The Transmission Electron Microscopy facility is embedded in the Cell Biology Department at the Faculty of Biology. It operates a Hitachi 7800 TEM (120 kV), equipped with a LaB6 filament and coupled to an EMSIS Xarosa CMOS camera for high resolution acquisition of images.
The system and service is maintained by a full-time staff scientist and half-time technician, and it can be used in frame of collaborations and service applications.
We offer full sample processing and analyses including preparation, sectioning, staining and imaging. Sample types include but are not limited to: plants (leaves, shoots, roots, fruits), animal tissues, cell cultures, bacteria, archeae, etc.
For inquiries please contact:
Marta Rodriguez-Franco
email
For sample preparation and analysis the following methods are available:
- Negative staining
- Chemical fixation of cells and multi-cellular specimens
- Cryo-fixation (High Pressure Freezing) and Freeze Substitution
- Resin embedding
- Ultramicrotomy (including serial sectioning)
- Cryo-ultramicrotomy (for Tokuyasu technique)
- Immuno-labelling
- Furthermore we offer and/or are involved in:
- Advanced training of the users on all the accessible techniques.
- Participating in courses and lectures on EM methods in cell biology.
Charges:
According to the recent guidelines (form 55_04) of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; DFG) we charge 140€ for full service sample preparation including one hour TEM analysis and 80€ for each additional hour at the TEM. Collaborations can be negotiated. However, it should be noted that prices can vary depending on sample quality and difficulty.
Our unit is fully integrated into the Freiburg “Microscopy and Imaging Platform” (MIAP), which clusters all imaging facilities in frame of a DFG-funded technology center (‘Gerätezentrum’).
Publications guidelines
If you use any instrument of the EM lab, you need to acknowledge the facility in your publications in any of the following ways:
We would like to thank Rosula Hinnenberg/Marta Rodriguez-Franco of the EM facility at the Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, for her/their assistance with the generation of EM data.
Given the guidelines of our funding agency, you also need to acknowledge the funding resources as follows:
The TEM (Hitachi HT7800) was funded by the DFG grant (project number 426849454) and is operated by the University of Freiburg, Faculty of Biology, as a partner unit within the Microscopy and Image Analysis Platform (MIAP) and the Life Imaging Center (LIC), Freiburg.
If any of the staff members significantly contributed to the published work, this staff member should be included in the author list.
Recent contributions from the EM lab
Patro M, Grünberger F, Sivabalasarma S, Gfrerer S, Rodriguez-Franco M,
Nußbaum P, Grohmann D, Ithurbide S, Albers SV (2024). MinD2 modulates cell shape and motility in the archaeon Haloferax volcanii
Frontiers in Microbiology; 15:1474570.
Rößling AK, Dünser K, Liu C, Lauw S, Rodriguez-Franco M, Kalmbach L, Barbez E, Kleine-Vehn J (2024). Pectin methylesterase activity is required for RALF1 peptide signalling output
eLife 13:RP96943 (open access)
Lace B, Su C, Invernot-Perez D, Rodriguez-Franco M, Vernié T, Batzenschlager M, Egli S, Liu CW, Ott T (2023). RPG acts as a central determinant for infectosome formation and cellular polarization during intracellular rhizobial infections
eLife; 12:e8074 (open access)
Su C, Rodriguez-Franco M, Lace B, Nebel N, Hernandez-Reyes C, Liang P, Schulze E, Mymrikov EV, Gross NM, Knerr J, Wang H, Siukstaite L, Keller J, Libourel C, Fischer AAM, Gabor KE, Mark E, Popp C, Hunte C, Weber W, Wendler P, Stanislas T, Delaux PM, Einsle O, Grosse R, Römer W, Ott T (2023). Stabilization of membrane topologies by proteinaceous remorin scaffolds. Nature Communications; 14:323 (open access)
Su C, Zhang G, Rodriguez-Franco M, Hinnenberg R, Wietschorke J, Liang P, Yang W, Uhler L, Li X, Ott T (2023). Transcellular progression of infection threads in Medicago truncatula roots is associated with locally confined cell wall modifications. Current Biology; 33:1-10
Hoernstein SNW, Özdemir B, van Gessel N, Miniera AA, Rogalla von Bieberstein B, Nilges L, Schweikert Farinha J, Komoll R, Glauz S, Weckerle T, Scherzinger F, Rodriguez‐Franco M, Müller-Schüssele SJ, Reski R (2023)
A deeply conserved protease, acylamino acid-releasing enzyme (AARE), acts in ageing in Physcomitrella and Arabidopsis.
Commun Biol 6, 61.
