Biology Education

Master project proposal (60 credits)
When a human being is infected by a pathogen such as Sars-CoV-2, antibody production is triggered. The antibodies or so-called immunoglobulins (Ig) label the pathogen as “alien” thus guiding the immune system to react against the intruder. There are several important antibody-mediated effector functions such as
• phagocytosis (ADCP)
• cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC)
• NETosis
Even though there are five distinct classes of immunoglobulins, research’s main focus has been on IgGs while other classes remain understudied.
Our lab has started to venture into IgA research and successfully produced human monomeric IgA monoclonal antibodies against Sars-CoV-2’s spike protein. We would now like to produce dimers and characterize the abovementioned functions. The antibodies will be produced by a human cell line and purified from the supernatant with the help of FPLC. We then plan to utilize Flow cytometry, microscopy and set up biochemical assays to study the differences between IgA monomers and dimers.
Contact:
Quantitative Immunobiology Lab www.nordenfeltlab.com
pontus.nordenfelt@med.lu.se and berit.olofsson@med.lu.se

We invite highly motivated students to join our research group at the Clinical Research Centre in Malmö and participate in our ongoing research projects for their MSc thesis laboratory work. Our group is dedicated to studying the role of the immune system in diseases such as diabetes and cancer. The projects involve laboratory work using a variety of primary cells, cell lines, purified proteins, and patient samples. You will gain hands-on experience in planning and conducting laboratory experiments that address fundamental cellular mechanisms underlying physiological and disease processes.
Our experienced group members will closely guide you throughout the project. The projects include state-of-the-art methods for the investigation of cell biology, such as flow cytometry, cell metabolism (Seahorse) and confocal microscopy, protein interaction analyses using the proximity-ligation assay, and genetic manipulation employing the Cas9/CRISPR system. In addition, you will have the opportunity to learn microbiologic and immunologic techniques and to express and purify recombinant proteins. We use Labguru, an online laboratory notebook, to document all experiments. By participating in our research projects, you will gain valuable experience in cutting-edge research techniques, broaden your understanding of cellular mechanisms in physiology and disease, and contribute to our mission to advance knowledge in the field of immunology.
Below are examples of available projects:

The role of intracellular C3 and CD59 in pancreatic β-cells: Our research focuses on two important proteins found in human pancreatic islets: the central complement protein C3 and the complement inhibitor CD59. We discovered that intracellular C3 plays a key role in regulating autophagy (a process where cells clean out damaged components) and helping cells survive during stress. Now, we are investigating how C3 may influence β-cell function and contribute to islet inflammation. In addition, we are studying CD59 to understand its role in insulin secretion and β-cell metabolism and its potential impact on diabetes. By uncovering how these proteins work, we aim to reveal new insights into pancreatic β-cell physiology, allowing for a deeper understanding of diabetes.

The role of oncogene COMP in cancer: we found that the expression of cartilage protein COMP is associated with metastases and a poor prognosis for patients with various types of solid cancers. Additionally, COMP contributes to cancer resistance to therapy and inhibits the immune system. We aim to investigate the molecular mechanisms responsible for these novel functions of COMP, particularly those related to basic cell biology and tumor immunology. Ultimately, our long-term goal is to develop biomarkers for cancer and resistance to chemotherapy and to provide a basis for the development of novel treatments.

– King B.C., et al. (2019) Complement C3 is highly expressed in human pancreatic islets and prevents -cell death via ATG16L1 interaction and autophagy regulation., Cell Metabolism, 29, 202-210.
– Golec E., et al. (2022) Alternative splicing encodes novel intracellular CD59 isoforms that mediate insulin secretion and are downregulated in diabetic islets., PNAS, 119, e2120083119.
– Papadakos et al. (2019) Cartilage Oligomeric Matrix Protein initiates cancer stem cells through activation of Jagged1-Notch3 signaling., Matrix Biology, 81, 107-121.

Start date is flexible. More information about our research and us can be found on our homepage: https://www.protein-chemistry.lu.se

If you are interested, please contact prof. Anna Blom, Dept of Translational Medicine, anna.blom@med.lu.se

During evolution, plants have acquired systems enabling them to adapt to adverse environmental conditions, including responses to mechanical signals or ‘touching’. Plants use such mechanical cues to detect e.g. herbivores, wind, neighbouring plants or to find supports to climb on. The plant response to biotic and abiotic stress has been studied for many years, but the molecular mechanism controlling touch-signalling in plants is not well understood. Plants subjected to regular touching show reduced growth and development, called ‘thigmomorphogenesis’. On the other hand, the plants can become more resistant to insect pests and pathogens.
Interestingly, many genes are induced at the mRNA- and protein level within a few minutes after being touched. Recently, our lab found that touch signalling is controlled by multiple complementary signalling pathways. In the proposed work we will study candidate components of the early touch-signalling cascade such as mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and plasma-membrane Ca2+ channels, as we suspect that they play a crucial role in the early touch-signalling cascade. We will use genetic tools to knock out genes and study the response of these mutants to touch stimulation in comparison to WT with regards to gene expression, phosphorylation cascades and alteration in growth and development. As the touch response is also rapidly switched off after 30 minutes, we are exploring the mechanism that in timely manner control mRNA degradation. The student will learn a wide range of molecular and physiological techniques.
If you are interested, please contact Olivier Van Aken (olivier.van_aken@biol.lu.se) for more information.

To survive in the variable conditions of the outside environment, plants constantly need to adapt their growth and reproduction strategies. Due to climate change, plants and commercial crops will be more and more exposed to extreme weather variations, so it is very important to understand how they sense and manage different stress conditions such as flooding, drought, heat and high salinity.
Mitochondria are one of the key cellular organelles that mediate energy conversion and are thus tightly linked with the overall survival of an organism. In our lab, we are studying a molecular signalling pathway that allows communication between the mitochondria and nucleus, so-called mitochondrial ‘retrograde’ signalling. Mitochondrial ‘retrograde’ signalling is triggered by reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by the mitochondria during stress, leading to activation of a transcription factor that is anchored in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane. The goal of the project is to identify the mechanism by which the ER-bound transcription factor is cleaved by proteases, to allow relocation to the nucleus and switching on gene expression. Furthermore, we are exploring how mitochondrial signalling actively slows down plant growth to potentially increase survival. The project will involve confocal microscopy, gene expression, proteolytic and phenotypic analysis. We are also studying the evolutionary origin of mitochondrial signalling in plants, using representatives of early plant lineages such as mosses. If you are interested, please contact olivier.van_aken@biol.lu.se!