Göttinger Graduiertenzentrum für Neurowissenschaften, Biophysik und Molekulare Biowissenschaften

Möbius, Wiebke, Dr.*

PhD in Biology


  • 1998 PhD in Biology, University of Bonn, Germany
  • 1999-2003 Postdoc with H. Geuze and J.W. Slot, Utrecht, The Netherlands
  • 2003-2004 Postdoc with G. Griffith and J. Krijnse-Locker, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany
  • 2004-2021 Research Associate at the Department of Neurogenetics and Head of the Electron Microscopy Group at the Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine Göttingen, Germany
  • since 2022 Research Associate at the Department of Neurogenetics and Head of the Electron Microscopy Group at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany



Major Research Interests
Cell Biology of the Myelinating Glia, Axo-Glia Interaction, Myelin Biogenesis, Turnover and Maintenance, Mitochondrial Biology in Dysmyelinating Disease Models
By using mouse genetics we investigate the cell biology and functions of the myelinating glia cells in the central as well as in the peripheral nervous system. The main research interest of the group is focusing on the mechanisms of myelin biogenesis, maintenance and turnover. By electron microscopy, one astonishing feature of myelin is the appearance as a solid and rather non-dynamic structure. Also, myelin proteins are known to turn over very slowly. To address this question, we applied inducible knock-out strategies in the adult mouse, we can observe spatial and temporal changes in the myelin ultrastructure. Apart from this we study myelin disease such as multiple sclerosis and investigated the normal appearing white matter (NAWM). At present, our focus is mainly on a mouse model of spastic paraplegia type 2 (SPG2) to investigate by which mechanism a genetic defect in the myelinating glia, the lack of the major myelin protein PLP, affects axonal function causing axonal swellings and ultimately neurodegeneration.
To understand these and other myelin-related structural processes better, we developed protocols in electron microscopy to visualize structural features in normal and diseased state. We apply immunoelectron microscopy to study protein distribution at high spatial resolution as well as cryopreparation methods for optimized ultrastructural preservation of myelin morphology. With the help of a focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and the application of serial block-face imaging we are able to add the third dimension to the ultrastructural analysis which is indispensable for the understanding of complex tissues or local connectivity.

Homepage Department/Research Group
https://www.mpinat.mpg.de/de/em-moebius

ORCID: 0000-0002-2902-7165