A fully funded Postdoc position is available in the lab Structural & Molecular Microbiology at VIBVrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, to work on an FWO project studying the nucleation, cross-reactivity, and structure of bacterial functional amyloids (FA). Amyloids are aggregative protein or peptide fibrils best known for their implication in a range of neurodegenerativeThe self-assembly into cross--structured fibrils is however not restricted to the off-pathway protein misfolding events, but also found as the native conformation of a wide range ofpro- and eukaryotic proteins referred to asFAs produced by prokaryotes are often related to the persistence and virulence of bacterial ;Despite their importance, little is known regarding the FA ultrastructure and their mechanism of ;In this project we seek to determine the fiber structures and nucleation mechanisms of 3 selected FAs that contribute to the virulence of well-known humanBecause there is an increasing awareness that bacterial FAs can trigger the co-aggregation of pathologic amyloids, we will also study the cross-reactivity between our FA targets and two human disease amyloid model ;We aim to deepen the understanding of how bacteria handle these potentially cytotoxic proteins, inspire novel antibacterial strategies by targeting FA virulence factors and expose additional health risk factors associated with FA triggered amyloidosis of host ;The tasks will be production and purification of the amyloid proteins, biophysical characterization of their amyloidogenicity, determining cross-reactivity with pathological amyloids, and determining the fibril structures using cryo electron Profile Candidates should hold a PhD in Sciences ( Biochemistry, Chemistry, Physics or Biophysics) or Bio-engineeringCandidates should have a strong background in recombinant expression and purification of proteins, and have a keen interest in molecular assembly and structuralWere located at the Flanders Institute for BiotechnologyVIB () and Free University Brussels (VUB), on a green and lively campus in the center of Brussels, How to apply? Motivated candidates are asked to applyEnquiries should be addressed to . Starting date: August/September
#J-18808-Ljbffr