Post-doctoral Position in NMR and Structural Biology
We are looking for a candidate to apply for a one-year post-doctoral position at University René Descartes, Paris, France. The project involves solution NMR and
molecular modeling investigations of proteins and their complexes. The candidate must have a Ph.D. in physical chemistry or related field with experience in computational protein chemistry, structure-based drug design, protein modeling, and NMR spectroscopy. The candidate should be able to tackle the state-of-the-art methodologies necessary for protein modeling and structure-based drug design studies. Please submit a copy of your application, including names and contact information of three references to
serge.bouaziz@univ-paris5.fr
Vpr, the HIV-1 regulation protein, has been chemically synthesized in our laboratory and its structure solved by NMR (1). Vpr controls many events of the retroviral life cycle, nuclear import of the viral preintegration complex, replication in nondividing cells, arrest of the cell cycle in the G2 phase, stimulation of the viral transcription and regulation of the apoptosis in infected cells. These various activities of Vpr are made possible by interaction with cellular proteins among which several contain a WxxF motif within their sequence. This is the case of ANT the adenine nucleotide translocator, a mitochondrial protein. Moreover, short peptides containing a WxxF motif (2) or a WW (diW) motif (3) are able to interfere with Vpr, suppress the growth arrest phenotype mediated by Vpr and alleviate Vpr-mediated apoptosis.
The project consists in the study of the complex formed between the full protein Vpr and an ANT domain of 30 amino acids, containing the WxxF motif. Functional and structural results will make possible a new strategy in the design of antiviral molecules interfering with HIV-1 replication.
1. Morellet N. et al., 2003, J Mol Biol. 327(1):215-27
2. BouHamdan, M., et al., 1998, J Biol Chem. 273(14):8009-16
3. Yao, X.J., et al., 2002. J Biol Chem. 277(50):48816-26
Contact:
Serge Bouaziz
Phone: 33 (0) 1 53 73 95 78
Fax: 33 (0) 1 43 26 69 18
E-mail:
serge.bouaziz@univ-paris5.fr
Universite Rene Descartes
Inserm U640 - CNRS UMR 8151
PARIS , France
Lab website:
http://www.enscp.fr/labos/umr8151/index.htm