Silke Jensen PhD Cellular and Molecular Genetics, HDR
Course and current status
1982 : Abitur, in Flensburg, Germany
1982/83 : "Cours de Civilisation Française", University Sorbonne, Paris, France
1983-85 : DEUG "Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie", University Paris 7
1985-88 : "Magistère de Biologie-Biochimie", of Universities Paris 6, Paris 7, Paris 11
and Ecoles Normales Supérieures
1988-93 : PhD Cellular and Molecular Genetics, University Paris 6
1993-95 : post-doctoral position
1995-today : "Chargé de Recherche" at the CNRS
degre : 1995: CR2, 1999: CR1
2004 : "Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches", University René Descartes Paris 5
affiliations:
1988-2008 CNRS URA 147, Institut G. Roussy, 94805 Villejuif, France
Director : Dr. Thierry Heidmann
2008-today GReD, CNRS UMR 6293, INSERM U1103, Clermont University
Faculty of Medecine, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France
Director: Dr. Chantal Vaury
Scientific summary
The activity of mobile genetic elements is highly mutagenic and involved in severe pathologies in Human. Thus, it is essential for an organism to control transposons. The Drosophila I element, a transposon similar to human LINEs, gives us an excellent model to study the mechanisms of this regulation. I element activity is repressed by an epigenetic process which is homology-dependent and linked to RNA interference. Fragments of the I element, even non-coding but necessarily transcribed, introduced into drosophila by transgenesis are able to repress transposition of functional I elements, in a sort of genetic vaccination. Remnants of ancient invasions by I, called I-RE, play an essential role in this regulation. The aim of our research is to understand how regulation of I elements is achieved at the molecular level.
