CV Science

Caroline Goujon PhD Virology, Group Leader

Course and current status

CURRENT POSITION

Since Jan. 2015:   ATIP-Avenir group leader and INSERM-tenure researcher (CR1)

“Interferon and antiviral restriction” team. Institut de Recherche en Infectiologie de Montpellier (IRIM, ex-CPBS). CNRS / Montpellier University, Montpellier, France.

PREVIOUS POSITIONS

Feb. 2008- Dec. 2014:      Post-doctoral research associate (6 years and 10 months). Infectious Diseases Department, King's College London, London, United Kingdom. Lab head: Prof. Michael Malim. “Host cell responses to HIV-1 infection”.

Sept. 2002- Jan. 2008:      Master, PhD thesis and a short postdoctoral training (5 years and 5 months). Human Virology Department, Inserm U758/U412, ENS-Lyon, France. Supervisor: Dr Andrea Cimarelli. "Characterization of Vpx functions in lentiviral infection of human dendritic cells".

July-August 2002:             Research assistant (2 months). Human virology department, Inserm U412, Lyon. Supervisors: Dr François-Loïc Cosset and Dr Birke Bartosch. "Study of HCV envelope glycoproteins"

March-May 2002:              Master 1 training period (3 months). Human virology department, Inserm U412, ENS-Lyon. Supervisor: Dr A. Cimarelli. "Restriction of dendritic cell infection with heterologous HIV-1/SIVmac lentiviral vectors"

July- August 2001:            B.Sc. training period (2 months). UMR553, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon. Supervisor: Prof. Eric Wattel. "Development of a fluorometric analysis of inverse PCR products for the study of STLV-1 infected cells clonality"

Oct. 1999-Aug. 2000:        ESTBA training period and Research assistant (10 months). Inserm U380, Institut Cochin, Paris. Supervisor: Prof. Uriel Hazan. "Engineering of an inducible cell line for HIV-1 m7 NDK env"

EDUCATION

2016   Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (HDR ; French diploma necessary to supervise PhD students or to be a PhD thesis reviewer). Montpellier University.

2007   PhD in Life Sciences. Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) of Lyon, France

2004   University Diploma (DU) in Animal Experimentation - Level 1. C. Bernard Lyon I University

2003   Master’s Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology:

           DEA Différenciation génétique et Immunologie. Claude Bernard Lyon I University

           Magistère de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire. ENS-Lyon

2002   Maîtrise de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire. ENS-Lyon, C. Bernard Lyon I University

2001   Bachelor of Science Degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology:

           Licence de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire. ENS-Lyon, C. Bernard Lyon I University

2000   Bachelor of Engineering in Virology:

           Certificat d’études spécialisées en Recherche Biomédicale, Option Virologie. Ecole Supérieure des Techniques de Biologie Appliquée (ESTBA), Paris

1999   Brevet de Technicien Supérieur en Analyses Biologiques

1997   Baccalauréat Scientifique spécialité Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre         

Scientific summary

Interferon is produced by infected cells following the detection of pathogenic viruses and bacteria and is the first line of defence against infection. Interferon induces the expression of several hundred genes, names interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) both in infected and neighbouring cells. The products of the ISGs, in turn, allow the establishment of a so-called antiviral state, which is able to prevent, or at least limit, viral replication. Most viruses, including influenza A virus and the Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1), are highly sensitive to this antiviral state and unable to replicate efficiently in cells that have been pre-exposed to IFN.

The dynamin-like, high-molecular weight GTPases MX1 and MX2 play a significant role in the interferon-induced inhibition of viral replication. Human MX1 is a restriction factor of broad antiviral activity, able to inhibit a great diversity of RNA and DNA viruses at different stages of their life cycles. The activity of MX2 seems narrower and has so far been restricted to HIV-1 and some primate lentiviruses. MX2 prevents HIV-1 DNA nuclear import and integration. Both MX1 and MX2 seem to recognize and interact with key components of viral nucleoprotein complexes to prevent viral replication, however their detailed mechanisms of action remain to be understood. Other antiviral ISGs inhibiting HIV-1 and influenza A virus have been identified, however, our preliminary data show that additional genes remain to be identified. For instance, HIV-1 DNA accumulation is potently inhibited by interferon-induced and unknown factors.

My research group, named Interferon and antiviral restriction, which has been established recently at the CNRS institute of research on infection of Montpellier (IRIM, ex-CPBS), aims at identifying new cellular effectors of the antiviral state and characterizing the molecular mechanisms involved in their antiviral activity.