About the project
Complex carbohydrates (or glycans) are the most abundant biopolymers in Nature. Plants are among the largest producers of glucose-based carbohydrate polymers, which they use as the essential scaffolding of the cell wall (cellulose) and as energy storage (starch). New research demonstrates that carbohydrates covalently attached to proteins activate specialized plant signalling networks that control plant growth and provide protection against both biotic and abiotic factors.
In this project you will use state-of-the-art computer simulations based on statistical mechanics and data analytics tools to understand the molecular basis underpinning the structure and function of proteins modified by glycosylation in plant signalling pathways.
Computer modelling will lead to the formulation of precise hypotheses that will be tested in the lab through binding assays and mutagenesis. As the project advances, computational and experimental insight will be supplemented by molecular structure characterization by cryo-EM complemented by computational reconstruction of the glycans.
The results of this project will be instrumental to understand how plant glycosylation impacts health and growth and how we can modulate its features with direct implications to food security, healthy nutrition, and sustainable agriculture, see https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/.
Through this project you will learn to master highly sophisticated structural biology and analytic techniques, while developing key research skills, which are all highly sought in both industry and academia.
The real-life impact of this project will also allow you to develop a sensibility to global sustainability and world economy, which will also open avenues to public or private policy advisory agencies.
