Marie Perrier works at the Biosciences and bioengineering for health laboratory (BGE).

Her project: DUCS – Deubiquinating enzymes and Calcium signalling

Hello, I am Marie Perrier and I come from Valence. I am a PhD student at the BGE laboratory (Biosciences and bioengineering for health laboratory, CEA Grenoble), working in the Genetics and Chemogenomics team, under the supervision of Dr. Alexandre Bouron on Deubiquinating enzymes and Calcium Signalling.

After completing a two-year master’s degree in Health Engineering specializing in pharmacology at the University of Grenoble Alpes, and with a background in chemistry and biology, my aim is to work at the interface between biology and health.

On the one hand, calcium is an intracellular messenger that controls several biological processes and maintains cellular homeostasis. On the other hand, ubiquitination consists in the attachment of the polypeptide ubiquitin (Ub) to target proteins. This post-translational modification controls the fate of proteins and influences various key cellular processes. Ubiquitination can be reversed by deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), a class of proteases that regulate degradative processes and contribute to the recycling of Ub molecules. Deregulation of the Ub conjugation/deconjugation system has been linked to the pathogenesis of various human diseases like cancers and neurodegenerative disorders. It is now clear that maintaining a balanced interplay between ubiquitinating and deubiquitinating reactions is of crucial pathophysiological importance for the brain.

During my PhD training, I will be investigating in vitro and in vivo, the contribution of ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), the major brain DUB, in the control of the activity, trafficking and turnover of selected neuronal native voltage-gated Ca2+ channels of the central nervous system by a pharmacological approach.

Grenoble is for me the ideal place to do research because it’s a dynamic city with an innovative and an international atmosphere.