Amine NouraniPh.D.

Biography :

Dr. Nourani holds a PhD from the Pierre et Marie Curie University (Paris VI). He joined the Quebec CRCHU in July 2005, following a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr. Nourani has held a Canada Research Chair, from 2007 to 2017, whose primary goal is to study the regulation mechanisms of gene transcription. He is currently a Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology, Medical Biochemistry and Pathology of the Faculty of Medicine of Laval University.

Projet :

The smooth functioning of cells depends on their ability to respond and adapt to extracellular changes. A large part of adaptive responses is to activate or repress gene expression, usually at the transcriptional level. A defect in transcriptional responses to external stimuli may result in uncontrolled proliferation or aberrant differentiation leading to the development of cancers.

To understand the regulation of transcription, we cannot ignore the dynamic role of chromatin. It allows for the condensation of eukaryotic genomes in the nucleus and plays a crucial role in gene transcription. The basic unit of chromatin, the nucleosome, strongly inhibits several steps leading to the production of transcripts. Our research program is based on the assumption that the movement of the ARNP II produces a profound alteration of the chromatin structure. To meet these constraints, cells have developed adaptive mechanisms to repair this damage. Deficiency in this function results in aberrant transcription initiation, erroneous regulation, and genome instability. Our goal is to improve the general understanding of the mechanisms implemented by the cell to rebuild, in the wake of the ARNP II, an adequate chromatin structure. Dr. Nourani’s work is based on genetic, biochemical and genomic approaches in different model organisms. The purpose of this research is to improve the general knowledge of the functioning of our cells. Its short-term goal is to dissect the mechanisms of epigenetic regulation of genes.