FPI 2014 - PhD Position - Stem Cells Proteomics - CNIO (Madrid) - SAF2013-45504-R

Title and project code: Understanding ground state pluripotency through mass spectrometry-based proteomics. SAF2013-45504-R.

Principal investigator and research group: Dr. Javier Muñoz. Proteomics Unit. Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO). http://www.cnio.es/ing/grupos/plantillas/presentacion.asp?grupo=50006917

We offer: The candidate will carry out the doctoral thesis (four years) in the Proteomics Unit at the CNIO, within a young group currently formed by eight people and equipped with last-generation instrumentation. We offer a thorough training in a international scientific environment of excellence, working on a project of a high multidisciplinary nature.

Requirements: The candidate must have a Bachelor degree or similar with a high level of English. It will be positively valued a background in proteomics, mass spectrometry, HPLC, informatics and molecular biology. We are seeking for a highly intellectually motivated person, enthusiast and with teamwork skills.

Project summary: Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent and, hence, have the capacity to differentiate into all cell lineages of an organism, holding enormous implications for regenerative medicine. Pluripotency exists in two forms, a more mature "primed" state and a more "naïve" ground state. In this project, we will use several mass spectrometry-based proteomic approaches to study the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in the establishment of the ground state pluripotency. To this end, we will analyze the generation of murine naïve ESCs at three regulatory levels: (1) protein expression, (2) protein phosphorylation and (3) protein-protein interactions. These studies will generate key molecular information on (1) the global transition towards the ground state pluripotency, (2) the early signaling events triggered by the inhibition of specific kinases and (3) detailed protein composition of the machinery involved in transcriptional pausing (a hallmark of naïve cells).

Contact: Specific procedures and all necessary documentation will be available as of September 2014 at the Spanish Economy and Competitiveness Ministry (MINECO) website. Applicants can request further details by contacting directly Javier Muñoz: jmunozpe@cnio.es

Related references:
• Next-generation proteomics: towards an integrative view of proteome dynamics. Altelaar AF*, Munoz J*,Heck AJ. Nature Review Genetics. 2013.
• Role of mass spectrometry-based proteomics in the study of cellular reprogramming and induced pluripotent stem cells. Benevento M, Munoz J. Expert Review in Proteomics. 2012.
• The Lgr5 intestinal stem cell signature: robust expression of proposed quiescent '+4' cell markers. Muñoz J, Stange DE, Schepers AG, van de Wetering M, Koo BK, Itzkovitz S, Volckmann R, Kung KS, Koster J, Radulescu S, Myant K, Versteeg R, Sansom OJ, van Es JH, Barker N, van Oudenaarden A, Mohammed S, Heck AJ, Clevers H The EMBO Journal. 2012.
• The quantitative proteomes of human-induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Muñoz J*, Low TY*, Kok YJ*, Chin A, Frese CK, Ding V, Choo A, Heck AJ Molecular Systems Biology. 2011 Nov
• Quantitative proteome and phosphoproteome analysis of human embryonic stem cells. Muñoz J, Heck AJ. Methods in Molecular Biology. 2011.
• Investigating the role of FGF-2 in stem cell maintenance by global phosphoproteomics profiling. Zoumaro-Djayoon A, Ding V, Foong LY, Choo A, Heck AJ, Muñoz J. Proteomics. 2011.
• Phosphorylation dynamics during early differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. Van Hoof D*, Muñoz J*, Braam SR*, Pinkse MW*, Linding R, Heck AJ, Mummery CL, Krijgsveld J. Cell Stem Cell. 2009. * Equally contribution.
• Perspectives in stem cell proteomics. Muñoz J, Heck AJ. Genome Medicine. 2009.