Our group gathers geneticists, neurobiologists and clinicians to explore the relationship between genetics and the susceptibility to psychiatric conditions. We are especially interested on autism spectrum disorders, and our previous studies have revealed the implication of a synaptogenetic pathway including the synaptic cell adhesion molecules NLGN3, NLGN4X, and NRXN1 and the scaffolding protein SHANK3 - all crucial for the maintenance of functional synapses. Our aim is to identify new susceptibility genes within this pathway and to characterize the biological factors that regulate it. We explore the genetic/epigenetic hallmarks of affected individuals using high-throughput genotyping and sequencing-based methods, in combination with clinical, neurobiological and neuroimaging data collected from patients or using cell and animal models.


Members of the Bourgeron Lab (October 2009)

Name	Grade	Topics	Employment
Corinne Baran	Administrative Assistant		Institut Pasteur
Jean-Pierre Bourgeois	Directeur de Recherche	Neurobiology	CNRS
Thomas Bourgeron	Professor	Genetics	University Paris 7
Pauline Chaste	PhD, MD	Psychiatry	Robert Debré Hospital
Isabelle Cloëz-Tayarani	Chargé de Recherche	Neurobiology	Institut Pasteur
Richard Delorme	PhD, MD	Psychiatry	Robert Debré Hospital
Elodie Ey	Post-doc	Behaviour	Institut Pasteur
Fabien Fauchereau	Assistant Professor	Genetics	University Paris 7
Hany Goubran-Botros	Engineer, PhD	Biochemistry	Institut Pasteur
Guillaume Huguet	PhD Student	Genetics	Institut Pasteur
Marina Konyukh	PhD Student	Genetics	University Paris 7
Claire Leblond	PhD Student	Genetics	Institut Pasteur
Nathalie Lemiere	Technician	Genetics	Institut Pasteur
Anne-Marie Le Sourd	Technician	Neurobiology	CNRS
Anna Maruani	MD	Psychiatry	Robert Debré Hospital
Oriane Mercati	PhD Student	Neurobiology	Institut Pasteur
Cécile Pagan	PhD Student	Biochemistry	University Paris 5
Roberto Toro	Chargé de Recherche	Neuroanatomy	Institut Pasteur
Nicolas Torquet	Engineer	Behavior	CNRS

Collaborative projects

• ERANET EUHFAUTISM

Selected Publications

• Gong X., Delorme R., Fauchereau F., Durand C., Chaste P., Betancur C., Goubran-Botros H., Nygren G., Anckarsäter H., Rastam M. et al. An investigation of ribosomal protein L10 gene in autism spectrum disorders. BMC Med Genet 10 (2009) 7
• Gong X., Bacchelli E., Blasi F., Toma C., Betancur C., Chaste P., Delorme R., Durand C., Fauchereau F., Botros H. G. et al Analysis of X chromosome inactivation in autism spectrum disorders. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B Neuropsychiatric Genetics 147B, 6 (2008) 830-5
• Melke J., Goubran-Botros H., Chaste P., Betancur C., Nygren G., Anckarsäter H., Rastam M., Ståhlberg O., Gillberg I. C., Delorme R. et al Abnormal melatonin synthesis in autism spectrum disorders. Molecular Psychiatry 13, 1 (2008) 90-8
• Jordan B., Favre M., Barthélémy C., Biette S., Bourgeron T., Hérault M., Kamel D., Lemahieu M., Nieoullon A., Ramoz N. et al Génétique et Business: défendons la liberté de critique! (Genetics and business: in defence of free speech!) Médecine sciences : M/S 23, 5 (2007) 545-6
• Durand C., Betancur C., Boeckers T., Bockmann J., Chaste P., Fauchereau F., Nygren G., Rastam M., Gillberg I. C., Anckarsäter H. et al Mutations in the gene encoding the synaptic scaffolding protein SHANK3 are associated with autism spectrum disorders. Nat Genet 39, 1 (2007) 25-7
• Delorme R., Durand C., Betancur C., Wagner M., Ruhrmann S., Grabe H.-J., Nygren G., Gillberg C., Leboyer M., Bourgeron T. et al No human tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene R441H mutation in a large cohort of psychiatric patients and control subjects. Biological psychiatry 60, 2 (2006) 202-3
• Etain B., Mathieu F., Rietschel M., Maier W., Albus M., Mckeon P., Roche S., Kealey C., Blackwood D., Muir W. et al Genome-wide scan for genes involved in bipolar affective disorder in 70 European families ascertained through a bipolar type I early-onset proband: supportive evidence for linkage at 3p14. Mol Psychiatry 11, 7 (2006) 685-94
• Durand C., Kappeler C., Betancur C., Delorme R., Quach H., Goubran-Botros H., Melke J., Nygren G., Chabane N., Bellivier F. et al Expression and genetic variability of PCDH11Y, a gene specific to Homo sapiens and candidate for susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 141, 1 (2006) 67-70
• Delorme R., Betancur C., Wagner M., Krebs M.-O., Gorwood P., Pearl P., Nygren G., Durand C. M., Buhtz F., Pickering P. et al Support for the association between the rare functional variant I425V of the serotonin transporter gene and susceptibility to obsessive compulsive disorder. Mol Psychiatry 10, 12 (2005) 1059-61
• Jamain S., Betancur C., Giros B., Leboyer M., Bourgeron T. Genetics of autism: from genome scans to candidate genes Médecine sciences : M/S 19, 11 (2003) 1081-90
• Jamain S., Quach H., Betancur C., Råstam M., Colineaux C., Gillberg I. C., Söderström H., Giros B., Leboyer M., Gillberg C. et al Mutations of the X-linked genes encoding neuroligins NLGN3 and NLGN4 are associated with autism. Nat Genet 34, 1 (2003) 27-9
• Jamain S., Betancur C., Quach H., Philippe A., Fellous M., Giros B., Gillberg C., Leboyer M., Bourgeron T. Linkage and association of the glutamate receptor 6 gene with autism. Molecular Psychiatry 7, 3 (2002) 302-10
• Jamain S., Quach H., Quintana-Murci L., Betancur C., Philippe A., Gillberg C., Sponheim E., Skjeldal O., Fellous M., Leboyer M. et al Y chromosome haplogroups in autistic subjects Molecular Psychiatry 7, 2 (2002) 217-219

Contact

e-mail : thomasb@pasteur.fr
Phone : (33) 1 40 61 34 20
Fax : (33) 1 40 61 34 21