Team presentation
The main model used in the lab to study antibacterial innate immune responses is the zoonotic bacterium Francisella novicida. This bacterium closely related to Francisella tularensis, the agent of tularemia replicates to very high number in the cytosol of macrophages and is thus a fantastic model to study cytosolic immune responses. The team study how macrophages detect invasion in the cytosol and mount an immune response. We also study how inflammasome activation is regulated by Guanylate Binding proteins (GBPs) and eicosanoids.
Francisella is a highly virulent pathogen. The team also study Francisella virulence factors and especially the type VI secretion system (T6SS), which is critical for virulence, bacterial escape into the cytosol and activation of the cytosolic immune responses including the inflammasome.
The pathological activation of inflammasomes is mainly studied in the autoinflammatory diseases linked to mutation in the MEFV gene encoding the pyrin inflammasome sensor. The most frequent pyrin-associated autoinflammatory disease is the Familial Mediterranean Fever. From the fundamental study of pyrin inflammasome mechanism, we aim at understanding the pyrin-associated diseases and develop novel therapeutic and diagnostic strategies.
Recently, we have also developed novel lines of research on ALPK1 and the associated auto-inflammatory ROSAH syndrome.
Our team belongs to the CeRéMAIA, the national reference center for autoinflammatory diseases and amyloidosis and to FAI2, the french healthcare network for rare auto-immune and auto-inflammatory diseases.
More details @ Research Projects!
The team includes about 12 people- MD, Inserm and University/ENS researchers, Engineers, Post-doctoral fellows, PhD and Master students. We are always looking for highly motivated students to join the team and our research efforts-so please apply!
More details @ Team Members