September 15th, 2025 at 12:15, room U1.197

 

SBBS introductory meeting for students 

If you missed the introduction meeting, feel free to contact one of the organizers by email or at the first seminar.

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CANCELED - October 06th, 2026 at 12:15, room U1.191

 

In-cell structural biology at a systems level

 

Recent technological breakthroughs in cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) open the disruptive possibility to image macromolecular complexes in their native cellular or multicellular context at close to atomic resolution, and can directly reveal how their different conformational states and interaction networks are linked to biological functions.

We develop and employ advanced sample preparation techniques for in-cell cryo-ET, including cryo-focused ion beam thinning and 3D correlative (super resolution) fluorescence microscopy. Preparations of such site-specific ‘electron-transparent windows’ enable the assignment of macromolecular structures directly from the high-resolution three-dimensional stills captured by cryo-ET when aided by an array of methods, including computational patter recognition and novel developments of genetically-encoded molecular tags. Furthermore, integration of multiple data sources is key to the interpretation of the mined structural signatures. For example, using the genome-reduced human pathogen Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a minimal cell model, we established the synergistic application of whole-cell crosslinking mass spectrometry and cellular cryo-ET to determine an in-cell integrative structural model of actively transcribing RNA polymerases coupled to translating ribosomes. Recent computational breakthroughs now allow resolving these molecular machines to near-atomic resolution directly inside the cell, reveal small molecule antibiotics bound to their active site in ribosomes within the intact pathogen, provide snapshots of their structural dynamics along reaction cycles, and illuminate functions of previously unknown macromolecular complexes. Such integration of cutting-edge methods unlocks an enormous potential for mechanistic understanding and system-spanning discovery by in-cell structural biology.

 

Prof. Julia Mahamid

Molecular Systems Biology Unit, EMBL

Heidelberg, Germany

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October 13th, 2026 at 12:15, room U1.191

 

Order and Disorder in Protein Complexes

Biomolecular complexes where one partner is an intrinsically disordered protein may retain disorder of relevance to the function of the complex. Different degree of disorder may be present in such complexes, ranging from the population of a discrete set of more ordered states to  complexes where both partners remain almost as disordered in the complex as they are in their free, unbound states. Methods for characterizing remaining disorder are rare. We have recently used stereochemistry to adress remaining disorder in protein complexes, and combining thermodynamics and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy this have helped us to decompose and understand how disordered protein complexes can be more malleable and disordered than we would anticipate. I will discuss order and disorder in protein complexes and touch upon how disordered protein complexes may be relevant in relation to the Origin of Life.

 

Prof. Birthe Kragelund

University of Copenhagen

Copenhagen, Denmark

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October 27th, 2026 at 12:15, room U1.197

 

Embodied motility in single-celled organisms

 

How do cells and organisms coordinate complex movement without centralized control? For this, nature has devised many elegant solutions, especially in the microscopic realm. Many of these motility and navigation strategies emerge spontaneously from the collective interactions between molecular motors and cytoskeletal filaments. Indeed the same basic symmetry-breaking processes underlie the mysterious gliding motility of diatoms, the undulatory gaits of algal flagellates, and even the mesmerising metachronal waves of ciliary bands… In this talk, we explore the connections between sub-cellular organisation and whole-organism behaviour, combining live imaging, ultrastructural studies, micro-manipulation, and computational modelling to reconstruct morphology-function relationships across diverse species. We ask how a living organism, even a single cell, can actively select from a rich repertoire of behavioural possibilities in response to its environment, highlighting the importance of physically embodied sensors and actuators.

 

Prof. Kirsty Wan

University of Exeter

Exeter, UK

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November 03rd 2026 at 12:15, room U1.197

Prof. Chengdong Huang

University of Science and Technology of China

Hefei, China

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November 17th, 2026 at 12:15, room U1.197

Prof. Carolin Seuring

University of Hamburg

Hamburg, Germany

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November 24th, 2026 at 12:15, room U1.197

Prof. Michael Webster

John Innes Center

Norwich, UK

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