Cell Dynamics - EMT and Directional Cell Migration

Eric Theveneau

CR CNRS
05 61 55 60 26

Team members

Researcher

Cathy Danesin
Eric Theveneau

Associate professor

Bruno Glise

Technical staff

Sandrine Paute
Marie Rey

Postdoctoral fellow

évangéline Despin-Guitard

Research programs

Presentation

Our lab focuses on mechanisms of cell dynamics: epithelial-mesenchymal transition, directional cell migration, cell polarity and tissue mechanics. We aim at understanding basic principles that rule cell movements in complex environments during embryogenesis and cancer. We use embryos as tools to better understand the function of key players in cancer progression and muscular diseases such as the extracellular matrix, metalloproteinases and guidance cues.

We use two experimental models: chicken embryo (neural crest, mesoderm) and the xenopus embryo (neural crest). Neural Crest and mesoderm development rely on several oncogenes (snail, twist, ets...) and their overall behaviour recapitulates the main steps of tumour metastasis in a controlled, reproducible manner, facilitating experimental approaches. Mesoderm development allows us to study repeated rounds of EMT and MET in a single cell type.

Our goal is to use our findings on experimental models to better understand cell dynamics defects occurring in diseases (cancer, inflammation).

If you are interested in working on cell migration and EMT in a multidisciplinary environment, we are always looking for post-doc and PhD applicants.

Informal enquiries can be sent directly to Eric Theveneau at - eric.theveneau[at]univ-tlse3.fr

Follow me on X (Twitter) @EricTheveneau

Projets

Functions of Metalloproteinases during EMT an cell migration

Cell dynamics and tissue mechanics during epithelial-mesenchymal transition

Neural crest EMT and migration

Publications

Nadège Gouignard, Anne Bibonne, João F. Mata, Fernanda Bajanca, Bianka Berki, Elias H. Barriga, Jean-Pierre Saint-Jeannet, Eric Theveneau*.
Paracrine regulation of neural crest EMT by placodal MMP28
PLoS Biology
2023 Oct * corresponding author
Cathy Danesin, Marina A. Ferreira, Pierre Degond and Eric Theveneau.
Anteroposterior elongation of the chicken anterior trunk neural tube is hindered by interaction with its surrounding tissues
Cells & Development
2021 Jul
Danesin, C., Darche-Gabinaud, R., Escalas, N. et al..
Sulf2a controls Shh-dependent neural fate specification in the developing spinal cord
Sci Rep 11, 118 (2021)
2021 Jan https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80455-2
Nadege Gouignard Christian Rouviere and Eric Theveneau.
Using Xenopus Neural Crest Explants to Study Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
Methods in Molecular Biology
2020 Sep
Analysis of Cellular EMT States Using Molecular Biology and High Resolution FISH Labeling
Methods Molecular Biology
2020 May chapter. Vol. 2179, Kyra Campbell and Eric Theveneau (Eds): The Epithelial-to Mesenchymal Transition