Effects of radiation damage on frozen hydrated capsids of HSV-1

Abstract

Radiation damage imposes severe limitations on the information content of frozen hydrated specimens, In this context we have investigated the effects of electron radiation damage on three dimensional density maps calculated from cryo-electron micrographs, using capsids of herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1) as a model system. These studies investigated the “moderate” dose regime, ie prior to the onset of severe and conspicuous structural defects such as “bubbling”.