Postgraduate research opportunities Flagellum length regulation in Leishmania

Protein kinases are important regulators of all cells and play a role in vital processes like differentiation, proliferation, adaptation and motility. Leishmania have to regulate the length of their single flagellum, a highly conserved structure in eukaryotes. Mammalian-stage amastigotes display a flagellum not emerging from the cell surface whereas insect-stage promastigotes show a flagellum at least as long as the spindle-shaped cell body. We have shown that protein kinases are involved in flagellar length regulation and maintenance. The project is comprised of a variety of different methods including CRISPR-Cas9, molecular biology, protein biochemistry, cell biology and microscopy. Genes will be cloned using modern cloning technologies. Recombinant proteins will be expressed using bacterial expression systems followed by purification and enzyme assays. Recombinant parasites will be generated and their phenotype analysed. Interactions of protein kinases with their interaction partners will be analysed in vivo using genetically modified parasites for proximity labelling (BioID) and mass spectrometry.

Further information

Wiese, M., Kuhn, D. and C.G. Grünfelder. Protein kinase involved in flagellar-length control. Eukaryot. Cell. Aug 2(4), 769-77 (2003)

Bengs, F., Scholz, A., Kuhn, D. and M. Wiese. LmxMPK9, a mitogen-activated protein kinase homologue affects flagellar length in Leishmania mexicana. Mol. Microbiol. 55(5), 1606-1616 (2005)

Erdmann, M., Scholz, M., Melzer, I.M., Schmetz, C., and M. Wiese. Interacting protein kinases involved in the regulation of flagellar length. Mol Biol Cell. 17, 2035-2045 (2006)