What is it about?
This study explores how cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) can be used to image large areas of frozen biological samples with near-atomic resolution. The researchers used a method called CEMOVIS, which involves cutting ultra-thin sections of frozen cells or tissues, and showed that molecular structures like ribosomes remain well preserved. Unlike standard methods, which only allow small regions to be imaged, this approach makes it possible to study much broader parts of cells and tissues at high resolution.
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Why is it important?
To study the inner structure of cells at high resolution, researchers often use a focused ion beam (FIB) to mill thin, electron-transparent slices—called lamellae—from frozen samples. But this process is slow and only produces small imaging areas, typically just a few square micrometres. In this study, the authors used a diamond knife at cryogenic temperatures to cut ultra-thin sections of frozen cells. This allows much larger areas to be imaged—thousands of times larger—while still preserving molecular detail. It opens new possibilities for studying the organization of cells and tissues at high resolution.
Perspectives
CEMOVIS was pioneered by Jacques Dubochet and colleagues in the early 1980s, and for a long time it remained a niche technique, known for requiring exceptional technical skill. Over the years, various improvements have made it more accessible, but concerns about cutting artifacts led many to assume that high-resolution structural preservation was not possible. Meanwhile, cryo-FIB milling has become a game-changer in cellular structural biology — and in our labs, we are enthusiastic users of it. Yet for certain samples, especially larger ones, cryo-FIB can be difficult to apply. This work, along with other recent studies from fellow CEMOVIS practitioners, suggests that vitreous sectioning deserves a renewed place in the toolkit of cellular structural biology.
Benoît Zuber
Universitat Bern
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: In situ
high-resolution cryo-EM reconstructions from CEMOVIS, IUCrJ, June 2025, International Union of Crystallography,
DOI: 10.1107/s2052252525005196.
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