Facilities

Anna Anielska-Mazur, PhD

Fluorescence Microscopy Facility

Position: Specialist

ORCID: 0000-0003-3679-7595

E-mail:

Service and research scope

The Fluorescence Microscopy Facility (FMF) provides equipment and expertise for cell imaging and quantitative image analysis. It functions as both a service and a collaborative research unit, enabling multidimensional imaging of cells, tissues and organisms across diverse taxonomic groups. The FMF operates on a fee-for-service basis and its staff offer consultation, assistance and collaboration.

Contact

Anna Anielska-Mazur (PhD), email: aam@ibb.waw.pl, tel.: +48 22 659 57 70

Service

Service Description

The Fluorescence Microscopy Facility offers access to and support for advanced light microscopy systems, including fluorescence confocal microscopes with differential interference contrast (DIC) modality. The systems are supported by professional software for image acquisition and quantitative image analysis.

Available services:

  • Brightfield microscopy (brightfield, DIC, polarization; Nikon E800)
  • Wide-field fluorescence imaging (Nikon E800, Olympus IX-70)
  • Confocal microscopy (Nikon EZ-C1, Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon, Abberior STEDYCON)
  • Spectral imaging (Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon)
  • Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM; Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon)
  • Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP; Nikon EZ-C1, Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon)
  • Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET; Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon)
  • Live-cell imaging (Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon, Abberior STEDYCON)
  • Super-resolution microscopy (STED; Abberior STEDYCON)
  • Image analysis (limited availability)

We provide support across a range of applications, from immunocytochemistry to live-cell imaging. Our expertise covers the visualization of labeled structures and organelles, including spectral unmixing of overlapping emission signals, as well as real-time studies of cellular responses and analysis of protein dynamics and interactions. Quantitative data can be analyzed using open-source software such as ImageJ/Fiji and commercial packages (Lucia, EZ-C1, NIS-Elements AR, Leica LAS X, Huygens).

Facility Fees and Rules

  • FMF operates on a fee-for-service basis and the rates for IBB users are available on the intranet (login required).
  • External clients are invited to request a quote by email.
  • Independent use requires signed acceptance of the facility’s terms and conditions (login required) and completion of FMF training. Training sessions for IBB users are scheduled on request by email.

Equipment

Our resources include light microscopes with dedicated software and sample preparation equipment. Full descriptions of these systems are available in the “Research equipment” section (login required).

Nikon E800 is an upright wide-field fluorescence microscope intended for thin samples labelled with fluorescent or histological stains (excitation: CoolLED pE-300 W; emission: a few filter cubes; monochrome and color cameras available; deconvolution possible in Huygens). Polarization and DIC enable label-free imaging of samples in transmitted-light mode.

Olympus IX-70 is an inverted wide-field fluorescence microscope, ideal for fluorescence (excitation: mercury lamp; emission: a few filter cubes; camera currently unavailable) or bright-field imaging of larger specimens such as seedlings in Petri dishes, for counting cells, protoplasts or organelles in a counting chamber, and for direct observation in culture medium. The microscope is equipped with a micromanipulator.

Nikon EZ-C1 is an inverted confocal microscope that has been in service for 20 years and remains in active use. Recommended for straightforward studies with up to three fluorophores, it works well with NIS-Elements deconvolution (wide-field fluorescence excitation: CoolLED pE-300 W, filter cubes, no camera; confocal imaging: 408, 488, 543 and 633 nm laser lines, filter cubes, 3 PMTs, transmitted light detector).

Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon is a state-of-the-art confocal microscope equipped with a white light laser and hybrid spectral detectors. It supports advanced techniques such as FRAP, FRET, laser micro-irradiation, spectral imaging, FLIM and FLIM-FRET. The system runs on LAS X software with the LIGHTNING module, 3D Viewer and AiviaGO, and is fitted with an Okolab environmental chamber for live-cell imaging.

STEDYCON Abberior is a compact confocal system with a two-channel super-resolution (STED) mode, built on a Nikon Ti-E inverted microscope (no wide-field fluorescence). It is designed for imaging beyond the diffraction limit (excitation: 405, 488, 561 and 640 nm; STED depletion: 775 nm). The system is integrated with Huygens software and equipped with an Okolab environmental chamber.

Leica RM2145

Leica RM2145 is a semi-motorized rotary microtome designed for sectioning paraffin-embedded specimens. Following immunocytochemical staining, thin preparations are ideally suited for observation using wide-field fluorescence microscopes.

