Dear colleagues:
We would like to bring to your attention the following opening
available immediately.
Fully-funded Ph.D. position at the School of Biological Sciences, University
of Auckland
We are seeking a highly motivated candidate to carry out structure/function
studies of component proteins of anti-feeding prophage (Afp), a bacteriophage
tail-like particle using high-resolution cryo-EM and x-ray crystallography. The
project is in collaboration with Dr. Mark Hurst of NZ Ag Research and funded by
a grant from Ministry of Business, innovation and Employment from the NZ govt.
The bacteria derived anti-feeding prophage (Afp) is a unique DNA-free entity
likened to a cell-free type 6 secretion system. It is pathogenic to a
biological pest, the New Zealand pasture (grass grub) by transporting and
delivering a protein toxin to the grass grub larvae. In order to assess the
mechanism of Afp assembly and target cell interaction, using structural,
molecular and cell biology, we seek to determine and demonstrate the mechanism
of Afp cell targeting and toxin delivery to the insect grass grub host. [(1)
Hurst et al. (2004) J. Bacteriol. 186:5116-5128; 2) Hurst et al. (2007) FEMS
Microbiol. Lett. 270:42-48), (3) Heymann, J. B., Bartho, J. D., Rybakova, D. et
al. (2013) J. Biol. Chem. 288: 25276-25284. (4) Rybakova, D., Radjainia, M., et
al. (2013) Mol. Microbiol. 89: 702-714. (5) Rybakova, D., Schramm, P., Mitra,
A. K., and Hurst, M. R. H. (2015). Mol. Microbiol. 96:815-826)]
The selected candidate. will have a background in biophysics or protein
structural biochemistry with high GPA in M. Sc. around 8 (out of 10).
Experience in Structural Biology and transmission electron microscopy will be
preferred but not essential. Familiarity with recombinant protein expression
and/or X-ray crystallography will be a plus.
The cryo-EM facility at UoA is the premier such facility at New Zealand. We
have a FEI T120 (cryo) for routine work and a TF20 equipped with GIF for
high-resolution cryo-EM and cryo-tomography work. We have direct access to the
Titan Krios facilities at Monash University Australia and to a similar facility
at Wollongong University through a strategic research linkage. The computing
facility within our laboratory and the access to computing cluster at UoA is
sufficient for large-volume image processing. We also have access to an
International class X-ray crystallography facility in house and ready access to
the Australian Synchrotron facility..
University of Auckland has a vibrant research environment and is the premier
such Institute in New Zealand. Auckland is a multi-ethnic cosmopolitan city
consistently ranked amongst the top ten cities in the world. New Zealand is
well known for its scenic beauty.
For further information, please send a current CV and contact Dr.
Alok K. Mitra, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland,
New Zealand. Tel: +64 09 923 8162, E.mail:
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> or Dr. Mark H. Hurst,
Forage Science AgReserach Lincoln, New Zealand Tel +64 03 3259919, E-mail:
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
Kind regards
Alok K. Mitra, Ph.D.
University of Auckland
School of Biological Sciences
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