Nuclear dynamics and repetitive DNA in tissue homeostasis
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Institut for Integrative Biology opf the Cell (I2BC), CNRS UMR 9198, Inserm U1280, CEA ,Université Paris-Saclay
Avenue de la Terrasse, Bat. 21
91198 Gif-sur-Yvette
France
Scientific Interest
Life-long tissue homeostasis requires maintained function of differentiated cell types as well as progenitor cells, which ensure tissue self-renewal. We are interested in uncovering the roles that repetitive DNA sequences, including transposable elements (TEs), play in somatic tissues and their different cell-types. The impact of TEs on the soma is an active area of research. Although most TE sequences remain silenced in somatic cells, some are actively transcribed and a fraction may retain their ability to mobilize through copy-and-paste mechanisms. Our projects aim to better understand: 1- How are TEs, or other repetitive DNA sequences, controlled in somatic cell types? 2- What is the impact of repetitive DNA on cell function in vivo? 3- What are the long-term consequences of DNA repeat activity at a tissue and organism level? To answer these questions, we are combining developmental and cell biology approaches, with genomics. We use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system. Our primary focus is on the fly intestinal tissue, a self-renewing epithelium, maintained by a population of multipotent stem cells. Apart from its digestive functions, the tissue is critical for immune and stress responses, and for the organism longevity. Our projects combine various experimental methods, such as: genetics, genomics (next generation short- and long-read sequencing), computational biology, imaging, lineage tracing in vivo or longevity studies.
Life-long tissue homeostasis requires maintained function of differentiated cell types as well as progenitor cells, which ensure tissue self-renewal. We are interested in uncovering the roles that repetitive DNA sequences, including transposable elements (TEs), play in somatic tissues and their different cell-types. The impact of TEs on the soma is an active area of research. Although most TE sequences remain silenced in somatic cells, some are actively transcribed and a fraction may retain their ability to mobilize through copy-and-paste mechanisms. Our projects aim to better understand: 1- How are TEs, or other repetitive DNA sequences, controlled in somatic cell types? 2- What is the impact of repetitive DNA on cell function in vivo? 3- What are the long-term consequences of DNA repeat activity at a tissue and organism level? To answer these questions, we are combining developmental and cell biology approaches, with genomics. We use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model system. Our primary focus is on the fly intestinal tissue, a self-renewing epithelium, maintained by a population of multipotent stem cells. Apart from its digestive functions, the tissue is critical for immune and stress responses, and for the organism longevity. Our projects combine various experimental methods, such as: genetics, genomics (next generation short- and long-read sequencing), computational biology, imaging, lineage tracing in vivo or longevity studies.
Thematic