Master Internship in Paris

Adult organisms are generally defined by two properties: their size and their shape. These two properties are acquired thanks to two fundamental processes: growth and morphogenesis. Within a specie, individuals of different sizes share a similar shape. This suggests the existence of a coupling between morphogenesis and growth mechanisms. Uncovering these mechanisms remains a major question in developmental biology.

In the lab, we use the Drosophila epithelium as a model to study morphogenesis. We have developed imaging of live-animals for extended periods of time (24h+ hours) combined with cutting-edge image processing and image analysis techniques. These methods allow us the observe the development of multiple animals at a multiscale resolution. Using these techniques, we have been able to decipher the mechanisms of proliferation in epithelial tissues^1–4  and how gene expression controls the shaping of tissue^5,6. These knowledge and methods now offer the possibility to address the fundamental link between size and shape.

This internship is based on a new and promising subject of our lab and supported by a large quantity of preliminary data. The student will be taught how to perform state-of-the-art live-imaging experiments and how to use the powerful genetic tools available in Drosophila to bring together quantitative analysis, physiology, and tissue dynamics. The student will also benefit from the interdisciplinary expertise of the lab and the most-recent equipment available on the Institut Curie platforms.

For more information, you can visit our lab website and our lab twitter account.

If you are interested, please contact Aude Maugarny-Calès and Yohanns Bellaïche with a motivation letter and a CV.

1. López-Gay, J. et al. Apical stress fibers enable a scaling between cell mechanical response and area in epithelial tissue. Science. In Press
2. Pinheiro, D. et al. Transmission of cytokinesis forces via E-cadherin dilution and actomyosin flows. Nature 545, 103–107 (2017).
3. Bosveld, F. et al. Epithelial tricellular junctions act as interphase cell shape sensors to orient mitosis. Nature 530, 1–22 (2016).
4. Herszterg, S., Leibfried, A., Bosveld, F., Martin, C. & Bellaiche, Y. Interplay between the Dividing Cell and Its Neighbors Regulates Adherens Junction Formation during Cytokinesis in Epithelial Tissue. Dev. Cell 24, 256–270 (2013).
5. Bosveld, F. et al. Mechanical Control of Morphogenesis by Fat/Dachsous/Four-Jointed Planar Cell Polarity Pathway. Science. 336, 724–727 (2012).
6. Guirao, B. et al. Unified quantitative characterization of epithelial tissue development. Elife 4, e08519 (2015).