I2BC / Plateforme de résonance paramagnétique électronique (RPE)

Paramagnetic Electron Resonance (EPR) is the only method for the direct detection of paramagnetic species. The applications of EPR spectroscopy are diverse, such as quality control or molecular research in structural biology, materials and quantum physics. EPR allows the detection, identification and quantification of transition metals in paramagnetic redox states (Mn, Fe, Cu, Co, Ni, etc), radical species and triplet states. It is applicable to whole cell measurements and by spin-trap techniques it allows the detection of ROS. As examples, EPR experiments have produced very interesting results in the field of metalloprotein structures and their functioning by identifying reaction intermediates, such as for photosynthetic complexes, catalases/peroxidases, iron-sulphur proteins, NO-synthases, haemoproteins, etc. The EPR spectrometer fleet includes 4 X-band instruments, one of which is in pulsed mode. Measurements are generally made at the temperature of liquid helium, but one spectrometer is dedicated to measurements at ambient temperatures. Photokinetic measurements (t1/2 > 1 ms) are possible thanks to the possibility of illuminating the samples with a Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm. The platform also includes two spectrometers operating in the W-band allowing very high spectral resolution and pulsed ENDOR measurements, among others, allowing access to the environment of paramagnetic species.
This platform is part of the I2BC Biophysics Platforms cluster which includes EPR, FTIR, Raman Resonance, Electron Spectroscopy and Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy platforms.

• Mrs Tania TIBILETTI
• Sun UN
• Mr Alain BOUSSAC