Postdoc position in innate immune response to mycobacterial glycolipids, CNRS, Toulouse

Tuberculosis is one of the top ten causes of death worldwide and the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), its causative agent, is a highly successful intracellular pathogen that has adapted to subvert the function of phagocytic cells. To this end, it uses different strategies, many of which involve the highly abundant, structurally diverse, and potently immunomodulatory glycolipids expressed at its cell envelope.

One of our team objectives is to decipher the role and structure-function relationships of glycolipids in the innate immune recognition of Mtb. We and others have shown that Mtb glycolipids are recognized by several PRRs, including TLR2 and the C-type lectins DC-SIGN, Mincle, or Dectin-2. However, the binding mode, the functional consequences in host cells of glycolipid/PRR interaction and the repertoire of PRRs involved in Mtb glycolipid recognition remain to be fully uncovered. Hence, as part of this research theme, the recruited candidate will address these different facets. More specifically, his/her work will aim at identifying and characterizing new glycolipid/PRR interactions in the context of Mtb infection, delineating the signaling pathways triggered, and determining their contribution to innate immune response and to Mtb virulence in macrophages and in mice.