Plasmodesmata mediated intercellular communication
The team studies the function of organelle tethering in plant cell to cell communication via plasmodesmata pores, and develops tools and methods to 1) image these structures at a nanometer resolution 2) measure cell-cell trafficking in a non-invasive way in planta. Plant samples present cytological particularities (auto-fluorescent components, presence of cell wall, large cells with an important vacuole compartment, air flats) that require developments for high-resolution microscopy approaches. Recent developments include the adaptation transmission electron tomography to reveal plasmodesmata ultrastructure at unprecedented resolution.
Autophagy
The ‘autophagy’ team was recently created within the Laboratoire de Biogenèse Membranaire. The team studies the function of lipids in the formation of the autophagy vesicles in plant cells, the autophagosomes. The team combines biochemistry and imagery to decipher the nature, dynamics and lateral heterogeneity of lipids within autophagosome membranes.