Junior Postdoctoral Researcher in Microbiology – Host-Bacteria Interactions

About this position

À propos de nous

Nantes Université est un établissement public d’enseignement supérieur et de recherche qui propose

un modèle d’université inédit

en France unissant une université, un hôpital universitaire (CHU de Nantes), un institut de recherche technologique (IRT Jules Verne), un organisme national de recherche (Inserm) ainsi que Centrale Nantes, l’école des Beaux-Arts Nantes Saint-Nazaire et l’École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Nantes.

Ces acteurs concentrent leurs forces pour

développer l’excellence de la recherche nantaise

et offrir de

nouvelles opportunités de formations

, dans tous les domaines de la connaissance.

Durable

et

ouverte sur le monde

, Nantes Université veille à la qualité des conditions d'études et de travail offertes à ses étudiantes, étudiants et personnels, pour favoriser leur épanouissement sur tous ses campus de Nantes, Saint-Nazaire et La Roche-sur-Yon.

Mission

The postdoctoral researcher recruited will study the interactions of the bacterium V.

cholerae with various hosts (intestinal cell lines, macrophages, heterotrophic protists and

Galleria mellonella waxworms) in relation to the bacterium’s ability to remodelling its

membrane.

Background To date, there are an estimated 2.9 million cases of cholera each year,

resulting in 95,000 deaths. In an attempt to address this situation, the WHO has set an

ambitious target: to eliminate cholera from high-risk areas by 2030. One of the reasons for

the success of Vibrio cholerae, the pathogen responsible for cholera, is that this bacterium

can precisely regulate the expression of its genes to thrive in nutrient-poor environments.

To survive, V. cholerae regulates the expression of these genes and remodels its

membrane. While the vast majority of marine waters are limited by essential nutrients,

coastal areas are subject to nutrient waves. V. cholerae is regularly found as a persistent

organism in these coastal areas.

Hypotheses and scientific questions Previous studies have shown that V. cholerae and

other intestinal pathogenic bacteria unable to ‘sense’ low nutrient concentrations in the

gut are less effective at colonising it. During this project, the postdoctoral researcher will

focus on understanding the potentially key role of membrane remodelling, using mutants,

during its interaction with different hosts, in order to assess the role of this mechanism in

the pathogenic development of V. cholerae as well as its involvement in transfer within the

food chain. Main activities

Date de mise à jour : 07/11/2024

To address these questions, the postdoctoral researcher will:

-Conduct host-bacteria experiments: To do so, they will need to be proficient in culturing various

eukaryotic cell lines (THP-1, Caco-2, etc.) as well as different bacterial strains. During the project,

they will be required to measure the inflammatory response of macrophages. They will carry out

fluorescent labelling to measure the rate of bacterial uptake and track the bacteria’s fate within the

host or during interaction with intestinal infection models (Transwell, intestine-on-chip). Proficiency

in the use of various microscopy techniques will be required.

-May be required to use various infection models: During the project, they will be able to monitor

the progression of the infectious process within various models, such as the wax worm Galleria

mellonella or heterotrophic protists.

-Will be required to develop biosensors: To do this, they will need to be proficient in molecular

biology techniques (PCR, electrophoresis, digestion, ligation, etc.)

Profil

General, theoretical or subject-specific knowledge:

-Microbiology

-Cell biology

-Host-bacterial interactions

-Molecular biology

-English (French)

-Establishment of protocols and methodological developments

-Supervision of students

-Participation in science outreach activities

Practical skills:

-Culturing eukaryotic cell lines

-Bacterial culture

-Epifluorescence microscopy, CLSM, TEM

-Fluorescent labelling / Immunolabelling

-Some knowledge of lipidomics could be an added bonus

-Statistical analysis