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Postdoctoral Position Available
Regulation of Vascular Gene Expression
Emory University

I am looking for a postdoctoral fellow to study receptor-mediated
control of gene expression. The position is available as early as May of
1998.  General interests in the lab largely revolve around receptors,
signaling, gene expression and vascular biology.  Our model systems
include studies of gene expression control in both vascular smooth
muscle and endothelial cells, and very recently in transgenic mice.

Two projects are under study.  One involves the control of mRNA
stability and translation by receptor-mediated signaling.  The second
project involves the control of a heteromeric transcription factor
complex by cell surface receptors. Activation of this complex leads to
highly inducible transcription of target genes in both vascular smooth
muscle and endothelial cells.

Since each of these systems are activated by multiple classes of
receptors, they both serve as experimentally approachable models for
solving the general mechanisms of how the many complex signals emanating
from cell surface receptors are filtered to achieve specific responses.
Also, we have data predicting the existence of unknown but key effector
components in each of these systems, which we will need to isolate/clone
to gain better insight into their mechanisms.  A third issue revolves
around understanding the role of these gene expression systems in
regulating a few candidate target genes we have identified recently,
using both cell culture and animal models.  The postdoctoral fellow
would be expected to focus initially on a single aspect of any one of
these issues as appropriate to their own interests and talents.

We have recently developed some novel and highly efficient retroviral
vectors and protocols to express foreign genes in primary cultures of
vascular cells.  These include several types of transcriptional
reporters, fusion proteins that can function as cellular antagonists of
signaling enzymes and transcription factors, and precisely specified
mutant mRNA's under selective transcriptional regulation.  The lab
exploits a range of cell and molecular methodologies.  Wider use of
transgenic mouse models is contemplated in the very near future,
including targeted expression of recombinant genes to the vasculature of
mice to inhibit signaling and transcription selectively in vivo.

This is a highly attractive opportunity that would allow for an
energetic individual to become immediately successful using our
well-established models and approaches.  There are also several
conceivable exit pathways, in the form of attractive problems related to
these interests that are we are unlikely to pursue over the long term.
A successful candidate can begin to develop these in my lab as a basis
to start their own independent career.

The ideal candidate will be a recent graduate with a strong record of
publication.  An interest and familiarity with either vascular biology,
receptors and signal transduction, or regulated gene expression is
essential. I am particularly interested in identifying individuals who
have a solid background in experimental cardiovascular physiology and
wish to continue along those lines, but who would like to learn how to
manipulate gene expression in vivo through exploitation of transgenic
technology.

The Pharmacology Department at Emory is thriving with a highly
collegial, 14 member faculty, which is involved in training over 40
postdocs and students.  Sufficient funding is available in my own lab to
accomodate the needs of 6-8 scientists.  Our interdisciplinary graduate
training programs foster interactions among various Departments and
Centers in the Emory biomedical community.  The University is located in
an attractive, affordable and close-in suburban community, and is near
many cultural and recreational venues in the southeast region of the US.

Please contact me if you are interested, or pass this note along to
someone who might be.  Interested individuals should send along a CV and
reprints or your work.

Thanks

- --
T.J. Murphy, Ph.D.    404-727-2467
Assistant Professor    404-727-0365 (fax)
Department of Pharmacology   tmurphy@pharm.emory.edu
Emory University School of Medicine
5031 O.W. Rollins Research Building
Atlanta, GA 30322

http://www.emory.edu/PHARMACOLOGY/MURPHY/

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