Exact Science

During cell division a dynamic, bipolar, microtubule polymer-based machine called the mitotic spindle attaches to chromosomes and segregates them to daughter cells. Correct spindle size and shape is essential for its function, but exactly how spindle microtubules are organized and the spatial cues that lead to distinct spindle architectures in different cell types and species is poorly understood. We are taking advantage of a cell-free system based on cytoplasm isolated from frog eggs that reconstitutes spindle assembly in a test tube to analyze the organization and dynamics of spindle...

Earth's climate today includes the presence of large polar ice caps, but there have been periods of Earth history with no such glacial ice. This collaborative research seeks to understand the factors that determine Earth's long-term climate state by focusing on a transition from a non-glacial to a glacial climate that occurred 450 million years ago. The research will use updated reconstructions of the past position of the continents in combination with climate and carbon cycle numerical modeling to test the hypothesis that uplift of volcanic rocks within an ancient tropical mountain belt...

Recent progress in plant genomics has revealed that the total functional gene sequence present among all individuals of a species, also known as the pan-genome, is far larger than the content annotated in a single individual's genome. This diversity in gene content arises because large DNA duplication, insertion, or deletion events lead to variation in the presence or absence of whole genes among individuals within species, and this variation may have contributed in the past to crop domestication or adaptation of wild populations to local habitats. The investigators will develop advanced...

The availability of genomic data from uncultured microbial lineages from a wide variety of environments is dramatically changing our view of microbial diversity. Recently, these techniques have brought to light a huge number of bacterial groups that, together with previously reported sequences, were used to define the Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR).The CPR may constitute up to 50% of all bacterial diversity on Earth, yet it remains largely uncharacterized. This project will unite the complementary expertise of the Gribaldo (phylogenomics, evolutionary microbiology, Institut Pasteur) and...