
Scientific Achievement
First use of the electron microscope to identify site-specific isotopic labels with nanoscale resolution.
Significance and Impact
Method opens a pathway towards real-space tracking of labeled proteins in whole cell samples and direct observation of dynamic chemistry.
Research Details
– Vibrations between atoms in amino acids are measured without damaging the sample using state-of-the-art electron microscopy and spectroscopy.
– The results are validated and vibrational modes assigned with accurate 1st principles calculations.
– The technique identifies isotopes at individual atomic sites in amino acids on the same sample regions separated by nm-scale distances.
J.A. Hachtel, J. Huang, I. Popovs, S. Jansone-Popova, J.K. Keum, J. Jakowski, T.C. Lovejoy, N. Dellby, O.L. Krivanek, and J.C. Idrobo, “Identification of Site-Specific Isotopic Labels by Vibrational Spectroscopy in the Electron Microscope, ” Science, 363, 525 (2019). DOI: 10.1126/science.aav5845