Mitochondria

Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. Their dysfunction is the cause and consequence of many disorders, including devastating neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. Mitochondria are small organelles that exhibit a complex inner architecture which is crucial for their proper function. However, their small size inhibits the analysis of their inner architecture by conventional light microscopy, thus demanding the resolving power of super-resolution microscopy. By combining light and electron microscopy with molecular biology and biochemistry, we are addressing fundamental questions in mitochondrial biology such as the mechanisms that determine the intricate folding of the inner membrane or the regulatory pathways that control the heterogeneity of mitochondria within a single healthy or diseased cell.

References

Stoldt, S., Wenzel, D., Kehrein, K., Riedel, D., Ott, M., & Jakobs, S.: "Spatial orchestration of mitochondrial translation and OXPHOS complex assembly"
Nature Cell Biology 20 528-534. DOI 10.1038/s41556-018-0090-7Details

Jans, D.C.,Wurm, C.A.,Riedel, D.,Wenzel, D.,Stagge, F.,Deckers, M.,Rehling, P. and Jakobs, S.: "STED super-resolution microscopy reveals an array of MINOS clusters along human mitochondria"
PNAS 110 (22), 8936-8941. DOI 10.1073/pnas.1301820110Details

Wurm, C.A.,Neumann, D.,Lauterbach, M.A.,Harke, B.,Egner, A.,Hell, S.W. and Jakobs, S.: "Nanoscale distribution of mitochondrial import receptor Tom20 is adjusted to cellular conditions and exhibits an inner-cellular gradient"
PNAS 108 (33), 13546-13551. DOI 10.1073/pnas.1107553108Details

Kukat, C.,Wurm, C.A.,Spahr, H.,Falkenberg, M.,Larsson, N.-G. and Jakobs, S.: "Super-resolution microscopy reveals that mammalian mitochondrial nucleoids have a uniform size and frequently contain a single copy of mtDNA"
PNAS 108 (33), 13534-13539. DOI 10.1073/pnas.1109263108Details