Building bioelectronic components through naturally occurring biological wires (CLARKET_U25EP)
Key Details
- Application deadline
- 10 January 2025 (midnight UK time)
- Location
- UEA
- Funding type
- Directly funded project (UK/Home students only)
- Start date
- 1 October 2025
- Mode of study
- Full-time
- Programme type
- PhD
Project description
Primary supervisor - Prof Thomas Clarke
A large and diverse range of bacterial proteins known as cytochromes contain closely packed hemes arranged in chains or clusters. These multiheme cytochromes function in the cell as biomolecular wires and capacitors that store and transfer electrons within different compartments of the bacterial cell. At the UEA we have isolated and characterised several of these cytochromes, allowing the exciting possibility of building them into larger bioelectronic assemblies with enhanced functionality. This EPSRC CASE PhD, in collaboration with the UK Defence and Science Technology Laboratory (DSTL), aims to explore these avenues of research. The PhD will focus on manipulating naturally occurring forked heme chains that are recombinantly expressed in Shewanella oneidensis; engineering them to serve as bioelectronic junctions, fusing them to other multiheme cytochromes that serve as capacitors, and polymerising them into larger electron transfer networks. Working with research teams led by Professors Tom Clarke and Julea Butt, the student will learn a range of different techniques including molecular biology, cloning, protein purification, biophysical characterisation, electrochemistry and spectroscopy. As an EPSRC Case PhD, part of the project will involve a placement at the DSTL, where the student will gain experience in additional methodologies and working in a national government facility.
Entry requirements
The standard minimum entry requirement is 2:1 (Hons) in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology.
Funding
This PhD studentship is funded for 4 years by an EPSRC iCASE grant. This includes payment of tuition fees, and an enhanced stipend of £22,737 to cover living expenses.
References
1. i) Nash BW, Fernandes TM, Burton JAJ, Morgado L, van Wonderen JH, Svistunenko DA, Edwards MJ, Salgueiro CA, Butt JN, Clarke TA. (2024)
Tethered heme domains in a triheme cytochrome allow for increased electron transport distances.
Protein Sci 33(11):e 5200. DOI: 10.1002/pro.5200
1. ii) Colin W. J. Lockwood , Benjamin W. Nash , Simone E. Newton-Payne , Jessica H. Van Wonderen , Keir P. S. Whiting , Abigail Connolly , Alexander L. Sutton-Cook , Archie Crook , Advait R. Aithal , Marcus J. Edwards , Thomas A. Clarke , Amit Sachdeva , Julea N. Butt (2024)
Genetic code expansion in Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 allows site-specific incorporation of bioorthogonal functional groups into a c-type cytochrome
Acs Synthetic Biology DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.4c00248
2. iii) Edwards MJ, White GF, Butt JN, Richardson DJ, Clarke TA. (2020)
The Crystal Structure of a Biological Insulated Transmembrane Molecular Wire.
Cell. 2020 181:665-673.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.03.032.
3. iv) Clarke TA, Edwards MJ. (2020)
Uncovering nature's electronics.
Nat Chem Biol. 1041-1042. doi: 10.1038/s41589-020-00655-9.