CV Science

Yann LEVERRIER Ph.D., HDR, CRHC INSERM Scientist, Director SFR Biosciences

Course and current status

1991:     BS, Biology, University of Caen, France

1994:     MS,  Molecular and Cellular Biology, Auditeur at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon and University of Lyon, France

1998:     PhD, Life Sciences, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France

2019:     HDR, Université de Lyon

1998-2002:  Post-Doc Medical rResearch Scientist at University College London and Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, London, U.K

2002-2004:   Post-Doc CNRS Scientist at INSERM U503, Immunobiologie fondamentale et clinique, Lyon

From 2005:   INSERM Research Scientist (CR1 then CRHC), Lyon, France. INSERM U1111, Centre International Recherche en Infectiologie, Lyon

Other activities:

Master course organizer, ENS de Lyon:

- Advanced Immunology & Diseases, from 2016

- Integrative Cell Biology: from homeostasis ti diseases, 2009-2016

Deputy director Unité de Service SFR Biosciences, Lyon (Inserm US8, CNRS UMS 3444, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon)  2017-2022

Director Unité de Service SFR Biosciences, Lyon (Inserm US8, CNRS UAR 3444, Université de Lyon, ENS de Lyon) from 2023

Scientific summary

My research has long been devoted to the study of the immune system. During my PhD, I studied apoptosis regulation by survival factors in haematopoietic cells. We showed that growth factors (interleukin-3, interleukin-4, IGF1) inhibit apoptosis through two pathways and we identified bcl-x as a major anti-apoptotic gene.

In vivo, apoptotic cell phagocytosis by macrophages or by dendritic cells (DC) is an essential process to instruct the immune system and for homeostasis maintenance and the resolution of inflammation. I joined Anne Ridley’s laboratory at the University College London / Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (London, U.K.) as an MRC post-doc to study the mechanisms and the signalling pathways involved in apoptotic cells phagocytosis by macrophages. We showed that small Rho GTPases Rac and Cdc42 but not Rho and specific PI3-kinases were involved in apoptotic cell uptake and we showed the involvement in this process of WASp, a protein whose mutation causes Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome characterised by immune dysregulation.

Back to France as a CNRS post-doc, in Jacqueline Marvel’s laboratory (Inserm, U503, Lyon), we showed that transcription factor Sp1 is a regulator of apoptosis and that its deregulation induces the expression of genes associated with the intrinsic innate response. We also started a new project that showed that TLR ligands and inflammatory cytokines can licence immediate precursors of CD8α+ DC to cross-present antigens from dead cells to specific CD8 T cells allowing memory generation.

Our current studies are to assess the phenotype and the functional properties of mouse memory CD8 T cells and to identify reliable memory markers with prognostic values and to translate our findings to human clinical research. We combine multiparametric cytometric approaches, transcriptomic and microscopy as well as the use of different mutant mice to study the importance of several chemokines and chemokine receptors genes for CD8 effector T cell generation but also for the quality and the persistence of specific populations of memory CD8 T cells. One project investigates the protective role of cellular immune responses by CD8-T cells, during the course of chronic Staphylococcus aureus infection and aims at developping new immune-therapies against this pathogen.

Area of Expertise

• Memory CD8 T cells
• Dendritic cells
• Cross presentation
• Apoptosis
• Chemokines