Scientific topics
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Frederic PENDINO PhD Molecular and Cell Biology
Course and current status
Frederic Pendino (CR1 Inserm, PhD, HDR) is a Research Scientist (P.I.) of Institut Cochin (U1016, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France).
After a Master of Science in Biochemistry (1997) and a predoctoral degree (D.E.A.) in Endocrinology (1998), he undertook a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology (Inserm U685, IUH, Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris) that he defended in 2004 at University of Paris XI. After that, he obtained a Marie-Curie Intra-European Fellowship (EIF) in Norway at the Department of Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, where his main focus in the Prof. Johan Lillehaug's group was to discover new genes involved in cancer and more especially in leukemia. In 2008, he was granted a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant (ERG) to pursue his research, and decided to join first the laboratory of Michel Lanotte (ex-U685, IUH, Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris) and then the unit created by Dr. Evelyne Ségal-Bendirdjian (U1007, Saint-Pères Biomedical Center, Paris Descartes, Paris). He obtained a permanent researcher position in 2009 (CR2, Inserm) and his accreditation to supervise research (HDR) from University of Paris XI in 2012. In 2013, he became a Senior Researcher of Grade 1 (CR1 Inserm), and joined the Cochin Institute (U1016, Paris Descartes) to pursue the functional characterization of RINF (CXXC5) gene.
The last twenty years, Dr Pendino’s work experience and discoveries have mainly focused on a better understanding of molecular and epigenetic events responsible for cancer development. He is an author of 21 peer-reviewed international articles in the field of cancer research and leukemia. He is a co-inventor of 3 patents.
Scientific summary
Our past research activities have especially focused on functional identification and characterization of genes deregulated in cancer cells with the aim to bring to light new tumor suppressors or oncogenes with potential clinical applications in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics.
In 2009, we have identified (by a microarray screening approach) the previously uncharacterized CXXC5 gene sequence. This gene encodes a nuclear factor that we have renamed RINF for Retinoid-Inducible Nuclear Factor. Our in vitro functional studies have demonstrated its essential role during maturation of normal hematopoietic cells, and chemotherapeutic resistance of leukemic cells. We have also investigated the status of this gene in large cohorts of patients suffering from leukemia and cancer. RINF expression is deregulated in leukemia, solid tumors, and constitutes a promising prognostic marker as well as a challenging therapeutic target. We have also studied its contribution during erythropoiesis, stem cell renewal, therapeutic response of leukemic cells, and more broadly, epigenetics.
We are now interested in studying its functional contribution to cancer microenvironnement and immunes cells. For this, we use gain and loss-of-function experiments in normal hematopoietic (stem and progenitors) cells, leukemic cell lines, primary cells from patients, and animal models.
