New preprint from our lab! We uncover how a subset of mitophagy proteins BNIP3 and NIX are repressed and protected from turnover, we think so that they can perform a surveillance role to detect mitochondrial dysfunction under basal conditions. t.co/4XKkd4LsFi

New Grotjahn lab preprint from superstar postdoc @nitishdua.bsky.social! Check out all the deets in the 🧵 below. IMO, it’s a great example of how studying the local microenvironment with #teamtomo can reveal biology that would otherwise remain hidden. #mitochondria #morphometrics

1/ Mitochondrial Na⁺ links metabolism, Ca2+ signaling and disease. We know how it gets in, how it gets out, and proteins that use it. But: we've never actually seen Na⁺ in single mitochondria in live cells. We started with an unusual observation, went down a rabbit hole & found some cool biology .

Bacteriophage tails co-enrich with ex vivo amyloids from amyloidosis patients. Cryo-EM reveals Siphoviridae tail tube protein in ALys and AL amyloid extract. Do phages interact with human amyloids? @landerlab.bsky.social @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social & Kelly Lab #cryoEM #b3d doi.org/10.64898/202...

Cryo-ET is often framed as a tool for in situ protein structure. But what if the real revolution is contextualization? I explore how #teamtomo is redefining what "local" means in organelle biology, revealing membrane states rather than just protein structures. tinyurl.com/localmembrane

Mitochondrial-derived compartments buffer outer membrane protein load during acute mitochondrial adaptation https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.09.731211v1

Structural Mechanism and Cellular Restriction of Tau Seeding from Endolysosomes https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.08.731026v1

Sub-cellular chemical mapping using correlated cryogenic electron and mass spectrometry imaging online @natmethods.nature.com, led by Hannah Ochner, collaboration with @catfranco.bsky.social and @kiranrpatil.bsky.social labs doi.org/10.1038/s415...

The 11th International #teamtomo Congress is coming to Madison, Wisconsin! As a proud Madison native, I can confirm: August 9–12 is peak Wisco weather ☀️ stoked for exciting science, friendly people, and warm nights @ the Union Terrace Abstract deadline: May 14 cryoem.wisc.edu/11th-interna...

“pineapples 🍍 for everyone!” — @dtegunov.bsky.social

We're super excited to share MissAlignment: a new ML-based approach to reference-free tilt series alignment, spearheaded by @martenchaillet.bsky.social. We think it's going to make your cryo-ET life a lot better. Preprint: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Code: github.com/warpem/miss-... 🧶 Thread:

We identified the maltoside detergent DM as an effective and easy solution to address preferred orientation in cryo-EM. Helped me switch from graphene grids. Special congrats to Maria Rafiq! @landerlab.bsky.social @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social @wisemanlab.bsky.social #cryoEM doi.org/10.64898/202...

Fun collaboration with the Herzik lab! Very cool to see #TeamTomo + STA directly capture the effects of the AWI at the single-particle level. we know it’s happening, but it’s striking to see it so clearly!

1) The Herzik lab is excited to announce our newest preprint in collaboration with the Grotjahn lab! We have developed a surfactant cocktail that seeks to overcome one of the more nefarious problems in #cryoEM, Air-water interface (AWI)-induced damage and preferred orientation (PO).

🔬🔦In their FocalPlane post, @mmedina300kv.bsky.social, @attychang.bsky.social, @baradlab.com, @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social and team describe how they have extended Surface Morphometrics to measure membrane thickness in cells. focalplane.biologists.com/2026/03/18/b...

