We investigate the mechanisms of axonal injury using both mouse and in vitro models. In addition to conventional microscopy techniques, we employ super-resolution microscopy methods, including stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and stimulated emission depletion (STED), to gain molecular-scale insights into basic and translational neurobiological processes. Another major focus of our group is the development of cutting-edge protein engineering tools, which rely on the selective incorporation of unnatural amino acids and bioorthogonal click chemistry (Nikić-Spiegel, ChemBioChem, 2020; Nikić et al., Angewandte Chemie 2014; Nikić et al., Nature Protocols 2015; Nikić et al., Angewandte Chemie 2016). Unnatural amino acids provide us with a unique opportunity to introduce new properties and functional groups, such as dyes, affinity tags for proteomics, post-translation modifications, cross-linkers, optogenetic probes, into proteins at the single-cell and even whole-organism level. Building on my previous work using this technology for protein labeling and advanced microscopy in conventional cell lines (Nikić & Lemke, Current Opinion in Chemical Biology 2016), our group stands at the forefront of applying this approach to protein engineering and microscopy in more complex biological systems, such as primary neurons (Arsić et al., Nature Communications 2022; Stajković et al., Journal of Cell Science 2023; Taylor et al., Wiley Analytical Science 2023).
