Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) enables the visualization of biomolecular complexes in their cellular milieu at macromolecular resolution. In my talk, I will present how this method can be applied to study the assembly and disasssmebly of biological nanomachines like the bacterial flagellar motor. First, I will discuss how imaging the assembly pathway of flagellar motor inside the cell using cryo-ET revealed new components in this pathway that have not been described before using in vitro (or low-resolution) methods. Then, I will present how the examination of the flagellar motors of different species using cryo-ET showed that bacteria can disassemble their motors leaving relic structures in the outer membrane. Subsequently, I will present how I applied cryo-ET to study microbial predation by studying the predation cycle of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus as an example and how this approach changed decades-long dogmas in this field. In summary, my talk will emphaszie how imaging biological processes like assembly, disassembly and predation in their native environment provides new insgiht into these fascinating processes.

<i>In situ</i> structural biology using cryo-electron tomography

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In situ structural biology using cryo-electron tomography