From: bco-bounces@lists.oulu.fi [mailto:bco-bounces@lists.oulu.fi] On Behalf Of anita.tienhaara@helsinki.fi
Sent: 12. lokakuuta 2010 9:13
To: FinBioNet
Subject: [Bco] Graduate student and postdoctoral position in Molecular and Cellular Enzymology, University of Turku

ONE GRADUATE STUDENT AND ONE POST-DOCTORAL POSITIONS AVAILABLE IN

MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR ENZYMOLOGY

Candidates are sought for a four-year Ph.D. student position and initially one-year post doctoral researcher position in the project entitled "Molecular and cellular enzymology of inorganic polyphosphatases". The work will be carried out in the laboratory of Professor Reijo Lahti (Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, University of Turku, Finland) and funded by the Academy of Finland.

We are studying the mechanism of action of phosphoryl transfer enzymes involved in the metabolism of phosphoric acid anhydrides, which are vital cellular high-energy compounds and regulators. Our current research targets are exopolyphosphatases (PPXs) and inorganic

pyrophosphatases (PPases) catalyzing the hydrolysis of inorganic polyphosphates. The project is methodologically diverse including genetic engineering approaches, bioinformatics, protein analysis techniques and structural studies. The work of these two persons will be

focused on human exopolyphosphatase and nucleotide-regulated CBS-PPases.

We are looking for highly motivated candidates with a strong background in biochemistry or closely related disciplines. Positions with a 4-month trial period are available from the 1st of January 2011. The deadline for the applications will be November 15th. For the application, please, email your CV and contact information of two referees as well as an informal letter of motivation to Dr. Anu Salminen ( anusalmi-at-utu.fi ).

Please, see more information of our research project from the Web page: http://www.sci.utu.fi/biokemia/en/research/biochemistry/ppase.html

Selected references:

Tuominen H, Salminen A, Oksanen E, Jämsen J, Heikkilä O, Lehtiö L, Magretova NN, Goldman A, Baykov AA, Lahti R. (2010) Crystal structures of the CBS and DRTGG domains of the regulatory region of Clostridium perfringens pyrophosphatase complexed with the inhibitor, AMP, and activator, diadenosine tetraphosphate. J. Mol. Biol. 398, 400-13.

Jämsen, J., Baykov, A.A. & Lahti, R. (2010) Nucleotide- and substrate-induced conformational transitions in the CBS domain-containing pyrophosphatase of Moorella thermoacetica. Biochemistry, 49, 1005-13.

Tammekoski, M., Koivula, K., Cusanelli, E., Zollo, M., Steegborn, C., Baykov, A.A. & Lahti, R. (2008) Human metastasis regulator protein H-prune is a short-chain exopolyphosphatase. Biochemistry 47, 9707-9713.

Jämsen, J., Tuominen, H., Salminen, A., Belogurov, G.A., Magretova, N.N., Baykov, A.A. & Lahti, R. (2007) A CBS domain-containing pyrophosphatase of Moorella thermoacetica is regulated by adenine nucleotides. Biochem. J. 408, 327-333.

Tammenkoski, M., Moiseev, V.M., Lahti, M., Ugochukwu, E., Brondijk, T.H.C., White, S.A., Lahti, R. & Baykov, A.A. (2007) Kinetic and mutational analyses of the major cytosolic exopolyphosphatase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J. Biol. Chem. 282, 9302-9311.

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Anita Tienhaara

Institute of Biotechnology

P.O. Box 56

FIN-00014 University of Helsinki, finland

tel. +358 9 191 59656

fax +358 9 191 59550

anita.tienhaara@helsinki.fi