The successful candidate for InGA postdoc position in Dr. Lukas Cajanek lab, Dr. Annette Jacobsen, will join the team to pursue the mechanisms and functions of primary cilia. The primary cilium is an antenna-like organelle that has emerged as a fundamental regulator of embryonic development as well as tissue homeostasis. Consequently, the deregulation of its assembly, maintenance, or function leads to numerous human diseases, collectively termed ciliopathies. It has been estimated that cilia dysfunctions are responsible for as many as 100 human diseases. However, the mechanistic explanation of primary cilia assembly and function, crucial for the understanding of cilia-related defects and their therapeutic targeting, is insufficient.
Dr. Annette Jacobsen will join the lab of Dr. Lukáš Čajánek at Masaryk University in Brno. The lab has a long-term interest in revealing the molecular mechanisms of cilia assembly, maintenance, and cilia-mediated signalling in relation to the components of so called distal appendages localized at the base of primary cilia. The selected applicant will have access to unique research tools, state-of-the-art methodology, and advanced instrumentation (cellular and animal models, proteomics, gene editing, lentiviral transduction, live cell imaging, super-resolution microscopy, etc.).