For a full CV, please visit 
orcid.org/0000-0003-3499-8887
Contact laurent.journot@igf.cnrs.fr
Scientific interests and expertise
- Genetic control of proliferation, quiescence, differentiation and programmed cell death
- Parental genomic imprinting
- Physiological functions of imprinted genes
- Gene engineering, transcriptomics
The proliferation of a cell population is regulated by a balance between cell division, growth arrest, differentiation and programmed cell death. A network of genes, including cell cycle regulatory genes, proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have emerged which play major roles in normal physiological processes, such as development and ageing, as well as in various pathological conditions, such as neoplasia and neurodegenerative disorders.
My main interest is in genes that modulate the equilibrium between proliferation, quiescence, differentiation and apoptosis. I initially focused on G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that alter proliferation and/or differentiation through the activation of an intricate array of signalling pathways. More recently, I worked on the functions of genes that are regulated by genomic imprinting, an atypical, epigenetic mechanism of gene regulation.
Selected publications
- Varrault A, Dantec C, Le Digarcher A, Chotard L, Bilanges B, Parrinello H, Dubois E, Rialle S, Severac D, Bouschet T, Journot L (2017) Identification of Plagl1/Zac1 binding sites and target genes establishes its role in the regulation of extracellular matrix genes and the imprinted gene network. Nucleic Acids Res. 45:10466-80.
- Al Adhami H, Evano B, Le Digarcher A, Gueydan C, Dubois E, Parrinello H, Dantec C, Bouschet T, Varrault A, Journot L (2015) A systems-level approach to parental genomic imprinting: the imprinted gene network includes extracellular matrix genes and regulates cell cycle exit and differentiation. Genome Res. 25:353-67.
- Varrault A, Gueydan C, Delalbre A, Bellmann A, Houssami S, Aknin C, Severac D, Chotard L, Kahli M, Le Digarcher A, Pavlidis P, Journot L (2006) Zac1 regulates an imprinted gene network critically involved in the control of embryonic growth. Dev Cell. 11:711-22.
- Varrault A, Ciani E, Apiou F, Bilanges B, Hoffmann A, Pantaloni C, Bockaert J, Spengler D, Journot L (1998) hZAC encodes a zinc finger protein with antiproliferative properties and maps to a chromosomal region frequently lost in cancer. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 95:8835-40.
- Spengler D, Villalba M, Hoffmann A, Pantaloni C, Houssami S, Bockaert J, Journot L (1997) Regulation of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by Zac1, a novel zinc finger protein expressed in the pituitary gland and the brain. EMBO J. 16:2814-25.
- Spengler D, Waeber C, Pantaloni C, Holsboer F, Bockaert J, Seeburg PH, Journot L. (1993) Differential signal transduction by five splice variants of the PACAP receptor. Nature. 365:170-5.