SEMINARS
Career Outside Academia Seminar: Dr Jona Karam (clinical research associate chez THT bio-science)
4 février 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room, CRBM
Annual Symposium of the Infection & Immunity Axis, BIOLuM: Interferons in Health and disease
5 février 2026 8 h 40 min - 19 h 30 min
Organizers: NadineLaguette, Caroline Goujon, Isabelle Vila, Lise Chauveau & Eric Martinez
Thesis Defense: Valentin Gonay (CRBM)
9 février 2026 14 h 00 min - 15 h 00 min
Amphi Balard
"Machine learning model and other computational approaches to predict the balance of protein aggregation, gelation and solubility"
Aurélie DIMAN, Université de Genève, Suisse
10 février 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 30 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
IGMM External Seminar
Too knotty to resist: Twisted DNA behavior attracts Smc5/6
Contact :nadine.laguette@igmm.cnrs.fr
Nicolas Gompel (University of Bonn, Germany)
12 février 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 30 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
IGMM External seminar
"Reappraising transcriptional enhancers"
Contact julie.carnesecchi@igmm.cnrs.fr
http://gompel.org
SaraH Sanders (The Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA)
13 février 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Ph. Jeanteur Seminar Room, IGMM
CRBM external seminar
wtf evolution
Contact: dominique.helmlinger@crbm.cnrs.fr
Eitan-Erez ZAHAVI, Weizmann Institute of Sciences, Israël
17 février 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 30 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
"The hidden SINEs of recovery"
Contact : jean-christophe.andrau@igmm.cnrs.fr
Repeat element RNAs integrate neuronal growth after injury. Neuronal growth and regeneration are regulated by specific gene transcription and translation programs that integrate mRNA localization, local protein synthesis, retrograde signaling and transcription factor (TF) activity. While the role of protein coding genes in these processes is well studied, that of regulatory RNAs is little understood. In a screen to identify RNA polyadenylation changes in mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons following sciatic nerve injury, we found the upregulation of polyadenylatedB2-SINE repeat elements. Employing long-read paired-end RNA-seq and ATAC-seq analyses we pinpointed the upregulation to a subset of B2-SINE loci that undergo injury-induced chromatin accessible remodeling. This transcriptional upregulation was specific to injured peripheral sensory neurons and did not occur retinal ganglion cells following optic nerve crush. Importantly,expression of B2-SINE RNA in retinal and cortical neurons, whose intrinsicability to regenerate is poorer than that of DRG neurons, significantlyimproved their regrowth after nerve injury. Hence, we termed this subset ofinjury-induced, DRG specific elements GI-SINE (growth-inducing B2-SINE).GI-SINEs are induced as discrete transcriptional units from theinjury-activated and pro-regenerative ATF3 and other AP-1 TFs associated loci.GI-SINE RNA interacts with ribosomal proteins and nucleolin, anaxon-growth-regulating RNA binding protein, to regulate translation in neuronalcytoplasm. Finally, antisense oligos against GI-SINEs perturb sensory neuronoutgrowth and nucleolin-ribosome interactions. Thus, we identify a subfamily oftransposable element RNAs that is integral in a signaling circuit regulatingneuronal regrowth, suggesting similar elements can be utilized as regulatedregenerative effectors in other physiological contexts.
Bill EARNSHAW (Univ Edinburgh, Scotland, UK)
19 février 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
CRBM-CNRS, 1919 Rte de Mende, 34293 Montpellier, France
affiche de la conférence
Conférence invitée CRBM
Salle Marcel Dorée
contact: Claude.prigent@crbm.cnrs.fr
https://earnshawlab.com/prof-bill-earnshaw/
Ciigales Winter afterwork
20 février 2026 17 h 30 min - 19 h 30 min
CRBM-IRIM hall/terrace
Genome Dynamics and RNA Biology Inaugural Symposium (BIOLuM Axis)
17 mars 2026 9 h 15 min - 17 h 45 min
Ciigales Winter afterwork
20 mars 2026 17 h 30 min - 19 h 30 min
CRBM-IRIM hall/terrace
Kristina ZUMER - Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Gottingen
24 mars 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 30 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Title : “The molecular road map of gene expression”
Contact : odil.porrua@igmm.cnrs.fr
Career Outside Academia
25 mars 2026 13 h 00 min - 14 h 00 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room, IRIM-CRBM, Montpellier
Dr Romain Darrigrand (en visio) - Format court (30 min à 1h) : une présentation suivie d'échanges, pour découvrir un parcours professionnel atypique et recueillir conseils et perspectives utiles, que vous envisagiez une carrière académique ou non.