Publications (IBB PAS affiliated)

ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., RACHOWKA J., POLKOWSKA-KOWALCZYK L., KRZYSZTOŃ M., CIEŚLAK D., MAZUR R., BUCHOLC M., RAKOWSKA J., TRZMIEL D., STACHULA P., OLECHOWSKI M., ŚWIEŻEWSKI S., DOBROWOLSKA G., KULIK A., SnRK2.4 and SnRK2.10 redundantly control developmental leaf senescence by sustaining ABA production and signaling. Plant Physiology (2026) 201(4): kiag502 (19 p.) DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiag502 IF 8.2 (2025)
FERENC-MROZEK A., WINIEWSKA-SZAJEWSKA M., NIEZNAŃSKA H., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., WARZECHA M., DZWOLAK W., ŁUKASZEWICZ M., Liquid–liquid phase separation and the formation of amyloid fibrils from DcpS scavenger enzymes. Scientific Reports (2026) 16: 24207 (17 p.) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-55504-x IF 4.9 (2025)
PANJA CH., WIESYK A., MASANTA S., NIEDŹWIECKA K., BARANOWSKA E., CYSEWSKI D., SIPKO M., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., MALINOWSKA A., KUCHARCZYK R., Profiling of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial AMPylome reveals a regulation of OXPHOS coupling through ATP synthase subunit delta. Journal of Proteome Research (2026) 25(8): 3965 - 3986 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.5c01273 IF 3.8 (2025)
GUTKOWSKA M., ZAJBT-ŁUCZNIEWSKA M., BUSZEWICZ D., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., LIPKO A., PĄCZKOWSKI C., SPÓLNIK G., SOJKA M., JAŹWIEC R., SAMBOROWSKA E., ŚWIEŻEWSKA E., HOFFMAN M., Rab geranylgeranyl transferase activity is required for proper sterol biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant and Cell Physiology (2026) 67(3): 346–366 DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcaf166 IF 4.7 (2025)
HOFFMAN-SOMMER M., PIŁKA N., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., NOWAKOWSKA J., KOZIERADZKA-KISZKURNO M., PĄCZKOWSKI C., JEMIOŁA-RZEMIŃSKA M.,STECZKIEWICZ K., DAGDAS Y., ŚWIEŻEWSKA E., The TRAPPC8/TRS85 subunit of the Arabidopsis TRAPPIII tethering complex regulates endoplasmic reticulum function and autophagy. Plant Physiology (2025) 197(3): kiaf042 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiaf042 IF 8.2 (2025)
CHARMANT O., GRUCHOTA J., ARNAIZ O., NOWAK K.P., MOISAN N., ZANGARELLI C., BETERMIER M., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., LEGROS V., CHEVREUX G., NOWAK J.K., DUHARCOURT S., The PIWI-interacting protein Gtsf1 controls the selective degradation of small RNAs in Paramecium. Nucleic Acids Research (2025) 53: gkae1055 (21 p.) DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae1055 IF 15.0 (2025)
RACHOWKA J., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., BUCHOLC M., STEPHENSON K., KULIK A., SnRK2.10 kinase differentially modulates expression of hub WRKY transcription factors genes under salinity and oxidative stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. Frontiers in Plant Science (2023) 14: 1135240 (21 p.) DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1135240 IF 4.1 (2023)
MAZUR R., MASZKOWSKA J., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., GARSTKA M., POLKOWSKA-KOWALCZYK L., CZAJKOWSKA A., ŻMIEŃKO A., DOBROWOLSKA G., KULIK A., The SnRK2.10 kinase mitigates the adverse effects of salinity by protecting photosynthetic machinery. Plant Physiology (2021) 187(4): 2785–2802 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab438 IF 8.005 (2021)
KULIK A., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., BUCHOLC M., KOEN E., SZYMANSKA K., ŻMIEŃKO A., KRZYWIŃSKA E., WAWER I., McLOUGHLIN F., RUSZKOWSKI D., FIGLEROWICZ M., TESTERINK C., SKŁODOWSKA A., WENDEHENNE D., DOBROWOLSKA G., SNF1-related protein kinases type 2 are involved in plant responses to cadium stress. Plant Physiology (2012) 160(2):868-883 IF 6.535
OLEJNIK K., BUCHOLC M., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., LIPKO A., KUJAWA M., MODZELAN M., AUGUSTYN A., KRASZEWSKA E., Arabidopsis thaliana Nudix hydrolase AtNUDT7 forms complexes with the regulatory RACK1A protein and Ggamma subunits of the signal transducing heterotrimeric G protein. Acta Biochimica Polonica (2011) 58(4): 609-616 IF 1.234
BUCHOLC M., CIESIELSKI A., GOCH G., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., KULIK A., KRZYWIŃSKA E., DOBROWOLSKA G., SNF1-related protein kinases 2 are negatively regulated by a plant-specific calcium sensor. Journal of Biological Chemistry (2011) 286(5): 3429-41 IF 5.328
WAWER I., BUCHOLC M., ASTIER J., ANIELSKA-MAZUR A., DAHAN J., KULIK A., WYSLOUCH-CIESZYNSKA A., ZARĘBA-KOZIOŁ M., KRZYWIŃSKA E., DADLEZ M., DOBROWOLSKA G., WENDEHENNE D., Regulation of Nicotiana tabacum osmotic stress-activated protein kinase and its cellular partner GAPDH by nitric oxide in response to salinity. Biochemical Journal (2010) 429(1): 73-83 IF 5,155

Team

Research equipment