Osnabrück University navigation and search


Main content

Top content

Project Z2 | Dovile Januliene, Rainer Kurre & Katherina Psathaki

High-resolution imaging across spatiotemporal scales

This project provides a platform for advanced imaging across different spatial and temporal scales to resolve the highly dynamic organization of proteins and lipids within cellular membrane systems. It will establish a platform for high-resolution macromolecular structure determination and time-resolved cryo-EM, implement and further develop advanced light and electron microscopy approaches, and establish lipid imaging at the highest spatiotemporal resolution using novel lipid tools.

© Lena Dehnen

Project Summary
Dr. Dovile Januliene

Osnabrück University
School of Biology/Chemistry
Research Group Structural Biology

Dr. Rainer Kurre

Osnabrück University
School of Biology/Chemistry
Integrated Bioimaging Facility Osnabrück (iBiOs)

Dr. Katherina Psathaki

Osnabrück University
School of Biology/Chemistry
Integrated Bioimaging Facility Osnabrück (iBiOs)

The Z2-project aims to provide a platform for advanced imaging across different spatiotemporal scales and in various lipid environments to resolve the highly dynamic organization and structure of biomolecules within cellular membrane systems.

At the Department of Biology/Chemistry, a broad expertise in volumetric live cell imaging, single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) as well as advanced cellular electron microscopy (EM) for ultrastructural analysis has been integrated into a bioimaging facility (iBiOs). The iBiOs is fully embedded into our research building CellNanOs (Center for Cellular Nanoanalytics) providing a unique infrastructure for advanced light and electron microscopy. The newly established Structural Biology division, led by Arne Möller, complements the existing technologies with the expertise in high-resolution cryo-EM applications, especially single-particle analysis.

Imaging at different scales and in different membrane environments is central to most research projects within this initiative and correlative imaging approaches are becoming increasingly important. Developing tailored methods and workflows for demanding imaging techniques will be centralized by Z2 to effectively support the consortium with novel operational imaging approaches.

Project-related Publications
  • Januliene, D., Moeller, A.(2020). Cryo-EM of ABC transporters: an ice-cold solution to everything? FEBS Lett. 594, 3776–3789. (Review)

  • Hofmann, S., Januliene, D., Mehdipour, A.R., Thomas, C., Stefan, E., Brüchert, S., Kuhn, B.T., Geertsma, E.R., Hummer, G., Tampé, R., et al. (2019). Conformation space of a heterodimeric ABC exporter under turnover conditions. Nature 571, 580–583.

  • Timcenko, M., Lyons, J.A., Januliene, D., Ulstrup, J.J., Dieudonné, T., Montigny, C., Ash, M.-R., Karlsen, J.L., Boesen, T., Kühlbrandt, W., et al. (2019). Structure and autoregulation of a P4-ATPase lipid flippase. Nature 571, 366–370.

  • Blees, A., Januliene, D., Hofmann, T., Koller, N., Schmidt, C., Trowitzsch, S., Moeller, A., and Tampé, R. (2017). Structure of the human MHC-I peptide-loading complex. Nature 551, 525–528.

  • Gao, J., Kurre, R., Rose, J., Walter, S., Fröhlich, F., Piehler, J., Reggiori, F., Ungermann, C. (2020). Function of the SNARE Ykt6 on autophagosomes requires the Dsl1 complex and the Atg1 kinase complex. EMBO reports 21, e50733.

  • Igaev, M., Pereira da Graca, A., Strassner, A., Lenzen, C., Richter, C.P., Piehler, J., Kurre, R., Brandt, R. (2018). Single-molecule imaging reveals dynamic biphasic partition of RNA-binding proteins in stress granules. J Cell Biol 217, 1303-1318.

  • Sotolongo Bellón, J., Birkholz, O., Richter, C.P., Eull, F., Kenneweg, H., Wilmes, S., Rothbauer, U., You, C., Walter, M.R., Kurre, R., Piehler, J. (2022). Four-color single-molecule imaging with engineered tags resolves the molecular architecture of signaling complexes in the plasma membrane. Cell Reports Methods 2; 100165.

  • Birkholz, O., Burns, J.R., Richter, C.P., Psathaki, O.E., Howorka, S., Piehler, J. (2018). Multi-functional DNA nanostructures that puncture and remodel lipid membranes into hybrid materials. Nature commun 9, 1521.

  • Koopmans, T., van Beijnum, H., Roovers, E.F., Tomasso, A., Malhotra, D., Boeter, J., Psathaki, O.E., Versteeg, D., van Rooij, E., Bartscherer, K. (2021). Ischemic tolerance and cardiac repair in the spiny mouse (Acomys). NPJ Regenerative medicine 6, 78.

  • Psathaki, O.E., Dehnen, L., Hartley, P.S., Paululat, A. (2018). Drosophila pericardial nephrocyte ultrastructure changes during ageing. Mech ageing dev 173, 9-20.