Project grants

S. Gemble (Team Basto UMR144), P. Sens (team leader UMR168) and R. Rollin (Team Sens UMR168)

• Establish theoretical models that help us to characterize cellular architecture remodeling in response to modifications in cell size and to experimentally test the model in order to clearly define the functional and structural relationship between intracellular architecture and cell size, with implications in developmental biology and in various diseases.

S. Miserey-Lenkei (Team Goud UMR144), Gaëlle Boncompain (Perez UMR144), Stéphanie Descroix (team leader UMR168), Pierre Sens (team leader UMR168)

• Understand the mechanical influence of the cell microenvironment on the regulation and dynamics of secretion hotspots and monitor the organization and dynamics of secretion events in 3D and in polarized models.

• Characterize the nucleus mechanics of tumor and metastatic Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines, their link to the cytoskeleton and cell contractility using microfluidic and biophysical approaches; investigate the effect on their migratory characteristics.

• Study how actin polymerization and architecture are coupled to membrane shape dynamics to generate sufficient forces to power membrane fission.

I. Farge (team leader UMR168)

• Establish in mice a new optimized and patentable treatment of colorectal cancer, based on specific magnetic targeting and ultrasonic progressive release of the colon tumour mechanical induction inhibitor.

• Develop an instrument that combines state of the art 3D single molecule microscopy with low temperature reversible cell arrest to follow the evolution of molecular organization at different stages of the cell cycle.

• Decipher the interplay between aPKCi and alpha6-integrin during the loss of polarity and cell extrusion induced by aPKCi-overexpression in mammary luminal cells leading to a deeper understanding of the early stages of mammary tumorigenesis.

• Investigate the chromosomal architecture of human centromeres and the components that are required for its maintenance in physiological conditions, and ascertain how genetic or physical manipulation of the centromere architecture affects chromosome integrity.

• Develop and combine cutting edge technologies in 3D imaging to reach an effective way for live imaging single molecules in the volume of a cell by combining volumetric detection using multifocus microscopy (MFM) with selective plane illumination.

M. Verhulsel (team Viovy UMR168), Y. Attieh (team Vignjevic UMR144)

• Analyze the relative importance of ECM stiffness in cancer cell invasion using 3D in vitro culture models that offer the ability to decouple all parameters at play in cancer cell invasion; identify whether stroma gets activated prior or post-invasion.

• Develop a system to reversibly induce conditional protein-protein dimerization in living cells with rapid kinetics and adaptability to in vivo systems by adapting the Auxin Inducible Degron (AID) system. This will enable the simulation of protein-protein interaction in any phase of the cell cycle and within any compartment of the cell.

• Develop a unique transgenic-zebrafish model that expresses a recently developed fluorescent reporter that visualizes exosome secretion from living cells in vitro to study the release dynamics of exosomes in detail.

• Investigate the dynamic multicellular organization of the renal epithelium involved in cyst generation in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), proliferation and planar polarity, in response to inherent geometrical constraints, acquired geometrical changes, and/or laminar flow disturbances.

• Study how caveolae affect the behavior of the plasma membrane on short time and length scales during a local change in cell membrane shape.

• Build 3D models of proteins at sub-nanometer resolutions to understand how these proteins interacts, form specific assemblies and remodel membranes at the molecular level.

2013. Optogenetics to study interactions between normal and transformed cells.

I. Bonnet (team Silberzan/Buguin UMR168)

• Investigate the crosstalk of mechanical and genetics factors on the tissue cohesion during early tumorigenesis, studying the dynamics at the interface between normal and precancerous cells in relation with mechanical state and oncogene activity. 

• Combine cell biological and physics approaches to study if cancer cells modify the mechanical properties of their environment (collagen elasticity) during invasion, and if this facilitates the conditions for invasion.

D. Lisse, M. Dahan (UMR168)

• Development of magnetogenetics towards precisely controlling the migration of cells in 2D and 3D in vitro assays.

R. Basto (UMR144), O. Goundiam (team Sastre, Hospital), X. Sastre (Hospital), JF. Joanny (UMR168), E. Barillot (U900), P. Hupé (U900)

• Analysis of centrosome structural abnormalities
• Identification and validation of key molecules (centrosomal proteins and/or regulators)
• Link between centrosome amplification and DNA repair

P. Bassereau (UMR 168), B. Goud (UMR144)

• Development of an in vitro system to mimic the MyoIIA–driven fission process. Membrane nanotubes will be pulled from giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) using optical tweezers and we will monitor tube stability in the presence of Rab6, MyoIIA, actin and ATP.

G. Raposo (UMR144), G. Van Niel (team Raposo UMR144), D. Levy (UMR168)

• Study the molecular mechanisms involved in the formation of amyloid fibers in exosomes through the establishment of a minimal in vitro model of amyloidogenesis that can be further exploited to understand pathological situations.