
Cell Biology of Neurons, Muscle and Glia; Neurological Disorders; and Synapses and Circuits
Dr. Jennifer Petersen is a neuroscientist specializing in transmission electron microscopy. Her fascination with EM and neuronal cell biology began as an undergraduate student when she worked in Pennsylvania State University’s EM core facility while obtaining her bachelor’s degree. She then trained with Dr. Thomas Reese in the Structural Cell Biology Section at NINDS which led her to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the Oregon Health & Science University’s Neuroscience Graduate Program. As a graduate student, Jennifer used fluorescent live-cell imaging to study selective transport of dendritic and axonal proteins in cultured neurons and the development of the axonal initial segment. She then embarked on a postdoc at the University of Bordeaux, France, where she combined her EM and light microscopy background to study the trafficking and localization of synaptic glutamate receptors. Upon returning to the NIH in 2017, Jennifer diversified her experience base by joining the Section on Integrative Biophysics in NICHD and focused on using EM to see dynamic lipid membrane events, such as exocytosis and endocytosis, and to study viruses and extracellular vesicles. In 2023, Jennifer joined the laboratory of Dr. Derek Narendra in NINDS where she investigates the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases. She was appointed Staff Scientist in 2024, and in 2025 took on the role of Acting-Director of the NINDS Electron Microscopy Core Facility.
Electron Microscopy (EM) Core Facility Background
The Electron Microscopy (EM) Core Facility facilitates intramural NINDS investigators with the opportunity to use electron microscopic techniques in their research programs. The staff provide assistance in all aspects of electron microscopy including project planning, specimen preparation and training.
Scope of the Core Facility
The Facility is dedicated to providing the scientific community within NINDS equipment for transmission electron microscopy . The Facility also offers expertise in the use and application of microscopy to a wide variety of scientific problems. Highly competent technical staff provide all users access to routine as well as customized protocols involving fixation, embedding, sectioning and examination of samples. Pre- and Post-embed labeling procedures are available.
Core Facility Equipment
- JEOL 1200 EXII Transmission Electron Microscope
- JEOL 200 CX Transmission Electron Microscope
Selected Publications
- Lin HP, Petersen JD, Gilsrud AJ, Madruga A, D'Silva TM, Huang X, Shammas MK, Randolph NP, Johnson KR, Li Y, et al: DELE1 maintains muscle proteostasis to promote growth and survival in mitochondrial myopathy. EMBO J 2024, 43:5548-5585.
- Pfeiffer A, Bandara G, Petersen JD, Falduto GH, Zimmerberg J, Metcalfe DD, Olivera A: Activation of the receptor KIT induces the secretion of exosome-like small extracellular vesicles. J Extracell Biol 2024, 3:e139.
- Petersen JD, Mekhedov E, Kaur S, Roberts DD, Zimmerberg J: Endothelial cells release microvesicles that harbour multivesicular bodies and secrete exosomes. Journal of Extracellular Biology 2023, 2:e79.
- Pfeiffer A, Petersen JD, Falduto GH, Anderson DE, Zimmerberg J, Metcalfe DD, Olivera A: Selective immunocapture reveals neoplastic human mast cells secrete distinct microvesicle- and exosome-like populations of KIT-containing extracellular vesicles. J Extracell Vesicles 2022, 11:e12272.
- Petersen JD, Lu J, Fitzgerald W, Zhou F, Blank PS, Matthies D, Zimmerberg J: Unique Aggregation of Retroviral Particles Pseudotyped with the Delta Variant SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. Viruses 2022, 14.
- Kaur S, Saldana AC, Elkahloun AG, Petersen JD, Arakelyan A, Singh SP, Jenkins LM, Kuo B, Reginauld B, Jordan DG, et al: CD47 interactions with exportin-1 limit the targeting of m(7)G-modified RNAs to extracellular vesicles. J Cell Commun Signal 2022, 16:397-419.
- Kegawa Y, Petersen JD, Gordon L, Zimmerberg J: Structural changes of Plasmodium falciparum during early development in the human erythrocyte revealed by correlative live-cell imaging and serial section electron microscopy. Biophysical Journal 2022, 121:129-129.
- Bakr M, Jullie D, Krapivkina J, Paget-Blanc V, Bouit L, Petersen JD, Retailleau N, Breillat C, Herzog E, Choquet D, Perrais D: The vSNAREs VAMP2 and VAMP4 control recycling and intracellular sorting of post-synaptic receptors in neuronal dendrites. Cell Rep 2021, 36:109678.
- Kaur S, Elkahloun AG, Petersen JD, Arakelyan A, Livak F, Singh SP, Margolis L, Zimmerberg J, Roberts DD: CD63(+) and MHC Class I(+) Subsets of Extracellular Vesicles Produced by Wild-Type and CD47-Deficient Jurkat T Cells Have Divergent Functional Effects on Endothelial Cell Gene Expression. Biomedicines 2021, 9.
