Prof Jon Todd, Dr R Airs, Dr Frances Hopkins
No more applications being accepted
Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)
About the Project
Introduction
Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is one of Earth’s most abundant organosulfur molecules. It is an anti-stress compound that was thought to be only produced by phytoplankton. However, we have shown that many marine bacteria also produce and consume DMSP and we have identified the key genes for both processes. When released into the environment, DMSP has important roles in global nutrient and sulfur cycling, signalling pathways and in climate, since DMSP catabolism can generate the climate-active gas dimethylsulfide (DMS). There are few molecular-genetic studies into DMSP synthesis by any organism or environment.
This exciting project will:
- Explore the role of bacteria in DMSP cycling at a world-renowned sampling station in the English Channel.
- Isolate and characterise the bacteria involved in DMSP cycling at this site.
Methodology
You will use traditional oceanographic sampling combined with molecular ecology techniques, including gene-probing, metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, to study bacterial populations that both produce and catabolise DMSP in surface ocean samples from the English Channel (www.westernchannelobservatory.org.uk) over a year-long study. The expression and abundance of the key genes will also be assayed by PCR-based techniques. DMS, DMSP and synthesis intermediates will be analysed by chromatography and mass spectroscopy-based methods to quantify rates of DMSP synthesis and catabolism. You will combine geochemical and molecular approaches to identify key bacteria that produce and catabolise DMSP, identify the key genes and cognate biochemical pathways that contribute to the flux of these influential molecules. Incubation experiments with inhibitors will estimate the significance of bacteria in DMS/P production. Culture-dependent studies will be used to isolate model bacteria that make DMSP, enabling the investigation of conditions that affect DMSP production. This project will provide essential data to enable scientists to understand key biotransformations in the global sulfur cycle.
Training
You will receive exceptional training in molecular ecology and microbiology, bioinformatics and analytical chemistry, writing high-impact papers and will give presentations at international conferences. You will undertake research at both UEA and Plymouth Marine Laboratory, gaining experience of working on-board a research ship during coastal marine fieldwork. You will learn good laboratory practice, quality assurance, and receive health and safety training.
Secondary supervisors: Dr Ruth Airs (Plymouth Marine Laboratory), Dr Frances Hopkins (Plymouth Marine Laboratory).
This project has been shortlisted for funding by the EnvEast NERC Doctoral Training Partnership, comprising the Universities of East Anglia, Essex and Kent, with over twenty other research partners. Undertaking a PhD with the EnvEast DTP will involve attendance at mandatory training events throughout the course of the PhD.
Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed on 12/13 February 2018.
For further information, please visit www.enveast.ac.uk/apply
For more information on the supervisor for this project, please go here: https://www.uea.ac.uk/biological-sciences/people/profile/jonathan-todd
Type of programme: PhD
Start date of project: October 2018
Mode of study: Full time or part time
Length of studentship: 3.5 years.
Acceptable first degree: Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and other relevant subjects.
EnvEast welcomes applicants from quantitative disciplines who may have limited background in environmental sciences. Excellent candidates will be considered for an award of an additional 3-month stipend to take appropriate advanced-level courses in the subject area.
Minimum entry requirement: 2:1 or equivalent.
Funding Notes
Successful candidates who meet RCUK’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a NERC studentship - in 2017/18, the stipend is £14,553. In most cases, UK and EU nationals who have been resident in the UK for 3 years are eligible for a stipend. For non-UK EU-resident applicants NERC funding can be used to cover fees, RTSG and training costs, but not any part of the stipend. Individual institutes may, however, elect to provide a stipend from their own resources.
References
(i) Curson ARJ, Todd, JD, Sullivan MJ and Johnston AWB (2011). Catabolism of dimethylsulfoniopropionate: microorganisms, enzymes and genes. Nature Reviews Microbiology 9: 849-859.
(ii) Jing S, Todd JD, Thrash JC, Qian Y, Qian MC, Temperton B, Guo J, Fowler EK, Aldrich JT, Nicora CD, Lipton MS, Smith RD, De Leenheer P, Payne SH , Johnston AWB, Davie-Martin C and Giovannoni SJ (2016). The abundant marine bacterium Pelagibacter simultaneously catabolizes dimethylsulfoniopropionate to the gases dimethyl sulfide and methanethiol. Nature Microbiology doi:10.1038.
(iii) Curson ARJ, Liu J, Bermejo Martínez A, Green RT, Chan Y, Carrión O, Williams BT, Zhang SH, Yang GP, Page PCB, Zhang XH, Todd JD (2017). Dimethylsulphoniopropionate biosynthesis in marine bacteria and identification of the key gene in this process. Nature Microbiology. 2:17009.
(iv) Pratscher J, Dumont MG, Conrad R (2011) Ammonia oxidation coupled to CO2 fixation by Archaea and Bacteria in an agricultural soil. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 108: 4170-4175.
(v) Carrión O, Pratscher J, Curson ARJ, Williams BT, Murrell JC, Todd JD (2017, in press) Methanethiol-dependent dimethylsulfide production in soil environments. ISME Journal.
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