Registration is open for Bridging Atoms and Algorithms: A Symposium on AI and Structural Biology! 📅 March 17-18, 2026 🏫 Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN ℹ️ vanderbilt.edu/csb/caipd-ai... #CryoET #AI #protein #research #CryoEM #Biology @rommieamaro.bsky.social @drgregbowman.bsky.social

“Our goal is not simply to resolve structures, but to uncover how molecular organization shapes cellular function. Being highlighted by JCB affirms that this integrative approach is both valued and necessary”— Dr. Danielle Grotjahn (@nanigrotjahn.bsky.social) Learn more 👉 hubs.la/Q0442hKP0

New paper from the lab led by @ericmulhall.bsky.social addresses how PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 are tuned to different types mechanical forces. From nanometer-scale super-resolution microscopy to in vivo experiments, links single-molecule observations to physiological function. www.nature.com/articles/s41...

“I’m grateful to be included in a journal with such a strong legacy in defining and advancing the field of cell biology.”— Dr. Danielle Grotjahn (@nanigrotjahn.bsky.social). JCB is where the world meets your research. Learn more. hubs.la/Q0442hKP0

From cartoon models to quantitative structural maps: learn how cryo-electron tomography is reshaping studies of cellular organization. Danielle Grotjahn, Ph.D., shares where cryo-ET excels, its challenges, and how it fits into today’s imaging toolbox.

Are you a cell biologist who secretly thinks cellular cryo-electron tomography is just George Palade-era EM, but fancier? Join this webinar to see how modern #teamtomo has shifted from pretty pictures to quantitative, local membrane biology, and how that changes the questions we can ask.

🔬 Postdoc position – Infection Biology & Cryo-ET (Zurich) 🇨🇭 We are looking for a motivated Postdoc to join our interdisciplinary team. 📩 Interested? Check out the job advert: www.imm.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:cb17... 👉 More info on the lab: www.weiss-laboratory.com Please share with interested colleagues!

Reported in #JCellBiol, a method developed in the lab of Associate Professor Danielle Grotjahn (@nanigrotjahn.bsky.social) measures membrane thickness directly inside intact cells and identifies ATP synthase clusters in curved, unusually thick membrane regions.

#teamtomo gets another quantitative cell biology tool! We extend our Surface Morphometrics pipeline to measure membrane thickness. Alongside many biological findings, we show that our 3D measurements closely match in vitro vesicle measurements from 2D EM (collab w/Neal Waxham and Fred Heberle).

Thrilled to share our latest work--combining CATCH with whole-body HYBRiD imaging, leveraging click chemistry to visualize and identify drug-targeted cells across organ systems. Led by a brilliant team: former PhD student Ben Pang and former undergrad Verina Leung.

JCB’s Cover of the Year voting is open! I’ll just say… they are all gorgeous, but April has my heart 😍❄️🔬 #teamtomo @attychang.bsky.social

Now out in full form. Again, a big thanks to #teamtomo and @alisterburt.bsky.social for developing the infrastructure to build this on. journals.iucr.org/d/issues/202...

We will announce a #postdoc opening in January. Cryo-ET and virus replication. If you're interested you can DM or email me already now. More info will follow!

What an honor to see @attychang.bsky.social’s work featured in @jcb.org The Year in Cell Biology 2025 collection! Even more special that it coincides with my first #cellbio2025 conference 🙂 s/o to co-authors @baradlab.com @hamid13r.bsky.social @zidlab.bsky.social #teamtomo #cellbio25

Prohibitins aren’t hanging out just anywhere in the membrane — they prefer the 💁‍♀️💎✨VIP section💅🪩🥂 Lab all-star @mmedina300kv.bsky.social maps these microdomains using cryo-ET + surface morphometrics. s/o to #teamtomo #cryoET co-authors @hamid13r.bsky.social @attychang.bsky.social @baradlab.com

Exciting !

Thank you to all of our plenary speakers for sharing your incredible research with us at #ASBMB2025! @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social @ajknights7.bsky.social Michelle Haber and Randal Halfmann. We have loved having you all in Brisbane and hearing about your labs awesome work! 🦠🧬🧪🧫🔬

Happy to announce "Technical Innovations Using #SerialEM: A Community Meeting", a new format of hybrid meeting David Mastronarde and I are organizing in April 2026. For more info, a preliminary list of speakers, pre-registration etc. visit www.nexperion.net/semcm2026

What an inspiring few days at the #WEHeraeusSeminar! Great science, lively discussions, and lots of fun with the amazing community of #cryoEM, #StructuralBiology & #Microscopy. Huge thanks to everyone!

