Missions

Study of teichoic acid synthesis in Streptococcus pneumoniae (NANOWALL project)
(super-resolution fluorescence microscopy dSTORM; biochemistry)
The bacterial cell wall is a critical structure that provides mechanical strength, maintains cell shape, and protects against osmotic stress. In Gram-positive bacteria, it is primarily composed of two essential macromolecules: the peptidoglycan (PG), a 3D mesh of glycan strands cross-linked by peptide chains, and teichoic acids (TA), which are complex linear polysaccharides attached to the PG or to the cytoplasmic membrane. These components are essential for cell growth, division, and interactions with the environment, including the host. Despite their importance, the coordination between PG and TA assembly remains poorly understood. This project aims to elucidate the dynamics of PG and TA synthesis and maturation, and identify key molecular interactions linking these two processes. To achieve this, we will use an integrative approach combining microbiology, click chemistry, super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, biochemistry, and NMR (in collaboration), applied to wild-type and mutant strains of the human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Activités

1. Carrying out research work, from setting up the experiment to writing up the results:
- Master the project's literature and beyond
- Use click chemistry to label S. pneumoniae cell wall
- Collect and analyze low- and high-resolution fluorescence microscopy data
- Prepare extracts of bacterial cell wall for biochemical analysis
- Present results through oral presentations in English
- Make suggestions for the development of the experiments and biological questions
- Write research protocols and articles in English for publication.

2. Participate in the life of the laboratory :
- Take part in the life of the research group (logistics, reagent stocks, tidying up, etc.)
- Help supervising trainees
- Take part in the Institute's scientific events

Compétences

- Microbiology
- Biochemistry (recombinant proteins, chromatography, pull-downs, …)
- Biophysics (protein-ligand characterization techniques)
- Fluorescence microscopy, data processing applied to image analysis
- Basic mathematical skills (proportionality rules) + statistical analysis
- Knowledge of molecular mechanisms of bacterial division, cell wall composition
- English language: B2 preferred (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

- Ability to work independently
- Pro-activity in research, scientific curiosity
- Organizational skills and rigor
- Open-mindedness and ability to listen
- Good interpersonal skills and ability to integrate and adapt to the team
- Good communication skills (written and oral) and ability to report on your work

Contexte de travail

Located on the Grenoble Science Park (ESRF/ILL/EMBL/IBS), the Institute of Structural Biology (IBS) is a national and international player in the field of integrated structural biology. The IBS is a research center, a technical platform, a host site and a scientific training center. Its mission is to develop research in integrated structural and cellular biology, a field of research that is crucial to the understanding of fundamental biological mechanisms. It is supported by 12 state-of-the-art technical platforms.
As a joint research unit (CEA-CNRS-UGA), the IBS is composed of 19 research groups, each of which proposes a multi-disciplinary approach, at the frontiers of biology, physics and chemistry, in coherence with 3 research axes. Nearly 300 people work here (researchers, doctoral students, engineers, technicians and students) in a multicultural and international environment.
The person recruited will join the group headed by Cecile Morlot, which investigates molecular mechanisms related to the bacterial cell envelope using integrated structural and cellular biology approaches. The research themes include the Streptococcus pneumoniae cell wall, its synthesis machineries and the antibiotics that target them, as well as large protein complexes associated with the spore envelope in Bacillus subtilis (https://www.ibs.fr/research/research-groups/pneumococcus-group-c-morlot/).

Contraintes et risques

Without.
The research will be carried out in either French or English, however it is expected that the non-French speaking candidate will strive to learn the basics of French in order to facilitate communication and integration into the laboratory.