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Molecular Biology Introduction 6 An expedition into the world of molecules 6 Research without constraints 8 Content Tradition and vision 10 Teaching and learning 12 When a new idea ignites 14 Open doors 16 Looking deeper 18 NanoBiophotonics 20 Stefan W. Hell Structure and Dynamics of Mitochondria 22 Stefan Jakobs Laboratory of Cellular Dynamics 24 Thomas M. Jovin Electron-Spin Resonance Spectroscopy 26 Marina Bennati Nanoscale Spin Imaging 28 Sophisticated molecules 40 Gopalakrishnan Balasubramanian Biological Micro- and Nanotechnology 30 Theoretical and Computational Biophysics 42 Thomas Burg Helmut Grubmüller Spectroscopy and Photochemical Kinetics 32 Computational Biomolecular Dynamics 44 Jürgen Troe Bert L. de Groot Structural Dynamics of (Bio)Chemical Processes 34 NMR-based Structural Biology 46 Simone Techert Christian Griesinger Dynamics at Surfaces 36 Structure Determination of Proteins Using NMR 48 Alec M. Wodtke Markus Zweckstetter Precision Infrared Spectroscopy on Small Molecules 38 Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry 50 Samuel Meek Henning Urlaub 4 Cellular machines 52 From egg to organism 80 Molecular Biology 54 Meiosis 82 Patrick Cramer Melina Schuh Quantitative and Computational Biology 56 Molecular Developmental Biology 84 Johannes Söding Herbert Jäckle Cellular Biochemistry 58 Gene Expression and Signaling 86 Reinhard Lührmann Halyna R. Shcherbata Macromolecular Crystallography 60 Molecular Organogenesis 88 Vladimir Pena Reinhard Schuh Physical Biochemistry 62 Molecular Cell Differentiation 90 Marina V. Rodnina Ahmed Mansouri Ribosome Dynamics 64 Genes and Behavior 92 Wolfgang Wintermeyer Gregor Eichele Structural Dynamics 66 Biomedical NMR 94 Holger Stark Jens Frahm Sleep and Waking 96 Henrik Bringmann Communication and logistics 68 Neurobiology 70 Excellent service for cutting-edge research 98 Reinhard Jahn Employees from 51 countries 102 Nanoscale Cell Biology 72 Knowledge transfer 104 Manfred Lindau The Max Planck Society 106 Membrane Biophysics 74 Erwin Neher Emeritus Directors of the institute 108 Cellular Logistics 76 Scientific Avisory Board and Board of Trustees 113 Dirk Görlich Picture credit 114 Membrane Protein Biochemistry 78 Imprint 115 Alexander Stein 5 An expedition into the world of molecules ow do nerve cells communicate with each other? microscopy on the nanometer scale (Nobel Prize for Moreover, researchers elucidate how protein aggre- HHow does a complex organism evolve from a Chemistry 2014 to Stefan W. Hell), nuclear magnetic gates damage living cells and which role these protein single fertilized egg cell? How is our «biological clock» resonance spectroscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, or clumps play in neurodegenerative diseases. Scientists controlled? Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Bio- computer simulations are just a few of the methods that are further interested in how genetic defective regula- physical Chemistry are on the trail towards unraveling are successfully used to investigate proteins. tion can lead to obesity and metabolic disorders and the answers to these and other fundamental biological how – focusing on phenomena of inanimate nature – questions. However, observing the molecular mecha- Tricks of nature energy conversion processes at surfaces are controlled. nisms that control and regulate these vital cellular pro- The goal is to unravel the many tricks that proteins At the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, cesses is not an easy feat. They occur deep within the play to fulfill their diverse cellular functions as mole- scientists from various disciplines and of different na- nanocosmos of living cells and are therefore invisible cular motors, chemical plants, or photoelectric cells, for tionalities work together to shed light on such complex to the naked eye. Conventional microscopes can detect example. processes. The biologists, chemists, medical scien- bacteria or observe individual body cells. However, what The scientists are further investigating how a cell tists, and physicists collaborate not only with their col- occurs deep within the inner workings of a living cell converts the basic blueprints of proteins into a readable leagues at the institute, but also with a large number of remains an unsolved mystery. format, and are revealing the roles that cellular nano- renowned experts from other institutions worldwide. One focus of the institute‘s research is the develop- machines – DNA polymerases, spliceosomes, and ribo- Accordingly, as they exchange views on projects, ment of special methods that provide a closer look into somes – play in these processes. ideas, and results, many different languages can be the world of molecules. The patch-clamp method allow- Nanomachines also function in cellular logistics. heard on the Max Planck Campus, which comprises ing