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Sandra Bensmihen
CNRS Research Director
SMS group co-leader
RESEARCH SUBJECTS
I was trained as a geneticist and developmental biologist. After a PhD on seed development in Arabidopsis (Gif-sur-Yvette, France), a first post doc on modelling of leaf development (JIC, Norwich, UK) and a second one on symbiotic signalling during nodulation in Medicago truncatula (LIPM, Toulouse), I was hired at CNRS to lead a project on how symbiotic microbial signals stimulate root development. To do so, I use approaches such as transcriptomics, natural variation (quantitative genetics) and reverse genetics. My research interests encompass :
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Root phenotyping (medium and high-throughput)
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Crosstalks between symbiotic and hormonal signalling
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Root development in Medicago truncatula
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Crosstalks between root cell layers (such as epidermis and cortex).
GRANTS and FUNDING
Past :
AAP INRA-SPE 2016 : LCAUX, coordinator S . Bensmihen (2017-2018)
FRAIB : AUXIMED, coordinator S . Bensmihen, collab C. Jacquet (LRSV Toulouse) to set up higher throughput root phenotyping at TPMP (2018)
« Interlabex » OPERA project « optimisation of medium throughput root phenotyping in Medicago truncatula », coordinator S. Bensmihen, collab. P. Nacry, BPMP, Montpellier. (2019)
Present :
FRAIB: SINGULARITY, coordinator S. Bensmihen, collab. JM Couzigou (LRSV, Toulouse) (2020-2022) to develop single cell and single nuclei transcriptomics
Participant of the ANR projects DUALITY (2021-2024, coord. Clare Gough) and SYMWAY (2022-2026, coord. JF Arrighi, Montpellier)
TRAINING
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November 2014 : Habilitation à diriger de recherches, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse
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2006-2008 : Post-doc with C. Gough (LIPM) on structure-function analysis of NFP in host specificity
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2003-2006 : Post-doc with E. Coen (JIC, Norwich) on leaf developmental modelling in Anthirrhinum majus and Arabidopsis thaliana
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2003-2000 : PhD Université Orsay Paris Sud, at l’ISV, Gif sur Yvette, director F. Parcy, group J. Giraudat.
COLLABORATIONS
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International (academics) :
H. Motte and T. Beeckman, VIB Ghent, Belgium, LCAUX project, 2017-2018, (coord. S. BENSMIHEN).
D. O’Connor, Cambridge University, UK. Brachypodium root studies (Buendia et al., 2019a).
N. Provart, Bio-Analytic Resource for Plant Biology (BAR), Toronto, Canada (Herrbach et al., 2017).
M. Libault, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, USA : « single cell » technology, in the frame of the SINGULARITY project (2020-2022, coord S. BENSMIHEN) and a « Thomas Jefferson Fund » initiative (coord. JM Couzigou).
- French (academics) :
P. Nacry, BPMP, Montpellier, root phenotyping (« OPERA » project, 2019, coord. S. BENSMIHEN)
N. Peeters, TPMP, LIPME, Toulouse and « Phénome » : medium and high throughput root phenotyping (AUXIMED project, 2018, coord S. BENSMIHEN).
M. Bonhomme/ C. Jacquet, LRSV, Toulouse : for GWAS approaches and in the frame of the ANR project NICECROPS (Bonhomme, Bensmihen et al., 2021)
JM Couzigou, LRSV, Toulouse : « single cell » transcriptomics (SINGULARITY project 2020-2022, coord. S. BENSMIHEN) and « Thomas Jefferson Fund » (2021-2023) initiative.
C. Maugis, INSA/IMT, Toulouse : for transcriptomics statistical analysis. LCAUX and SINGULARITY projects (coord. S. BENSMIHEN). « MITI » CNRS Project DDisc (2021-2024, coord. P. Neuvial).
MetaboHub metabolomics plateform, Toulouse : for hormones and secondary metabolites dosages (Buendia et al., 2019a)
COMMITTEE MEMBER
2016- 2020: Elected member of the scientific council of the FR-AIB;
2016-2020: Elected member of the scientific council of the SEVAB doctoral school
2021-2025: Head of the " Plant development, biotic and abiotic interactions » (23 reception teams on 3 different units) of ED SEVAB
Co-facilitator of the monitoring committee for LIPME thesis students
October 2019-current: elected member of the executive board of the EUR (University Research School) TULIP-GS
February 2021-current: member of the scientific animation committee of the Symbiphyt network (INRAE-SPE, Coordination M. Lepetit and A. Carlier).
January 2019-January 2023: co-organizer of the “Legumes” workshop at the international Plant and Animal Genome (PAG) conference, San Diego, USA.
EDUCATION
2000-2003: monitor (contract lecturer) at Orsay-Paris Sud University (64h/year)
2008-2018: Vacations of TP and TD in plant physiology in License (L1/L2) at UPS, Toulouse
2010-current: participation in bibliographic workshops for M2R students.
