Job Information
Organisation/Company: CEITEC MU
Research Field: Biological sciences, Physics » Biophysics
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
Application Deadline: 30 Sep 2026 - 21:50 (UTC)
Country: Czech Republic
Type of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Full-time
Offer Starting Date: 1 Feb 2027
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
Doctoral study program: Life Sciences
Supervisor: Dominik Hrebík, Ph.D.
Topic title: Molecular choreography of paramyxovirus assembly
Annotation:
Paramyxoviruses are membrane-enveloped RNA viruses that include major human pathogens such as measles and mumps viruses, as well as highly lethal emerging zoonotic viruses such as Nipah virus, which causes encephalitis with case fatality rates exceeding 50%. Despite their medical importance, there are currently no specific antiviral therapies targeting paramyxovirus infection.
A promising antiviral target is the process of virus assembly and budding, which is orchestrated by the viral matrix protein. Matrix acts as a molecular scaffold at the host-cell plasma membrane, coordinating the recruitment of viral components and driving membrane remodelling to enable virus release. However, current models do not fully explain how matrix specifically recognises the plasma membrane, selectively engages other viral components, and coordinates the timing of budding from the host cell.
This PhD project will investigate the structure and assembly mechanisms of selected paramyxoviruses both in situ and in vitro, using state-of-the-art cryo-electron microscopy approaches. Single-particle cryo-EM analysis will be used to determine the architecture of purified virions and to define the spatial relationships between individual viral components. Focused ion beam milling, cryo-electron tomography and subtomogram averaging will then be applied to visualise viral assembly and budding directly within virus-producing cells.
These in situ studies will be complemented by in vitro reconstitution of viral components on synthetic lipid membranes. These minimal systems will enable high-resolution cryo-EM analysis of matrix-membrane assemblies and dynamic fluorescence-based studies of assembly behaviour. Together, the project will provide new mechanistic insight into how paramyxoviruses assemble and bud from host cells.
Recommended literature:
- Watkinson RE, Lee B. Nipah virus matrix protein: expert hacker of cellular machines. FEBS Lett. 2016;590(15):2494-2511. doi:10.1002/1873-3468.12272
- Norris MJ, Husby ML, Kiosses WB, et al. Measles and Nipah virus assembly: Specific lipid binding drives matrix polymerization. Sci Adv. 2022;8(29):eabn1440. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abn1440
- Clemente CM, Mobarec JC, Bharat TAM. Applications and prospects of cryo-electron tomography in drug discovery and understanding disease. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2026;98:103283. doi:10.1016/j.sbi.2026.103283
- Klumpe S, Plitzko JM. Cryo-focused ion beam milling for cryo-electron tomography: Shaping the future of in situ structural biology. Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2025;94:103138. doi:10.1016/j.sbi.2025.103138
Research area: structural biology, virology, membrane biology
Keywords: virus, structure, paramyxovirus, cryo-EM, cryo-ET, membrane, matrix protein, budding, assembly
Funding of the PhD candidate:
The student’s co-financing will be covered by the group’s start-up grant from the CEITEC MU.
In the academic year 2026/27 the net income of the CEITEC PhD School student is expected to be at least CZK 29,400 (approx. EUR 1215)
Requirements for candidate:
Applicants should have a strong background in one or more of the following areas or related fields: structural biology, molecular biology, biochemistry, virology or biophysics. Experience with Linux-based systems and scripting would be advantageous, but is not essential.
We are equally interested in candidates who are enthusiastic about science, motivated by the project topic, keen to learn new experimental and computational methods, and driven to tackle important and challenging scientific questions. Hard skills are valuable, but curiosity, commitment and scientific ambition will be valued just as highly.
Information about the supervisor:
The supervisor is currently a senior postdoc in John Briggs’s group at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry. He will start his independent research group at CEITEC MU in 2027.
Key publications:
- Stacey, J.C.V.* Hrebík, D.* Nand, E., Shetty, S.D., Qu, K., Boicu, M., Anders-Össwein, M., Uchil, P.D., Dick, R.A., Mothes, W., Kräusslich, H.-G., Müller, B., Briggs, J.A.G., 2025. The conserved HIV-1 spacer peptide 2 triggers matrix lattice maturation. Nature 640, 258–264. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-08624-9 *these authors contributed equally
- Hrebík, D., Gondová, M., Valentová, L., Füzik, T., Přidal, A., Nováček, J., Plevka, P., 2022. Polyelectrolyte coating of cryo-EM grids improves lateral distribution and prevents aggregation of macromolecules. Acta Cryst D 78, 1337–1346. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2059798322009299
- Hrebík, D., Füzik, T., Gondová, M., Šmerdová, L., Adamopoulos, A., Šedo, O., Zdráhal, Z., Plevka, P., 2021. ICAM-1 induced rearrangements of capsid and genome prime rhinovirus 14 for activation and uncoating. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118, e2024251118. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2024251118
- Hrebík, D., Štveráková, D., Škubník, K., Füzik, T., Pantůček, R., Plevka, P., 2019. Structure and genome ejection mechanism of Staphylococcus aureus phage P68. Science Advances 5, eaaw7414. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw7414
Start date: February 2027 or sooner
Sign-up link: https://www.ceitec.eu/molecular-choreography-of-paramyxovirus-assembly/t11792
Where to apply
Website: https://www.ceitec.eu/molecular-choreography-of-paramyxovirus-assembly/t11792
Work Location(s)
Number of offers available: 1
Company/Institute: CEITEC MU
Country: Czech Republic
City: Brno
Postal Code: 625 00
Street: Kamenice 753/5
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