CV Science

Anne Amandine Chassot PhD researcher

Course and current status

-2002-2005: PhD student working on the molecular events controling proliferation during wound healing in Gilles Ponzio's team, INSERM U634 "Biology and physiopathology of the skin", dir. Guerrino Meneguzzi, and Vjekoslav Dulic's team (CRBM Montpellier).

-2006-2008: Post doctoral training in Andreas Schedl's team, INSERM U636, dir. Minoo Rassoulzadegan. Functional analysis of Rspondin1 in sex determination in mammals

-2008-2012: Post doctoral training in Marie-Christine Chaboissier's team, INSERM U1091. Functional analysis of the Wnt-beta catenin pathway in germ cell development in mammals

-since 2012: researcher (INSERM CR1 permanent position) in Marie-Christine Chaboissier's team "sex determinanation and fertility", UMR INSERM 1091-CNRS 7277, iBV Nice (dir; Stéphane Noselli), working on 1) the ovarian differentiation, and 2) the development and sexual differentiation of the germ cells in mammals, using mouse engineered genetic models, with a specific interest on the role of the Rspondin/WNT/beta-catenin pathway in these processes.

Scientific summary

Genetics of sex determination and fertility in mammals.
In mammals, the pivotal decision to develop as male or female begins with the differentiation of the bipotential gonad allowing the development of two highly specialized organs: the testis or the ovary. In addition, the gonad is the siege of germ cell differentiation that insures the propagation of species. It is now clear that the fate of the gonad and germ cells are closely linked, however, cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to somatic or germ cell differentiation are still not fully understood. Our aim is to contribute to unravelling these mechanisms involved in normal and pathologic development of testes and ovaries.

Female development : ovarian differentiation.
R-spondins genes (RSPO) are activators of WNT/beta-catenin signaling pathway and regulate various developmental processes and proliferation of transiently amplifying stem cells. Mutations of RSPO1 are responsible to female-to-male sex reversal and/or ovarian carcinomas predisposition, indicating that Rspo1 controls ovarian differentiation. In addition, Rspo1/beta-catenin signaling pathway is also required for the proliferation of the germ cells and their commitment into meiosis. The different functions of the Rspo1/beta-catenin signalling pathway in sex determination and fertility are deciphered in our lab using mouse models.