PhD defence: Lokalisatie van macromoleculen in cryogene elektronentomogrammen
PLEASE NOTE: The candidate gives a layman's talk prior to the defence of the dissertation; therefore, the livestream will start fifteen minutes earlier.
Cells are filled with tiny molecular machines that work together to keep them alive. Understanding how these machines are organized and interact is key to learning how cells function. However, current imaging methods struggle to show these details clearly while keeping their natural arrangements intact.
Cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) is a cutting-edge technique that freezes cells and allows scientists to take 3D images of their inner structures. Despite its potential, it is difficult to identify and analyze the many molecular machines captured in these images, especially with the increasing size of datasets.
This research tackles these challenges by improving methods to find and study molecular structures in cryo-ET images. A key step was creating a benchmark to test different identification techniques, including artificial intelligence (AI) tools and a simpler method called template matching. Further work in this thesis enhanced template matching by speeding it up and making it more accurate, allowing researchers to detect specific structures like ribosomes more effectively.
These improved methods were used to study ribosomes, the cell’s protein-making factories, on the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The research revealed new details about how ribosomes work and how they interact with other molecules during protein production.
This work makes cryo-ET more powerful for studying cells and lays the foundation for future discoveries. By making it easier to explore the tiny world inside cells, these advancements help us better understand life at its most basic level.
- Start date and time
- End date and time
- Location
- Hybride: online (livestream link) and for invited guests in the Utrecht University Hall, Domplein 29
- PhD candidate
- M.L. Chaillet
- Dissertation
- Lokalisatie van macromoleculen in cryogene elektronentomogrammen
- PhD supervisor(s)
- prof. dr. F.G. Förster
- prof. dr. R.C. Veltkamp
- More information
- Full text via Utrecht University Repository