Speaker
Prof.
Sarah Köster
(Universität Göttingen)
Description
X-rays provide high resolution due to their small wavelength and high penetration power, allowing for imaging of comparatively large, three-dimensional objects. For these reasons, X-rays have been established as complementary probes for bio-imaging, in addition to well-established methods such as visible light fluorescence microscopy and electron microscopy (EM). Scanning small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), in particular, is well suited for systems with some degree of order, such as bundles of parallel filaments, or high-density aggregates. The method exploits two unique features of X-ray imaging: not only are highly focused beams used to spatially resolve different constituents of biological cells, but each individual scattering pattern contains a wealth of information about the internal structure on molecular length scales.
I will present scanning SAXS experiments that were performed at dedicated synchrotron beamlines, which provide a small beam between 100 nm and 2 µm in diameter, high flux, high-end pixel detectors and a sample environment suitable for cell samples, e.g. ID13 at the ESRF and P10 PETRA III/DESY. I will summarize the most important results we recently obtained on different biological systems, such as components of the cytoskeleton and the DNA in the nucleus.
Primary author
Prof.
Sarah Köster
(Universität Göttingen)
Co-authors
Mr
Andrew Wittmeier
(University of Göttingen)
Mrs
Chiara Cassini
(University of Göttingen)
