Anne Ephrussi

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Anne Ephrussi (born 15 September 1955 in Paris, France) is a French developmental and molecular biologist. Her research is focused on the study of post-transcriptional regulations such as mRNA localization and translation control in molecular biology as well as the establishment of polarity axes in cell and developmental biology. [1] She is director of the EMBL International Centre for Advanced Training (EICAT) program at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) [2] [3] since 2005 and served as head of the Developmental Biology Unit from 2007 to 2021.

Contents

Biography

Anne Ephrussi studied biology at Harvard University in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from where she graduated in 1979. She continued to do her PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the group of Susumu Tonegawa where she received her doctoral degree in 1985. Ephrussi performed postdoctoral research at Harvard University in the lab of Thomas Maniatis from 1986 to 1989 and at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research with Ruth Lehmann from 1989 to 1992. Since 1992, Anne Ephrussi has been a group leader at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). She became the head of EMBL International Centre for Advanced Training in 2005. [2] [4] She served as Associate Dean (1999 - 2005) and Dean (2005 - 2008) of Graduate Studies of the EMBL International PhD program and as head of the developmental biology unit (2007-2021). She is part of numerous international Scientific Advisory Boards and Panels, organizes international conferences and scientific meetings and evaluates research grant and fellowship applications for a variety of renowned funding bodies.

Personal Details

Anne Ephrussi has French and American citizenship. She is the daughter of Boris Ephrussi and Harriett Ephrussi-Taylor. [5] She lives in Heidelberg, is married and has one child.

Research

With her research, Anne Ephrussi has contributed to the elucidation of the crucial role that spatial and temporal control of mRNA localization and translation play in oocyte development and cell polarity. [6]

Ephrussi established that oskar RNA is accumulated at and thereby defines the posterior pole of the Drosophila oocyte. [7] Aberrant localization and translation leads to germ cell formation defects and mispatterning during development. [8] Proper localization of oskar mRNA is ensured by concerted actions of the exon junction complex [9] [10] [11] and oskar's 3’ UTR [12] followed by a microtubule-based movement. During transport, translation of oskar is repressed by the RNA-binding protein Bruno, which is in turn released by the binding of activators (e.g. Orb) upon arrival at the posterior pole. [13] After proper localization, oskar RNA is translated and organizes germ plasm by recruiting other proteins such as Vasa. [14]

Her lab's current research continues to focus on spatial and temporal control of translation and which role ribonucleoprotein complexes (RNPs), cytoskeletal polarization and cytoskeletal motors play in RNA localization. Further, the roles of non-canonical RNA binding proteins in development as well as germ plasm assembly and function are investigated. These questions are tackled using a combination of genetics, biochemistry and a broad spectrum of cell bio logical and imaging approaches using the large Drosophila melanogaster oocyte as a model.

Honors and awards

Editorial Boards

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Ephrussi Group – RNA localisation and localised translation in development" . Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Anne Ephrussi, Director of EICAT | People | EMBL". embl.org. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  3. ↑ "EICAT". embl.org. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  4. ↑ EMBL Communications – Communicating EMBL’s innovative research programmes and cutting-edge science
  5. ↑ "Boris Ephrussi (1901-1979) | The Embryo Project Encyclopedia". embryo.asu.edu. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  6. ↑ Besse, Florence; Ephrussi, Anne (2008). "Translational control of localized mRNAs: restricting protein synthesis in space and time". Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 9 (12): 971–980. doi:10.1038/nrm2548. ISSN   1471-0072. PMID   19023284. S2CID   35745917.
  7. ↑ Ephrussi, Anne; Dickinson, Laura K.; Lehmann, Ruth (1991). "oskar organizes the germ plasm and directs localization of the posterior determinant nanos". Cell. 66 (1): 37–50. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(91)90137-N. PMID   2070417. S2CID   23006074.
  8. ↑ Ephrussi, Anne; Lehmann, Ruth (1992). "Induction of germ cell formation by oskar". Nature. 358 (6385): 387–392. Bibcode:1992Natur.358..387E. doi:10.1038/358387a0. ISSN   0028-0836. PMID   1641021. S2CID   4269753.
  9. ↑ Markussen, F. H.; Michon, A. M.; Breitwieser, W.; Ephrussi, A. (1995). "Translational control of oskar generates short OSK, the isoform that induces pole plasma assembly". Development. 121 (11): 3723–3732. doi:10.1242/dev.121.11.3723. ISSN   0950-1991. PMID   8582284.
  10. ↑ Hachet, Olivier; Ephrussi, Anne (2004). "Splicing of oskar RNA in the nucleus is coupled to its cytoplasmic localization". Nature. 428 (6986): 959–963. Bibcode:2004Natur.428..959H. doi:10.1038/nature02521. ISSN   0028-0836. PMID   15118729. S2CID   4413199.
  11. ↑ Ghosh, Sanjay; Marchand, Virginie; Gáspár, Imre; Ephrussi, Anne (2012). "Control of RNP motility and localization by a splicing-dependent structure in oskar mRNA". Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. 19 (4): 441–449. doi:10.1038/nsmb.2257. ISSN   1545-9993. PMID   22426546. S2CID   20099525.
  12. ↑ Jambor, Helena; Mueller, Sandra; Bullock, Simon L.; Ephrussi, Anne (2014). "A stem-loop structure directs oskar mRNA to microtubule minus ends". RNA. 20 (4): 429–439. doi:10.1261/rna.041566.113. ISSN   1469-9001. PMC   3964905 . PMID   24572808.
  13. ↑ Chekulaeva, Marina; Hentze, Matthias W.; Ephrussi, Anne (2006). "Bruno Acts as a Dual Repressor of oskar Translation, Promoting mRNA Oligomerization and Formation of Silencing Particles". Cell. 124 (3): 521–533. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2006.01.031 . PMID   16469699. S2CID   6308889.
  14. ↑ Breitwieser, W; Markussen, F H; Horstmann, H; Ephrussi, A (1996). "Oskar protein interaction with Vasa represents an essential step in polar granule assembly". Genes & Development. 10 (17): 2179–2188. doi: 10.1101/gad.10.17.2179 . ISSN   0890-9369. PMID   8804312.
  15. ↑ "Find people in the EMBO Communities".
  16. ↑ "E.C. Slater Lecture of the International Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology" (PDF).
  17. ↑ "Académie des Sciences".
  18. ↑ "Academia Europaea Members".
  19. ↑ "Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite".
  20. ↑ "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur".
  21. ↑ "Feldberg Foundation Prizewinners".
  22. ↑ "National Academy of Sciences - Member Directory".
  23. ↑ "Developmental Biology - Society for Developmental Biology Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients".
  24. ↑ Earnshaw, William C.; Ephrussi, Anne (1997). "New faces for the new year". Trends in Cell Biology. 7 (1): 38–39. doi:10.1016/S0962-8924(97)89929-1. PMID   17708897.
  25. ↑ "Genes to Cells Editorial Board".
  26. ↑ "Editorial & Advisory Board - RNA - WIREs Home".
  27. ↑ "Editorial Board: Cell". www.cell.com.
  28. ↑ "RNA -- Editors and Editorial Board".
  29. ↑ "New editorial board members". The Journal of Cell Biology. 217 (1): 01–03. 2018-01-02. doi:10.1083/jcb.201712071. ISSN   0021-9525. PMC   5749002 .
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