# Cryo EM/ET Core

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $338,750

## Abstract

Cryo-EM/ET Core
Cryo-EM and cryo-ET are powerful techniques for high-resolution structural studies of proteins and protein
complexes, complementing X-ray crystallography and NMR methods. Cryo-ET with subtomogram averaging and
classification, in particular, has recently gained abundant attention as a prime method for characterization of
macromolecular complexes that are intrinsically flexible and often challenging to purify for structure determination
by single particle cryo-EM. Moreover, in situ cryo-ET can inform on structures of complexes within their native
cellular environment, with near atomic resolution. The Cryo-EM/ET Core will play a key role in developing and
applying these cutting-edge methods for structural analysis of heterogeneous HIV-1 viral components and their
complexes with host cell factors and small molecule inhibitors. The Core will support PCHPI projects by providing
structural information on assembly and maturation intermediates as well as capsid-host interactions during
nuclear import and integration. Furthermore, the Core will offer new capabilities of cryo-EM and cryo-ET imaging
of infectious samples in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) environment and develop new technologies and workflows
for single-molecule correlation between cryo-ET and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy. These
approaches will yield transformative structural and mechanistic information into the key steps of HIV-1
replication.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10506949
- **Project number:** 1U54AI170791-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Peijun Zhang
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $338,750
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10506949

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10506949, Cryo EM/ET Core (1U54AI170791-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10506949. Licensed CC0.

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