Postdoctoral position at CNRS Gif-sur-Yvette, France
Title : Coordinated turnover of actin filaments in motile processes
A postdoctoral position funded by an ERC advanced grant is open for two years starting
december 1st 2011 in Gif-sur-Yvette in the group « Cytoskeleton Dynamics and Cell
Motility ». Site-directed assembly of actin filaments is responsible for changes in cell shape
and membrane deformation. These processes are mediated by the highly coordinated turnover
of actin filaments in distinct actin arrays. Typically, dendritic arrays of branched actin
filaments organized by WASP family proteins and Arp2/3 complex co-exist with non
branched actin meshworks initiated by formins. Examples include spatially distinct
meshworks formed in lamellipodium and lamella of migrating cells, in podosomes, in the
SMACs in immune synapse, the cortical and cytoplasmic actin meshworks in the oocytes
etc…
Our laboratory has defined the solution conditions allowing reconstitution of individual actinbased motile processes. The present project aims at understanding how these actin-based
machineries co-exist, self-organize and segregate spatially and functionally. A biomimetic
bottom-up approach will be strongly backed up by basic biochemistry of actin and a large
panoply actin-regulatory proteins purified and characterized in the laboratory. Biophysical
equipment (TIRF and microfluidics devices, optical tweezers, spectrofluorimetry,
functionalized solid and soft particles) is available.
The candidate should have a PhD in biophysics or physical chemistry of protein-protein
interaction or in lipid vesicle or supported lipid bilayers and strong experience (2 to 3 years)
in single molecule fluorescence microscopy, and should be motivated for work in an
interdisciplinary team.
Contact : Marie-France Carlier, PI ERC, carlier@lebs.cnrs-gif.fr
Relevant publications of the team :
BUGYI B, LE CLAINCHE C, ROMET-LEMONNE G, CARLIER MF
How do in vitro reconstituted actin-basedmotility assays provide insight into in vivo behavior ?
FEBS Letters (2008) 582, 2086-2092
CARLIER MF and BUGYI B
Contol of actin filament treadmilling in cell motility
Annual Review in Biophysics, (2010) 39, 449-470.
JEGOU A, NIEDERMAYER T, ORBAN J, DIDRY D, LIPOWSKY R, CARLIER MF, ROMET-LEMONNE G
Individual actin filaments in a microfluidic flow reveal the mechanism of ATP hydrolysis and give insight into the
proerties of profilin
PloS Biol. (2011) e1001161
DELATOUR V, HELFER E, DIDRY D, LE KH, GAUCHER JF, CARLIER MF , ROMET-LEMONNE G
Arp2/3 controls the motile behavior of N-WASP –functionalized GUVsand modulates N-WASP distribution by
mediating transient links with actin filaments
Biophys. J. (2008) 94, 4890-4905.