Göttingen Graduate Center for Neurosciences, Biophysics, and Molecular Biosciences

Möbius, Wiebke, Dr.*

PhD in Biology


  • 1998 PhD in Biology, University of Bonn, Germany
  • 1999-2003 Postdoc with H. Geuze and J.W. Slot, Utrecht, The Netherlands
  • 2003-2004 Postdoc with G. Griffith and J. Krijnse-Locker, EMBL, University of Heidelberg, Germany
  • 2004-2021 Research Associate at the Department of Neurogenetics and Head of the Electron Microscopy Group at the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine Göttingen, Germany
  • since 2022 Research Associate at the Department of Neurogenetics and Head of the Electron Microscopy Group at the Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, City Campus, Göttingen, Germany



Major Research Interests

Cell Biology of the Myelinating Glia, Axo-Glia Interaction, Myelin Biogenesis, Turnover and Maintenance, Mitochondrial Biology in Dysmyelinating Disease Models

By using mouse genetics we investigate the cell biology and functions of the myelinating glia cells in the central as well as in the peripheral nervous system. The main research interest of the group is focusing on the mechanisms of myelin biogenesis, maintenance and turnover. By electron microscopy, one astonishing feature of myelin is the appearance as a solid and rather non-dynamic structure. Also, myelin proteins are known to turn over very slowly. To address this question, we applied inducible knock-out strategies in the adult mouse, we can observe spatial and temporal changes in the myelin ultrastructure. Apart from this we study myelin disease such as multiple sclerosis and investigated the normal appearing white matter (NAWM). At present, our focus is mainly on a mouse model of spastic paraplegia type 2 (SPG2) to investigate by which mechanism a genetic defect in the myelinating glia, the lack of the major myelin protein PLP, affects axonal function causing axonal swellings and ultimately neurodegeneration.

To understand these and other myelin-related structural processes better, we developed protocols in electron microscopy to visualize structural features in normal and diseased state. We apply immunoelectron microscopy to study protein distribution at high spatial resolution as well as cryopreparation methods for optimized ultrastructural preservation of myelin morphology. With the help of a focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and the application of serial block-face imaging we are able to add the third dimension to the ultrastructural analysis which is indispensable for the understanding of complex tissues or local connectivity.





