Structural investigation of eukaryotic cells: From the periphery to the interior by cryo-electron tomography

Abstract

Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) combines a close-to-life preservation of the cell with high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) imaging. This allows to study the molecular architecture of the cellular landscape and provides unprecedented views on biological processes and structures. In this review we mainly focus on the application of cryo-ET to visualize and structurally characterize eukaryotic cells – from the periphery to the cellular interior. We discuss strategies that can be employed to investigate the structure of challenging targets in their cellular environment as well as the application of complimentary approaches in conjunction with cryo-ET.