Dr Gerardo Ferbeyre's Lab

Research

Overview

1- Cellular senescence

Cellular senescence is a stable and viable arrest of cell proliferation that has been intensively studied as a model for aging at the cellular level. In agreement with this view, defects in cell proliferation have been widely documented in aging and cells expressing senescence markers have been shown to accumulate in tissues from old humans or model organisms. We and others have proposed that cellular senescence evolved as a tumor suppression mechanism, and that aging is, to some extent, its side effect. This idea is supported by the well-known fact that the tumor suppressors p53, Rb and PML control the senescence response to multiple cellular stresses such as short telomeres, oncogenic ras or DNA damage. Conversely, mice with hyperactive p53 are tumor resistant but age prematurely. Despite these progresses, the signaling pathways operating from cellular stresses to p53, Rb and PML during cellular senescence remain to be identified. The major focus of the laboratory is to test different mechanistic hypothesis on how oncogenes induce senescence. Current research involves ribosome biogenesis, ubiquitin ligases and translational readthrough.

2- RNA engineering

With the help of a computer program we are designing novel artificial miRNAs to target multiple genes. We are also investigating lincRNAs acting as miRNA sponges in senescent cells.

3- Biguanides

Biguanides like metformin prevent cancer. Their mechanism of action will identify novel targets for cancer therapeutics.

Collaborators

RNA engineering lab (IRIC)

Francois Major

Biguanides

Andreea Schmitzer

Michael Pollack

Tumor formation in Axolotls

Stephane Roy

SOCS1

Subburaj Ilangumaran