Après avoir obtenu un diplôme d'ingénieur en chimie médicinale et pharmaceutique à l'ENSCM (Montpellier) et un double diplôme en chimie médicinale translationnelle à l'université de Montpellier en 2016, Romain a réalisé une thèse en oncologie et cancer biology à l'Institut Gustave Roussy (Villejuif). Après l'obtention de son diplôme en 2020, il a intégré Evotec en tant qu'associé en recherche sur l'identification et la validation d'une cible. Désormais, il travaille toujours au sein de la même société en tant que Research Scientist.
Dr Alessandro SCACCHETTI, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
31 mars 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 30 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Title : "A Molecular Code for Extracellular RNA Trafficking"
Contact : robert.feil@igmm.cnrs.fr
Abstract:
Cells exchange information not only through hormones, neurotransmitters, and small molecules, but also via RNAs that cross cellular boundaries. Cell-to-cell RNA communication has been implicated in the modulation of brain development and function, yet the mechanisms that govern the selective transfer of specific RNAs are unknown. Using genome-wide CRISPR screening, proteomics, and high-sensitivity transcriptomics in a neuronal cell line, we identify domesticated retroviral proteins and RNA-modifying enzymes that regulate neuronal RNA loading into and transportation via extracellular vesicles. We show that the pseudouridine synthase PUS1 is a key determinant of RNA trafficking, and that its catalytic product in RNA, pseudouridine, is both necessary and sufficient for extracellular RNA export. We further show that myosin light chain 6 (MYL6) is a pseudouridine-binding protein required for secretion of synthetic and endogenous RNAs.These findings reveal a biochemical code linking chemical RNA modification to extracellular transport, and establish a framework to study the function of extracellular RNAs in the nervous system.
Ciigales Science Coffee Talk
1 avril 2026 13 h 00 min - 14 h 00 min
Amphi Balard
Jeremie Candotti (IGMM)
Dr Agyris Papantonis (Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Göttingen)
7 avril 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Ph. Jeanteur Seminar Room, IGMM
IGMM & BIOLuM External Seminar
Genome Dynamics & RNA Biology Axis
Senescent cells cluster CTCF on nuclear speckles to instruct their splicing program
https://papantonislab.eu/
Dr Yacine Graba (IBDM)
9 avril 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room, CRBM
CRBM External Seminar
From sequence to function: Insights from Hox Proteins
Contact: albert.tsai@crbm.cnrs.fr
Juan VALCARCEL, ICREA - Center for Genomic Regulation, Espagne
14 avril 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 30 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
IGMM External Seminar
Title : "Networks of alternative splicing regulation in cancer"
Contact : julie.carnesecchi@igmm.cnrs.fr
Thesis Alexia Kinoo (IGMM)
20 avril 2026 14 h 00 min - 15 h 00 min
Ph. Jeanteur Seminar Room, IGMM
"ZEB1, a factor of the epithelial–mesenchymal transition: a novel player in the regulation of erythropoiesis"
Ciigales Science Coffee Talk
21 avril 2026 13 h 15 min - 14 h 15 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room
Nicolas Ferrary (intern student in Fabrice Caudron's Lab)
Dominic Skinner (Flatiron Institute, New York City)
22 avril 2026 13 h 30 min - 14 h 30 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room, CRBM
CRBM External Seminar
Contact: patrick.lemaire@crbm.cnrs.fr
"A quantitative model of a phenotypically variable structural defect"
The Drosophila larval trachea is a tractable model for quantitatively studying developmental defects and cell fate determination. In the trachea, progenitor cells robustly organize themselves into distinct cell fates, driven by an external morphogen concentrations. Perturbing the external (FGF) signal, we record stochastic phenotypes in which a variable number of "terminal" cells occur. Using live imaging, we observe how fate determination occurs dynamically and quantify morphological trajectories. To quantitatively model stochastic phenotypic outcomes, we turn to a modified "threshold-liability" model from genetics, and use this to predict outcomes in gain-of-function mutants.
