Arne Möller
Team leader at DANDRITE and assistant professor at the Interdisciplinary Nanoscience Center (iNANO), Aarhus University

EM Aalyses of Nanomachines in Action

Over the past decade Transmission Electron Microscopy of biological samples has seen significant improvements by means of resolution, reliability and throughput. Advances in EM-design, powerful computers and software and most importantly a new generation of EM cameras have recently led to results that are on par with those solved by X-ray crystallography.

In my presentation I will talk about our ongoing efforts to install a facility for streamlined EM data acquisition and processing at Aarhus University. The goal of this joint venture between iNANO and DANDRITE is to make EM accessible to a wider range of researches. With two state of the art TEMs, including a highest end Titan Krios, the current setup at Aarhus University is ideally suited for such an endeavor.

As EM only uses minute sample amounts and does not rely on crystallization this method is amenable to a large array of biological problems. Furthermore the “direct view” by EM is often priceless for sample optimization and also allows to immediately observe the dynamic processes that constitute the function of macromolecules.

In the second part of my talk I will discuss examples from my own research in which we utilized EM to analyze proteins undergoing many conformational states, with a special focus on ABC transporter and AAA enzymes.

Host: Associate professor Thomas Boesen, DANDRITE & Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University

Coffee, tea and bread will be served from 10:00 in front of the auditorium