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 SAIMA

Further Information: Jari Ylänne, jylanne@jyu.fi, phone +358-50-4285273