Thesis Quentin Bouvier (IGMM)
22 avril 2026 13 h 30 min - 14 h 30 min
Ph. Jeanteur Seminar Room, IGMM
Étude des réseaux de régulation basés sur les TF contrôlant la différenciation érythroïde terminale
ZOMES Meeting - Complexes in protein metabolism: From structure to biology to therapeutics
27 avril 2026 13 h 00 min - 22 h 00 min
CNRS Délégation Occitanie Est
1919 Route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Contact: dimitris.xirodimas@crbm.cnrs.fr
ZOMES Meeting - Complexes in protein metabolism: From structure to biology to therapeutics
28 avril 2026
CNRS Délégation Occitanie Est
1919 Route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Contact: dimitris.xirodimas@crbm.cnrs.fr
ZOMES Meeting - Complexes in protein metabolism: From structure to biology to therapeutics
29 avril 2026
CNRS Délégation Occitanie Est
1919 Route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Contact: dimitris.xirodimas@crbm.cnrs.fr
ZOMES Meeting - Complexes in protein metabolism: From structure to biology to therapeutics
30 avril 2026 9 h 00 min - 13 h 30 min
CNRS Délégation Occitanie Est
1919 Route de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Contact: dimitris.xirodimas@crbm.cnrs.fr
Ciigales afterwork
30 avril 2026 17 h 30 min - 19 h 30 min
CRBM-IRIM hall/terrace
Intra-BIOLuM Seminar
5 mai 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Guillaume Bossis (IGMM) et Maxime Fillaudeau (IBMM)
Targeting SUMOylation with peptides: from protein-protein interaction inhibitors to PROTACs and covalent inhibitors
Edward WALLACE - University of Edinburgh
12 mai 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 30 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Title : "Post-transcriptionalcontrol of fungal cell wall synthesis by Ssd1 and co-operating RNA-bindingproteins"
Fungal cell walls are the surface where thefungus meets the world. Yet, there are major gaps in understanding offungal cell wall synthesis and its regulation, notably at thepost-transcriptional level, where the time and place of protein synthesis arecontrolled. Advances in mRNA regulation have identified several RNA-bindingproteins that regulate cell wall synthesis, however their importance in fungalcell biology remains underappreciated1. Our recent work focuses on the RNA-binding protein Ssd1/sts5/gul-1,which is required for fungal growth and virulence, and genetically interactswith cell cycle regulators. We characterised the evolution of Ssd1'sfungal-specific RNA-binding function2. We identified the RNA motif bound by Ssd1 and showed that it isenriched in the 5'UTRs of cell wall mRNAs across ascomycota3. With Atlanta Cook, we solved the structure of Ssd13 and are investigating its mechanisms of RNA binding.
We marshal evidence across the dikaryota tobuild a model for Ssd1-mediated spatiotemporal regulation of cell wallsynthesis. Ssd1's role as a translation repressor is demonstrated by ourfinding that Ssd1-binding motifs in reporter mRNAs repress translation in yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Ssd1's role in mRNA localisation isdemonstrated by our evidence that Ssd1-containing mRNA-protein complexesshuttle along hyphae of Aspergillus nidulans. We hypothesise that Ssd1-mediatedtranslational repression, in co-operation with other RNA-binding proteins,allows "just-in-time" local translation of cell wall components nearsites of cell wall synthesis in growing fungi. Disruption of this regulatorycircuit has profound, pleiotropic impacts on cell wall synthesis, celldivision, and stress resistance.
1. Hall,R. A. & Wallace, E. W. J. Post-transcriptional control of fungal cell wallsynthesis. Cell Surf. 8, 100074 (2022).
2. Ballou, E. R., Cook, A. G. & Wallace,E. W. J. Repeated Evolution of Inactive Pseudonucleases in a Fungal Branch ofthe Dis3/RNase II Family of Nucleases. Mol.Biol. Evol. 38, 1837–1846(2021).
3. Bayne, R. A. et al.Yeast Ssd1 is a non-enzymatic member of the RNase II family with an alternativeRNA recognition site. Nucleic Acids Res.(2021) doi:10.1093/nar/gkab615.
Contact : fabrice.caudron@igmm.cnrs.fr
Ciigales Science Coffee Talk
12 mai 2026 13 h 00 min - 14 h 00 min
Balard Amphitheater
- Soha Allioui, a second year PhD student in Damien Grégoire lab in IGMM. She will talk to us about « To observe is to disturb: the cost of watching tumors grow »
- Lisa Vecchio, a second year PhD student in the lab of Domenico Libri et Odil Porrua. She will talk to us about « Crac : a method for high resolution mapping of RNA-binding protein targets ».
