Biophysical Society Bulletin | September 2024

Biophysicist in Profile

biological systems, and preferably toward systems that can be handled and imaged more easily in live cells. I therefore started to work on membrane proteins and started new collaborations: first within my institute, with Pierre Emman uel Milhiet, with whom we pioneered single-particle tracking experiments on tetraspanins; and then with Jean Philippe Pin across the street and Claus Seidel in Dusseldorf, Germany, with whom we published the first study of the structural dy namics of a G-protein coupled receptor using single-molecule FRET.” Now, Margeat is a group leader at the Centre de Biologie Structurale, where he started his career. In France, a research group typically involves several senior researchers with inde pendent, but interrelated research topics. He explains, “The group I co-supervise with Pierre Emmanuel Milhiet is called “Integrated biophysics of membranes” and comprises seven senior researchers. As the name says, we integrate several biophysical approaches toward the study of membranes and membrane proteins, such as single-molecule fluorescence of course, but also atomic force microscopy, NMR [nucle ar magnetic resonance], DNA origami, and cell biology. On my side, our most recent developments involve the use of unnatural amino acids, click chemistry, and multicolor FRET to study molecular systems of increasing complexity, such as metabotropic glutamate receptors heterodimers. In addition, in January 2024 I became director of the Centre de Biologie Structurale, which gathers around 10 research groups and 30 PIs [principal investigators] around structural biology, bio physics, and synthetic biology.” The biggest career challenge for Margeat has been to com pete at the highest level with research groups from other countries who, from his point of view, “seem to benefit from unlimited funding and the capacity to attract an extremely skilled workforce. To face this challenge and stay competitive, I chose first to identify a niche for which my skills could give

me a competitive edge. This was another argument to start working on membrane proteins, which require skills in sample preparation that were not necessarily mastered by the groups performing single-molecule fluorescence at the time, which were traditionally run by physicists. Second, I relied on what the French system has always promoted, i.e., collaborating and joining forces with other PIs in my institute and beyond.” In recent years, Margeat has been active in various leadership roles within BPS, including as a member of the Public Affairs Committee and Council. He says, “This has given me the opportunity to meet with my peers, who I admire scientifically and who share my vision of the importance of giving some of our time and energy to run scientific organizations such as BPS, as public service. The Biophysical Society allows us collectively to be stronger to promote our science, but also to carry a credible and impactful voice when talking to decision makers and the general public. In addition, as Chair of the newly created Committee on Sustainability, I find urgent and vital that we all think about some issues, like the way we do science and plan experiments, our topics of research, and the way we communicate and travel. I think we should try to align our professional practices with the objectives of sustainable development in general and take into account environmental issues in particular.” Outside of his research and service commitments, Margeat has in recent years developed a passion for astrophotography. He says, “I realized how easy it is to capture striking images of galaxies, star clusters, nebulae, or planets, with relatively lim ited equipment that you can have in your backyard—even if you live in a light-polluted area. The concepts and techniques of astrophotography are really connected to those I use every day in the lab, trying to image single molecules in my micro scopes: it is all about PSF [point spread function], signal to noise, and trying to catch the maximum number of photons!”

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September 2024

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