Biography
Group Page: https://www.nat.vu.nl/~erwinp/index.html
Erwin Peterman received his PhD from the VU in 1998. After a postdoc with Dr. W.E. Moerner at UC San Diego and at. Stanford. In 2000, he returned to the VU to start his own group. He is recipient of prestigious personal grants (NWO Vidi, Vici, ERC AdG). Since 2013 he is full professor Physics of Living Systems. He has been director of the BSc and MSc programs Medical Natural Sciences, and of LaserLaB Amsterdam, as well as head of our department.
Research description
In my group we combine physics, biology and chemistry, crossing disciplinary boundaries. We develop and apply new optical methods at the single-molecule level that allow new viewpoints on the molecules of life. We focus on:
• Chromosomes, DNA and DNA-binding proteins. Together with Gijs Wuite we have pioneered the combination of optical tweezers, single-molecule fluorescence microscopy and microfluidics. We have applied this approach to DNA and chromosomes: mechanics, repair and organization. In addition, we have developed acoustic force spectroscopy (AFS), a high throughput method making use of ultrasound. The technology we developed has been the basis of LUMICKS b.v..
• Motor proteins and intracellular transport. We apply single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to intracellular transport in vivo. We focus on intraflagellar transport in the chemosensory cilia of C. elegans as a model system. We have developed a unique set of approaches (transgenic animals, microscopy & image analysis) to track individual motors in live worms. This approach, has resulted in important new insights in motor cooperation and the connection between intracellular transport and sensory function.
Selected publications
- Bruggeman, C.W., G.H. Haasnoot, N. Danné, J. van Krugten, and E.J.G. Peterman (2022) “Differentiated dynamic response in C. elegans chemosensory cilia” Cell Reports 41(2) 111471.
- Meijering, A.E.C., K. Sarlos, C.F. Nielsen, H. Witt, J. Harju, E. Kerklingh, G.H. Haasnoot, A.H. Bizard, I. Heller, C.P. Broedersz, Y. Liu, E.J.G. Peterman, I.D. Hickson and G.J.L. Wuite (2022) “Nonlinear mechanics of human mitotic chromosomes” Nature 605(7910) 545-+.
- Zhang, Z.Q., N. Danné, B. Meddens, I. Heller, and E.J.G. Peterman (2021) “Direct imaging of intraflagellar-transport turnarounds reveals that motors detach, diffuse, and reattach to opposite-direction trains.” PNAS USA 118(45): e2115089118.
- King, G.A., F. Burla, E.J.G. Peterman, and G.J.L. Wuite (2019) “Supercoiling DNA Optically” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 116(52): 26534-26539.
- Sitters, G., D. Kamsma, G. Thalhammer, M. Ritsch-Marte, E. J. G. Peterman and G. J. L. Wuite (2015). "Acoustic Force Spectroscopy." Nature Methods 12(1): 47-50.
- Prevo, B., P. Mangeol, F. Oswald, J. M. Scholey and E. J. G. Peterman (2015). "Functional Differentiation of Cooperating Kinesin-2 Motors Orchestrates Cargo Import and Transport in C. Elegans Cilia." Nature Cell Biology 17(12): 1536-1545.
- van Mameren, J., M. Modesti, R. Kanaar, C. Wyman, E. J. G. Peterman and G. J. L. Wuite (2009). "Counting Rad51 Proteins Disassembling from Nucleoprotein Filaments under Tension." Nature 457(7230): 745-748.
For a complete list see Erwin’s Google Scholar page