2021: course for the M2R Paris-Saclay
EDUCATION
Oral presentation at Thursdays Sciences of the FR-AIB (scientific popularization seminar for the INRAE center in Auzeville): "Plants also have hormones" (September 2017)
Participation in ESOF (European Science Open Forum), Museum of Natural History, Toulouse, July 2018
Extension activity on legumes in primary schools (October 2021) and high schools (2010, 2011)
Since January 2020: co-organizer of the Jeudi Sciences seminars of the FR-AIB
Carole LAFFONT
Research Engineer (CNRS)
SMS
Training and Research Subjects
I was recruited by the CNRS in 2006 in the Institute of Plant Sciences at Gif sur Yvette (91), firstly in the group of Martin Crespi. Then, in Florian Frugier’s group, I studied the molecular mechanisms that control legume root architecture, notably in the context of the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis between Medicago truncatula and the diazotrophic bacterium Rhizobium meliloti. In this project, I participated in the characterisation of hormonal mutants of M. truncatula, and I developed a direct genetic approach to identify new genes that control root development.
Between 2015 and 2020, I did a PhD in which I characterised peptide signals involved in the control of the formation of lateral roots and nitrogen-fixing nodules. Throughout this time, I have acquired essential expertise both in molecular biology (cloning, ChIP, transactivation), and plant physiology (culture, phenotyping, genetic transformation).
In 2024, I joined the group of Sandra Bensmihen in the LIPME to study the influence of microbial symbiotic signals on root development and plant nutrition. For this, I am using single cell transcriptomics, as well as reverse genetics via either retrotransposon mutants or genome editing with CrispR-Cas9.
For fifty percent of my time I am developing a “plant genome engineering” service for the LIPME. In this service, which will rely on the plant transformation platform led by Céline Remblière, I will give advice on plant genome editing tools and genome diagnostics for different species of plant.
GRANTS and FUNDING
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AlexanderJohansson
PhD student
SMS
TRAINING AND RESEARCH SUBJECTS
Graduated in 2021 with an master in plant biotech engineering from Umeå university. I performed my master thesis in Alizée Malnoë lab at Umeå Plant Science Centre, where I investigated the redox function of SOQ1, a protein crucial for the regulation of a photoprotective mechanism in Arabidopsis thaliana. The following year I worked with somatic embryogenesis in a biotech company called SweTree before I started my PhD in the SMS group. My PhD project studying connections between abiotic stress tolerance and symbiotic signalling in legumes (CASTLE) is funded 50% by INRAE and 50% by the region of Occitanie.
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Zélie Lesterps
PhD Student
SMS
TRAINING AND RESEARCH SUBJECTS
After obtaining my undergraduate degree in Cell Biology and Physiology and my master's degree in plant biology, ADAM (Adaptations, development, improvement of plants, in association with microorganisms) at the Paul-Sabatier University of Toulouse, I started my thesis in 2022. My thesis project is a continuation of my second year master's internship. It aims to study the AUX/IAA7 gene during root development and in the context of root endosymbiosis, nodulation and mycorrhization in Medicago truncatula. Another part of my project is to compare the specificities of this Medicago truncatula gene with its homolog in the non legume plant Arabidopsis thaliana.
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Guilhem Reyt
CNRS Research Scientist
SMS
RESEARCH SUBJECTS
During my PhD (2010-2013), I characterised the function and regulation of a family of proteins, the ferritins controlling iron homeostasis in plants and root architecture. After my PhD, I wanted to keep working on plant nutrition, by studying how root development controls nutrient acquisition. For this, I joined the group of Prof. David E. Salt working on the formation of root barriers and how they contribute to the acquisition of mineral nutrients, water from the soil and microbiome assembly. I was recruited by the CNRS in 2021 to characterise the role of endodermal barriers during plant-microbe interactions. I am particularly interested in the roles of the endodermis in gating nutrient exchanges between the vascular tissues and endosymbiotics structures formed by rhizobium and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.
TRAINING
2010-2013 : PhD Université de Montpellier, director : F. Gaymard, J-F. Briat
2013-2014 : ATER Université de Montpellier
2014-2016 : Post-doc in the group of D. Salt, University of Aberdeen
2016-2021 : Post-doc in the group of D. Salt, University of Nottingham
RECENT FUNDING
Recent funding
COLLABORATIONS
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Léo Bunel
PhD Student
SMS
RESEARCH SUBJECTS
I graduated from the University of Caen (Normandie, France) with a master's degree in biology and agrosciences. In 2022, I studied the effect of biostimulants on nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis and sulfur absorption in soybean as part of an internship at the EVA laboratory in Caen. In 2023, I worked on the improvement of pea tolerance to drought through the lens of its root system architecture during an internship in the SEVE group at the EBI laboratory in Poitiers (Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France). In October 2023, I joined the SMS group at the LIPME to start a PhD on the coordination between the root endodermis and endosymbioses in Medicago truncatula. This project aims to understand how the deposition of root barriers is coordinated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal and rhizobial symbioses, and how this impacts plant nutrition. To this end, I use various approaches including confocal imaging, nutrition analyses and transcriptomics that I combine with data exploration techniques.
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