infocus #44 December 2016 Membrane Protein Stoichiometry Studied in Intact Mammalian Cells

The author discusses how cell signals are interpreted and lead to decisions triggering distinct signalling pathways.

DOI: 10.22443/rms.inf.1.144

An essential aspect of communication in all life forms is how messages are interpreted and then translated into action. Cells have receptor proteins in their plasma membranes “listening” to chemical signals from the outside world. These signals consist of ligands, small molecules that bind specifically to a receptor.

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Author

Niels de Jonge

Senior Group Leader, INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials,

Prof. Dr. Niels de Jonge received his M. Sc. in Physics from the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands (1994), and a Ph.D. in Natural Sciences, specialization Biophysics, from the University of Freiburg, Germany (1999). He worked as senior scientist at Philips Research, Netherlands, on carbon nanotube electron sources (2000-2005). He was strategic hire at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where he pioneered scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) of liquid specimens (2005-2010). He joined Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, as Assistant Professor of Biophysics (2007- 2011). He is currently senior group leader at the INM – Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Germany (2012 - present), and Honorary Professor of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, Germany. His main research area is in situ electron microscopy of biological samples in liquid phase, for example, to study membrane protein complexes in cancer cells. He received the ORNL innovation award, the ORNL Esprit de Corps award, the 2016 MRS Innovations in Materials Characterization Award, and the 2016 European Microscopy Award life sciences category.