High-resolution cryo-EM using beam-image shift at 200 keV

ABSTRACT Recent advances in single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) data collection utilizes beam-image shift to improve throughput. Despite implementation on 300 keV cryo-EM instruments, it remains unknown how well beam-image shift data collection affects data quality on 200 keV instruments and how much aberrations can be computationally corrected. To test this, we collected and analyzed a cryo-EM dataset of aldolase at 200 keV using beam-image shift. This analysis shows that beam tilt on the instrument initially limited the resolution of aldolase to 4.9Å. After iterative rounds of aberration correction and particle polishing in RELION, we were able to obtain a 2.8Å structure. This analysis demonstrates that software correction of microscope aberrations can provide a significant improvement in resolution at 200 keV.