Many algorithms for reconstruction of 3D structure from cryo-EM data require ab-initio models for initialization. There is also a general need for validation methods in the absence of ground truth. We present a procedure to quickly obtain low resolution ab-initio models using Kam’s autocorrelation method, which can be used for both purposes. This procedure sidesteps the need to estimate particle orientations and is guaranteed to recover the true structure in the absence of noise.

This presentation is part of Minisymposium “MS51 - Algorithms for Single Particle Reconstruction in Cryo-Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM). (3 parts)”
organized by: Roy Lederman (Yale University) , Joakim Andén (Flatiron Institute) .

Authors:

Eitan Levin (Princeton University)

Tamir Bendory (Princeton University)

Nicolas Boumal (Princeton University)

Joe Kileel (Princeton University)

Amit Singer (Princeton University)

Keywords:

ab-initio modelling, autocorrelation analysis, nonlinear optimization