Missions

This position is part of ANR 2025 GUTPOWER, which explores the microbiota–gut–aging axis in a reef fish (clownfish) using coordinated ecological, cellular, and omics approaches. The postdoctoral researcher will be required to quantify cellular and molecular biomarkers of intestinal aging: tissue degeneration, DNA damage response (DDR), senescence, barrier integrity, inflammation, and telomere length, and integrate them with the microbiome/metabolome datasets generated by our collaborators; ensure timely delivery to meet network/dynamic modeling needs.

Activités

1. Tissue phenotyping: histology on paraffin sections of intestine and distant tissues at different stages of life; quantification of degeneration, p53, DNA damage, proliferation, and senescence.
2. Markers of aging & inflammation: SA-β-Gal, p16, p21; intestinal barrier integrity (claudin-2, ZO1, smurf assay); pro-inflammatory transcripts (tnfα, il6, il1β, ifn1, isg15) by RT-qPCR/RNA.
3. DNA damage & immune infiltration: IF/IHC panels for γH2AX, 53BP1 (damage), PCNA (proliferation), L-plastin/Mpx (immune cells); quantitative image analysis (ImageJ).
4. Telomere biology: TRF Southern blot (all age groups) to derive a telomere-based longevity/biological age index.
5. p53/ATM-Chk2 signaling: Western blot profiles and phospho status according to established protocols.

Compétences

We are looking for a highly motivated Research Engineer (preferably with a phd) who is keen to integrate knowledge ranging from molecular and cellular biology to the biology of aging. Specifically:
• Solid background in the biology of aging (focus on the intestine appreciated), DDR, senescence, and inflammation.
• Practical mastery of at least two techniques: multiplex IHC/IF, histopathology, Western blot, RT-qPCR, telomeric Southern blot.
• Skills in image analysis (ImageJ/Fiji) and statistics.
• Rigorous SOP-driven practice (traceability of reagents/antibodies, documentation). • Excellent English skills.
• Experience with barrier integrity markers (e.g., claudin-2, ZO1, smurf assay) and immune cell markers (L-plastin, Mpx).
• Familiarity with first-level multi-omic integration (metatranscriptomics, metabolomics) and data curation for modeling.
• Experience with teleost tissues (especially zebrafish) is appreciated but not required.

Contexte de travail

The project builds directly on our previous work in zebrafish, where we established the telomerase-deficient premature aging model and showed that short telomeres in key tissues initiate local and systemic aging (Carneiro et al., PLoS Genetics 2016). We also demonstrated that intestine-specific re-expression of telomerase counteracts systemic aging, and clarified the p53/DDR signatures associated with telomere damage (El Maï & Ferreira, Nature Aging 2023). These findings and protocols (histology/IHC-IF for DDR and senescence, inflammatory readings, telomere length measurement) constitute the conceptual and methodological reference for clownfish, enabling inter-species comparison of intestinal aging biomarkers and their microbial correlates.

Contraintes et risques

N/A

Informations complémentaires

• CV (methods mastered, publications; ORCID/Google Scholar links)
• Cover letter (≤2 pages) detailing fit with MGF-lab
• Two referees (email and phone)
• Availability and preferred start date
Scientific contact: Dr Miguel Godinho Ferreira — IRCAN, Université Côte d'Azur / CNRS (contact email to be provided for the emploi.cnrs.fr posting).