Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Experimentelle Biophysik

Arno Munhoven

My research explores the light-activation mechanisms of photoreceptors and their roles in vision and magnetic field detection. More specifically, the work dissects the photochemistry of animal opsins (GPCRs) in purified samples via spectroscopy, and investigates the physiological implications of opsin activation in live-cell recordings.

To address these questions, we express challenging membrane and soluble proteins in bacterial, yeast, insect, and mammalian systems, iterating between constructs designed and generated through PCR-based cloning. Sterile expression cultures are maintained at various scales, followed by functional assays in plate-reader formats and purification of target proteins (Affinity, IEX, SEC). Quality control is performed using a range of techniques including immunoblotting, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and chromatography (FPLC). Protocol optimization and troubleshooting ensure that functional protein samples are available for downstream experiments.

The work is supported by students and technicians, whose training and contributions I coordinate alongside maintaining instruments to ensure experiments run smoothly.