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The Biological Cryo-EM Center is located at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay. The facility is generously supported by a donation from the Lo Kwee Seong Foundation at UST in 2018. As the first integrated cryo-EM center in Hong Kong, the mission of the facility is to support advanced studies in the field of life science, medical science, biology and other related. We maintain state-of-the-art equipment, provide eligible access for researchers to microscopes and sample preparation equipment, and support researchers in using the equipment successfully. The facility also offers individual hands-on user training courses of sample preparation, using of microscope.

Instrumentation

Talos120c

Thermo Scientific Talos120c microscope is operated at 120 keV, equipped with a LaB6 filament and a charge-coupled device, mainly used for sample screening and data collection on negatively stained biological specimens.

 

Glacios

Thermo Scientific Glacios cryo-TEM microscope is featured with a 200 keV XFEG optics, autoloader, Volta phase plate, data automated collection on Falcon III camera. It is applied for both single particle application (SPA) and cryo tomography.

 

Titan Krios

Thermo Scientific Krios G3i cryo-TEM microscope consists of a highly stable 300 keV XFEG optics, autoloader, Volta phase plate, Falcon III camera and a Gatan K3 direct electron detector, making it ideally suited for automated applications of SPA and cryo-tomography.

Aquilos

Thermo Scientific Aquilos cryo-FIB features of a dual beam system – electron beam and ion beam, is designed to the preparation of thin, electron-transparent lamellas for high-resolution cryo-electron tomography, or MicroED of micro-crystals.

 

 

Sample preparation

Our facility is equipped also with glow discharger, carbon coater, Thermo Scientific Vitrobot IV, provides users with access from sample preparation, screening to data collection.

 

Data Processing

Life science department (LIFS) users could send email to yizhang@ust.hk, applying for the access permission to the cryo-EM cluster. Other users shall contact your collaborators at LIFS first.

 

 

 

 

Publications

Latest research publications at the Biological Cryo-EM facility

Cryo-EM structures of H2B.W1 and the H2B nucleosomes.

Cryo-EM map of the replisome in complex with a stable FACT–histone shown in three representative views

 

Schematic diagram of local structure of MSBP in solution

Overall structure of menin-H3K79me2 nucleosome complex

The regulatory loop of Dbf4 in regulating DDK activity and its effect on helicase activation.

Unique interaction between class III P3E6 Fab and Omicron BA.1 spike

 

The human pre-replication complex is an open complex

Fig. 2

Simulated models of cyanophage PstS binding to the host PstCA complex

Schematic diagram of local structure of MSBP in solution

Structural basis of class III P1D9 and P2D9 for viral neutralization and escape

Cryo-EM structure of human hexameric MCM2-7 complex

Cryo-EM density map of spike trimer in complex with ZCB11 Fab

Overall structure of MCM double hexamer bound with DDK

News & Events

Joint Study by HKUST and HKU on DNA Replication Initiation Selected as One of Top 10 Scientific Advances in China for 2023

 

 

Acknowledgements

Any use of the resources at HKUST Biological Cryo-EM center requires acknowledgment of use of the resources in publications as follows:

“The EM dataset was collected at the Biological Cryo-EM Center, generously supported by a donation from the Lo Kwee Seong Foundation, to UST”.

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