Cryo-electron microscopy of viruses

Abstract
Thin vitrified layers of unfixed, unstained and unsupported virus suspensions can be prepared for observation by cryo-EM in easily controlled conditions. The viral particles appear free from the kind of damage caused by dehydration, freezing or adsorption to a support that is encountered in preparing biological samples for conventional EM. Cryo-EM of vitrified specimens offers possibilities for high resolution observations that compare favorably with any other EM method. [Animal viruses and bacteriophages were tested in this study.].