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      Electron scattering properties of biological macromolecules and their use for cryo-EM map sharpening†

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      Faraday Discussions
      The Royal Society of Chemistry

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          Abstract

          Resolution-dependent loss of contrast in cryo-EM maps may obscure features at high resolution that are critical for map interpretation. Post-processing of cryo-EM maps can improve the interpretability by adjusting the resolution-dependence of structure factor amplitudes through map sharpening. Traditionally this has been done by rescaling the relative contribution of low and high-resolution frequencies globally. More recently, the realisation that molecular motion and heterogeneity cause non-uniformity of resolution throughout the map has inspired the development of techniques that optimise sharpening locally. We previously developed LocScale, a method that utilises the radial structure factor from a refined atomic model as a restraint for local map sharpening. While this method has proved beneficial for the interpretation of cryo-EM maps, the dependence on the availability of (partial) model information limits its general applicability. Here, we review the basic assumptions of resolution-dependent contrast loss in cryo-EM maps and propose a route towards a robust alternative for local map sharpening that utilises information on expected scattering properties of biological macromolecules, but requires no detailed knowledge of the underlying molecular structure. We examine remaining challenges for implementation and discuss possible applications.

          Abstract

          We explore the use of generalised scattering properties of biomolecules for restoration of contrast and visual improvement of cryo-EM maps.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Faraday Discuss
          Faraday Discuss
          FD
          FDISE6
          Faraday Discussions
          The Royal Society of Chemistry
          1359-6640
          1364-5498
          12 May 2022
          8 November 2022
          12 May 2022
          : 240
          : 168-183
          Affiliations
          [a] Department of Bionanoscience, Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology The Netherlands a.jakobi@ 123456tudelft.nl
          Author information
          https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7223-5648
          https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7761-2027
          Article
          d2fd00078d
          10.1039/d2fd00078d
          9642005
          35938593
          a781f17a-6b8f-4eb4-9528-50fd9be64c9c
          This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry
          History
          : 18 April 2022
          : 12 May 2022
          Page count
          Pages: 16
          Funding
          Funded by: H2020 European Research Council, doi 10.13039/100010663;
          Award ID: ERC-StG-852880
          Categories
          Chemistry
          Custom metadata
          Paginated Article

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