CV Science

Christine Benistant PhD Biochemistry

Course and current status

1988, PhD of Biochemistry, INSERM U205, University of Lyon, France

 1988-90, Research Associate, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, USA

 1991, Researcher, INSERM U205, University of Lyon, France

 1995, Researcher, INSERM CJF 92-07, University of Montpellier, France

 1998-2013, Researcher, CNRS CRBM, University of Montpellier, France

2014-Present, Researcher, Centre de biochimie Structurale (CBS),CNRS UMR 5048 -  INSERM UMR 1054,  University of Montpellier, France

Scientific summary

Cells are highly compartmented and I studied how location impact on function. I particular I studied the role of membrane domains in cell proliferation and migration. My main achievements are the demonstration of the roles of membrane lipid-domains in the regulation of cell proliferation and in some aspects of cell migration. More recently, I showed that TOM1L1, a protein of the vesicular traffic, regulates invasion of breast cancer cells (ERBB2+) by acting on membrane actin-domains called invadopodia. My new objectives are membrane tetraspanin-domains. Tetraspanins are very abundant cell surface proteins with four transmembrane, short intracellular N- and C- termini, and two extracellular domains one short and one longer that contain cysteine residues. They are present in all multicellular organisms and are at least 33 in Humans. They remained poorly studied and their mechanisms of action are still mysterious. They probably act thorough supra molecular assemblies that they created by interacting with each other and with many other signaling proteins. Among these signaling proteins are found for example integrins such as integrin b1 well known for its role in cell adhesion, migration and invadopodia formation. Using cutting-edge technologies develop by the CBS, I will study TEM involvement  in regulation of cell adhesion, migration and invadopodia in the hope to open new avenues in our understanding of these important cellular events and on these still enigmatic tetraspanins.