Mitmachexperiment, Diskussion

Using Cryo-Electron Microscopy to understand the structure of membrane proteins

Protein structures change all the time. This lets cells grow, divide, and even permits pathogens to invade. We use cryogenic electron microscopy to study these structures: We freeze cells from the heart, muscles and brain with proteins at -195°C in thin layers of ice preserving the biological material in its native form. We then load the sample into the huge electron microscopes and process big data to reveal the structures and understand how they work. At the booth, we will present 3D-printed protein models – and you can assemble the subunits to a whole protein.