Bdelloid rotifers are small animals well known for their ability to survive in harsh conditions. They can endure extreme dehydration by entering a state of dormancy and then revive when water becomes available again. Scientists have always been interested in the degree to which these animals resist radiation, since radiation can severely damage DNA by causing both of its strands to break. Interestingly, Adineta vaga's ability to survive radiation may be connected to the way in which it tolerates drying out, as dehydration can also damage DNA. The rotifer probably evolved strong DNA protection and repair mechanisms primarily as a response to its severe environment. Its resistance to radiation is merely a byproduct of adapting to the cycles of drying and rehydration.

In order to find out more about this ability, the researchers subjected A. vaga to proton radiation and then examined what effect it had on its chromosomes. The radiation caused serious damage, resulting in hundreds of breaks in the DNA. For the vast majority of organisms, such extensive chromosome damage would be disastrous; it's similar to going through an instruction manual in a shredder and ending up with a large number of separate fragments. The scientists believed that the rotifers would repair their chromosomes before producing offspring. However, what they discovered was unexpected: some of the broken pieces of chromosome did survive and were passed on to the next generations, where the repair process continued.

The discovery took on even greater interest when the scientists examined the offspring of the irradiated rotifers. Rather than observing the same DNA damage in all the generations, they found different sized sections missing and evidence that some of the genetic regions which had been lost were being slowly restored. The researchers proposed that the rotifers use a repair mechanism known as Break-Induced Homologous Extension Repair, or BIHER. In simple terms, a broken piece of DNA can locate a matching sequence on the other chromosome and use it as a guide to rebuild itself. If the damage is beyond what can be repaired in one generation, the repair process can continue in the next.

What makes the rotifer's method of repairing DNA so unusual is that, normally, we consider DNA repair to take place immediately after damage has occurred, with the cell rapidly repairing the damaged DNA. In A. vaga, however, the repair process can be a lot longer. Certain pieces of chromosome survive the initial damage, are inherited, and then serve as the basis for further repairs in later generations. It's as if one generation begins mending a broken book, the next one continues the work, and another eventually completes the job until all the missing parts have been restored.

One reason why this might work is that bdelloid rotifers have holocentric chromosomes. Rather than having a single point, as most chromosomes do, which controls movement during cell division, the ability to move is distributed along the entire length of their chromosomes. As a result, fragments of chromosomes are sometimes able to retain the parts that are necessary for them to move and divide, and this may account for how broken pieces of chromosome can last long enough to be passed on and then repaired.

This finding could have implications that go beyond those concerning rotifers. Scientists are interested in understanding how genomes cope with severe chromosome damage, for example in the case of chromothripsis, where chromosomes break and are then reassembled in new configurations. Investigating A. vaga could help us to learn how cells manage large genetic issues. Moreover, its high resistance to radiation might also prove useful in research into extreme environments, such as the radiation hazards encountered on long space missions. However, these are ideas for future investigation; at present the rotifer's DNA repair mechanism cannot be used to protect people from radiation.

What is perhaps the most interesting aspect of this discovery is that the rotifer's remarkable ability could have developed for a very simple reason. Since an animal living in moss constantly undergoes periods of drying out and then getting wet again, the same mechanisms that protect its DNA when it is dehydrated might also enable it to survive radiation which would damage most other animals. Therefore, the rotifer probably did not evolve solely in order to resist radiation; instead, it became extremely good at coping with the difficult conditions it encounters, and radiation resistance was just a byproduct.

The case of Adineta vaga demonstrates that survival does not always mean avoiding damage; on some occasions it involves being able to recover from damage which appears to be impossible to repair. This small animal can survive having its chromosomes broken into many pieces, retain some of those pieces, pass them on to its offspring, and continue to repair them over successive generations. Although we generally regard DNA as something fragile that must always remain intact, the rotifer indicates an alternative possibility: perhaps a genome does not have to be perfect in order to survive, since sometimes the pieces last long enough for life to reassemble them, bit by bit, generation after generation.

Ream more at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aee0891

Tutorial https://github.com/andyrimmer/Platypus/blob/master/misc/README.txt

Address of the bookmark: http://www.well.ox.ac.uk/platypus

Brief description: We are looking for suitable candidates in the area o computational biology/bioinformatics/genomics or related field for next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis for small-RNAs, RNA-Seq and targeted resequencing of plants and associated organisms. We are an interdisciplinary group where projects equally involve bioinformatics and systems biology (specially microarrays and next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis and its use), along with plant molecular biology, genetic engineering, field biology, and analytical plant chemistry for understanding response of plants to biotic stresses.

