A 3-years post-doctoral position is available in the team « Functional genomics of anaerobiosis » at the Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne, CNRS-Marseille, to study the mechanism of oxygen detoxification in anaerobic bacteria. Project summary : Oxygen is the most powerful compound used by aerobic forms of life through complex respiratory chains that all include at least one membrane-bound terminal oxygen reductase. Surprisingly, genes encoding these terminal oxidases are present not only in aerobic but also in a large number of strictly anaerobic microorganisms. While the function of terminal oxidases is easily understandable in aerobes, occurrence of such enzymes in strict anaerobes is more intriguing. Data suggest that a lot of anaerobic microorganisms, although unable to use oxygen as terminal electron acceptor for growth, have developed defence strategies to protect themselves against oxygen damages and exhibit thus aerotolerance. In Desulfovibrio species, several systems that differ from their cellular location have been proposed to account for oxygen reduction. One of them involves two membrane-bound enzymes namely a quinol-bd oxidase and a cytochrome c oxidase with unique cofactor content. This project aims for a better understanding of the physiological role of these membrane-bound terminal oxidases in anaerobic organisms using Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough (DvH) as model. For this purpose, the single and double deletion mutants of these two membrane-bound enzymes available in our laboratory represent an important tool to decipher their respective functional role in the cell. The functional genomics approach which is developed will allow us to get the molecular and functional characterization of these membrane-bound oxygen reductases in Desulfovibrio as well as their influence in the energy and carbon metabolisms of the bacterium. Reference : Lamrabet, O., Pieulle, L., Aubert, C., Mouhamar, F., Stocker, P., Dolla, A. and Brasseur, G. Microbiology (2011) 157, 2720-2732.

We are seeking a candidate for joining us on this project with: - a PhD and 0-3 years of relevant postdoctoral experience, - validated experience in microbiology, anaerobic bacteria cultures, phenotype analyses, biochemistry. Skills in molecular biology and knowledge in bioenergetics would be valuable. Candidates are expected to be highly motivated and capable of independent initiative. The successful candidate will be appointed through the CNRS for 1 year, which can be renewed annually for up to 3 years. Interested candidates should send a curriculum vitae, a brief summary of research experience and career goals, as well as contact details for at least 2 references to Dr. Alain Dolla ([email protected]) or Dr Gael Brasseur ([email protected]). Postdoctoral position starting date: January 1st, 2012. Laboratoire de Chimie Bactérienne. IMM - CNRS 31, chemin Joseph Aiguier, 13402 Marseille cedex 20 - France Phone : + 33 (4) 91 16 41 49