Position: Post-doc position in the project: "Comparison of functional interdependence
between AMPK pathway controlling energy homeostasis and SWI/SNF-type chromatin
remodeling complex, in Arabidopsis and humans”
Number of positions: 1
Institution: Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
Maximum period of position agreement: 30 months
Position starts on: September 2015
Salary (employment) amount: 2800 PLN/ month (brutto) + 10% bonus + two additional
gratifications equivalent to one month salary twice during the whole project duration
One post-doc position is available to work on a project within the framework of a OPUS
grant awarded by the Polish National Science Centre.
The project:
As eukaryotic DNA is strongly packaged in the nucleus in the form of chromatin, a dynamic
chromatin remodeling is necessary to enable access of transcription factors and regulators to
their target sequences. The ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling driven by SWI/SNF
complexes is a major, evolutionary conserved system controlling chromatin dynamics. Our
preliminary studies demonstrated in both Arabidopsis (a plant) and humans the physical
interactions and likely a functional interdependence between SWI/SNF complex and
SnRK1/AMPK pathway involved in control of energy homeostasis.
The project aims to understand the evolutionary conserved role of SWI/SNF complexes in the
control of energy homeostasis in plants and mammals by identification of common regulatory
mechanism on direct target genes for AMPK/SnRK1 pathway and SWI/SNF chromatin
remodelling complexes.
We will use state-of-the-art techniques routinely used in our Laboratory. In addition to an
array of genetics and molecular biology methods, they will include transcriptomics analyses
followed by high-thoughput qRT-PCR as well as genome-wide analysis of SWI/SNF/SnRK1
and SWI/SNF/AMPK distribution by chromatin immunoprecipitation approach combined
with Illumina paired end sequencing. We will employ MNase protection assay to assess
chromatin status on identified target loci. In addition, chromatin remodelling during various
energy stresses (e.g. low or high sucrose or glucose treatment) will be followed on selected
loci to dissect their influence on this process.
Candidates Profile:
 PhD degree in life science discipline
 practical knowledge of plant molecular biology methods including Arabidopsis
phenotyping, native protein purification, analysis of protein-protein interaction
in vivo and plant transformation
 scientific achievements including publications in recognized international scientific
journals
 experience gained in foreign laboratories
 experience in work with chromatin/DNA (cloning, chromatin immunoprecipitation)
 independent thinking in experiment designing
 high capability in managing parallely several projects
 willingness to collaborate with other scientists and foreign laboratories
 good written and verbal English
The project is executed in young, motivated team in tight collaboration with foreign partner
institutions: Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne and Max-Planck
Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam - Golm.
Required documents:
1. Motivation letter addressed to the Director of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics PAS.
2. CV containing description of scientific achievements and publication list.
3. A copy of the PhD degree certificate.
Application in English should be sent to Dr. hab. Tomasz Sarnowski <tsarn@ibb.waw.pl>. Please
include the required documentation and a contact of at least one potential reference. Important: All
applications must contain the following statement to allow us process your data: "I hereby give
consent for my personal data included in the job offer to be processed for the purposed of recruitment
under the Data Protection Act 1997 (Dz. U. 2002 no. 101, item 926 with subs. changes)."
Principal Investigator: Dr. hab. Tomasz Sarnowski
Address for applications: tsarn@ibb.waw.pl The granting institution may seek to contact
the best candidates only
Closing date: 15.08.2015