Skip to main content

Automation of Image Processing in Electron Crystallography

  • Protocol
  • First Online:
Electron Crystallography of Soluble and Membrane Proteins

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 955))

Abstract

Electron crystallography of membrane proteins records images and diffraction patterns of frozen-hydrated two-dimensional (2D) crystals. To reconstruct the high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) structure of a membrane protein, a multitude of images of 2D crystals have to be processed. Certain processing steps are thereby similar for batches of images that were recorded under similar conditions. Here we describe how the 2dx software package can be used to automate the processing of 2D crystal images, and how the 2D and 3D merging results can be used to iteratively reprocess the images. While the processing of 2D crystal images has been fully automated, the merging process is still semi-manual.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Protocol
USD 49.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 249.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Gipson B, Zeng X, Stahlberg H (2007) 2dx_merge: data management and merging for 2D crystal images. J Struct Biol 160:375–384

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Gipson B, Zeng X, Zhang Z, Stahlberg H (2007) 2dx—user-friendly image processing for 2D crystals. J Struct Biol 157:64–72

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Crowther RA, Henderson R, Smith JM (1996) MRC image processing programs. J Struct Biol 116:9–16

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Zeng X, Gipson B, Zheng ZY, Renault L, Stahlberg H (2007) Automatic lattice determination for two-dimensional crystal images. J Struct Biol 160:353–361

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Zeng X, Stahlberg H, Grigorieff N (2007) A maximum-likelihood approach to two-dimensional crystals. J Struct Biol 160:362–374

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Carragher B, Kisseberth N, Kriegman D, Milligan RA, Potter CS, Pulokas J, Reilein A (2000) Leginon: an automated system for acquisition of images from vitreous ice specimens. J Struct Biol 132:33–45

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Kunji ER, von Gronau S, Oesterhelt D, Henderson R (2000) The three-dimensional structure of halorhodopsin to 5 Å by electron crystallography: a new unbending procedure for two-dimensional crystals by using a global reference structure. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:4637–4642

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Mindell JA, Grigorieff N (2003) Accurate determination of local defocus and specimen tilt in electron microscopy. J Struct Biol 142:334–347

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Philippsen A, Schenk AD, Signorell GA, Mariani V, Berneche S, Engel A (2007) Collaborative EM image processing with the IPLT image processing library and toolbox. J Struct Biol 157:28–37

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Mitsuoka K, Hirai T, Murata K, Miyazawa A, Kidera A, Kimura Y, Fujiyoshi Y (1999) The structure of bacteriorhodopsin at 3.0 Å resolution based on electron crystallography: implication of the charge distribution. J Mol Biol 286:861–882

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Philippsen A, Schenk AD, Stahlberg H, Engel A (2003) Iplt – image processing library and toolkit for the electron microscopy community. J Struct Biol 144:4–12

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Schenk AD, Castano-Diez D, Gipson B, Arheit M, Zeng X, Stahlberg H (2010) 3D reconstruction from 2D crystal image and diffraction data. Methods Enzymol 482:101–129

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Hovmöller S (1992) CRISP: crystallographic image processing on a personal computer. Ultramicroscopy 41:121–135

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Zou XD, Sukharev Y, Hovmöller S (1993) Quantitative electron diffraction – new features in the program system ELD. Ultramicroscopy 52:436–444

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Zou XD, Hovmöller A, Hovmöller S (2004) TRICE – a program for reconstructing 3D reciprocal space and determining unit-cell parameters. Ultramicroscopy 98:187–193

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Gipson BR, Masiel DJ, Browning ND, Spence J, Mitsuoka K, Stahlberg H (2011) Automatic recovery of missing amplitudes and phases in tilt-limited electron crystallography of two-dimensional crystals. Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys 84:011916

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This work was in part supported by the Swiss initiative for Systems Biology (SystemsX.ch, grant CINA), Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant 205321_126490), the NCCR TransCure, and the NCCR Structural Biology.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henning Stahlberg .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this protocol

Cite this protocol

Arheit, M., Castaño-Díez, D., Thierry, R., Gipson, B.R., Zeng, X., Stahlberg, H. (2013). Automation of Image Processing in Electron Crystallography. In: Schmidt-Krey, I., Cheng, Y. (eds) Electron Crystallography of Soluble and Membrane Proteins. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 955. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-176-9_18

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-176-9_18

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-62703-175-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-62703-176-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

Publish with us

Policies and ethics