The URT "Development and stem cells" is presently composed of 3 research units interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of various organs during ontogenesis, in transgenesis and in the use of embryonic stem cells.

The group supervised by Marianne Voz and Bernard Peers studies the regulatory genes involved in pancreas organogenesis, pancreatic cell differentiation and pancreatic tumorigenesis.

Research performed by the team of Marc Muller includes the development of the pituitary and the formation of cartilage and bones.

These two teams are using zebrafish, an animal model particularly suitable for embyological and genetic studies.

The interest of Luc Grobet’s laboratory includes the establishment of efficient transgenesis methods in chicks and the use of embryonic stem cells for toxicologic/ drug screening purposes.

 

 

Research units

→ Molecular Biology & Genetic Engineering See more
    Joseph Martial

→ Embryology
    Luc Grobet

 

Advisory board

• Anne Grapin-Botton (Ecole Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne)
• Paul De Sousa (Université d'Edinburgh)
• Jorchen Wittbrodt (University of Heidelberg, Allemagne)

Soyer J, Flasse L, Raffelsberger W, Beucher A, Orvain C, Peers B, Ravassard P, Vermot J, Voz ML, Mellitzer G, Gradwohl G.
Rfx6 is an Ngn3-dependent winged helix transcription factor required for pancreatic islet cell development.
Development 2010;137(2):203-212.

Toro S, Wegner J, Muller M, Westerfield M, Varga ZM.
Identification of differentially expressed genes in the zebrafish hypothalamic-pituitary axis.
Gene Expr Patterns 2009;9(4):200-208.

 

Delporte FM, Pasque V, Devos N, Manfroid I, Voz ML, Motte P, Biemar F, Martial JA, Peers B.
Expression of zebrafish pax6b in pancreas is regulated by two enhancers containing highly conserved cis-elements bound by PDX1, PBX and PREP factors.
BMC Dev Biol. 2008 May 16;8:53.

Pendeville H, Winandy M, Manfroid I, Nivelles O, Motte P, Pasque V, Peers B, Struman I, Martial JA, Voz ML.
Zebrafish Sox7 and Sox18 function together to control arterial-venous identity.
Dev Biol. 2008 May 15;317(2):405-16.

Manfroid I, Delporte F, Baudhuin A, Motte P, Neumann CJ, Voz ML, Martial JA, Peers B.
Reciprocal endoderm-mesoderm interactions mediated by fgf24 and fgf10 govern pancreas development.
Development. 2007 Nov;134(22):4011-21.

Gilson H, Schakman O, Combaret L, Lause P, Grobet L, Attaix D, Ketelslegers JM, Thissen JP.
Myostatin gene deletion prevents glucocorticoid-induced muscle atrophy.
Endocrinology. 2007 Jan;148(1):452-60.

Lopez M, Nica G, Motte P, Martial JA, Hammerschmidt M, Muller M.
Expression of the somatolactin beta gene during zebrafish embryonic development.
Gene Expr Patterns. 2006 Jan;6(2):156-61.


See all the GIGA publications