Cochin Institute
INSERM U1016
Chronic inflammation and Immune System
Pavillon Hardy A 1er étage
27 rue du Faubourg Saint Jacques
75014 Paris, France
Our main research interest is to decipher the molecular mechanisms leading to the establishment of immune tolerance to self and therefore preventing autoimmune manifestations and diseases.
The AIRE protein has been identified to induce a broad spectrum of auto-antigens in the thymus whose processed peptides are presented to maturing T cells that differentiate and escape the thymus only if they are blind to the complete repertoire of peptides presented in the thymus.
The mode of action of AIRE is unique by the large number of genes that AIRE is able to induce and also by the fact that auto-antigens are significantly over-represented in its signature.
AIRE is capable to «wake up» silenced genes by impacting chromosomal regions bearing repressed chromatin marks.
Funding
Aire unleashes stalled RNA polymerase to induce ectopic gene expression in thymic epithelial cells.
Giraud M, Yoshida H, Abramson J, Rahl PB, Young RA, Mathis D, Benoist C.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A (2011) Dec 27. [Epub ahead of print]
Both polymorphic VNTR and AIRE modulate differential expression of insulin in human thymic epithelial cells.
Cai CQ, Zhang T, Breslin MB, Giraud M, Lan MS.
Diabetes (2011) 60, 336-44.
Aire's partners in the molecular control of immunological tolerance.
Abramson J, Giraud M, Benoist C, Mathis D.
Cell (2010) 140, 123-35.
An IRF8-binding promoter variant and AIRE control CHRNA1 promiscuous expression in thymus.
Giraud M, Taubert R, Vandiedonck C, Ke X, Levi-Strauss M, Pagani F, Baralle FE, Eymard B, Tranchant C, Gajdos P, Vincent A, Willcox N, Beeson D, Kyewski B, Garchon HJ.
Nature (2007) 448, 934-7.
Selected Pubications
ANR «Chair of Excellence» Grant
The Giraud lab received the highly competitive Grant «Chair of Excellence» from the French government, therefore the lab will be expending over the next few years. [Jul 2011]
«Marie Curie» reintegration Grant
The Giraud lab received a «Marie Curie» european reintegration Grant from the European Commission. [Jun 2011]
People
Clotilde Guyon, PhD student, investigates the AIRE-dependent control of autoantigen expression at the post-transcriptional level
Giraud lab
Nada Jmari, Engineer, investigates many aspects of AIRE underlying molecular mechanisms
Floriane Carallis ,Technician (ESTBA)
