Postdoctoral position in neurodevelopmental mechanics (M/F)

Job Description

Missions

Neuronal circuits, the building blocks of the nervous system, assemble through dynamic processes like neuron migration, axon growth and synaptic connections with target cells. While the role of chemical cues in guiding these processes is well studied, recent research, including our work, highlights mechanical inputs, such as forces and stiffness, as additional important contributors to neuronal circuit development.

Multiple axons often combine into bundles (fasciculation) to travel collectively through various regions of the nervous system before dispersing (defasciculation) to innervate targets. These processes are thought to be controlled mainly by growth cones that extend along neighbouring axons or detach in response to adhesive cues. However, recent findings using ex vivo explants of mouse olfactory epithelium revealed a growth cone-independent mechanism: axons dynamically interact along their shafts, showing zippering and unzippering behaviours that regulate fasciculation. Drug treatments, biophysical manipulations and modelling showed that zippering is driven by a competition between axon/axon adhesion and tension: increased axon tension leads to defasciculation through unzippering, while decreased tension promotes fasciculation through zippering (Smit et al., eLife, 2017).
In this project the postdoctoral fellow will investigate whether axon shaft zippering/unzippering also occurs in the live zebrafish during the development of the olfactory sensory axons and the migration of GnRH neurons, and whether axon tension or other mechanical cues play a role in axon fasciculation/defasciculation in this in vivo context.

Activity

The postdoctoral fellow will tackle this question using advanced imaging of axonal/neuronal development and biophysical tools to measure and modify the mechanical properties of developing neurons and their environment.

Your Profil

Skills

We are looking for an enthusiastic young researcher (ideally who has just obtained the PhD diploma, or about to), willing to join an interdisciplinary environment involving interactions between biologists and physicists. The team of Marie Breau (Mechanics of neuronal development) is located at the Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS) in the Dev2A (Development, Adaptation and Aging) Laboratory.

Requirements:
- PhD in cell/developmental biology, neurobiology or biophysics
- Strong interest towards the biomechanics of neuronal development and interdisciplinary work

Additional beneficial skills:
- Experience with the zebrafish model
- Skills in molecular biology/cloning/transgenesis
- Experience in live imaging/confocal microscopy and image analysis

Your Work Environment

Team of Marie Breau (Mechanics of neuronal development) is located at the Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS) in the Dev2A (Development, Adaptation and Aging) Laboratory. Co-supervision by Marie Breau and Alain Trembleau.

Constraints and risks

NA

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2580 euros/month

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

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