Are you interested in a PhD project studying muscle development in Drosophila?
In multicellular organism cell adhesion to other cells and to the extracellular matrix is very tightly regulated. Depending on the tissue, the attachment structures are adjusted to tolerate various pulling forces and sometimes the attachments are opened and reorganized. For force tolerance adhesion proteins in the cellular membrane need to be connected to intracellular structural elements, the cytoskeleton, and this connection is the key regulatory point.
We are studying this process by studying the development of fly inderect flight muscles. These are the muscles in flies that most closely resemble human skeletal muscles and their attachment sites are similar to myotendinous junctions, the connections between muscle and tendon. Drosophila flies are very useful model organism, because their development can be relatively easily followed under microscope, thousands mutants and fluorescence protein marker fly lines are available, genetic modification and genetic crossing is relative easy. Furthermore, flies have often less genes affecting same functions and thus the effects of individual mutations are easier to observe.
There is a University of Jyväskylä- funded 4 year PhD position available in the project. The funding will start Jan 1st, 2019. You can apply if you aim to finish your MSci degree before that.
Application Deadline is August 31.2018. Send application via SAIMAhttps://rekry.saima.fi/certiahome/open_job_view.html?did=5600&jc=12&id=00005886&lang=fi Further Information: Jari Ylänne, jylanne@jyu.fimailto:jylanne@jyu.fi, phone +358-50-4285273