Research
Francesca is interested in the organisation of cells at the micron scale, for instance into organelles, and how it emerges from physical principles. She researches how this organisation is altered in specialised cell types such as neurons, how it is adapted to changed local environments (such as in organisms that live in 'extreme' habitats), and how it is compromised in the context of disease (such as neurological disorders). To investigate these questions, she uses a range of cutting-edge fluorescence microscopy techniques as well as unique biological model systems.
Biography
Francesca van Tartwijk is currently a Research Associate in the Laser Analytics Group of the University of Cambridge. She obtained her PhD from the University of Cambridge (working in the Laser Analytics Group), focussing on the role of the RNA-binding protein FUS in axonal organisation and disease. She previously received a BA and MSci in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, and an MRes in Sensor Technologies and Applications as part of the EPSRC Sensor CDT programme at the University of Cambridge. She is also a Rokos Postdoctoral Research Associate at Queens' College, Cambridge.
Publications
van Tartwijk, F. W., Wunderlich, L. C. S., Mela, I., Makarchuk, S., Jakobs, M. A. H., Qamar, S., . . . Kaminski, C. F. (2024). Mutation of the ALS/FTD-associated RNA-binding protein FUS alters axonal cytoskeletal organisation. Journal of Neuroscience, e2148232024.
van Tartwijk, F. W. & Kaminski, C. F. Cellular organization, cytoplasmic properties, and spatiotemporal regulation of protein synthesis. Advanced Biology, 2101328.
Lu, M., van Tartwijk, F. W.*, Lin, J. Q.*, Nijenhuis, W., Parutto, P., Fantham, M., . . . Kaminski, C. F. (2020). The structure and global distribution of the endoplasmic reticulum network is actively regulated by lysosomes. Science Advances, 6(51), eabc7209. (*These authors contributed equally.)
Milde, S., van Tartwijk, F. W., Vilalta, A., Hornik, T. C., Dundee, J. M., Puigdellívol, M., & Brown, G. C. (2021). Inflammatory neuronal loss in the substantia nigra induced by systemic lipopolysaccharide is prevented by knockout of the P2Y6 receptor in mice. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 18(1), 225.
Lu, M., Ward, E.*, van Tartwijk, F. W.*, & Kaminski, C. F. (2021). Advances in the study of organelle interactions and their role in neurodegenerative diseases enabled by super-resolution microscopy. Neurobiology of Disease, 159, 105475. (*These authors contributed equally.)
Lin, J. Q.*, van Tartwijk, F. W.*, & Holt, C.E. (2021). Axonal mRNA translation in neurological disorders. RNA Biology, 18(7), 936-961. (*These authors contributed equally.)
Ströhl, F., Lin, J. Q., van Tartwijk, F. W., Wong, H. H.-W., Holt, C. E., & Kaminski, C. F. (2020). A protocol for single molecule translation imaging in Xenopus retinal ganglion cells. In N. Yamamoto & Y. Okada (Eds.), Single Molecule Microscopy (1 ed.): Springer US.
Opstad, I.S., Ströhl, F., Fantham, M., Hockings, C., Vanderpoorten, O., van Tartwijk, F.W., … Kaminski, C.F. (2020). A waveguide imaging platform for live‐cell TIRF imaging of neurons over large fields of view. Journal of Biophotonics, e201960222.
Shigeoka, T., Koppers, M., Wong, H. H., Lin, J. Q., Cagnetta, R., Dwivedy, A., de Freitas Nascimento, J., van Tartwijk, F. W., … Holt, C. E. (2019). On-site ribosome remodeling by locally synthesized ribosomal proteins in axons. Cell Reports, 29(11), 3605–3619.e10.