Vanessa Felix Pires Thesis defense (IGMM)
18 mai 2026 14 h 00 min - 15 h 00 min
Philippe Jeanteur Seminar Room, IGMM
"The role of the glutamylase TTLL6 in colon homeostasis and pathology"
Career Outside Academia Seminar: Dr Tobias Goris: https://visio.numerique.gouv.fr/zps-fxvy-jwr
18 mai 2026 15 h 30 min - 16 h 30 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room (and visio)
Dr. Tobias Goris will share his experience transitioning from academic research to edition.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobias-goris-819a56aa/
"Other Eyes on Membranes and Self-Assemblies"
21 mai 2026 14 h 00 min - 18 h 00 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room
"Cell Membrane and Cytoskeleton axis" half-day meeting:
- L. Casanellas-Vilageliu (L2C, Montpellier) : "Design and microfluidic rheology of biomimetic tissues"
- M. Chavent (CBI, Toulouse) : "From virulence factors to building blocs of supramolecular assemblies: roles of mycobacterial lipids"
- S. Balme (IEMM, Montpellier) : "Nanopore and Confocal Fluorescence Spectroscopy to Reveal Biological Molecule Assembly Mechanisms"
Contacts: cyril.favard@irim.cnrs.fr, Laura.Picas@irim.cnrs.fr, stephane.bodin@crbm.cnrs.fr
Ciigales Science Coffee Talk
4 juin 2026 13 h 15 min - 14 h 15 min
Balard Amphitheater
Nathan Lecouvreur, a fourth-year PhD student of Thierry Forne's lab, giving a talk called : "What is distance in the context of the genome ? Or how to reconcile linear and 3D distances".
Minisymposium on Gene Regulation and Chromatin Organisation (IGMM)
5 juin 2026 10 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Ph. Jeanteur Seminar Room
10.00-10.35 Three-Dimensional Epigenome Roadmap of Human B-cell Differentiation Uncovers Mechanisms of Humoral Immunity and Oncogenesis
Biola Javierre, Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, Barcelona
10.40-11.15 Gene Regulation through Mitosis
Pablo Navarro, Institut Pasteur, Paris
11.20-11.55 Escape from X Inactivation is Directly Modulated by Xist Noncoding RNA
Agnese Loda, Institut Imagine, Paris
Célia Ben Choug Thesis Defense (CRBM)
5 juin 2026 14 h 00 min - 15 h 00 min
CNRS-DR13 Amphitheater
Le module Bora / Aurora A / Plx1 à l'épreuve de la reprise méiotique ovocytaire
Hegias Mira Bontenbal HDR (IGMM)
5 juin 2026 14 h 00 min - 15 h 00 min
Ph. Jeanteur Seminar Room
"Epigenetic Regulation of Gene Expression and Dosage Compensation"
CRBM Ph.D students Symposium
10 juin 2026
Jean-Jacques Moreau amphitheater, Campus Saint-Priest, Montpellier
Restitution des Apprentis Chercheurs (IRIM, CRBM, IGMM)
17 juin 2026 16 h 30 min - 18 h 30 min
CNRS-DR13
Inscription par email auprès de: jean-marie.peloponese@irim.cnrs.fr ou de magali.abrantes@irim.cnrs.fr
Dr Christian Schlieker (Yale University)
23 juin 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 30 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room, CRBM, Montpellier
CRBM External Seminar
"Biomolecular Condensates at the Nuclear Envelope:
From Mechanism to Therapeutic Modulation"
Contact: maria.moriel@crbm.cnrs.fr
Ciigales Pot-Poster
25 juin 2026 16 h 30 min - 20 h 00 min
Exterior space of the Balard building
Career Outside Academia Seminar: Aurore de Poret
26 juin 2026 10 h 00 min - 11 h 00 min
https://umontpellier-fr.zoom.us/j/97197931354
About the speaker:
Dr. Aurore de Poret completed her PhD in 2020 at IRIM in Montpellier. She transitioned into industry, joining Bayer as Specialist in laboratory processes and technologies. Since 2023, she is Lab Platform Manager, still for Bayer.
