Postdoc - Allelic Gene Regulation
Postdoc - Allelic Gene Regulation
Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics
Freiburg, Germany
We are looking for a Postdoc (m/f/d) investigating allelic gene regulation.
The Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics is world-class research institute based in Freiburg, Germany. We are looking for a postdoctoral scientist to work in the Department of Chromatin Regulation headed by Prof. Dr. Asifa Akhtar.
The Akhtar lab has a long-standing interest in gene dosage and understanding how epigenetic modifiers fine-tune transcription at both individual loci and at the chromosome-wide level (Valsecchi et al., 2021 Nature). While most genes tolerate mutation of one allele, dosage-sensitive genes known as haploinsufficient genes require the transcription of both maternal and paternal alleles. Mutation in just one allele of a haploinsufficient gene leads to disease. In our most recent work we utilized an elegant hybrid mouse model to reveal that the MSL complex component and chromatin regulator MSL2 ensures biallelic expression of this important class of genes (Sun et al., 2023 Nature). This study was the first to implicate a chromatin factor in controlling allelic expression and has opened up a new way of thinking about transcriptional regulation. In the future our lab plans to study how MSL2 identifies haploinsufficient genes, the molecular mechanism by which MSL2 and its interactors achieve transcriptional upregulation, as well as the physiological roles of allelic dosage regulation in different cell and tissue types in both mice and humans.
Your tasks
We are looking for an independent and motivated postdoctoral scientist interested in exploring allelic gene regulation in mammals. For this we seek applicants with a strong background in experimental work in mice and/or mouse or human cells. The recruited scientist will apply a combination of methodologies, including bulk and single-cell transcriptomics, chromatin immunoprecipitation, chromosome conformation profiling (e.g. HiC, Micro-C, PLAC-seq/HiChIP), Nanopore long-read RNA/DNA sequencing, live-cell imaging, proteomics, metabolomics and/or other techniques, as appropriate.
Your qualifications
- Applicants should have an academic degree in life science plus a PhD in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, bioinformatics and/or high-resolution imaging
- A minimum of two years of experience working with one or more out of the following three model systems is required: 1) mouse tissues or primary mouse cell culture, 2) maintenance and differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into different lineages, and/or 3) maintenance and differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into different lineages
- Experience with organoids would be a plus
- Prior experience in standard molecular biology techniques is required
- Candidates should have at least one first author publication
- The ability to work in a team, communication skills and experience in the supervision of graduate students would be assets
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