Essential qualification: MSc/BTech/MTech/PhD (or other suitable qualification) in disciplines preferable to bioinformatics, computational biology, computer application (or equivalent)/ ‘Advance Post-Graduate Diploma in Bioinformatics’. Proficiency in programming languages (such as Perl, C++) and/or statistics (proficient in R for example) is compulsory.

Desirable qualification: Experience in the field of genomics e.g. microarray analysis, NGS, genome annotation, database development and management, software development, systems and network biology (or related fields) will be preferred.

Application process: Applications should contain CV along with brief description (maximum 1 page) of research conducted (highlighting skills and experience) till now. Applications should be sent by e-mail to Shree Prakash Pandey, Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur Campus, WB, India within 14 days of this advertisement.

E-mail: sppiiserkol@gmail.com, sppandey@iiserkol.ac.in

Advertisement:

http://www.iiserkol.ac.in/announcements/adverts/671-advt_ra_shree_prakash_july_2014

Essential qualifications: First class M. Sc. in any branch of life sciences and qualified CSIR-UGC NET/GATE Examination.

Desirable qualifications: Practical experience in biochemical and biophysical studies of proteins

Emoluments: as per DBT norms

The project is tenable for two years, initially for one year.

Age: Below 28 years (relaxable in the case of SC/ST/OBC/women candidates)

Candidates are requested to bring two sets of complete applications on plain paper furnishing bio-data and copies of attested certificates along with originals (for verification) on the date of interview.

No TA/DA is admissible for candidates appearing at the interview.

Dr. Rajat Banerjee
Assistant Professor
Department of Biotechnology and
Dr. B. C. Guha Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
University College of Science
35, Ballygunge Circular Road
Kolkata 700019

Advertisement: www.caluniv.ac.in/news/jrf_biotech_2.pdf

a) bioinformatics, systems and computational biology
b) malaria
c) drug discovery
d) genomics
e) microbiology
f) metabolic disorders
g) molecular medicine

Eligibility: Applicants must have one of the following :

1) INSPIRE award for undertakig either PhD or Postdoctoral research;
2) SPM award for PhD;
3) JRF for pursuing PhD from CSIR/DBT/ICMR

Interest and experience in Biochemistry/Bioinformatics/Biophysics/ Chemistry/Genomics/Molecular Biology/ is essential.

Submit curriculum vitae to sb.icgeb@gmail.com by 20 February 2015

RA / Research Associate (Bioinformatics/Computational Biologist)
Salary: Rs. 23000/- + HRA
Vacancy: 1
Essential Qualifications: PhD, preferably in plant biotechnology/biochemistry/Bioinformatics with experience in analyzing high throughput omics-based data. Desired Skills: Prior experience in handling and guiding bioinformatics, metabolomics data, managing the project portal, preparing and filing reports etc. Will be expected to communicate with user groups and coordinate with LIMS group in Hyderabad and the Cheminformatics group in Delhi.

Address: Prof Indira Ghosh, room #12 Project Investigator, (Core Metabolomics) School of Computational and Integrative Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110 067.

Apply Details
Last Date: March 3rd 2015
Web/Notification URL http://www.jnu.ac.in/Career/currentjobs. htm

http://molbiolabccsumrt.webs.com/

Applications are invited for one post of RA in a DBT funded research project “Creation of Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility (BIF) for the promotion of Biology Teaching through Bioinformatics (BTBI) Scheme of BTISet”.

Candidate should have a Ph.D. degree in Bioinformatics/Biotechnology/Genetics and Plant Breeding with adequate experience in the area of Bioinformatics. If a suitable candidate for the post of RA is not available, a JRF/SRF may be appointed.

Candidate for the post of JRF/SRF should have Master’s degree in relevant subject with adequate experience in the area of Bioinformatics and should be NET/DBT-BINC qualified

Interested candidates may send their bio-data to Prof. H. S. Balyan (hsbalyan@gmail.com) (in exceptional case, bio-data may also be submitted at the time of interview) and attend the interview on Monday, March 30, 2015 at 11:00 AM in the Department of Genetics & Plant Breeding, Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut. Candidates shall bring their original documents at the time of interview for verification. No interview letters will be issued and no TA/DA will be paid.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATION: PH.D. DEGREE IN LIFE SCIENCES / PHYSICAL SCIENCE.

