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Figure 1
Increasing outreach of cryo-EM in terms of high-resolution structural analysis, structure sorting and data depositions. (a) Example of high-resolution cryo-EM enabling detailed analysis of molecular interactions of protein–RNA complexes, resolving Mg2+ ions and individual associated water molecules (Holvec et al., 2024View full citation, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-024-01274-x; adapted with permission). (b) Example of localization of water molecules in an RNA complex, which play a bridging role (Kretsch et al., 2025View full citation, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08855-w; reproduced with permission). (c) Example of structure sorting thanks to advanced image processing, allowing different structural states and improved resolution to be obtained (Barchet et al., 2023View full citation, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsb.2023.108015; reproduced with permission). (d) Annual PDB deposition of structures derived from X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM as of December 31st 2025 (https://www.rcsb.org/statistics/growth/experimental-method). From the current statistics, it can be expected that the annual contributions will become equivalent at the end of 2026 or during 2027 and that cryo-EM depositions will continue to increase subsequently.

IUCrJ
Volume 13| Part 5| September 2026| Pages 580-588
ISSN: 2052-2525
https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052252526007505