Research
The goal of the lab is to decipher molecular mechanisms that help cells “do maths” during development – after all, cells are able to interpret numerical information, like the number of chromosomes in their nucleus or the gradients of morphogens in the extracellular space, and then “make” decisions based on that, such as which cell types to become. In particular, the lab focuses on how cells sense and interpret differential gene dosage, i.e., the number of copies of a gene in the genome. This includes studying the mammalian X chromosome, which is most often present in either one or two copies in the nucleus; this difference has had important implications during the evolution of mammals. As model organism, the lab uses the mouse, namely mouse embryonic stem cells and mouse embryos, following the ethical considerations associated with them.
![Schematic illustration of a female cat and how the colours of its fur derive from one of the two of its X chromosomes being inactivated](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/edb678_cc02b4fae53c4a88913208292839290f~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_224,h_224,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/Screenshot%202023-09-23%20at%2015_20_08.png)
The process of X-inactivation, which generates mosaicism in XX mammals, is one of our model systems (credits for image)
Our projects
Dosage-sensitive genes on the X chromosome
Molecular mechanisms of dosage-sensing
Consequences of no dosage compensation
Interplay between gene dosage and structural variants
Molecular mechanisms of happloinsufficiency
Our collaborators
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Katia Ancelin (Institut Curie - Paris)
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Christophe Audouard (CBI - Toulouse)
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Edda Schulz (MPI Molecular Genetics - Berlin)
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Fatima El Marjou (Institut Curie - Paris)
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Luca Giorgetti (FMI - Basel)
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Nicolas Servant (Institut Curie - Paris)