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Unraveling the mechanism of enzymatic carbon fixation


Thesis topic details

General information

Organisation

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
  

Reference

SL-DRF-25-0436  

Direction

DRF

Thesis topic details

Category

Life Sciences

Thesis topics

Unraveling the mechanism of enzymatic carbon fixation

Contract

Thèse

Job description

The Synchrotron Group at the Institut de Biologie Structurale in Grenoble is currently developing an innovative method called TR-FOX (Time-Resolved Functional Oscillation Crystallography). This technique aims to elucidate, firstly, the global dynamics of biological macromolecules in action and, secondly, their fine catalytic mechanism. It relies on the use of an injector capable of depositing onto the crystal, during the course of the X-ray diffraction data collection, a nanoliter droplet containing the substrate and cofactor of the studied reaction. This triggers the enzymatic reaction within the crystal. The approach can be combined with UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy to characterize the reaction kinetics more precisely. The goal is to obtain a series of structures during the catalytic cycle in order to make a molecular movie depicting the functioning of the enzyme. This thesis has two objectives: (i) improve and validate the TR-FOX method and, (ii) study the catalytic mechanism of two enzymes involved in carbon fixation either by capture or conversion of CO2.

University / doctoral school

Chimie et Sciences du Vivant (EDCSV)
Université Grenoble Alpes

Thesis topic location

Site

Grenoble

Requester

Position start date

01/10/2025

Person to be contacted by the applicant

Engilberge Sylvain sylvain.engilberge@esrf.fr
CEA
DRF/IRIG//IBS
71 Avenue des Martyrs
38000 Grenoble
0476882839

Tutor / Responsible thesis director

ROYANT Antoine antoine.royant@ibs.fr
CEA
DRF/IRIG//IBS
71 avenue des Martyrs
CS 10090
38044 Grenoble Cedex 9
0457428539

En savoir plus

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=0YciGv4AAAAJ&hl=fr
https://www.ibs.fr/fr/recherche/assemblage-dynamique-et-reactivite/groupe-synchrotron/
https://www.esrf.fr/home/UsersAndScience/Experiments/CRG/BM07.html