Göttinger Graduiertenzentrum für Neurowissenschaften, Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften

Jakobs, Stefan, Prof. Dr.

Professor of High Resolution Microscopy


  • Since 2024 Professor (W3) of High Resolution Microscopy, University Medical Center, Clinic of Neurology, Göttingen
  • Since 2021 - Head of Göttingen Location, Fraunhofer Institute for ITMP TNM (Translational
    Medicine and Pharmacology - Translational Neuroinflammation and Automated Microscopy)
  • 2010 – 2023 Professor (W2) of High Resolution Microscopy of the Cell, University Medical Center, Clinic of Neurology, Göttingen
  • Since 2005 - Head of Research Group “Mitochondrial Structure and Dynamics”, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Department of NanoBiophotonics, Göttingen
  • 1999 - 2005 Postdoc (MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, Laboratory of S.W. Hell)
  • 1999 Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Department of Plant Genetics, with Prof. Dr. Klaus Palme and Prof. Dr. Jeff Schell
  • 1995 – 1999 Dissertation, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne and and John-Innes-Centre in Norwich, with Prof. Dr. Klaus Palme
  • 1995 Diploma, University of Kaiserslautern, “Biology and Biochemistry”
  • 1990 – 1995 Study of “Biology and Biochemistry”, University of Kaiserslautern and University of Manchester, Institute of Science and Technology, UK




Major Research Interests

Our research aims to understand how mitochondria, the cell’s power plants, are organized and function at the nanoscale. Mitochondria are essential for cell health, and their malfunction is linked to many severe diseases, such as neurodegenerative diseases, cardiomyopathies, and cancer. We study how mitochondrial structure and behavior change in healthy versus stressed cells, and which molecular mechanisms shape their dynamic architecture.
A key focus of our work is mitochondrial nucleoids, small DNA–protein assemblies that package and regulate the mitochondrial genome, which encodes 13 essential proteins in human cells. By uncovering how nucleoids are structured and controlled, we seek to better understand how mitochondria maintain and express their genetic information.
To pursue these questions, we combine molecular biology and biochemistry with cutting-edge imaging approaches, including electron microscopy and advanced fluorescence microscopy. In particular, we use super-resolution techniques such as STED and MINFLUX microscopy, which allows us to track proteins and cellular structures with exceptional precision.
Beyond mitochondria, we also develop new MINFLUX-based methods to follow individual proteins and protein complexes in real time and to study dynamic processes such as protein folding. Through this work, we aim to make nanoscale biology visible and measurable in living cells.


Homepage Department/Research Group

https://www.RSFP.de



Selected Recent Publications


  • Stoldt S., Maass F., Weber M., Dennerlein S., Ilgen P., Gaertner J., Canfes A., Schweighofer S. V., Jans D. C., Rehling P., Jakobs S. (2025): "Super-resolution microscopy of mitochondrial mRNAs" Nat Commun 16 (6391)

  • Lange F., Ratz M., Dohrke J.-N., Le Vasseur M., Wenzel D., Ilgen P., Riedel D., Jakobs S. (2025): "In-situ architecture of the human prohibitin complex" Nat Cell Biol 27, 633–640

  • Sahl S. J., Matthias J., Inamdar K., Weber M., Khan T. A., Brüser C., Jakobs S., Becker S., Griesinger C., Broichhagen J., Hell S. W.: "Direct optical measurement of intramolecular distances with angstrom precision" Science 386 (6718), 180-187

  • Schweighofer S. V., Jans D. C., Keller-Findeisen J., Folmeg A., Bates M., Jakobs S.* (2024): “Endogenous BAX and BAK form mosaic rings of variable size and composition on apoptotic mitochondria” Cell Death Differ 31, 469-478 (*corresponding author)

  • Ostersehlt L. M., Jans D. C., Wittek A., Keller-Findeisen J., Inamdar K., Sahl S.J., Hell S. W., Jakobs S. (2022): "DNA-PAINT MINFLUX nanoscopy" Nat Methods 19, 1072-1075

  • Brüser C., Keller-Findeisen J., Jakobs S. (2021): "The TFAM-to-mtDNA ratio defines inner-cellular nucleoid populations with distinct activity levels" Cell Rep 37, e110000

  • Stephan T., Brüser C., Deckers M., Steyer A. M., Balzarotti F., Barbot M., Behr T. S., Heim G., Hübner W., Ilgen P., Lange F., Pacheu‐Grau D., Pape J. K., Stoldt S., Huser T., Hell S. W., Möbius W., Rehling P., Riedel D., Jakobs S. (2020): "MICOS assembly controls mitochondrial inner membrane remodeling and crista junction redistribution to mediate cristae formation" EMBO J 39, e104105

  • Stephan T., Roesch A., Riedel D., Jakobs S. (2019): "Live-cell STED nanoscopy of mitochondrial cristae" Sci Rep 9, 12419

  • Stoldt S., Wenzel D., Kehrein K., Riedel D., Ott M., Jakobs S. (2018): “Spatial orchestration of mitochondrial translation and OXPHOS complex assembly” Nat Cell Biol 20, 528–534

  • Große L., Wurm C. A., Brüser C., Neumann D., Jans D. C., Jakobs S. (2016): “Bax assembles into large ring-like structures remodeling the mitochondrial outer membrane in apoptosis” EMBO J 35 (4), 402-413