You can find her LinkedIn profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurore-de-poret-b6897b98/
Have a nice day,
Claire, Elycia, Solena
Robert S. ILLINGWORTH - Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh
2 juillet 2026 10 h 30 min - 12 h 00 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Title : Passive Yet Essential, Polycomb Repression in Development and Disease
Contact : carla.heredia@igmm.cnrs.fr
Prof. Alan TALEVI (Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina)
2 juillet 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room
CRBM External Seminar
“Machine Learning and Structure-Based Approaches for the Discovery of Biomarkers and Bioactive Compounds”
Contact: andrey.kajava@crbm.cnrs.fr
Vincent Loubière - IGH Montpellier
3 juillet 2026 13 h 00 min - 14 h 00 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Title : “Epigenetic and cis-regulatory determinants of tumorigenesis"
Contact : nadine.laguette@igmm.cnrs.fr
Magda CANNATA-SERIO - Institut Curie
10 juillet 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 30 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Title: "Signal peptides as timing codes: regulating protein fate at the ER gate"
Contact : daniel.fisher@igmm.cnrs.fr
The entry of secretory and membrane proteins into the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is usually viewed as a rapid co-translational process driven by N-terminal signal peptides (SPs). We have uncovered that a subset of SPs can instead impose a delay at the ER gate, transiently exposing nascent proteins to the cytosol before their entry into the secretory pathway. This “delayed translocation” creates a regulatory window in which domains normally destined to become extracellular or luminal can acquire cytosolic modifications.
PD-L1 exemplifies this mechanism: its suboptimal SP delays ER entry and allows cytosolic regulation of its extracellular domain, shaping PD-L1 maturation, trafficking and function. Beyond revealing SPs as timing codes, this mechanism exposes SP-dependent vulnerabilities that can be exploited pharmacologically. Using two assays we developed, the cytoRUSH and the RELITE, we show that selective interference with Sec61-dependent translocation can be monitored and harnessed to identify small molecules that block PD-L1 ER entry and redirect it toward cytosolic degradation.
References :
Cannata Serio, M. et al. A delayed translocation into the endoplasmic reticulum controls the post-translational modifications of PD-L1. Nat Commun. 2026 Apr 11; 17(1): 5059.
Vitale, F. et al. A light-resuming strategy as a screening method for selecting Sec61 inhibitors down-modulating PD-L1 expression. Nat Commun. 2025 Aug 6; 16(1): 7243.
Seminar : Alexander Waclawiczek, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany
17 juillet 2026 11 h 00 min - 13 h 00 min
Institut de Génétique Moléculaire de Montpellier (IGMM), 1919 Rte de Mende, 34090 Montpellier, France
Title: The Genotype–Phenotype Relationship as Mediator of Therapy Resistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Abstract:
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by extensive genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) are a self-renewing subpopulation of AML cells that sustains disease initiation, progression, and relapse. By translating the underlying pathogenic genotype into a malignant cellular phenotype and generating the progeny that constitute the bulk of the leukemia, LSCs lie at the interface between genotype and phenotype. Over the past decade, both genetic alterations and cellular phenotypes have emerged as important determinants of therapeutic response in AML. Deciphering how these features interact within LSCs may therefore provide new insights into treatment response, disease persistence, and the development of therapy resistance.
Contact : guillaume.bossis@igmm.cnrs.fr
Gautam DEY
15 septembre 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
DR13 Amphitheater
Evolution and diversity in mitosis
Contact: Dominique.helmlinger@crbm.cnrs.fr
Dr Alexandra Colin (Cytomorpholab, Grenoble)
24 septembre 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room
Title to come
CRBM External Seminar
Contact: benjamin.lacroix@crbm.cnrs.fr
Symposium Biologie Cellulaire
14 octobre 2026 14 h 00 min - 18 h 00 min
DR13-CNRS Amphitheater
Détails à venir
CRBM & Université de Montpellier
Contact: stephane.bodin@crbm.cnrs.fr, laura.boulan@crbm.cnrs.fr, jean-philippe.chambon@umontpellier.fr, francois.fagotto@crbm.cnrs.fr
CRBM External Seminar
3 décembre 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Contact: dominique.helmlinger@crbm.cnrs.fr
CRBM External Seminar
10 décembre 2026 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Contact: dominique.helmlinger@crbm.cnrs.fr
Dr Aleksandra Walczak (ENS)
11 mars 2027 11 h 00 min - 12 h 00 min
Marcel Dorée Seminar Room
CRBM External Seminar
Contact: albert.tsai@crbm.cnrs.fr



