Laboratory of RNA Biology IBB PAS seeks a highly motivated Postdoc candidate who would like to join a mitochondrial research group working under the supervision of Dr Roman Szczesny.
Mitochondria are essential organelles found in almost all eukaryotic cells. Due to the organization of human mitochondrial DNA, the regulation of individual gene expression at the transcription level is limited. Despite the fact that most protein-coding mitochondrial genes are transcribed at the same rate, the levels of mature transcripts are different. Therefore, posttranscriptional processes appear to play a significant role in tuning mitochondrial mRNA (mt-mRNA) levels. Our research, as well as others, have identified the only known RNA degradation pathway in human mitochondria, which depends on a complex called degradosome. This complex comprises the RNA helicase SUV3 and polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) (Borowski et al. NAR, 2013). The degradosome pathway is primarily responsible for the decay of mitochondrial antisense RNA (Pietras et al., Nat Commun, 2018, Dhir et al., Nature, 2018). The mechanism of the human mitochondrial sense transcripts degradation is far from being understood.
The main objective of our proposed research is to identify regulators of human mitochondrial mRNA levels, particularly nuclear-encoded proteins involved in mt-mRNA decay. We will also investigate the potential role of posttranscriptional processing and translation in regulating mt-mRNA levels. To achieve these goals, we will employ a high-throughput siRNA-based screening of the human genome that enables silencing of the expression of 6,395 selected nuclear genes. Human cells will be transfected with the siRNA library and then examined for mt-mRNA levels and degradation using a fluorescent microscopy-based approach. The identified proteins will be further characterized using various molecular, biochemical, and transcriptomic methods.
The selected Candidate will be involved in a part of the project focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms responsible for eliminating malformed mitochondrial RNA. They will also be responsible for functional studies of mitochondrial RNA factor(s) identified through an siRNA screen. To carry out these research tasks, the Candidate will need to implement methods for long RNA reads. Depending on the Candidate’s experience and research interests, they may also be involved in identifying the mechanism that regulates the activity of the mitochondrial degradosome.
Visit our web to learn more about us: https://ibb.edu.pl/en/laboratory/roman-szczesny/
What we offer:
Position starts on: September 2024, but can be discussed.
Profile of a candidate:
* This period may be extended by a time of long-term (in excess of 90 days) documented sick leaves or rehabilitation leaves granted on account of being unfit to work. In addition, the period may be extended by the number of months of a child care leave granted pursuant to the Labour Code and in the case of women, by 18 months for every child born or adopted, whichever manner of accounting for career breaks is preferable (please contact us if applicable).
Deadline for application:
The application deadline is 08-07-2024. Selected candidates will be invited for interview (online). The competition may be extended until a suitable candidate who fulfils all requirements is found.
Don't wait; apply now.
Required documents:
How to apply:
Contact:
Any questions should be addressed to Roman Szczesny, rszczesny@ibb.waw.pl, and the "Postdoc mtRNA position" should be added to the message's subject.
Funding
National Science Center, Project number 2021/42/E/NZ2/00442, Project name: Identification and analysis of mechanisms controlling steady-state levels and quality of mitochondrial mRNA.
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