PhD-student/post-doc position at Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Finland

Our laboratory is looking for a PhD-student or post-doctoral fellow to examine how actin dynamics are regulated in cells, and how different actin structures contribute to various physiological and pathological processes. The actin cytoskeleton is a dynamic structure that plays fundamental role in multiple biological processes including muscle contraction, cell motility, cell division, endocytosis, and phagocytosis. Because abnormalities in various actin-dependent processes are typical to cancer cells and during infection processes of several pathogenic microbes, detailed knowledge of the function and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton will also shed light on the principles of these pathological states. Our laboratory uses a wide range of cell biological, imaging, biochemical, and genetic methods to elucidate how the actin cytoskeleton is regulated during various cellular processes.

We are now searching for a highly motivated PhD-student/post-doc to examine how contractile actin filament structures are generated and maintained in cells. Previous experience of cell biological (e.g. light-microscopy imaging) methods is beneficial in the case of post-doctoral applicants.

Please, send your application including a CV and a short letter of motivation to prof. Pekka Lappalainen by Email (pekka.lappalainen@helsinki.fi ) by February 20th, 2012. For further information of our research, please visit: http://www.biocenter.helsinki.fi/bi/lappalainen/

Selected recent publications:

Pykäläinen A, Boczkowska M, Zhao H, Saarikangas J, Rebowski G, Jansen M, Hakanen J, Koskela EV, Peränen J, Vihinen H, Jokitalo E, Salminen  M, Ikonen E, Dominguez R, Lappalainen P (2011): Pinkbar is an epithelial-specific BAR domain protein that generates planar membrane structures. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 18: 902-907.

Tojkander S, Gateva G, Schevzov G, Hotulainen P, Naumanen P, Martin C, Gunning PW, Lappalainen P (2011): A molecular pathway for myosin II recruitment to stress fibers. Curr. Biol. 21: 539-50.

Hotulainen P, Llano O, Smirnov S, Tanhuanpää K, Faix J, Rivera C, Lappalainen P (2009): Defining mechanisms of actin polymerization and depolymerization during dendritic spine morphogenesis. J. Cell Biol. 185: 323-339.

Saarikangas J, Zhao H, Pykäläinen A, Laurinmäki P, Mattila PK, Kinnunen P, Butcher SJ, Lappalainen P (2009): Molecular mechanisms of membrane deformation by I-BAR domain proteins. Curr. Biol. 19: 95-107.

Paavilainen VO, Oksanen E, Goldman A, Lappalainen P (2008): Structure of the actin-depolymerizing factor homology domain in complex with actin. J Cell Biol.  182: 51-59.