Molecular Cell Biology

The research group of Prof. Dr. Ida J. van der Klei performs molecular cell biology research on cell organelles. We use human cell lines and yeast as models. We mainly focus on peroxisomes, but we also study mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum and vacuoles.

Peroxisomes are very important cell organelles that occur in all eukaryotes. Their importance is stressed by the fact that peroxisome dysfunction in man is lethal. The organelles play important roles in hydrogen peroxide metabolism and lipid metabolism. However, dependent on the organism and developmental stage, a large number of additional metabolic and non-metabolic functions can occur in peroxisomes.

The research is multi-disciplinary, combining molecular, biochemical and physiological approaches, together with the use of various microscopy techniques such as electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy