Clocks across taxa: Conserved circadian timekeeping mechanisms

Interested individuals must follow Steps 1, 2 and 3 at this link on how to apply
http://www.ed.ac.uk/biology/prospective-students/postgraduate/pgr/how-to-apply

Earth’s rotation around its axis causes daily changes to the environment, influencing the metabolism and physiology of organisms since the first life on earth. An endogenous timekeeping mechanism, the circadian clock, evolved to allow anticipation of the daily cycle and drive circadian rhythms such as the sleep-wake cycle in animals or the synthesis and degradation of starch in plants. The rhythmic expression of ’clock genes’ was long thought to cause rhythmic metabolism, until we recently established that clock gene rhythms are dispensable for some metabolic rhythms in organisms as diverse as algae and humans [1-2]. Moreover, we found that metabolic rhythms could contribute to global gene expression rhythms, shifting the paradigm of what constitutes ’the clock’ from only gene expression networks to include metabolism [3].

The novel metabolic circadian rhythms we identified are conserved across eukaryotic life, spanning over a billion years of evolution. A key aspect of our research is to use that conservation to our advantage by using experimental model cells to efficiently test new ideas that can subsequently be translated into more complex organisms such as plants or mammals. Our model species, Ostreococcus tauri, offers unique advantages over any other cell type. It is unicellular, contains a haploid genome of only ~8000 genes, is convenient to grow, experimentally highly tractable, and now a well-established circadian clock model organism.

The successful candidate will gain a highly diverse training programme in general molecular biology, tissue culture, and biochemistry techniques, as well as specific experimental design for chronobiology, extensive in vivo luciferase imaging, chemical biology, and transgenic approaches in algae. The candidate will run an independent research programme in close collaboration with the supervisor and other research team members. An excellent internationally recognised degree in a related topic is required, as is proficiency in English and an open, flexible attitude.

More information on our research can be found on our website: vanooijen.bio.ed.ac.uk.