Electron cryotomography

Electron cryotomography (ECT) delivers 3D images of native structures inside intact cells with resolution on the scale of large macromolecular complexes (~ 4 nm). It has proven to be an invaluable tool for interrogating the organization of bacterial cells and the structures of the nanomachines inside them. Here we present a brief introduction to the technique, a few examples of what we have learned by imaging bacterial cells with ECT over the last 15 years and a frank discussion of the relative advantages and limitations of the technique compared to some other popular imaging methods used in microbiology.