Saba Alhagagi

Previous Projects Developing new fixation methods for advanced light microscopy studies of bacterial machines Our lab studies how bacteria grow and divide, but understanding how the protein complexes involved in these processes are organised can be challenging due to their dynamic and mobile nature.
 Chemical fixation, in principle, preserves cells to be comparable to their original living state and allows us to take a “snapshot” of what these proteins look like. Using aldehyde-based fixatives such as paraformaldehyde and gluteraldehyde to covalently bind amino acid residues together, a matrix of cross-linked proteins and DNA is formed to stabilise cellular structures. However, we know that aldehydes are documented disruptors of native ultrastructure in prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems, introducing artifacts that lead to interpretations typically not observed during live-cell imaging. 

This project focussed on the development of a new fixation method, using SIM and HiLo microscopy for validation.