5:30pm to 6:30pm |
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How Electron Cryotomography Is Opening a New Window into Bacterial Ultrastructure
(VTC)
Grant Jensen, PhD
Professor of Biology
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
For decades microbiologists thought bacteria were little more than "bags" of enzymes, without cytoskeletons or internal organization. By allowing intact cells to be imaged in 3-D in a near-native state to macromolecular resolution, the emerging technique of electron cryotomography is rapidly changing that notion, revealing a wealth of information about how bacteria generate specific cell shapes, monitor their environment, swim toward favorable locations, produce and store energy, grow, and, finally, divide. This presentation will be a visual tour through bacterial cell biology.
Grant Jensen, PhD, earned his doctorate in biophysics at Stanford University before undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. In 2002, he joined the faculty of the California Institute of Technology, where he is now an associate professor of biology. He has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator since 2008. His laboratory uses state-of-the-art electron cryomicroscopy techniques to understand the structure and function of large protein machines and their arrangement within cells. His projects range from theoretical studies on the mathematics of three-dimensional reconstructions to direct imaging of individual protein complexes to tomography of viruses and cells. He hopes eventually to combine these results with the vast data emerging from genomics, proteomics, and structural genomics to enable authentic, whole-cell simulations that allow the rational design of entirely new species for the production of clean fuels, water desalination, bioremediation, and medical applications.
This lecture is part of the Distinguished Visiting Scholars Series.
Webcast: http://research.vtc.vt.edu/live-webcast/
Other notes: A public reception will precede this event in the VTC Cafe at 4:30 p.m.
Hosted by: Michael J. Friedlander, PhD, Executive Director, VTCRI More information...
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