Karima Djacem Email & Phone Number

United Kingdom

Bristol, Angleterre, Royaume-Uni

Bristol, Angleterre, Royaume-Uni

Région De Paris, France

« Molecular mechanisms of recognition and cleavage of the genome in bacteriophage SPP1, a double-stranded DNA virus »Packaging of the genome in a procapsid is a key step in the formation of viral particles in many virus families. In bacteriophage SPP1 and some eukaryotic viruses, the macromolecular complex that encapsidates viral DNA is composed of terminase, a hetero-oligomer with ATPase and nuclease activities, and the portal protein, through which DNA is translocated. The packaging reaction is initiated by recognition of a specific sequence (pac) in the viral genome by the small terminase subunit (gp1), followed by cleavage of the DNA by the large subunit of the enzyme (gp2).My research project aims to characterize the molecular mechanisms involved in the protein-protein/protein-DNA interactions required for the packaging of viral DNA inside a preformed procapsid. The study of this complex biological process is essentially based on genetics and molecular biology approaches. Its investigation will naturally evolve into functional and structural studies. It is this multidisciplinary aspect that attracted me first to this Ph.D. project that I have conducted in an interdisciplinary department including biochemistry, structural biology, and cell biology teams.Techniques:- Phage amplification and purification- Trans complementation assay- Phage DNA extraction- Phage titration- PCR amplification- Cloning, restriction/ Ligation, Gibson assembly- Site-directed mutagenesis​ - Agarose gel electrophoresis/ Gel extraction- Southern/ Western Blot- Sanger sequencing data analysis - Next-generation​ sequencing data analysis - Nucleid acid/ Protein alignment​ - Protein structure comparison

I2Bc. Virology Department. Région De Paris, France

"Genome packaging mechanisms in double-stranded DNA virus"The packaging of double-stranded DNA in bacteriophage SPP1 is initiated by the recognition of two specific regions pacL and pacR via the small subunit of the terminase gp1, followed by a cleavage at pacC by the viral nuclease gp2. The results obtained have shown that cleavage in pacC is not sequence-specific while changes in the pacR sequence affected the reaction. This is compatible with a model in which gp1 binds specifically to pacR creating the structural context to recruit the sequence-independent nuclease gp2 and direct it to cleave exclusively at pacC.

I2Bc. Virology Department. Région De Paris, France

"Double-stranded DNA tailed bacteriophages micro evolution"Study of the effect of a homologous recombination in a small closed group of phages that infect the same host.- Genomic annotation of 3 new phages.- Protein and nucleic acid alignment.

Doctorat

Activities and Societies: Member in the organization committee of Young Researchers in Life Sciences conference -2016Doctoral school 569.

Master 2 (M2), Master Of Science In Biology And Health, Genome, Cell, Development And Evolution

Section: Microbial genetic

M2, Microbiology, General