Research Associate for Programme No. –I Specialization in the area of plant molecular biology or plant proteomic study or plant pathogen interaction.
Research Associate for Programme No. –I Specialization in the area of plant / fungal Biotechnology, tissue culture and molecular biology
Research Associate for Programme No. –III Specialization in the area of structural biology and protein crystallography.
Research Associate for Programme No. – V Specialization in the area of microbial physiology (metabolism) or environmental microbiology, with experience in microbial genomics and proteomics.
Research Associate for Programme No. – VII Specialization in the area of Theoretical High Energy Astrophysics or Astroparticle Physics. Proven record of independent research experience in Astrophysical
Radiation Magnetohydrodynamics or Cosmic Ray Astrophysics. Experience in numerical techniques and /or date analysis would be additional advantage.
Associateship : 22,000/- p.m., plus admissible H.R.A. and Medical benefit.
Age: Below 3 Age : Below 35 years (Relaxable in case of SC/ST/OBC/Women candidates only as per rule).
SELECTION PROCEDURE FOR BOSE INSTITUTE- RESEARCH ASSOCIATE POST:

Candidates can apply on or before 13/4/2015.
No detailed information about the selection procedure is mentioned in the recruitment notification.
HOW TO APPLY FOR RESEARCH ASSOCIATE VACANCY IN BOSE INSTITUTE:

Interested and eligible candidates may read the application procedures and instructions carefully before applying through online as well as submitting the hard copy of the same. Candidates those who has submitted their Ph.D. Thesis and can produce Provisional Ph.D. Certificate at the time of Interview may also apply

Ref
Bose Institute Recruitment 2015 – ADVT. NO. : BI/IF/35/2014-15.

National Institute of Biologicals (NIB), Noida invites applications to recruit on vacant posts of Scientist, Training Officer, Administrative Assistant, Stenographer, Junior Engineer, Computer Operator etc. Applications against these Government Jobs can be submitted on or before 01 July 2015.

NIB Vacancy 2015 Details
1. Scientist Grade III – 06
Qualification: PG degree in the concern field.
Age Limit: 35 Years

2. Junior Scientist – 07
Qualification: M.Sc. in Microbiology / Clinical Microbiology / Biotechnology/ Bioinformatics/ Biochemistry/Bacteriology/Pharmacology/ Serology / Molecular Biology/Physiology from any recognized University with at least 60% marks.
Age Limit: 30 Years

How to Apply: Duly filled-in applications in prescribed application format along with copies of required documents should be reach to: Administrative Officer, National Institute of Biologicals (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare), A-32, Sector-62, Institutional Area, Noida-201309. Click here to obtain application form.

The Last Date to apply to NIB Job is 01 July 2015.

Click here to view details http://nib.gov.in/Advt%20%20%2824.04.2015%29.pdf

Near Basant Vihar G.T. Road Bypass P.O. Box No.129

Karnal - 132001 (Haryana)

WALK-IN-INTERVIEW

A walk-in-Interview is proposed to be held at National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, Karnal (Haryana)-132001 at 10:30 AM on 10.06.2015 to select One Research Associate as per details given below:

1. One post of Research Associate under National Fellow project entitled “Genome data mining to unravel molecular basis of thermotolerance and adaptation to diverse environments in native cattle and buffaloes”.

The post duration is Upto 22.05.2016 or earlier & Co-terminus with the project.

Essential Qualifications: Master’s degree (M.Sc. / M.V.Sc.) in Biotechnology/ Animal Genetics and Breeding/ Life Sciences/ Bioinformatics with 2 Years research experience in relevant subject or Ph.D in any of the above subjects.

Desirable: Working Experience in molecular biology, gene expression/ microarray data analysis, SNP genotyping and sequence data analysis, mammalian cell-culture handling etc.

Emolument: Rs. 23,000/- per month + HRA as per admissibility

Research Associate: ONE

Duration of engagement: Upto 22.05.2016 or earlier Co-terminus with the project

Age Limit:  40 years for Men  45 years for women as on date of interview

Note: Relaxation in age will be admissible for SC/ST & OBC candidates as per Govt. of India /ICAR norms

1. The applicants must bring with them original documents and brief of research work done during post graduation along with a set of photocopy and latest two passport size photographs. 2. A panel of selected candidates will also be made which may be utilized for filling of positions of shorter durations in future if demand arises. 3. Experience certificate in original, if any 4. The above positions are purely on temporary basis and are coterminus with the project. No TA/DA will be paid to attend the interview. 5. Any other clarifications can be had on the date of interview. 6. The Director’s decision will be final and binding on all respects.

Advertisement: http://210.212.93.85/RAadvertisiment.pdf