- Completing the human testicular and epididymal proteome
- lncRNA function and coding potential in yeast
Completing the human testicular and epididymal proteome
Principal Investigators: Charles Pineau and Emmanuelle Com
We participate in a global effort to complete the human proteome with emphasis on the so-called “missing proteins”. Many of them are present in the testicular germline or epididymal cells that fulfil specialized functions in germline development, spermiogenesis, sperm maturation and/or fertility. We will refine our current methods to detect proteins in enriched male germ cell samples to further decrease the threshold level of detection currently feasible in the field of mass spectrometry. Using proteogenomics strategies, we also seek to produce evidence for previously unknown coding events in the human male germ cell lineage. This allows us to characterize new loci and genes expressed in the germline and contributes to the successful completion of human genome annotation at the level of protein evidence.
Relevant publications: PubMed
Funding: Inserm | Université de Rennes 1
lncRNA function and coding potential in yeast
Principal Investigators: Michael Primig, Emmanuelle Com and Charles Pineau
Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are defined as transcripts that possess very little coding potential. Whole-genome wide RNA profiling studies in major model organisms and human have identified thousands of lncRNAs many of which are controlled by the 3’-5’ exoribonuclease Rrp6 (EXOSC10 in mammals). A rapidly increasing number of them are known to fulfil important functions during cell division and development, for example via formation of double-stranded RNAs by pairs of overlapping sense/antisense transcripts. However, recent work has shown that certain lncRNAs are bound by ribosomes and can encode biologically stable and active peptides. This, together with the fact that a substantial fraction of signals obtained in mass spectrometry based protein profiling studies cannot be attributed to known open reading frames (ORFs), raises the possibility that a simple eukaryotic genome may encode many more (small) proteins and peptides than previously thought, including some that are actually encoded by wrongly annotated lncRNAs.
Relevant publications: PubMed
Funding: Inserm | Université de Rennes 1 | La Ligue Contre le Cancer
