Post-doc position available

From: Stewart Turley
Date: 17 May 2012 22:09

A  position is available now in the laboratory of Wim Hol, as described below.  Please respond to the address at the end of the advertisement.

Postdoctoral Position Available

Laboratory of Wim Hol

Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine

 University of Washington, Seattle, USA

 

Structural Biology of the type II secretion system

from pathogenic bacteria

 

            The projects in Wim Hol's protein crystallography group at the University of Washington are all focused on providing a basis for development of new therapeutics for tropical diseases. This particular available postdoctoral position is part of a major effort to unravel the architecture, mechanism of action and biogenesis of the "type II secretion system" (T2SS). 

 

The sophisticated T2SS occurs in many pathogenic bacteria.  This machinery is responsible for translocating a wide variety of proteins in a folded state from the periplasm across the outer membrane into the extracellular milieu. One of these proteins is cholera toxin which has been studied intensively in the Hol lab. The large T2SS consists of  multiple copies of  ~14 different proteins that span the inner and the outer membrane, and is associated with  a secretion ATPase in the cytoplasm which provides the energy for the secretion process. Another remarkable feature of the T2SS is a helical sub-assembly in the periplasm which is likely serving as a piston pushing cholera toxin and other exoproteins through a pore in the outer membrane.

 

            The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

(i) carry out protein expression and protein chemistry studies to obtain insight into protein-protein interactions involving the T2SS from pathogenic bacteria like Vibrio cholera, enterotoxigenic E. coli, and other bacteria;

(ii) purify and characterize multi-protein and multi-membrane protein complexes;

(iii) determine high resolution crystal structures of these complexes;

(iv) analyze these structures and combine this with other biochemical data;

(v) interact with several collaborating groups which are using other methods to obtain structural and functional insight into the mechanism of this sophisticated secretion system.

 

For more information regarding the laboratory of Wim Hol see the following website:

http://www.bmsc.washington.edu/WimHol/

 

For more information regarding the type II secretion system see our recent review:

Korotkov, K. V., Sandkvist, M. and Hol, W. G. J.

The type II secretion system: biogenesis, molecular architecture and mechanism.  Nature Reviews Microbiology 10, 336-351 (2012) 

 

 

START DATE:         Immediately

 

INSTITUTION:        Department of Biochemistry

                                    Biomolecular Structure Center

                                    School of Medicine

                                    Box 357742

                                    University of Washington

                                    Seattle, WA, 98195  USA

 

 

Requirements

Experience with membrane protein preparation, including molecular biology techniques, membrane protein characterization and protein crystallography.

 

Application

If you are interested, please send your CV, including a description of your experience and technical know-how, a list of publications and presentations, and names and email addresses of three references able to assess your scientific experience and capabilities to: wghol@u.washington.edu