M/F PhD contract in Life Sciences

Organisation/Company CNRS Department Bioénergétique et ingénierie des protéines Research Field Chemistry Physics » Biophysics Biological sciences » Biological engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Application Deadline 11 Aug 2026 - 23:59 (UTC) Country France Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Hours Per Week 35 Offer Starting Date 1 Nov 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

The research consortium brings together scientists from two different CNRS institutes (CNRS Biology and CNRS Chemistry), whose complementary expertise is essential for the detailed characterization of the Atc system's interaction network. The BIP laboratory will be responsible for producing the biological system (production and purification of Atc proteins, either alone or in complexes with various partners such as AtcJ, DnaK, etc.). The LISM laboratory will lead the local dynamics studies of the proteins and their interactions using a site-directed spin labeling approach with paramagnetic probes, analyzed by EPR. The ICR will handle the acquisition and analysis of ¹⁵N NMR spectra for resonance assignment, investigation of PRE (paramagnetic relaxation enhancement) effects, and peptide backbone dynamics.The PhD student will be enrolled in Doctoral School 658 at Aix-Marseille University, which offers training programs in the life sciences.

This project is based on the recent discovery of an operon, named atc (adaptation to cold), which is essential for low-temperature growth in the mesophilic aquatic bacterium Shewanella oneidensis. The atc operon encodes four proteins: a J-domain protein (AtcJ), a co-chaperone of the molecular chaperone DnaK, and three proteins of unknown function (AtcA, AtcB, and AtcC)¹. AtcB interacts with bacterial RNA polymerase, and certain interactions between proteins in the Atc system are also essential for cold growth in S. oneidensis. It is hypothesized that the Atc proteins play a role in recruiting DnaK to modulate RNA polymerase activity, enabling efficient transcription of key genes under cold conditions. This system would represent a novel mechanism for gene expression regulation, linking the DnaK chaperone to RNA polymerase, though its precise modalities remain to be elucidated.The aim of this collaborative project at the Biology/Chemistry/Physics interface is to study the organization and structural dynamics associated with the functioning of this protein network. To this end, a multidisciplinary and integrative approach will be implemented, combining protein biochemistry with magnetic resonance spectroscopies—including electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)—based on the introduction of paramagnetic probes (nitroxides).

Research Field Biological sciences » Biological engineering Years of Research Experience None