MicroED: a versatile cryoEM method for structure determination

Emerg Top Life Sci. 2018 Apr 20;2(1):1-8. doi: 10.1042/ETLS20170082. Epub 2018 Feb 6.

Abstract

Micro-electron diffraction, or MicroED, is a structure determination method that uses a cryo-transmission electron microscope to collect electron diffraction data from nanocrystals. This technique has been successfully used to determine the high-resolution structures of many targets from crystals orders of magnitude smaller than what is needed for X-ray diffraction experiments. In this review, we will describe the MicroED method and recent structures that have been determined. Additionally, applications of electron diffraction to the fields of small molecule crystallography and materials science will be discussed.