Epigenetic regulation of plant-microbe symbioses: We study the role of epigenetic modifications and regulators in the establishment of symbioses between plants and microorganisms. In particular, we explore the molecular mechanisms by which long non-coding RNAs and transposable elements participate in the remodeling of transcription and chromatin structure during the development of the nodule, a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing organ produced by the symbiosis between legumes and rhizobia bacteria. For this, we combine approaches of molecular biology, genetics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, and microscopy.

Matthias Benoit obtained his PhD in Physiology and Molecular Genetics in the Genetics, Reproduction and Development laboratory (GReD, Clermont-Ferrand, France), supervised by Dr. Aline V. Probst. His work has demonstrated the importance of histone variants in the organization of chromatin during developmental transitions in plants, in particular during the early development of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. He then joined The Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU, Cambridge, UK) and the team of Jurek Paszkowski to study the epigenetic and environmental mechanisms involved in the control of transposable elements in cultivated plants. Matthias completed his training by joining the team of Zach Lippman (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA) to conduct work on the importance of epigenetic and structural variation during the domestication and evolutionary history of the tomato.