Identification of macromolecular complexes in cryoelectron tomograms of phantom cells

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Oct 29;99(22):14153-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.172520299. Epub 2002 Oct 21.

Abstract

Electron tomograms of intact frozen-hydrated cells are essentially three-dimensional images of the entire proteome of the cell, and they depict the whole network of macromolecular interactions. However, this information is not easily accessible because of the poor signal-to-noise ratio of the tomograms and the crowded nature of the cytoplasm. Here, we describe a template matching algorithm that is capable of detecting and identifying macromolecules in tomographic volumes in a fully automated manner. The algorithm is based on nonlinear cross correlation and incorporates elements of multivariate statistical analysis. Phantom cells, i.e., lipid vesicles filled with macromolecules, provide a realistic experimental scenario for an assessment of the fidelity of this approach. At the current resolution of approximately 4 nm, macromolecules in the size range of 0.5-1 MDa can be identified with good fidelity.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Archaeal Proteins / analysis*
  • Chaperonins / analysis*
  • Coated Vesicles
  • Cryoelectron Microscopy / methods
  • Cysteine Endopeptidases / analysis*
  • Liposomes / chemistry
  • Multienzyme Complexes / analysis*
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Nonlinear Dynamics
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex

Substances

  • Archaeal Proteins
  • Liposomes
  • Multienzyme Complexes
  • Cysteine Endopeptidases
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex
  • Chaperonins