Nuclear dynamics and genome plasticity - Institut Curie / CNRS UMR 218

Unit Director: Geneviève Almouzni

Keywords: epigenetics, genome stability, chromatin, nuclear organisation

Based in the Pavillon Pasteur on the central Paris site, the Nuclear Dynamics and Genome Plasticity unit, with shared supervision of CNRS and in partnership with UPMC, consists of 1 technological platform and 4 teams studying epigeneticsEpigenetics concerns heritable changes in genome function that cannot be explained by changes in DNA sequence. Epigenetic differences in gene expression underlie the diversity of cell types that form during the development of multicellular organisms: all cells have the same genetic information but the manner in which it is read differs in the various cell types. Once established, many epigenetic changes are stably maintained throughout cell division and the lifetime of the organism, but they can be reversed in the germ line. Epigenetic marks can also arise or be lost spontaneously leading to incorrect gene expression (epimutations), for example, in diseases such as cancer. in development and disease.

A major theme in the unit is the fundamental question of the maintenance of both genetic and epigenetic information (see website : www.epigenome-noe.net). The integrity of both information can be compromised under genotoxic stresses as well as during the normal cellular metabolism. To evaluate genotoxic risks (environmental or under medical conditions) interactions with the Medical Section will be pursued.

Our approach is based on an integrated perception of genome organisation ranging from the nucleus in the cell up to an entire organism, incorporating developmental and cell cycle changes. Specific areas are concerned:

• 1) the importance of factors involved in chromatin dynamics (G Almouzni's group) ;
• 2) the epigenetic plasticity in the control of the polarity in the embryo (N Dostatni's group) ;
• 3) compartimentalization and dynamics of nuclear functions (A Taddei's group) and
• 4) chromosome dynamics and recombination (V Borde's group), and
• 5) the role of chromatin in epigenetic inheritance and genome integrity (all groups) will be reinforced with the arrival of a new group (M Papamichos-Chronakis group) in June 2010.

This combination of approaches should help to decipher the signaling networks during cell cycle throughout a variety of transactions at the chromatin level within the nucleus. We hope that this knowledge will help understanding cellular defects underlying transformation in cancer cells with a particular interest for epigenetic parameters.

Group(s):

• Chromatin dynamics
  Group leader: Geneviève Almouzni
• Chromosome dynamics and recombination
  Group leader: Valérie Borde
• Compartmentalization and Dynamics of Nuclear Functions
  Group leader: Angela Taddei
• Epigenetic plasticity and polarity of the embryo
  Group leader: Nathalie Dostatni

Platform(s):

• Cell and tissue imaging - UMR 218 (Pict-IBiSA)
  Leader: Patricia Le Baccon