Thin laminar microcrystals of 70 S ribosomes from Thermus thermophilus

A new crystalline form, thin laminar microcrystals of 70 S ribosomes from Thermus thermophilus, have been obtained. Negatively stained ordered sheets derived from these crystals were studied by electron microscopy with subsequent computer image processing. The sheets have two-dimensional unit cell parameters a = b = 480 A, γ = 90° and a resolution limit of about 30 A. The microcrystals are suitable for three-dimensional image reconstruction.