POSTDOCTORAL AND RESEARCH STAFF POSITIONS AVAILABLE:
STRUCTURAL STUDIES OF PROTEINS AND VIRUSES RELEVANT TO AIDS
AND OTHER HUMAN DISEASES
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HIV Reverse Transcriptase: Structure Determination of Complexes with
Substrates and Inhibitors and of Drug-Resistant Mutants; Structure-Based
Drug Design; Complexes with Inhibitors/Viral Polymerases/Cellular
Polymerases/Polymerase Mechanisms/Protein and Vaccine Engineering
Using Combinatorial Mutagenesis
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Highly motivated researchers at the postdoctoral and advanced staff research
level are sought to participate in crystallographic structure determination and
refinement of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase with bound nucleic acids and drugs
at high resolution (in collaboration with the laboratory of Stephen Hughes at
NCI-Frederick). We are obtaining structures of HIV-1 RT complexed with a
variety of nucleic acid template-primers (DNA/DNA and RNA/DNA) and
numerous inhibitors. We have also been pursuing structural and
biochemical studies of drug-resistant mutants of HIV-1 RT to understand the
serious obstacles these mutants pose to successful treatments. Another major
project in the laboratory (co-directed by Dr. Gail Ferstandig Arnold) consists
of vaccine engineering via combinatorial mutagenesis of human rhinoviruses
to display immunogens from other pathogens. Preliminary efficacy of our
chimeric human rhinovirus vaccine approach has been demonstrated in that
antisera raised against the human rhinovirus:HIV hybrids are potently able to
neutralize HIV in cell culture. Crystals of the human rhinovirus:HIV
chimeras have been obtained and we are pursuing their structure
determination. We are also pursuing studies of new proteins that have been
crystallized and are working to crystallize others (cellular RNA polymerases
and associated transcription factors including the mRNA capping enzyme). A
strong background in crystallography, chemistry, biochemistry, virology, or
molecular biology is required. For the structure analysis projects experience
in macromolecular or synchrotron crystallography would be particularly
helpful. State-of-the-art facilities are available in our laboratory at the
Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine (CABM) for crystallography,
protein chemistry, molecular biology, virology, and molecular modeling.
Send CV and names and addresses of three references to:
Eddy Arnold
CABM and Rutgers University
679 Hoes Lane
Piscataway, NJ, 08854-5638
Phone: (732) 235-5323; FAX: (732) 235-5788
E-mail: arnold at cabm.rutgers.edu
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Visit our lab's web site at: www.cabm.rutgers.edu/~arnold
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