The Comparative Functional Genomics G5 group investigates how evolutionary innovations arise in vertebrate genomes through changes in gene sequences, gene expression and gene regulation. Our main model is the evolution of menstruation, a reproductive trait which was acquired during the evolution of primates, which we investigate by comparing primate uterus samples with a combination of single-cell functional assays, organoid models and computational analysis. We also develop bioinformatics models and frameworks to study how gene expression and regulation changes through time, and cellular models to test how evolutionary changes in gene function result in measurable molecular phenotypes.
Latest News
April 2023. We welcome Katie Leap into the team! Katie is joining us to investigate the convergent mechanisms of menstruation in mammals using cellular models.
March 2023. Congratulations to Axelle Brulport, who was recruited as a tenured researcher through a highly competitive process at INSERM! Axelle leaves us for Lyon to pursue her research on endometriosis, and we wish her all the best!
Feb 2023. Our latest article is now published in Science! Congratulations to Elise Parey for this excellent work, and the latest in our run of work on the evolution of polyploid fish genomes!
Sept 2022. We are thrilled to be making the cover of the September 2022 issue of Genome Research! This collaborative project as part of the GenoFish consortium investigates the evolution of teleost fish genomes after a polyploidization event that occurred 320 My ago, shedding light on the origins of teleosts and the mechanisms through which vertebrate polyploids deal with genome redundancy.