Neuwirt E, Magnani G, Ćiković T, Wöhrle S, Fischer L, Kostina A, Flemming S, Fischenich NJ, Saller BS, Gorka O, Renner S, Agarinis C, Parker C, Boettcher A, Farady CJ, Kesselring R, Berlin C, Backofen R, Rodriguez-Franco M, Kreutz C, Prinz M, Tholen M, Reinheckel T, Ott T, Groß CJ, Jost PJ, Groß O (2023). Screen for inflammasome activators identifies tyrosine kinase inhibitors that cause lysosomal damage and cell lysis to activate NLRP3. Science Signalling; 17(768):eabh1083 (open access)
Dünser K, Schöller M, Rößling A-K, Löfke C, Xiao N, Pařízková B, Melnik S, Rodriguez-Franco M, Stöger E, Novák O, Kleine-Vehn J (2022). Endocytic trafficking promotes vacuolar enlargements for fast cell expansion rates in plants. eLife; https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.75945
Gupta P, Rodriguez‐Franco M, Bodanapu R, Sreelakshmi Y, Sharma R (2022). Phytoene synthase 2 in tomato fruits remains functional and contributes to abscisic acid formation. Plant Science; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2022.111177
Shariati S, Ebenau-Jehle C, Pourbabaee AA, Alikhani HA, Rodriguez-Franco M, Agne M, Jacoby M, Geiger R, Shariati F, Boll M (2021). Degradation of dibutyl phthalate by Paenarthrobacter sp. Shss isolated from Saravan landfill, Hyrcanian Forests, Iran. Biodegradation (open access)
Rich MK, Vigneron N, Libourel C, Keller J, Xue L, Hajheidari M, Radhakrishnan GV, Le Ru A, Issa Diop S, Potente G, Conti E, Duijsings D, Batut A, Le Faouder P, Kodama K, Kyozuka J, Sallet E, Bécard G, Rodriguez-Franco M, Ott T, Bertrand-Michel J, Oldroyd GED, Szövényi P, Bucher M, Delaux PM (2021). Lipid exchanges drove the evolution of mutualism during plant terrestrialization. Science; 372 (6544): 864-868 (open access)
Tittes C, Schwarzer S, Pfeiffer F, Dyall-Smith M, Rodriguez-Franco M, Oksanen HM, Quax TEF (2021). Cellular and genomic properties of Haloferax gibbonsii LR2-5, the host of euryarchaeal virus HFTV1. Frontiers in Microbiology, DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.625599
Schwarzer S, Rodriguez-Franco M, Oksanen H. M, Quax TEF (2021). Growth Phase Dependent Cell Shape of Haloarcula. Microorganisms 9(2), 231
Nußbaum P, Ithurbide S, Walsh JC, Patro M, Delpech F, Rodriguez-Franco M, Curmi PMG, Duggin IG, Quax TEF, Albers SV (2020). An Oscillating MinD Protein Determines the Cellular Positioning of the Motility Machinery in Archaea. Current Biology, doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.09.073
Li Z, Rodriguez-Franco M, Albers SV, Quax TEF (2020). The switch complex ArlCDE connects the chemotaxis system and the archaellum. Molecular Microbiology, doi:10.1111/mmi.14527
Müller-Schüssele S, Wang R, Gütle D, Romer J, Rodriguez-Franco M, Scholz, M, Buchert F, Lüth V, Kopriva S, Dörmann P, Schwarzländer M, Reski R, Hippler M, Meyer A (2020). Chloroplasts Require Glutathione Reductase to Balance Reactive Oxygen Species and Maintain Efficient Photosynthesis. The Plant Journal, doi:10.1111/tpj.14791
Bu F, Rutten L, Roswanjaya YP, Kulikova O, Rodriguez-Franco M, Ott T, Bisseling T, van Zeijl A, Geurts R (2020). Mutant analysis in the non-legume Parasponia andersonii reveals conserved symbiotic functioning of the transcription factors NIN and NF-YA1. New Phytologist, doi.org/10.1111/nph.16386.
Tsai CL, Tripp P, Sivabalasarma S, Zhang C, Rodriguez-Franco M, Wipfler R, Chaudhury P, Banerjee A, Beeby M, Whitaker R, Tainer J, Albers SV (2020). The periplasmic FlaG/F complex structure and its essential role for archaellar swimming motility. Nature Microbiology 5, 216–225
Li Z, Kinosita Y, Rodriguez-Franco M, Nußbaum P, Braun F, Delpech F, Quax TEF, Albers SV (2019). Positioning of the Motility Machinery in Halophilic Archaea. MBio 7;10(3). pii: e00377-19.
Schaub P, Rodriguez-Franco M, Cazzonelli CI, Álvarez D, Wüst F, Welsch R (2018). Establishment of an Arabidopsis callus system to study the interrelations of biosynthesis, degradation and accumulation of carotenoids. PLoS ONE 13(2): e0192158.
Quax TEF., Altegoer F, Rossi F, Lia Z, Rodriguez-Franco M, Kraus F, Bange G, and Albers SV (2018). Structure and function of the archaeal response regulator CheY. PNAS,
Schuessele C, Hoernstein SN, Mueller SJ, Rodriguez-Franco M, Lorenz T, Lang D, Igloi GL, Reski R. (2016). Spatio-temporal patterning of arginyl-tRNA protein transferase (ATE) contributes to gametophytic development in a moss. New Phytol. 209(3):1014-27.
Ali L, Spiess M, Wobser D, Rodriguez M, Bluma HE, Sakinc T (2016). Identification and functional characterization of the putative polysaccharide biosynthesis protein (CapD) of Enterococcus faecium U0317. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 37 (2016) 215–224.
Gemmecker S, Schaub P, Koschmieder J, Brausemann A, Drepper F, Rodriguez-Franco M, Ghisla S, Warscheid B, Einsle O, Beyer P. (2015). Phytoene Desaturase from Oryza sativa: Oligomeric Assembly, Membrane Association and Preliminary 3D-Analysis. PLoS One. 10(7):e0131717.
Morath V, Keuper M, Rodriguez-Franco M, Deswal S, Fiala G, Blumenthal B, Kaschek D, Timmer J, Neuhaus G, Ehl S, Ronneberger O, Schamel WW. (2013). Semi-automatic determination of cell surface areas used in systems biology. Front Biosci (Elite Ed) 5:533 -45.