Potential Honours / PhD project

Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Protein Phosphorylation Biosensors.

The ability to visualize cellular responses to environmental changes (e.g. drugs, hormones, growth factors and stress responses) at the molecular level, in living cells and in real time will contribute to the understanding of how these factors function. This is especially critical for understanding drug pharmacology. This in turn provides a rational basis on how to improve drug specificity and efficacy. This project will focus on generating a series of synthetic fusion proteins which will allow us to visualize the activation of CREB (cAMP Response Element Binding protein). CREB is a transcription factor present in almost all cells, especially important in nerve cells and stem cells. The ability to visualize the transient and localized activation of CREB under homeostasis and physiologically or pharmacologically induced states, will contribute to the understanding of how CREB responds to regulate cell processes. This will also allow a systematic screen of drugs which specifically modulate CREB activation. Techniques used include recombinant DNA/molecular biology, cell culture and microscopy.

Supervisors: Dr Theo Mantamadiotis and Prof Colin Pouton
(in collaboration with Dr Emilio Casanova, Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research, Vienna, Austria)