to measure ion currents at cell membranes (Nobel How specific proteins sort and transport different cargo the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organi- Prize for Physiology or Medicine 1991 to Erwin Neher between the various compartments of a cell is one of zation and the Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Daten- and Bert Sakmann), ultra-high resolution fluorescence the topics explored in greater detail. verarbeitung Göttingen (GWDG) as well. 6 7 Research without constraints ike all other Max Planck institutes, the Max Planck two years. The World Health Organization hopes to use this LInstitute for Biophysical Chemistry primarily pur- medicine to control leishmaniasis in the long-term and to finally sues basic research. Here, the researchers follow defeat it. up on fundamental new ideas. This «uninhibited» Other researchers have provided ground-breaking ideas research, excellent working conditions, and out- for revolutionizing magnetic resonance imaging and optical standing international reputation are the reasons microscopy. Thanks to these new methods, processes in our why the institute has become a center body such as beating of the heart or blood flow can even be of attraction for both students and studied in real-time. renowned researchers from all Many of the scientists at the institute have received awards over the world. and prizes for their work, including the 13 recipients of the The new findings gained prestigious Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foun- from such scientific research dation. The highest scientific honor, the Nobel Prize, has been have paved the way for many awarded three times for research carried out at the Max Planck pioneering applications. For Institute for Biophysical Chemistry – one in every generation of example, the chemical researchers: compound Miltefosine, which was synthesized here, turned out to be a Manfred Eigen cure for the tropical dis- was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1967. He suc- ease visceral leishmani- ceeded in observing the course of very fast chemical reactions asis – also known as kalar occurring in the range of nanoseconds. He thus broke down a azar. If left untreated, this fundamental barrier as, until then, these very fast reaction disease almost always processes had been considered unmeasurable. His work is of leads to death within fundamental importance far beyond the scope of chemistry. 8 Erwin Neher and Bert Sakmann a method for measuring the incredibly weak electric were the recipients of the 1991 Nobel Prize for Physiol- current that flows for extremely short periods of time ogy or Medicine. They explored the molecular struc- when single ion channels open up – the so-called patch- tures that enable nerve cells to transmit electric signals. clamp technique. Miniscule ion channels – pore-forming In 1976, the two Max Planck researchers developed proteins – are embedded within the outer membrane of nearly all cell types. They not only transmit the elec- trical activity of nerve and muscle cells, but also trans- late physical and chemical sensory stimuli into neuronal signals. Blood cells, immune cells, and liver cells also use ion channels for communication. These nanomachines in the membrane are therefore not only involved in nerve cell signaling; they also play a crucial role in the messaging systems of organisms. Stefan W. Hell was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2014 for insurmountable hurdle. Stefan Hell was the first to his pioneering work in the field of ultra-high resolution radically overcome the resolution limit of light micro- fluorescence microscopy. With his invention of STED scopes – with a completely new concept. STED micro- (stimulated emission depletion) microscopy and related scopy, invented and developed by him to application processes, he revolutionized light microscopy. Conven- readiness, is the first focused light-microscopy method tional light microscopes already reach their resolution which is no longer limited by diffraction. It allows an up limit when two objects are closer than 200 nanometers to ten times better image resolution in living cells and (one nanometer is a millionth of a millimeter) from each makes structures visible that are much smaller than other because the diffraction of light blurs them into 200 nanometers. By applying this method, biologists a single image feature. This limit, discovered about and physicians can look deeper into the nanocosmos 130 years ago by Ernst Abbe, had been considered an of living cells than ever before. 9 Tradition and vision he Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry of Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer. He pursued a strong inter- one of the largest institutes of the Max Planck Society, Twas founded at the Faßberg site on the outskirts disciplinary
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