UTEP购买300kV高衬度能量过滤冷冻透射电镜

据JEOL USA消息, 美国德克萨斯大学埃尔帕索校区(UTEP)购买日本电子株式会社最新型300kV高衬度能量过滤冷冻透射电镜(cryo-TEM)JEM-3200FS用于结构生物学研究。包括日本电子株式会社最新开发的病毒自动分析软件(JADAS)。

项目负责人是结构生物学家Dr. Ricardo Bernal and Dr. Chuan “River” Xiao：研究方向为单颗粒重构和断层扫描显微分析(single particle reconstructions and tomography)，该研究组还将同时引进大分子NMR，大分子x射线衍射仪等大型设备。

使用冷冻透射电镜JEM-3200FS的研究包括测定感染并杀死细菌的噬菌体和病毒的结构，从而找到因细菌耐药性而失去效力的抗生素替代品。还将研究引起人类50%以上感冒的小核糖核酸结构/受体复合物。

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December 16, 2009 (Peabody, Mass.) --The University of Texas El Paso has selected a JEOL cryo-electron microscope for its emerging structural biology program to be housed in a new building planned for completion in 2011 on the UTEP campus. The JEM-3200FS that was ordered from JEOL USA is a 300 keV cryo-TEM with an omega energy filter for increased contrast and high resolution.

The UTEP research program directed by structural biologists Dr. Ricardo Bernal and Dr. Chuan “River” Xiao, will utilize cryo-electron microscopy for single particle reconstructions and tomography.

“This 300 keV field emission gun TEM will provide all the capabilities we need to establish a world class facility at UTEP,” Dr. Bernal said. “Our goal is to set up a structural biology program that includes macromolecular NMR, macromolecular X-ray crystallography, and cryo-EM.”

Research projects for the new JEOL cryo-TEM include the structure determination of bacteriophages, viruses that infect and kill bacteria, in an effort to find alternatives to antibiotics which are losing their effectiveness due to bacterial resistance. The TEM will also be used to analyze the structure of picornavirus/receptor complexes, responsible for more than 50 percent of all human common colds. Other projects include the structure of ATPases and chaperonins. The expertise of Drs. Bernal and Xiao has resulted in collaborations on more than 12 research projects involving nine researchers across four departments and two universities.

Research projects for the new JEOL cryo-TEM include the structure determination of bacteriophages, viruses that infect and kill bacteria, in an effort to find alternatives to antibiotics which are losing their effectiveness due to bacterial resistance. The TEM will also be used to analyze the structure of picornavirus/receptor complexes, responsible for more than 50 percent of all human common colds. Other projects include the structure of ATPases and chaperonins. The expertise of Drs. Bernal and Xiao has resulted in collaborations on more than 12 research projects involving nine researchers across four departments and two universities.

In one of the largest instrumentation grants awarded to UTEP, the National Science Foundation will fund the purchase of the new high resolution, high performance cryo-TEM, which will be shipped from JEOL, Ltd. in Akashima, Japan. The JEM-3200FS will include an optional JEOL Automated Data Acquisition System (JADAS) specially developed for cryo-electron microscopy, and a high tilt tomography cryo-transfer system. The JEM-3200FS combines high resolution and 0-loss sample imaging with analytical performance in a 300kV class analytical TEM. The modular nature of the JEM-3200FS will allow easy adaptation to emerging and promising techniques, such as phase-plate microscopy using Zernike and electro-static phase plates.

“This is one of the JEOL high end TEMs that is gaining widespread use in the U.S. specifically for cryo-tomography. We have worked closely with customers to develop more of the features structural biologists need,” said Dr. Thomas Isabell, Director of TEM at JEOL USA