Master Project

Tardigrades are extremophile organisms, capable of surviving in the harshest environments. In recent years, their survivability has been linked to the presence of specific proteins, while lipids have largely been overlooked. In this project, you will focus on characterizing tardigrade lipidomes throughout each life stage and their adaptations to extreme situations. Therefore, you will apply a broad array of fundamental biochemical and biological methods, which range from lipid biochemistry to fluorescence imaging.

We are seeking a highly motivated student with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry or a related field and a strong interest and drive. While hands-on experience in lipid biochemistry and molecular biology is desirable, it is not essential. We offer a highly interdisciplinary environment at the interface of cell biology and biochemistry.

If you are interested in pursuing your master’s thesis with us, please submit a motivation letter, CV, and transcript of records to Pavel Barahtjan (pavel.barahtjan@epfl.ch), with the subject line ‘MSc thesis – Application’. The duration of the thesis will comply with the regulations of the student’s university (preferably a minimum of 6 months) and can begin immediately. The working language is English.

Neurons are highly polarized cells with distinct structural and functional domains: the cell body (soma), and neurites (axons and dendrites). These major domains differ radically in their morphology, signaling properties, cytoskeletal organization, and physiological functions. The differences are vital to the functional diversity that give neurons a unique role in the human body. A great deal of focus has been placed on the understanding and localization of molecules such as RNAs and proteins. But very little is known about the role of lipids, which play central roles in the biology of neurons, and whose alteration has been linked to a wide range of diseases 1.  Distinguishing the lipid content of soma and neurites might yield important insights because of mounting evidence that local protein and lipid synthesis play crucial roles in neurite functions2. To achieve this, human iPSC-derived neurons are cultured in microporous membranes that permit a separation of soma from the neurites for the lipid profile. Interestingly, preliminary results have shown that specific sphingolipids are differently abundant between soma and neurites. This project will broaden our understanding of the compartmentalization and functions of neuronal lipids by applying new tools with the following aims:
1.        to spatially profile the lipid composition of neuronal soma and neurites
2.        study the functions of lipids at subcellular resolution
The student will gain experience with stem cells culture, mass spectrometry (MALDI imaging3 and LC-MS, chemical biology (click chemistry) and classical molecular and biochemical biology (qPCR, western blot and CRISPR-cas9) techniques to tackle these questions.

References:
1.        Asaro, A. et al. Apolipoprotein E4 disrupts the neuroprotective action of sortilin in neuronal lipid metabolism and endocannabinoid signaling. Alzheimers Dement. 16, 1248–1258 (2020).
2.        Zappulo, A. et al. RNA localization is a key determinant of neurite-enriched proteome. Nat. Commun. 8, 583 (2017).
3.        Capolupo, L. et al. Sphingolipids control dermal fibroblast heterogeneity. Science 376, eabh1623 (2022).

Project duration: minimum 6 months

Interested students are welcome to contact: antonino.asaro@epfl.ch and giovanni.dangelo@epfl.ch

For internship inquiries in the lab, please contact : internship.updangelo@epfl.ch