The role of human Cdc14 phosphatases in DNA repair and aging
Centre for Molecular Biology (ZMBH)
University of Heidelberg
Cdc14 belongs to a family of highly conserved dual-specificity phosphatases that are present in a wide range of organisms from yeast to human cells. Human Cdc14B is implicated in the DNA damage checkpoint activation, DNA repair and aging 1-4. However, little is known about the substrates of hCdc14A and hCdc14B and their regulation. The goal of this thesis is to study the regulation of hCdc14B in response to DNA damage and aging, to identify substrates of hCdc14B and to unravel phosphatases that may function concertedly with hCdc14B. The successful candidate will perform siRNA screens using human Cdc14A/B-/- cell lines for phosphatases with functions that overlap with hCdc14A/B, identify interacting proteins that regulate hCdc14B in the nucleolus and analyze the pathways that promote the release of hCdc14B from the nucleolus in response to DNA damage.
We are looking for a highly motivated PhD student with a strong background in biochemistry, cell biology or molecular biology. Successful candidates will be part of an international team of highly motivated PhD students and postdocs that works at the forefront of scientific research (http://www.zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de/schiebel/default.shtml). The PhD student will be a member of the Hartmut Hoffmann-Berling International Graduate School of Molecular and Cellular Biology (HBIGS; http://www.hbigs.uni-heidelberg.de/).
Time period: 1 Oct. 2011 – 30 Sept. 2014
Please send written applications (CV, letter of motivation, transcripts) with 2-3 names of referees to Prof. Dr. Elmar Schiebel, ZMBH, Uni Heidelberg (schiebel.elmar@zmbh.uni-heidelberg.de).
Literature
1 Mocciaro, A. et al. Vertebrate cells genetically deficient for Cdc14A or Cdc14B retain DNA damage checkpoint proficiency but are impaired in DNA repair. J. Cell Biol. 189, 631-639, doi:jcb.200910057 [pii]10.1083/jcb.200910057 (2010).
2 Mocciaro, A. & Schiebel, E. Cdc14: a highly conserved family of phosphatases with non-conserved functions? J. Cell Sci. 123, 2867-2876, doi:123/17/2867 [pii]10.1242/jcs.074815 (2010).
3 Bassermann, F. et al. The Cdc14B-Cdh1-Plk1 axis controls the G2 DNA-damage-response checkpoint. Cell 134, 256-267 (2008).
4 Wei, Z. et al. Early onset aging and defective DNA damage response in Cdc14b-deficient mice. Mol. Cell. Biol., doi:MCB.01330-10 [pii]10.1128/MCB.01330-10 (2011).