Cryo-focused ion beam milling for cryo-electron tomography: Shaping the future of in situ structural biology
Sven Klumpe, Jürgen M. Plitzko
Abstract
Cryo-focused ion beam instruments to produce cellular thin sections for subsequent imaging by cryo-electron tomography have become an integral part of the methodologies for in situ structural biology, enabling high-resolution imaging of biological structures in their native environment. The application of these instruments has opened windows into cells that allowed unprecedented insights into the ultrastructure of cells and more recently, small multicellular organisms and tissues. While great strides have been made in the characterization of cryo-FIB milling and the streamlining of workflows with these tools, many limitations and technical challenges remain to be resolved. Here, we discuss the technical and technological challenges ahead to continue the steep rise of biological discoveries by in-cell cryo-electron tomography to enable cellular structural biology in the multicellular context.