Transmissionselektronenmikroskop

• Subject Area: Neurosciences
• Term: Funded in 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 290598096

Aim of this application is to establish an ultrastructural research platform for the investigation of neuron-glia interactions in the developing and diseased nervous system. Electron microscopy (EM), combined with special fixation approaches such as high pressure freezing (HPF), is an indispensable tool in neuroscience. The Institute of Neuronal Cell Biology focuses on cell architecture in the central and peripheral nervous system under physiological (e.g. development of myelin and axons) and pathological conditions (e.g. demyelinating diseases, trauma and neurodegeneration). For these studies EM is crucial to enable the visualization of glial and neuronal structures at nanometer resolution. For example, for myelin research EM is essential, because the detailed structure of this specialized membrane with its multi-layered stacks can hardly be studied by other means. Similarly, axonal organelles, such as mitochondria, and the axonal cytoskeleton, can only fully be appreciated by EM. HPF has emerged as a powerful cryopreservation technique to visualize biological structures close to their native state. For example, the evaluation of myelin and all its ultrastructural details with high precision requires the combination of HPF and EM. These tools will enable us to continue our research on the assembly and disassembly of cellular architectures during nervous system physiology and pathology.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Transmissionselektronenmikroskop
• Instrumentation Group: 5100 Elektronenmikroskope (Transmission)
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität München (TUM)
• Leader: Professor Dr. Mikael Jakob Simons