Seminar Series

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04 Oct 2016
1-2pm
LTE, Hicks Building
Professor Michelle Peckham, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds
Using super-resolution approaches to image the cytoskeleton

Abstract: We have recently built a PALM/STORM and an iSIM system for imaging the cytoskeleton in live and fixed cells. The iSIM has the advantage that it is very fast, and provides images of approximately fold higher resolution than a wide-field microscope and provides good sharp imaging for live cells. The PALM/STORM system provides close to 10nm resolution, and we’ve been using this system to image structures such as the Z-disc in muscle and primary cilia. We are developing tools to analyse these images, to obtain quantitative information on the organization of proteins in the Z-disc, with the challenge of working with sparse data. Finally, we have also been testing ‘Affimers’; small non-antibody binding proteins that recognize specific targets in cells, in dSTORM, and these are proving to be a promising alternative approach to the use of antibodies.  My talk will encompass our recent work with these three different approaches.