Homepage Department/Research Group

https://www.mpinat.mpg.de/de/em-moebius



Selected Recent Publications


  • Van den Bosch A, Hümmert S, Steyer AM, Ruhwedel T, Hamann J, Smolders J, Nave KA, Stadelmann C, Maarten K, Möbius W, Huitinga I. Ultrastructural axon-myelin unit alterations in MS correlate with inflammation. Annals of Neurology 2023 Ann Neurol 93:856–870
  • Steyer AM, Buscham TJ, Lorenz C, Hümmert S, Eichel-Vogel MA, Schadt LC, Edgar JM, Köster S, Möbius W, Nave KA, Werner HB. Focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy links pathological myelin outfoldings to axonal changes in mice lacking Plp1 or Mag. Glia 2022 Nov 10. doi: 10.1002/glia.24290
  • Meschkat M., Steyer A.M., Weil M.-T., Kusch K., Jahn O., Piepkorn L., Agüi-Gonzalez P., Phan N.T.N., Ruhwedel T., Sadowski B., Rizzoli S.O., Werner H.B., Ehrenreich H., Nave K.A. and Möbius W. (2022). White matter integrity requires continuous myelin synthesis at the inner tongue. Nature Comm. 2022 Mar 4;13(1):1163. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28720-y.
  • Steyer AM, Ruhwedel T, Nardis C, Werner HB, Nave K-A, Möbius W (2020): Pathology of myelinated axons in the PLP-deficient mouse model of spastic paraplegia type 2 revealed by volume imaging using focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy. J Struc Biol, 2020 May 1;210(2):107492. doi: 10.1016/j.jsb.2020.107492.
  • Weil MT, Ruhwedel T, Meschkat M, Sadowski B, Möbius W. Transmission Electron Microscopy of Oligodendrocytes and Myelin. Methods Mol Biol, 2019;1936:343-375. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9072-6_20
  • Weil MT, Ruhwedel T, Meschkat M, Sadowski B, Möbius W (2019). Transmission Electron
    Microscopy of Oligodendrocytes and Myelin. Methods Mol Biol. 2019;1936:343-375.
    doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9072-6_20.
  • Steyer AM, Ruhwedel T, Möbius W. (2019) Biological Sample Preparation by High-pressure Freezing, Microwave-assisted Contrast Enhancement, and Minimal Resin Embedding for Volume Imaging. J Vis Exp. 2019 Mar 19;(145). doi: 10.3791/59156. PubMed PMID: 30958469
  • Steyer AM, Schertel SA, Nardis C, Möbius W. FIB-SEM of mouse nervous tissue: Fast and slow sample preparation (2019). Methods in Cell Biology, Volume 152, pp.1-21, ISSN 0091-679X, https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.mcb.2019.03.009
  • Möbius W, Posthuma G. (2018) Sugar and ice: Immunoelectron microscopy using cryosections according to the Tokuyasu method. Tissue Cell. 2019 Apr;57:90-102.
    doi: 10.1016/j.tice.2018.08.010. Epub 2018 Sep 3. Review. PubMed PMID: 30201442.
  • Stassart RM, Möbius W, Nave KA, Edgar JM. (2018) The Axon-Myelin Unit in Development and Degenerative Disease. Front Neurosci. 2018 Jul 11;12:467
  • Weil M-T, Heibeck S, Töpperwien M, tom Dieck S, Ruhwedel T, Salditt T, Rodicio MC, Morgan JR, Nave K-A, Möbius W and Werner HB. (2018) Axonal Ensheathment in the Nervous System of Lamprey: Implications for the Evolution of Myelinating Glia. Journal of Neuroscience 18 July 2018, 38 (29) 6586-6596
  • Weil, M-T, Ruhwedel, T, Möbius W, and Simons, M. (2017) Intracerebral injections and ultrastructural analysis of high-pressure frozen brain tissue. Curr. Protoc. Neurosci. 78:2.27.1-2.27.18. doi: 10.1002/cpns.22
  • Weil M-T, Möbius W, Winkler A, Ruhwedel T, Wrzos C, Romanelli E, Bennett JL, Enz L, Goebels N, Nave KA, Kerschensteiner M, Schaeren-Wiemers N, Stadelmann C, Simons M (2016) Loss of Myelin Basic Protein Function Triggers Myelin Breakdown in Models of Demyelinating Diseases. Cell Rep. Jul 12;16(2):314-22.
  • Möbius W, Nave KA, Werner HB (2016) Electron microscopy of myelin: Structure preservation by high-pressure freezing. Brain Res. 2016 Jun 15;1641(Pt A):92-100. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.02.027. Review. PubMed PMID: 26920467.
  • Möbius W (2016) Immunoelectron Microscopy: High-Resolution Immunocytochemistry. In: Ralph A Bradshaw and Philip D Stahl (Editors-in-Chief), Encyclopedia of Cell Biology, Vol 2, Waltham, MA: Academic Press, 2016, pp. 32-43
  • Bartels M, Krenkel M, Cloetens P, Möbius W, Salditt T (2015) Myelinated mouse nerves
    studied by X-ray phase contrast zoom tomography. J Struct Biol. 2015 Dec;192(3):561-8
    Nov;184(2):355-60.
  • Snaidero N, Möbius W, Czopka T, Hekking LH, Mathisen C, Verkleij D, Goebbels S, Edgar J, Merkler D, Lyons DA, Nave KA, Simons M: Myelin membrane wrapping of CNS axons by PI(3,4,5)P3-dependent polarized growth at the inner tongue. Cell 2014 Jan 16;156(1-2):277-90
  • Schertel A, Snaidero N, Han H-M, Ruhwedel T, Laue M, Grabenbauer G, Möbius W (2013): Cryo FIB-SEM: volume imaging of cellular ultrastructure in native frozen specimens. J Struc Biol 2013 Nov;184(2):355-60.
  • Viganò F, Möbius W, Götz M, Dimou L. (2013): Transplantation reveals regional
    differences in oligodendrocyte differentiation in the adult brain. Nat Neurosci. Oct;16(10):1370-2.
  • Fünfschilling U, Supplie LM, Mahad D, Boretius S, Saab AS, EdgarJ, Brinkmann BG, Kassmann CM, Tzvetanova ID, Möbius W, Diaz F, Meijer D, Suter U, Hamprecht B, Sereda MW, Moraes CT, Frahm J, Goebbels S, Nave K-A (2012): Glycolytic oligodendrocytes maintain myelin and long-term axonal integrity. Nature 485: 517-521
  • Möbius W, Cooper B, Kaufmann WA, Imig C, Ruhwedel T, Snaidero N, Saab AS, and Varoqueaux F (2010): Electron microscopy of the mouse central nervous system. Methods in Cell Biology Vol. 96:475-512.
  • Möbius, W (2009): Cryopreparation of biological specimens for immunoelectron microscopy. Invited review. Annals Anat. 191: 231-247
  • Möbius W, Patzig J, Nave K-A, Werner H (2008): Review: Phylogeny of proteolipid proteins: divergence, constraints, and the evolution of novel functions in myelination and neuroprotection. Neuron Glia Biology 4 (2): 111-127