Membrane and soluble protein structure determination by cryo-TEM

Proteins are biological polymers ubiquitous through all forms of life. Essential processes such as ion conduction, enzymatic catalysis, signal detection and transduction rely on proteins. Structural aspects of the cell such as the cell shape or the compact packing of DNA in a chromosome also require proteins.
While DNA carries the genetic information, which ultimately defines the response of a cell to any given event, virtually all processes in the cell depend on proteins to occur.

In this thesis cryogenic electron microscopy and single particle analysis workflow are used to determine electron density maps of a set of both soluble and membrane proteins. The obtained structural information is used to elucidate biological processes of the analysed proteins therefore linking structure to function.