Barthélémy Tournier

EMAIL:

POSITION:

Postdoctoral fellow

ACADEMIA:

Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology

ADVISORS:

Paul De Koninck (http://www.greenspine.ca)

RESEARCH INTERESTS:

Molecular interactions at the synapse: Protein-protein interaction between CamKinase and its patners. Control of transcription and translation. RNA and protein transport within the cell. Basic biochemistry and molecular biology.

Research Summary

All through my PhD and post-docs, I have gained experience in a wide range of techniques in molecular biology and biochemistry. This includes analysis of protein to nucleic acid interactions (RNA and DNA), protein-protein interactions, analysis of the transcriptional and translational machineries and analysis of molecular transport within the cell (RNA and protein). When joining the team of Paul De Koninck, I have brought here these expertises to study the dynamics of alpha-CaMKII at the synapse. The laboratory has developed high resolution imaging techniques to illustrate the protein-protein interactions of alpha-CaMKII with its partners such as the subunit of the NMDA receptor NR2B and the fine tuning of CaMKII activation and translocation in response to stimulation. In this multidisciplinary laboratory developing optical tools to answer biological questions, I participate in several projects in which biochemical and molecular tools consolidate the results obtained from imaging techniques (molecular interaction of CaMKII with NR2B and cytoskeleton, receptor cleavage after stimulation). But also generates new critical subjects such as the importance of local translation of alpha-CaMKII in the general dynamics of the enzyme localization.

Publications

Iacoangeli A, Rozhdestvensky TS, Dolzhanskaya N, Tournier B, Schütt J, Brosius J, Denman RB, Khandjian EW, Kindler S, Tiedge H. On BC1 RNA and the fragile X mental retardation protein. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. (2008), 105 (2), 734-739. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18184799)

Vrettos N and Tournier B. The sound of silence in plants. Functional Plant Science and Biotechnology (2007) 1 (1), 94-99.

Davidovic L, Tournier B and Khandjian EW, The Fragile X syndrome. The Encyclopaedia of Life Science, John Wiley & Sons Ltd. (2007), (A5533).

Khandjian EW, Tournier B, Séguin S, Tremblay S, De Koninck P, Davidovic L. RNA granules : functions within presynaptic terminals and postsynaptic spines (Chapter 2035) In: Squire LR, ed. Encyclopedia of Neuroscience Boston, MA: Elsevier, 2009. p.389-95.

Tournier B, Tabler M and Kalantidis K. Phloem flow strongly influences the systemic spread of silencing in GFP Nicotiana benthamiana plants. The Plant Journal (2006) 47 (3), 383-394. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16771840)

J, Jaimes-Miranda F, Sanchez-Ballesta MT, Tournier B, Khalil-Ahmad Q, Regad F, Latché A, Pech JC, Bouzayen M. Sl-ERF2, a tomato Ethylene Response Factor involved in ethylene response and seed germination. Plant Cell Physiol. (2006) 47 (9), 1195-1205 (http://pcp.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/47/9/1195Pirrello)

Tournier B, Sanchez-Ballesta MT, Jones B, Pesquet E, Regad F, Latché A, Pech JC and Bouzayen M. New members of the tomato ERF family show specific expression pattern and diverse DNA-binding capacity to the GCC box element. FEBS Letters (2003) 550, 149-154 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12935902)

Benichou M, Li ZG, Tournier B, Chaves A, Zegzouti H, Jauneau A, Delalande C, Latché A, Bouzayen M, Spremulli LL and Pech JC. Tomato EF-Tsmt, a functional mitochondrial translation elongation factor from higher plants. Plant Molecular Biology (2003) 53, 411-422 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14750528)

Tournier B, Sanchez-Ballesta MT, Jones B, Ahmad, QK, Regad F and Bouzayen M. LeERF2, a new tomato Ethylene-Responsive Element Binding Protein induces cold tolerance in transgenic microtom plants. In Biology and Biotechnology of the Plant Hormone Ethylene III. Vendrell, M., et al. eds (2003), IOS Press, Amsterdam, NL, pp. 124-125.

Zegzouti H, JonesB, Frasse P, Tournier B, Leclercq J, Bernadac A and Bouzayen M. Isolation and characterization of novel tomato ethylene responsive cDNA clones involved in signal transduction, transcription and mRNA translation. In Biology and Biotechnology of the plant hormone ethylene II. Kanellis AK,, et al eds (1998), Dordrecht, The Netherlands : Kluwer Academic Publishers, p111 – 117.