP-tailored protocols, offering further improvements by leveraging the LPP demonstrated here.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications
Advanced X-ray Imaging Techniques
Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Science
- Publisher
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Volume
- 393
- Issue
- 6807
- Pages
- 195–199
- Publication date
- 11 June 2026
- Language
- EN