Master Student Project in Proteomics, Epigenetics in Aging and Cancer
Epigenetic pathways are major regulators of aging and aging-associated diseases including cancer. The student will apply a recently developed mass spectrometry-based method to profile epigenetic states during aging and cancer development. Contact: Dr.Christian Feller
Advanced age is the number one risk factor for many cancers and neurodegenerative diseases. Among the major regulators of aging and aging-associated diseases are epigenetic mechanisms1. Many epigenetic pathways modulate the accessibility to DNA to control gene regulation by means of catalysing post-translational modifications at histone proteins.
An emerging concept in epigenetics is the cooperation of adjacent modifications along the same histone protein to form complex combinatorial patterns – the ‘histone code’2. While most knowledge on the ‘histone code’ comes from studies on model organisms and cell lines, very little is known about how complex histone modification systems regulate aging and tumourigenesis in humans.
We are looking for a highly motivated MSc student with skills in molecular biology and biochemistry to join our efforts to profile epigenetic states during aging and cancer development. Towards this goal, we have developed quantitatively accurate mass spectrometry-based workflows to comprehensively analyse histone modification systems from limited biological specimen3.
The student will apply established proteomic workflows to quantify histone modifications in cancer cell lines and patient samples from donors of different ages. The student will learn how to process samples for mass spectrometry analysis and to analyse the resulting proteomic datasets. Furthermore, the student will have the chance to participate in an academia-industry collaborative project to further advance the technology. The work will be published in a scientific journal and the student will be involved in writing up the manuscript.
Please send your C.V. and a motivation letter to Dr. Christian Feller
References
1. Lopez-Otin, C., Blasco, M. A., Partridge, L., Serrano, M. & Kroemer, G. The hallmarks of aging. Cell 153, 1194-1217, doi:10.1016/j.cell.2013.05.039 (2013).
2. Suganuma, T. & Workman, J. L. Crosstalk among Histone Modifications. Cell 135, 604-607, doi:10.1016/j.cell.2008.10.036 (2008).
3. Feller, C., Forne, I., Imhof, A. & Becker, P. B. Global and specific responses of the histone acetylome to systematic perturbation. Molecular Cell 57, 559-571, doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2014.12.008 (2015).
Lay summary @
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/01/150112110815.htm