Dissecting the neuronal signalling of Tousled-like kinase 2, a gene linked with intellectual disability.

About the Project

Lead supervisor:Dr G Evans

Co-supervisors:Dr Ines Hahn

The student will be registered with the Department of Biology

The challenges of the developing human brain include co-ordinating the birth and migration of 100 billion neurons and the formation of their 1000 trillion synaptic connections. Mutations in genes that regulate these processes are implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders, such as intellectual disability. One such gene, Tousled-like kinase 2 (TLK2), is inextricably linked with human disease. As a cell cycle regulator, TLK2 is frequently amplified and promotes tumour growth in many cancers. Conversely, loss of TLK2 expression or activity causes a rare neurodevelopmental disorder, MRD57, characterised by various nervous system abnormalities, including intellectual disability. We recently discovered that TLK2 shuttles from the nucleus to the cytoplasm during neuronal development, suggesting that TLK2 has neuronal-specific non-nuclear functions in neurons and that its localisation can be regulated dynamically. This project will draw on expertise in kinase signalling, neuronal cell biology, omics screening and live cell imaging in the Evans and Hahn labs to discover the neuronal functions of TLK2 and gain mechanistic insight into how loss of neuronal TLK2 might lead to the phenotypes of MRD57. You will join a thriving neuroscience community and training will be provided in a wide range of neuronal cell biology, protein biochemistry and imaging approaches.

Relevant Evans and Hahn lab studies:

Nuhu-Soso et al (2025) bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/2025.02.20.639293

Pizzey et al (2025) J Neurosci doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1705-24.2025

Voelzmann et al (2024) bioRxiv doi: 10.1101/2024.09.08.611864

Web pages of the supervisory team:

https://www.york.ac.uk/biology/people/gareth-j-o-evans

https://sites.google.com/york.ac.uk/hahnlab/home

The University of York is committed to recruiting future scientists regardless of age, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation or career pathway to date. We understand that commitment and excellence can be shown in many ways and we have built our recruitment process to reflect this. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, particularly those underrepresented in science, who have curiosity, creativity and a drive to learn new skills.

The Department of Biology holds an Athena SWAN Gold Award. We are committed to supporting equality and diversity and strive to provide a positive working environment for all staff and students.

Entry Requirements: Students with, or expecting to gain, at least an upper second class honours degree, or equivalent, are invited to apply. The interdisciplinary nature of this programme means that we welcome applications from students with any biological, chemical, and/or physical science backgrounds, or students with mathematical background who are interested in using their skills in addressing biological questions.

Programme: PhD in Biomedical Science (3 year)

Start Date: 21 September 2026

Funding Notes

Students need to have adequate funds to cover 3 years of tuition fees and living expenses.