- Jain V, Shelby T, Patel T, Mekhedov E, Petersen JD, Zimmerberg J, Ranaweera A, Weliky DP, Dandawate P, Anant S, et al: A Bimodal Nanosensor for Probing Influenza Fusion Protein Activity Using Magnetic Relaxation. ACS Sens 2021, 6:1899-1909.
- Ma R, Lian T, Huang R, Renn JP, Petersen JD, Zimmerberg J, Duffy PE, Tolia NH: Structural basis for placental malaria mediated by Plasmodium falciparum VAR2CSA. Nat Microbiol 2021, 6:380-391.
- Chen CZ, Xu M, Pradhan M, Gorshkov K, Petersen JD, Straus MR, Zhu W, Shinn P, Guo H, Shen M, et al: Identifying SARS-CoV-2 Entry Inhibitors through Drug Repurposing Screens of SARS-S and MERS-S Pseudotyped Particles.ACS Pharmacol Transl Sci 2020, 3:1165-1175.
- Arakelyan A, Petersen JD, Blazkova J, Margolis L: Macrophage-derived HIV-1 carries bioactive TGF-beta. Sci Rep 2019, 9:19100.
- Hangen E, Cordelieres FP, Petersen JD, Choquet D, Coussen F: Neuronal Activity and Intracellular Calcium Levels Regulate Intracellular Transport of Newly Synthesized AMPAR. Cell Rep 2018, 24:1001-1012 e1003.
- Penn AC, Zhang CL, Georges F, Royer L, Breillat C, Hosy E, Petersen JD, Humeau Y, Choquet D: Hippocampal LTP and contextual learning require surface diffusion of AMPA receptors. Nature 2017, 549:384-388.
- Klaassen RV, Stroeder J, Coussen F, Hafner AS, Petersen JD, Renancio C, Schmitz LJ, Normand E, Lodder JC, Rotaru DC, et al: Shisa6 traps AMPA receptors at postsynaptic sites and prevents their desensitization during synaptic activity. Nat Commun 2016, 7:10682.
- Petersen JD, Kaech S, Banker G: Selective microtubule-based transport of dendritic membrane proteins arises in concert with axon specification. J Neurosci 2014, 34:4135-4147.
- Ewers H, Tada T, Petersen JD, Racz B, Sheng M, Choquet D: A Septin-Dependent Diffusion Barrier at Dendritic Spine Necks. PLoS One 2014, 9:e113916.
- Nair D, Hosy E, Petersen JD, Constals A, Giannone G, Choquet D, Sibarita JB: Super-resolution imaging reveals that AMPA receptors inside synapses are dynamically organized in nanodomains regulated by PSD95. J Neurosci 2013, 33:13204-13224.
- Lo KY, Kuzmin A, Unger SM, Petersen JD, Silverman MA: KIF1A is the primary anterograde motor protein required for the axonal transport of dense-core vesicles in cultured hippocampal neurons. Neurosci Lett 2011, 491:168-173.
- Chen X, Vinade L, Leapman RD, Petersen JD, Nakagawa T, Phillips TM, Sheng M, Reese TS: Mass of the postsynaptic density and enumeration of three key molecules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005, 102:11551-11556.
- Miyata M, Petersen JD: Spike structure at the interface between gliding Mycoplasma mobile cells and glass surfaces visualized by rapid-freeze-and-fracture electron microscopy. J Bacteriol 2004, 186:4382-4386.
- Petersen JD, Chen X, Vinade L, Dosemeci A, Lisman JE, Reese TS: Distribution of postsynaptic density (PSD)-95 and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II at the PSD. J Neurosci 2003, 23:11270-11278.
- Vinade L, Chang M, Schlief ML, Petersen JD, Reese TS, Tao-Cheng JH, Dosemeci A: Affinity purification of PSD-95-containing postsynaptic complexes. J Neurochem 2003, 87:1255-1261.
- Samuel AD, Petersen JD, Reese TS: Envelope structure of Synechococcus sp. WH8113, a nonflagellated swimming cyanobacterium. BMC Microbiol 2001, 1:4.
- Vinade L, Petersen JD, Do K, Dosemeci A, Reese TS: Activation of calpain may alter the postsynaptic density structure and modulate anchoring of NMDA receptors. Synapse 2001, 40:302-309.
- Dosemeci A, Reese TS, Petersen J, Tao-Cheng JH: A novel particulate form of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent [correction of Ca(2+)/CaMKII-dependent] protein kinase II in neurons. J Neurosci 2000, 20:3076-3084.
- Dosemeci A, Reese TS, Petersen JD, Choi C, Beushausen S: Localization of the linker domain of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1999, 263:657-662.