ZML seminar with Volker Kiessling: "SNARE-mediated membrane fusion: What about the lipids?" on October 5th

SNARE-mediated membrane fusion: What about the lipids?

ZML Seminar with Volker Kiessling, Ph.D. | 5 October 2026, 10:30 AM | BioInnovationsZentrum Dresden (BIOZ), Tatzberg 47, 01307 Dresden | Seminar Room 1, 1st floor

The ZML is pleased to invite you to a seminar by Volker Kiessling, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Research at the Tamm Lab, University of Virginia.

Abstract

The story of regulated exocytosis has traditionally been dominated by protein actors. Decades of structural and functional research have provided a detailed picture of the SNARE complex, Munc13/CAPS-mediated priming, and synaptotagmin-dependent Ca²⁺ triggering. Yet the lipid bilayer in which these proteins operate is often treated as a passive substrate.

In his talk, Volker Kiessling will explore what lipids contribute to membrane fusion — from fusion efficiency and kinetics to Ca²⁺ triggering and fusion pore expansion.

His research combines reconstituted single-vesicle fusion assays on asymmetric planar supported membranes with advanced imaging and structural approaches, including TIRF microscopy, site-directed fluorescence interference contrast microscopy (sdFLIC), fluorescence lifetime imaging, and cryo-EM. These deliberately simplified model systems make it possible to disentangle the contributions of individual lipid properties to distinct steps of the fusion pathway.

A particular focus will be on the relevance of these mechanisms for insulin release from pancreatic β-cells. The findings point to a reciprocal relationship between lipids and proteins, suggesting that the physical properties of the membrane are not merely a passive environment but an active component of the fusion machinery.

About the speaker

Volker Kiessling, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Research at the Tamm Lab, University of Virginia. His research focuses, among other topics, on the fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane and on the molecular and biophysical mechanisms underlying SNARE-mediated membrane fusion. https://med.virginia.edu/tamm-lab/people/volker-kiessling-ph-d/