PhD student (M/F)

26 May 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

CNRS

Department

Laboratoire de Biologie Intégrative des Modèles Marins

Research Field

Biological sciences » Botany
Biological sciences
Technology » Biotechnology

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

France

Application Deadline

15 Jun 2024 - 23:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

35

Offer Starting Date

1 Nov 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

This PhD offer is part of the research project PEPR B-BEST "Biomasses, biotechnologies et technologies durables pour la chimie et les carburants" financed by the French ANR (Agence Nationale de la Recherche) and coordinated by INRAE and IFPEN. The work will be carried out within the partner team “Marine Glycobiology” at SBR, in Roscoff, Brittany (supervisors: Cécile Hervé, Diane Jouanneau).

Brown algae belong to the Stramenopiles phylum and are phylogenetically distant from plants and other multicellular organisms. They are key components of coastal ecosystems and represent a rich but underutilized biomass that will likely provide solutions to address global challenges, such as climate change, food shortages, and rising demands for natural bioactive compounds. They live in highly dynamic ecosystems, and to thrive in such habitats they have evolved plasticity in terms of metabolic responses, including at the level of their extracellular matrices (ECMs). This extracellular matrix (ECM) accounts for up to 50% of dry weight in brown algae and is involved in numerous biological functions such as morphogenesis, defense responses, etc. The ECM is a complex structure, made up of an assembly of macromolecules, mostly polysaccharides. The main polysaccharides in the ECM are alginates and fucose-containing sulfated polysaccharides (FCSPs). The kelp Saccharina latissima is currently cultivated in open-sea on a commercial-scale in Europe and North America. Its biomass is exploited essentially for its content in ECM-polysaccharides. It is recognized that the chemical structures of these alginates and FCSPs, as well as their assemblies, can vary according to tissue or environmental constraints. However, this variability is not widely reported, including for S. latissima. This is partly due to the structural diversity and massive complexity of FCSPs, to the lack of technological progress in imaging algal tissues and their ECMs, and to the substantial challenges associated with glycan research in general.

The PhD project aims to get a detailed composition of ECM-polysaccharides in S. latissima at the tissue level and upon environmental variations.

A variety of S. latissima samples will be considered with: lab cultures, farmed biomass and harvested algae from the local shore. The objectives will be achieved through a multidisciplinary approach, integrating the specificity of marine macroalgal material:
1) Monosaccharide content analysis and sulfate quantification in ECMs will be systematically performed at a tissue scale,
2) ATR-FTIR spectroscopy will be implemented to investigate variation of our algal polysaccharides. A prerequisite will be to enrich our current knowledge on the absorption bands.
3) Monoclonal antibodies directed against ECM polysaccharides from S. latissima has been obtained in the lab and await characterization. They will be used to locate the distinct and targeted polysaccharides in tissues through imaging techniques.
4) The antibody use will be coupled to enzymatic degradation and/or chromatographic methods such as Epitope Detection Chromatography to further study polysaccharide interactions and variations,
5) The 3D enzymatic deconstruction by X-ray microtomography will be initiated.

The candidate will have a master 2 in plant biology or glycobiology. Solid skills in polysaccharide analytical chemistry are recommended. Knowledge of marine algae would be appreciated.

Requirements

Research Field

Biological sciences

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Biological sciences

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Research Field

Technology

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Languages

FRENCH

Level

Basic

Research Field

Biological sciences » Botany

Years of Research Experience

None

Research Field

Biological sciences

Years of Research Experience

None

Research Field

Technology » Biotechnology

Years of Research Experience

None

Additional Information

Website for additional job details

https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR8227-CECHER-003/Default.aspx

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Laboratoire de Biologie Intégrative des Modèles Marins

Country

France

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Candidat/Offre/UMR8227-CECHER-003/Candidater.aspx

Contact

Website

http://www.sb-roscoff.fr/UMR7139/

STATUS: EXPIRED