Postdoctoral Researcher

Understanding dynamics of the bacterial Type VI secretion system assembly

The Biozentrum of the University of Basel is one of the leading Life Sciences Institutes in the world. It accommodates 30 research groups and 500 employees investigating how molecules and cells create life, spanning the scale from atom to organism. Founded in 1971, the Biozentrum has been the birthplace of many fundamental discoveries in biology and medicine, spawning several Nobel Laureates.

A postdoc position is available in the group of Prof. Marek Basler at the Biozentrum, University of Basel.

The Type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a unique protein-translocating bacterial nanomachine that is fascinating from several points of view: (i) T6SS clusters are present in numerous pathogenic bacteria, (ii) T6SS can deliver effectors into both bacterial and eukaryotic targets, (iii) components of T6SS are evolutionarily related to phage tails, (iv) dynamics of T6SS can be studied using fluorescence microscopy in live cells allowing unprecedented insights into function of this complex nanomachine.

Recently, we have identified several different mechanisms regulating T6SS assembly with high spatial and temporal precision (i.e., aiming of T6SS). In this project we will uncover fundamental principles of “aiming” of T6SS assembly in various bacteria. We will primarily focus on the following biological questions: How is T6SS assembly initiated, regulated and localized? What are the sequential steps of T6SS assembly? How these steps vary between species? How does aiming of T6SS contribute to its activity?