PhD position at the Division of Cell Biology @ Biocenter, Innsbruck

A PhD Position is available in the Group ‘Membrane Traffic and Signaling’ (Group: David Teis) at the BIOCENTER @ Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria ( in the Division of Cell Biology (

We are looking for a motivated PhD student with a background in cell- and molecular biology and/or biochemistry.

The aim of the project is to identify molecular mechanisms that mediate and control lysosomal protein degradation. Defects in lysosomal protein degradation have fatal consequences and are associated with a wide variety of diseases including cancer and neuro-degeneration.

We focus on two main questions:

  1. What is the molecular mechanism underlying the ESCRT pathway, which is required forthe transport of ubiquitinated membrane proteins (e.g. EGFR) into lysosomes?
  2. What are the physiological consequences when membrane proteins are no longer delivered into lysosomes for degradation (e.g. upon loss of ESCRT function)? Do cells respond to the accumulation of membrane proteins by activating a specific stress response?

To address these questions, we are using yeast and epithelial cells as the best suited model systems.

The position is open immediately.

Applicants should be familiar with molecular biology and biochemistry.

If interested, please send your application (CV & two contacts for reference) per email to David Teis () before the end of Nov. 2012.

References:

  1. Schmidt, O., and Teis, D. (2012). The ESCRT machinery. Current Biology, 22, 116-120.
  2. Adell, M.A., and Teis, D. (2011). Assembly and disassembly of the ESCRT-III membrane scission complex. FEBS Lett 585, 3191-3196.
  3. Teis, D.,* Saksena, S., Judson, B.L., and Emr, S.D.* (2010). ESCRT-II coordinates the assembly of ESCRT-III filaments for cargo sorting and multivesicular body vesicle formation. EMBO J 29, 871-883. *corresponding author
  4. Teis, D., Saksena, S., and Emr, S.D.* (2008). Ordered assembly of the ESCRT-III complex on endosomes is required to sequester cargo during MVB formation. Dev Cell 15, 578-589.