PhD position: Role of DNA PARylation in Epigenetic Gene Regulation (m/f/d)

Organisation/Company

International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz

Department

Institute of Molecular Biology

Research Field

Biological sciences

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Germany

Application Deadline

17 Apr 2024 – 12:00 (Europe/Berlin)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Thinking of doing your PhD in the Life Sciences? The International PhD Programme (IPP) Mainz is offering talented, young scientists the chance to work on cutting edge research projects within the open call on “Molecular Mechanisms in Genome Stability & Gene Regulation”. As an IPP PhD student, you will join a community of exceptional scientists working on diverse topics ranging from how organisms age or how our DNA is repaired, to how epigenetics regulates cellular identity or neural memory.

Activities and responsibilities

The research group of Christof Niehrs offers the following PhD project:

Poly-ADP-ribosylation (PARylation) is a widespread post-translational modification of proteins. In mammalian cells, PARylation is regarded as protein-specific modification. However, we recently discovered that DNA in mammalian cells is PARylated. in mouse embryonic stem cells, mouse heart and muscle, brain, thymus, liver, placenta, and human liver. Furthermore, the modification is reversible by PAR glycohydrolases.  We also discovered that DNA PARylation occurs on N1-deoxyadenosine, both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, N1-adenosine PARylation is a novel, reversible DNA modification in mammals (Musheev et al., 2022). This discovery raises many questions regarding the physiological role of DNA PARylation.

PhD project: Role of DNA PARylation in Epigenetic Gene Regulation

In this project, you will examine the role DNA PARylation in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). You will generate and characterize PARylation-defective mutant mESCs by a variety of assays, including standard molecular biology, CRISPR Cas9 gene editing, confocal microscopy as well as Next-Generation-Sequencing. You will learn to analyze these Big Data by bioinformatic analysis. Thereby you will analyze epigenetic profiles in mESCs, to understand the molecular networks involved. You will also characterize PARylation-defective PARP enzymes involving recombinant protein expression and in vitro DNA Parylation. 

You will work in a team of cell and molecular biologists and bioinformaticians. The successful candidate will have a strong background in Molecular-or Cell Biology.

If you are interested in this project, please select Niehrs (Nieh) as your group preference in the IPP application platform.

Qualification profile:

Are you an ambitious, young scientist looking to push the boundaries of research while interacting with colleagues from multiple disciplines and cultures? Then joining the IPP is your opportunity to give your scientific career a flying start!

All you need is:

• Master or equivalent
• Interactive personality & good command of English
• 2 letters of reference

We offer

• Exciting, interdisciplinary projects in a lively international environment, with English as our working language
• Advanced training in scientific techniques and professional skills
• Access to our state-of-the-art Core Facilities and their technical expertise
• Fully funded positions with financing until the completion of your thesis
• A lively community ofmore than 200 PhD students from 44 different countries

For more details on the projects offered and how to apply via our online form, please visit www.imb.de/phd .

The deadline for applications is 17 April 2024. Interviews will take place at IMB in Mainz on 1-3 July 2024.

Starting date: 1 August 2024 – 1 January 2025

Requirements

Research Field

Biological sciences

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Good

Research Field

Biological sciences

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

International PhD Programme (IPP)

Country

Germany

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://www.imb.de/phd

Contact

City

Mainz

Website

http://www.imb-mainz.de/PhD

Street

Ackermannweg 4

Postal Code

55128

STATUS: EXPIRED