The Molecular motor and bionano-group
We employ mathematical modelling and experimental studies of isolated proteins from skeletal muscle and heart.
Our research
The main objectives are to:
A. Understand the basis for the high degree of perfection of striated muscle such as high power output and high resistance to stretch, particularly:
- The role of cooperative phenomena emerging when molecular motors work together in an ordered arrangement such as the muscle sarcomere
- The role of structural changes in the actin filaments
- The importance of three-dimensional order between actin and myosin
B. Gain insight into the role of the ordered sarcomere arrangement in the functional disturbances seen in response to drugs and severe diseases such as cardiomyopathies, the leading cause of sudden death in otherwise healthy young individuals.
C. Use the muscle proteins actin and myosin for nanotechnological applications:
- Nanoseparation and novel detection schemes in diagnostics, e.g. of cancer
- Biocomputation to solve otherwise intractable parallel computation problems (Further reading)
Projects
Bio4Comp
This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 732482
Pressrelease 20170320
The complex molecular gear-box of muscle
In collaboration with H Linke (Lund), DE Rassier (McGill) and JA Spudich (Stanford).
Here we develop techniques for myosin expression in mammalian cell systems and for measuring single molecule ATP turnover and forces from small ensembles of isolated proteins. The methods will be used to elucidate poorly understood fundamental properties myosin motor groups interacting with actin filaments and to test hypotheses about how myosin mutations cause diseases of the heart. The project is funded by the Swedish Research Council.
Guiding of transport through nanonetworks using light-controlled molecular motors
Collaboration with Z Bryant (Stanford) and H Linke (Lund) aiming to exploit remote controlled myosin motors in nanotechnological applications. This project has received funding from the Carl Trygger Foundation.
SMART>SOS
The collaboration with the artist Tim Otto Roth continues within the VERTIGO project. VERTIGO is a project supported by the H2020 STARTS program of the European Commission.
Nikon Ti2-E inverted microscope with iLAS2 azimuthal TIRF
Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy enables selective imaging of fluorophores located near a sample surface. In TIRF, the incident light undergoes total reflection at the interface of two transparent media (namely, glass coverslip to cell surface/water) where an electromagnetic field is generated known as the evanescent wave. The evanescent field intensity decays exponentially with distance from the interface, restricting excitation to fluorophores within a thin optical section of ~100–200 nm. As a result, TIRF microscopy provides minimal background fluorescence, a high signal-to-noise ratio, reduced phototoxicity, and sensitivity sufficient to detect single-molecule fluorescence events. Typical applications include studies of membrane-associated processes, receptor–ligand interactions, vesicle trafficking, cytoskeletal dynamics, and single-molecule fluorescence assays.
The newly installed state-of-the-art TIRF microscope is based on the Nikon Eclipse Ti2-E inverted microscope which is equipped with an iLAS2 module to provide uniform TIRF illumination for an improved image quality. The system also includes a Perfect Focus System (PFS) for maximum stability during longer time-lapse experiments, a motorized XYZ joystick for precise sample positioning that can also be controlled via NIS-Elements software and an integrated laser safety interlock to protect users from accidental laser exposure. In addition, a motorized beam splitter can be included in the future to enable simultaneous imaging of multiple signals. Other features of the microscope include:
Illumination:
- Nikon D-LEDI fluorescence illumination covering from DAPI (385 nm) to Cy5 (621 nm)
- LUNF laser unit with 405 (70 mW), 488 (70 mW), 561 (60 mW), and 640 (50 mW) nm lasers
Objectives with numerical aperture:
- Plan fluor 4x/0.13
- Plan fluor 10x/0.30
- Plan fluor 20x/0.45
- Plan fluor 20x/0.75
- Plan fluor 40x/0.60
- Apo 60x/1.49 (TIRF oil immersion objective)
Chroma TIRF cube with single band emission filter:
- For 405 nm laser: 445 nm, bandwidth: 58 nm
- For 488 nm laser: 525 nm, bandwidth: 50 nm
- For 561 nm laser: 595 nm, bandwidth: 44 nm
- For 640 nm laser: 706 nm, bandwidth: 95 nm
Camera:
- Electron multiplication charged coupled device (EMCCD) camera Andor iXon Ultra 897
Software:
- NIS Elements software (Nikon, ver. 60.10.02)
Operating guidelines
Researchers at KOB have access to the TIRF microscope. Training will be provided to individuals before using the microscope. Personnel from the Molecular motors and Bionano group (Alf Månsson’s research group) are available to offer assistance and guidance as needed. All users must reserve the instrument online through the designated booking system prior to conducting experiments.
Booking link
https://cloud.timeedit.net/lnu/web/staff1/r.html?h=t&sid=9&id=-1
Booking instructions:
- Start by selecting "Date" and "Time" in the calendar.
- Next, click on “Equipment” and type “Nikon” in the search field. Your microscope will appear in the search results. Click on it to select it, and it will be added under “My criteria.”
- Continue by filling in “Person,” “Cost unit” (KOB=8720), and “Purpose” (for example Bokning/Booking).
- Click “Proceed” to move on. You will then have the option to add any additional information before finalizing your booking.
Current bookings are displayed here
Location
Building Vita, Floor 3, Room 43048
Contact persons
- Lok Priya Velayuthan, lok.velayuthan@lnu.se
- Albin Berg, albin.berg@lnu.se
- Alf Månsson, alf.mansson@lnu.se
Collaborators
- Professor Heiner Linke, Lund University, Sweden.
- Professor Stefan Diez, Technical University of Dresden, Germany.
- Professor Dan Nicolau, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
- Professor Dilson Rassier, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
- Professor Georgios Tsiavaliaris, Hannover Medical School, Germany.
- Professor Geertruy teKronnie, Padova University, Italy.
- Dr Saroj Kumar, New Delhi University of Technology, India