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MA/MSc Internship for EUGLOH program

Title: Exploring the contribution of DNA transactions on Pseudomonas aeruginosa chromosome spatial conformation and gene expression

Keywords: Chromosome, Conformation, DNA transactions, Pathogen, Transcription

Internship Duration: 30/11/-1 - 30/11/-1


Head of the hosting team: Frédéric Boccard

Website: Click here

Address of the host laboratory:
I2BC
Team Conformation and Segregation of the Bacterial Chromosome
1 Avenue de la Terrasse
91190 Gif-sur-Yvette France

Supervisor 1: Virginia S. Lioy
E-mail: virginia.lioy@i2bc.paris-saclay.fr
Phone: 33169823161

Supervisor 2: Stéphanie Bury-Moné
E-mail: stephanie.bury-mone@i2bc.paris-saclay.fr


Internship description:

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen, that causes serious infections in immunocompromised patients, and it is the leading cause of morbidity in cystic fibrosis patients. These infections are particularly challenging because of P. aeruginosa broad intrinsic antimicrobial resistance. During the infection cycle, P. aeruginosa modulate its DNA replication state: free living bacteria are dividing cells in which DNA is replicated until they attached to a surface and the biofilm state is adopted During acute infection, P. aeruginosa can also invade and survive inside epithelial cells. Within the infection process, bacterial cells present a degree of DNA replication, from non-replicating cells to actively replicating ones. Despite this, neither the replication process nor the impact of this process on the overall genome organization and expression have been extensively studied in P. aeruginosa. We have developed tools to dissect the respective contribution of key DNA transactions (replication, transcription, long-range contacts mediated by condensins) on Pseudomonas chromosome dynamics. Here, the master student will characterize P. aeruginosa chromosome spatial organization and expression in the absence or presence of ongoing replication, transcription and/or condensin machineries. He/She will construct genetic tools and use innovative approaches (multi-omics approaches and fluorescence microscopy) to explore the emergent properties associated with the higher orders of chromosome organization.

Techniques used during the internship:

Cloning
Fluorescent microscopy to study chromosome spatial conformation
Transcriptomics analyses

Bibliography:

Lioy VS, Junier I, Boccard F. Multiscale Dynamic Structuring of Bacterial Chromosomes. Annu Rev Microbiol. 2021 Oct 8;75:541-561. doi: 10.1146/annurev-micro-033021-113232. Epub 2021 Aug 3. PMID: 34343019.

Lioy VS, Junier I, Lagage V, Vallet I, Boccard F. Distinct activities of bacterial condensins for chromosome management in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cell Rep. 2020 Nov 3;33(5):108344. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108344. PMID: 33147461.


Possibility of PhD : Yes

Research field(s) of interest to the hosting team:
Language(s) spoken in the host laboratory: English, French (and Spanish by some team members)