FBS Colloquia No.386JEOL YOKOGUSHI Research Alliance Laboratories

Introduction to the workflow and support achievements of structural analysis using cryo-electron microscopy

JEOL YOKOGUSHI Research Alliance Laboratories has been participating in the AMED BINDS structural analysis support program and providing structural analysis assistance using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Cryo-EM enables high-resolution analysis of biological specimens by rapidly freezing them in solution, thereby preserving their native-like state. Recently, cryo-EM technology has seen remarkable advances in imaging quality, processing speed and user-friendliness. Furthermore, with the emergence of protein structure prediction programs AlphaFold, interest from researchers in other fields has significantly increased, and our project has received many support requests. In this colloquium, I will provide an overview of the workflow from sample preparation and data acquisition to structural analysis using cryo-EM, including deep learning-based automated analysis. I will also describe my own experience to illustrate how human judgment remains essential in image processing, such as particle selection and structural classification, despite highly automated procedures.