Associated laboratories : Pasteur Institute
Heart Morphogenesis
We study the mechanisms of morphogenesis, to understand how cells are coordinated at the level of the tissue and how their local behaviour generates global changes of organ shape. With its fine architecture essential for its contractile function, the heart provides a novel model of morphogenesis in 3D, relevant to congenital heart defects in humans. We combine experimental approaches in genetics, embryology and cell biology to interdisciplinary approaches in computer modelling and quantitative image analysis.
Contact : Sigolène Meilhac
Epigenetics of Stem Cells
G5 unit at the department of developmental and stem cells biology - ANR Labex REVIVE
We combine biochemistry, molecular biology and state-of-the-art imaging approaches to study the molecular mechanisms and dynamic properties of the gene regulatory network of Embryonic Stem (ES) cells.
Our main interest is to provide a better understanding of gene expression heterogeneity within isogenic ES cell populations, a property which allows ES cells to dynamically explore distinct epigenetic states before they commit into differentiation.
We focus on the study of : (i) the transcriptional and chromatin-based mechanisms
associated with gene expression heterogeneity, in particular under the perspective of the epigenetic inheritance of transcription states, (ii) the single cell dynamics of transcription characterising heterogeneously expressed genes, and (iii) the contribution of non-coding RNAs to the regulation of the network’s activity and more precisely to the establishment and maintenance of heterogeneity.
Contact : Pablo Navarro
Spatial regulation of genomes
The team RSG studies the interplay between the organization and dynamics of chromosomes (both eukaryotic and prokaryotic) with several DNA-related metabolic processes. We are combining experimental approaches (molecular genetics, high-throughput imaging and genomic 3C) with theoretical analysis and modeling. An important aspect of our work consists in fruitful back and forth confrontation between simulations, structural modeling and complex sets of experimental data. For instance, we have developed our own genomic 3C assays and analysis tools (some readily in the lab, some in close collaboration) to analyze the chromosome organization and chromosome biology of unicellular organisms, including pathogenic species. We have also developed alternative uses of the technique, combining it to polymer models of chromosomes, to explore complex genomic data.
Contact : Romain Koszul
Macrophages and Endothelial cells (G5)
Our lab is interested in the role of ‘resident’ macrophages during development, homeostasis and tissue repair. Within the hematopoietic system that produces all blood cells, tissue ‘resident’ macrophages are a lineage of myeloid cells that arise from yolk sac-derived progenitors and that self-maintain in their tissue of residency, independently of adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSC). Resident macrophages from the same lineage, such as liver Kupffer cells, brain microglia, epidermal Langerhans cells, lung alveolar macrophages..., display tissue-specific phenotypes, perform tissue-specific functions and have distinct gene expression profiles. Thus, resident macrophages are a unique system where the respective contributions of ontogeny and environment can be investigated. We will combine methods from the fields of immunology, developmental biology and angiogenesis to understand in vivo the development and lineage-specific function(s) of resident macrophages, thereby opening new venues of research into the interaction between macrophages and endothelial cells during regeneration and aging.
Contact : Elisa Gomez Perdiguero
Insect-Virus Interactions
Our lab investigates the ecology, evolution and genetics of insect-virus interactions to advance our basic understanding of arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) transmission by mosquitoes. Why is there variation in the ability of mosquitoes to transmit human pathogens and what causes this variation ? Our research addresses these questions using the tools of genomics, quantitative genetics, and evolutionary ecology. Our primary model is the transmission of dengue viruses by the mosquito Aedes aegypti. A major emphasis of the lab is to develop experimental approaches that account for the complexity of natural systems, where genetically diverse populations of mosquitoes interact with a wide variety of viruses, in a variable environment. Current projects include the genetic basis of mosquito-virus specificity, the role of mosquito vectors in arbovirus diversity and evolution, and the influence of symbiotic gut bacteria on mosquito-virus interactions.
Contact : Louis Lambrechts