Postdoctoral position OT-29303
2-years postdoctoral position available: Understanding microbiota modulation of taste sensitivity and feeding behavior in Drosophila melanogaster
21000 DIJON
INRAE presentation
The French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE) is a major player in research and innovation. It is a community of 12,000 people with 272 research, experimental research, and support units located in 18 regional centres throughout France. Internationally, INRAE is among the top research organisations in the agricultural and food sciences, plant and animal sciences, as well as in ecology and environmental science. It is the world’s leading research organisation specialising in agriculture, food and the environment. INRAE’s goal is to be a key player in the transitions necessary to address major global challenges. Faced with a growing world population, climate change, resource scarcity, and declining biodiversity, the Institute has a major role to play in building solutions and supporting the necessary acceleration of agricultural, food and environmental transitions.
Work environment, missions and activities
General Information :
The laboratory: Center for taste and feeding behavior (CSGA), https://csga.fr/en_GB/
• The team: Gustation & Brain team (GustaBrain), https://csga.fr/en_GB/home-en/teams/team-tpieg
• Where: Dijon, France
Work environment :
- The CSGA : The work will take place within the Center for Taste and feeding Behavior (CSGA) in Dijon. The CSGA is an
institution gathering 10 teams working on the diverse aspect of feeding on models ranging from cellular to humans, which
offer a rich scientific environment with amazing collaboration perspective.
- The team: The recently created GustaBrain team is led by Dr. Pierre-Yves Musso. The applicant will benefit from the
support of the rest of team and innovative technologies such as the flyPAD and the STROBE
Context and objectives
Overweight and obesity represent major public health challenges worldwide. Beyond diet and genetics, scientific
evidence highlights the gut microbiota as a central regulator of host metabolism, energy storage, and feeding
behavior. The discovery of the microbiota-gut-brain axis has revealed complex bidirectional communication
between microbial metabolites and host neural circuits that implicate appetite, reward and satiety. However, the
mechanisms by which the microbiota modulates sensory systems, particularly taste perception, the primary
checkpoint of feeding behaviour, remain poorly understood. Here, we open a 2-year postdoctoral position to join
the MiTasteFly project that aims to understand how microbiota modulates taste perception and feeding behaviour
in Drosophila melanogaster.
The project MiTasteFly has three objectives: (i) to characterize taste perception and food consumption in absence
of microbiota, (ii) to identify microbial taxa or metabolites that modulate gustatory responses and (iii) to explore
molecular and neural pathways underlying microbiota-taste communication.
Behavioral assays such as PER and flyPAD, and in vivo imaging of neural activity will be used to study the impact of
microbial absence on taste sensitivity and feeding to all taste modalities (sweet, salt, bitter, fatty acids, and amino
acids). Bacterial identification and transcriptomic analyses will be done to identify strains modulating taste and
feeding behavior. By integrating behavioral, microbial, and neurogenetic approaches, MiTasteFly will bring insights
in microbiota-taste interactions. The expected outcomes will provide knowledge into how microbes influence tasteperception-feeding and contribute to energy homeostasis, opening possibilities for “microbiota-directed nutrition”
strategies to prevent obesity and metabolic syndrome in human beings.
Keywords :
- Neuroscience, Microbiota, Taste & Feeding, Drosophila
Training and skills
We are looking for a postdoc with a fair expertise in Drosophila, behavior, calcium imaging and/or metabolism. We expect
candidate with strong team spirit.
INRAE's life quality
By joining our teams, you benefit from (depending on the type of contract and its duration):
- up to 30 days of annual leave + 15 days "Reduction of Working Time" (for a full time);
- parenting support: CESU childcare, leisure services;
- skills development systems: training, career advise;
- social support: advice and listening, social assistance and loans;
- holiday and leisure services: holiday vouchers, accommodation at preferential rates;
- sports and cultural activities;
- collective catering.
How to apply
We are looking forward to receiving your online application with the following document:
- Cover letter describing your motivation and research experience (max. 1 page).
- A curriculum vitae.
- Contact information for up to four references to Pierre-Yves Musso (Pierre-Yves.Musso@ube.fr)
All persons employed by or hosted at INRAE, a public research establishment, are subject to the Civil Service Code, particularly with regard to the obligation of neutrality and respect for the principle of secularism. In carrying out their functions, whether or not they are in contact with the public, they must not express their religious, philosophical or political convictions through their behaviour or by what they wear. > Find out more: fonction publique.gouv.fr website (in French)