Positions
PhD position in Peroxisome Biogenesis and Proteostasis
We are looking for a new team member for lab here in Wuerzburg. If you are interested in using mass spectrometry to decipher peroxisomal import processes take a look here.
Open Master thesis position for the analysis of peroxisomal protein import complexes
Failures in peroxisome functions and the peroxisomal protein import system, often lead to severe human disorders that manifest in malformations in, e.g., the central nervous system, different organs, and muscles. Such peroxisomal disorders are inherited, often with a fast progression leading to the death after birth or in early childhood. To better understand the molecular basis of peroxisomal disorders, you will study protein complexes of the peroxisomal import system employing state-of-the-art structural mass spectrometry (MS) techniques including chemical cross-linking and native protein MS. For this, you will recombinantly express and purify proteins, reconstitute multi-protein complexes, and characterize their interactions. Furthermore, to solve the structure of these multiprotein complexes at high resolution you will work together with experts in cryo-electron microscopy. For further reading, see Lill et al. 2020 (DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2009502117) and Fischer et al., 2022 (DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2022-0168)
The Chair of Biochemistry II (AG Warscheid) offers a highly supportive, international working environment in well-equipped laboratories in the Biocentre of the University of Würzburg, with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in operating high-resolution MS instrumentation. Goals of education in the Warscheid lab are the ability to (i) thoroughly plan experiments, (ii) effectively use modern technologies in biochemistry and proteomics (iii) perform reproducible and advanced data analysis (including scripting of analysis workflows), (iv) critically assess the obtained data, and (v) independently conduct experiments to answer key research questions in fields of biochemistry, proteomics, and molecular biology/medicine.
Interested applicants currently enrolled in a master’s programme at the University of Würzburg may contact Prof. Warscheid via e-mail (l-biochemie2@biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de).
Open Master thesis position to study failures in the biogenesis of human peroxisomes
Failures in peroxisome biogenesis, can lead to severe human disorders that manifest in malformations of the central nervous system, organs, and muscles. Such peroxisomal disorders are inherited, often with a fast progression leading to the death after birth or in early childhood. To obtain further insight into the molecular processes underlying the development of peroxisomal disorders, you will perform loss-of-function studies with proteins essential for the biogenesis of human peroxisomes. To this end, you will conduct quantitative proteome studies in human PEX knockout (KO) cell lines, which were generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 technique. PEX genes encode peroxisomal proteins (termed peroxins) that are required for the biogenesis of peroxisomes in human cells. You will analyze a collection of PEX-KO cell lines using high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS) in combination with isobaric stable isotope labeling and label-free approaches for quantitative analysis. Furthermore, you will investigate whether loss of PEX genes leads to specific protein degradation by the proteasome-ubiquitin system or to changes in protein localization in these cells. Bioinformatics analysis of the acquired quantitative proteome data will reveal which stress responses become activated in the absence to certain peroxins.
The Chair of Biochemistry II (AG Warscheid) offers a highly supportive, international working environment in well-equipped laboratories in the Biocentre of the University of Würzburg, with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in operating high-resolution MS instrumentation. Goals of education in the Warscheid lab are the ability to (i) thoroughly plan experiments, (ii) effectively use modern technologies in biochemistry and proteomics (iii) perform reproducible and advanced data analysis (including scripting of analysis workflows), (iv) critically assess the obtained data, and (v) independently conduct experiments to answer key research questions in fields of biochemistry, proteomics, and molecular biology/medicine.
Interested applicants currently enrolled in a master’s programme at the University of Würzburg may contact Prof. Warscheid via e-mail (l-biochemie2@biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de).
Open Master thesis position for exploring stress-specific changes in protein translation via nascent proteomics
Research in the Warscheid group aims at a molecular understanding of how mammalian cells maintain proteostasis under different stress conditions, including mechanical stress, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial stress. One major response in the cellular proteostasis network is to rapidly adapt the translational program at cytosolic ribosomes. While global translation is attenuated, ribosomes produce stress-specific factors to maintain a healthy proteome. However, knowledge about this remodeling of the nascent proteome in response to stress is largely limited to a set of known proteostasis factors. To obtain a new, holistic understanding of stress-specific translational programs in human cells, you will establish and refine nascent proteomics technology using in vivo labelling methods and high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS). In your work, you will induce stress signalling in human cells by different treatments (e.g., inhibitors, RNAi-mediated knockdown, oxidative stress inducers or electrical pulse stimulation) and analyze the induced changes in protein translation (i.e., the nascent proteome) using global translation assays, pulse labeling technology of nascent chains with noncanonical amino acid azidohomoalanine (AHA), click chemistry for peptide enrichment and high-resolution liquid chromatography (LC)-MS. While you are trained and supervised by doctoral candidates in the lab, you will also be encouraged to add your own ideas to the project.
The Chair of Biochemistry II (AG Warscheid) offers a highly supportive, international working environment in well-equipped laboratories in the Biocentre of the University of Würzburg, with the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in operating high-resolution MS instrumentation. Goals of education in the Warscheid lab are the ability to (i) thoroughly plan experiments, (ii) effectively use modern technologies in biochemistry and proteomics (iii) perform reproducible and advanced data analysis (including scripting of analysis workflows), (iv) critically assess the obtained data, and (v) independently conduct experiments to answer key research questions in fields of biochemistry, proteomics, and molecular biology/medicine.
Interested applicants currently enrolled in a master’s programme at the University of Würzburg may contact Prof. Warscheid via e-mail (l-biochemie2@biozentrum.uni-wuerzburg.de).
