[Neutron] Opportunity to apply for a PhD grant in Physics at the University of Perugia, focused on a biophysical topic

[judith peters]

To Whom It May Concern,
We would like to advertise the opportunity to apply for a PhD grant in Physics at the University of Perugia, focused on a biophysical topic. Each year, the University of Perugia awards a PhD grant in Physics to students who have obtained their master's degree outside of Italy. The selection procedure involves an evaluation of the candidates' qualifications and an interview.
One of the proposed research topics for selected candidates is "Thermal stabilization of bacterial proteome dynamics by osmolytes." Please see the description below. The supervisors for this project will be Prof. A. Paciaroni (University of Perugia), Judith Peters (University Grenoble-Alpes), and Dr. F. Sterpone (CNRS LBT/IBPC Paris).
For further details, please send an email to: alessandro.paciaroni at unipg.it
Best regards,
ABSTRACT: Temperature changes have profound and manifold effects on cells. Just to give a few examples, modelling the influence of climate change on microbial organism growth, establishing theoretical limitations for life in severe conditions, and optimizing thermal-based cancer treatments all require a thorough knowledge of cell thermal stability. However, the molecular mechanisms that determine a cell's heat sensitivity are largely unknown.
Proteins are the more common and less stable macromolecules in cells; therefore, their heat sensitivity must play a vital role as a determinant for the majority of temperature-dependent whole-organism actions. Very recently, we provided an unprecedented picture of the intimate link between the proteome nanosecond time-scale dynamics and its thermal stability, and ultimately the growth rate till the cell?s death (Di Bari et al. ACS Cent. Sci. 2023; Caviglia et al. J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 2024).
Cells under stress conditions regulate their osmotic pressure by accumulating small uncharged organic compounds called osmolytes. Research conducted on monomeric, purified proteins in vitro has demonstrated that osmolytes help maintain the stability of proteins when exposed to high temperatures, although there is disagreement about the exact mechanisms behind this stabilization, even more so on the effect of osmolytes on the protein dynamics in a crowded environment.
Here we propose a PhD research project to uncover the relationship between the dynamics of the bacterial proteome and the presence of different kinds of osmolytes as the temperature is used as a stressor and the cell progresses toward the thermal death. This kind of study will employ both advanced experimental techniques (such as neutron scattering and synchrotron light scattering) and state of the art molecular dynamics methods.
Alessandro Paciaroni
Associate Professor, Coordinator of the PhD Programme in Physics
Head of the Laboratory of Physics of DNA and Biomolecules,
Physics and Geology Department, University of Perugia
Via Pascoli
06123 Perugia Italy
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