SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

23 August 2023

Protocol to locally express cxcl12a during zebrafish olfactory organ development by combining IR-LEGO with live imaging

Temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression is crucial for proper embryonic development. Infrared laser-evoked gene operator (IR-LEGO) can provide information for various developmental processes. Here, we present a protocol to locally express cxcl12a during zebrafish olfactory organ development1 using a combination of IR-LEGO and live imaging. We describe steps for implementing IR-LEGO, biological sample preparation, live imaging, data collection, and analysis. This protocol can be applied to virtually any genetically modified experimental organism.

Zilliox et al., STAR Protoc. 2023 Aug 23;4(3):102538. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102538.

June 2021

An innovative program addresses the need for support, encouragement and guidance on the part of women scientists in the early years of their career, during their PhD.

Batut et al., Nat Biotechnol. 2021 Jun;39(6):776-779.doi: 10.1038/s41587-021-00951-2.

When mentoring matters: a French mentoring program for women in science

21 December 2020

Morphogenesis is transcriptionally coupled to neurogenesis during peripheral olfactory organ development

Sense organs acquire their distinctive shapes concomitantly with the differentiation of sensory cells and neurons necessary for their function. Although our understanding of the mechanisms controlling morphogenesis and neurogenesis in these structures has grown, how these processes are coordinated remains largely unexplored. Neurogenesis in the zebrafish olfactory epithelium requires the bHLH proneural transcription factor Neurogenin 1 (Neurog1). To address whether Neurog1 also controls morphogenesis, we analysed the migratory behaviour of early olfactory neural progenitors in neurog1 mutant embryos. Our results indicate that the oriented movements of these progenitors are disrupted in this context. Morphogenesis is similarly affected by mutations in the chemokine receptor gene, cxcr4b, suggesting it is a potential Neurog1 target gene. We find that Neurog1 directly regulates cxcr4b through an E-box cluster located just upstream of the cxcr4b transcription start site. Our results suggest that proneural transcription factors, such as Neurog1, directly couple distinct aspects of nervous system development.

Aguillon et al., Development, 2020 Dec 21;147(24):dev192971.doi: 10.1242/dev.192971.