[3dem] Postdoctoral position at University of Auckland

[Alok Mitra]

Dear Colleagues:

Posdoctoral position at the School of Biological Sciences University of Auckland
We are seeking a well-qualified and  motivated candidate for the position of a postdoctoral Research Fellow to carry out structure/function studies of anti-feeding prophage (Afp) using high-resolution cryo-EM. The project in collaboration with Dr. Mark Hurst of Ag Research is part of a multi-disciplinary study supported by the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund.
Afp is a novel bacteriophage tail-like particle that is pathogenic to New Zealand grass grub (1) Hurst et al. (2004) J. Bacteriol. 186:5116-5128; 2) Hurst et al. (2007) FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 270:42-48) through the delivery of a protein toxin. This microinjection device, formally included in the type VI secretion system family, is composed of eighteen different gene products and we are revealing the roles of the different constituting proteins in the assembly of Afp and its mechanism of action by a combination of high-resolution cryo-EM and molecular biology approaches (1) Heymann, J. B., Bartho, J. D., Rybakova, D. et al. (2013) 3-dimensional structure of the toxin-delivery particle antifeeding prophage of Serratia entomophila. J. Biol. Chem. 288: 25276-25284. 2) Rybakova, D., Radjainia, M., et al. (2013). Role of antifeeding prophage (Afp) protein Afp16 in terminating the length of the Afp tailocin and stabilizing its sheath. Mol. Microbiol. 89: 702-714.).
The selected candidate preferably should have prior experience in Structural Biology as that involved in high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy and image processing. Familiarity with recombinant protein expression and/or X-ray crystallography will be a plus and he/she will interact vigorously with the Hurst Lab.
The cryo-EM facility at UoA is the premier such facility at New Zealand. We have a FEI T120 (cryo) and CM12 for routine experiments and a TF20 equipped with GIF for high-resolution cryo-EM and cryo-tomography work. Other ancillary equipment include a FEI vitrobot, 2 manual plunge-freeze devices, a plasma cleaner, several GATAN 626 (60° and 70°) and one 914 (80°) cryo-stage. The computing facility within our laboratory and the access to computing cluster at UoA is sufficient for large-volume image processing. We also have access to an International class X-ray crystallography facility in house.
University of Auckland has a vibrant research environment and is the premier such Institute in New Zealand. Auckland is a multi-ethnic cosmopolitan city consistently ranked amongst the top ten cities in the world. New Zealand is well known for its scenic beauty.
For further information, please send a current CV and contact Dr. Alok K. Mitra, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand. Tel: +64 09 923 8162, E.mail: a.mitra at auckland.ac.nz<mailto:a.mitra at auckland.ac.nz>

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