We all love colours, especially, when they can be generated automatically! Fantastic talk by Danielle Grotjahn @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social linking method development, structural biology and cell biology! #WEHeraeusSeminar #cryoEM #StructuralBiology #Microscopy @arnemoeller.bsky.social

Excited to travel to Germany 🇩🇪 for the WE-Heraeus-Seminar: Cryo‐EM on the Move: New Applications and Challenges! ❄️🔬🧊 I look forward to hearing what everyone is cooking up to make cryoEM better 📈 faster 🏃‍♀️ stronger 💪 😎 www.we-heraeus-stiftung.de/veranstaltun...

🚨 #teamtomo!🚨 Did you know there's a dedicated cryoEM/ET Mini-Symposium at the upcoming ASCB/EMBO meeting in Philly (Dec 6–10)??

Ending the week on a high note in SLC with a visit to @uofubiochem.bsky.social after an inspiring M&M 2025 meeting!

I have lots of opinions—but for your sake, I’ve limited them to segmentation in cryo-ET for this article 😉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #teamtomo

Happy to say that my Current Opinion in Structural Biology article came out today. I hope it helps to guide to you in using cryo-ET to make new biological discoveries! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

New work from the lab (w/ @preronabora.bsky.social @mashiatzaman.bsky.social @mitomorph.bsky.social @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social) identifying a compound that activates OMA1-DELE1-HRI signaling to induce mitochondrial remodeling in MFN2-deficient cells. Check it out 👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

I spoke with Jade Hindmon, host of @kpbssandiego.bsky.social Midday Edition, about the consequences of the current administration’s cuts to science funding. Please share to help spread the word and raise awareness. www.kpbs.org/podcasts/kpb...

As we approach the week leading up to Juneteenth, it’s important to recognize the flag and symbols around the day, as well as taking the opportunity to renew the call for lineage-based reparations for not only chattel slavery, but the harms inflicted upon Black Americans post-emancipation.

It’s been a big week for the Grotjahn Lab—our very first graduate student, @mmedina300kv.bsky.social, successfully defended her PhD thesis! 🎉 So proud of everything she’s accomplished and grateful for the light she’s brought to our lab from day one ☀️⚡

Tying self-worth to academic success, only to ask years later, "who am I, really?" Grateful @frezzalab.bsky.social took the time to capture this tension so beautifully in this article.

So excited for this work to be out!! Thanks to @attychang.bsky.social, @hamid13r.bsky.social, blue sky less Daniel Fuentes, @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social and @tomo.science!!!

🚨New preprint!🚨 #teamtomo We expanded Surface Morphometrics to quantify membrane thickness from cryo-ET—revealing local variation across organelles. Led by the lab’s first grad student, @mmedina300kv.bsky.social (defending Monday! 🍾) w/ @attychang.bsky.social @hamid13r.bsky.social & @tomo.science

Feeling so honored and thrilled to see our work make it to the cover—what a milestone in my career! I can’t wait to receive the poster from JCB🤩

@jcb.org's April issue is here! rupress.org/jcb/issue/22... The cover shows a segmented model of cytoplasmic #ribosomes associated with mitochondrial membrane in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell. From Ya-Ting Chang, @nanigrotjahn.bsky.social and colleagues (doi.org/10.1083/jcb....)

I know print journals aren't exactly on everyone's radar these days, but we’re still geeking out that our latest study—led by the brilliant @attychang.bsky.social—landed the cover of the April issue of JCB! 🤩 @zidlab.bsky.social @tomo.science @hamid13r.bsky.social