A postdoctoral research post is available within my research group in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Leicester. The position is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and is available from 1st September 2014 for three years.
The aim of the project is to assemble a high-resolution model of the clathrin/TACC3/ch-TOG (CTC) complex, capitalizing on our recent paper in which we identified the binding regions (Hood et al. J. Cell Biol. 2013). During mitosis, the CTC complex forms inter-microtubule bridges that stabilize the mitotic spindle. These are dynamic bridges, whose assembly is dependent on the activity of Aurora-A kinase. The overall architecture of the complex is unknown, and there are currently no structures of the individual sub-complexes. The postdoctoral researcher will investigate the structure and dynamics of the CTC complex using X-ray crystallography, protein-protein interaction studies and low-resolution methods such as SAXS and TIRF microscopy. They will work closely with a researcher who will focus on NMR-based techniques. The two researchers will coordinate their efforts to piece the structures together into a model of the core MT-binding module of the complex. Our work will shed light on the regulation, assembly, dynamics and MT-binding properties of this complex. My research group is located in the state-of-the-art Henry Wellcome Building with access to excellent facilities for biochemical studies, structural biology, cell culture, microscopy and computer analysis. This project is related to our ongoing work on microtubule binding proteins (Richards et al. PNAS 2014) and the protein kinases that regulate mitosis (Richards et al. Mol. Cell. 2009, Dodson et al. Sci. Signal 2013). The successful applicant will have a PhD in a relevant subject, and have a proven track record in protein expression and purification, structural biology and/or related biophysical methods. Informal enquiries are welcome and should be made by email to richard.bayl...@le.ac.uk<mailto:richard.bayl...@le.ac.uk> The deadline for applications is 28th July. For detailed information on the post, and to submit your application, consult the University job vacancies page - reference MBP01113. http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/jobs/opportunities/jobsearch =========================== Prof. Richard Bayliss Professor of Molecular Medicine Department of Biochemistry Henry Wellcome Building University of Leicester Lancaster Road, Leicester LE1 9HN Tel: 0116 2297100 Web: http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/biochemistry/staff/richard-bayliss/research Twitter: @baylisslab [cid:8B11F347-BA95-4B16-89CA-F8FA127437A2@le.ac.uk]
