Biology of emerging viruses

TEAM LEADER

Ali AMARA
PhD, DR2 Inserm

(+33)1 53 72 40 60
ali.amara@inserm.fr

This team has been labeled by the FRM in 2020

MEMBERS

Lucie BONNET-MADIN IE, INSERM
lucie.bonnet-madin@inserm.fr

Alexis BRUGIER PhD student
alexis.brugier@inserm.fr

Marie-Laure CHAIX-BAUDIER MD, PhD, Clinician
marie-laure.chaix@aphp.fr

Sylvain CHAWKI MD, PhD student
sylvain.chawki@inserm.fr

Constance DELAUGERRE MD, PhD, Clinician
constance.delaugerre@aphp.fr

Julien GRAS MD, Master 2 student
julien.gras@aphp.fr

Vasiliya KRIL PhD student
vasiliya.kril@inserm.fr

Laurent MEERTENS PhD CR1 INSERM
laurent.meertens@inserm.fr

Jean-Michel MOLINA MD, PhD, Clinician
jean-michel.molina@aphp.fr

Sarah TESSIER PhD IE, INSERM
sarah.tessier@inserm.fr

Meet the team

ALUMNI

Khadija BOURBIBE Ingenior

Xavier CARNEC Postdoc

Élodie COLIN Master 2

Ophélie DEJARNAC PhD

Maria-Dolores FERNANDEZ-GARCIA PhD

Mohamed Hamine LAFIRASSOU Postdoc

Athena LABEAU PhD

Zoé LAMA Master 2

Stéphane MAROT Master 2

Manuel PERERA PhD

Rasika Mohan RAMSADI PhD

Claudia UNAMA-DIAZ Postdoc

OUR TRUSTEES

OUR PARTNERS

Due to pandemic crisis, this team is temporarily fully devoted to SARS-Cov-2 clinical and fundamental research.

The research in our laboratory focuses on the identification of the host cellular pathways that determine the susceptibility of humans to viral disease. We are mainly interested in medically important RNA viruses causing emerging life-threatening infections in humans. Our major goal is to decipher the mechanisms by which these viruses manipulate host cell functions to facilitate their life cycle and to escape immune responses. Understanding the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms may help to reveal new targets for the design of antiviral strategies.
To this end, we are using a number of cellular, molecular and virological techniques with state-of-the-art technologies such as loss & gain of function screening, advanced proteomics, gene expression analysis and live cell microscopy.
► Labeau  A, Simon-Loriere E, Hafirassou M-H, Bonnet-Madin L, Tessier S, Zamborlini A, Dupré T, Seta N, Schwartz O, Chaix M.L, Delaugerre C., AMARA A# and Meertens L#. A genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen identifies the dolichol-phosphate mannose synthase complex as a host dependency factor for dengue virus infection. J VIROL, Mar 17;94(7). pii: e01751-19. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01751-19. # Co-corresponding authors
► Meertens L., Hafirassou M.L, Couderc T., Bonnet-Madin L., Kril V., Kümmerer B.M, Labeau A, Brugier A, Simon-Loriere E., Burlaud-Gaillard J., Doyen C., Pezzi L., Goupil T., Rafasse S, Vidalain P.O, Bertrand Legout A., Gueneau L., Juntas-Morales R., Ben Yaou R, Bonne G., De Lamballerie X, Benkirane M., Roingeard P., Delaugerre C, Lecuit M and AMARA A. (2019) FHL1 is a major host factor for Chikungunya infection. Nature, Oct;574(7777):259-263.
► Monel B, Rajah MM, Hafirassou ML, Sid Ahmed S, Burlaud-Gaillard J, Zhu PP, Nevers Q, Buchrieser J, Porrot F, Meunier C, Amraoui S, Chazal M, Salles A, Jouvenet N, Roingeard P, Blackstone C, AMARA A, Schwartz O. (2019) Atlastin Endoplasmic Reticulum-Shaping Proteins Facilitate Zika Virus Replication. J. VIROL Nov 13;93(23). pii: e01047-19. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01047-19
► Dejarnac O, Hafirassou ML, Chazal M, Versapuech M, Gaillard J, Perera-Lecoin M, Umana-Diaz C, Bonnet-Madin L, Carnec X, Tinevez JY, Delaugerre C, Schwartz O, Roingeard P, Jouvenet N, Berlioz-Torrent C, Meertens L, AMARA A. (2018)  TIM-1 Ubiquitination Mediates Dengue Virus Entry. Cell Reports May 8;23(6):1779-1793. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.04.013.
► Hafirassou ML, Meertens L, Umaña-Diaz C, Labeau A, Dejarnac O, Bonnet-Madin L, Kümmerer BM, Delaugerre C, Roingeard P, Vidalain PO, AMARA A. (2017) A Global Interactome Map of the Dengue Virus NS1 Identifies Virus Restriction and Dependency Host Factors. Cell Reports Dec 26;21(13):3900-3913. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.11.094.
► Monel B, Compton AA, Bruel T, Amraoui S, Burlaud-Gaillard J, Roy N, Guivel-Benhassine F, Porrot F, Génin P, Meertens L, Sinigaglia L, Jouvenet N, Weil R, Casartelli N, Demangel C, Simon-Lorière E, Moris A, Roingeard P, AMARA A, Schwartz O. (2017) Zika virus induces massive cytoplasmic vacuolization and paraptosis-like death in infected cells. EMBO J. Jun 14;36(12):1653-1668. doi: 10.15252/embj.201695597. Epub 2017 May 4.
► Meertens L, Labeau A, Dejarnac O, Cipriani S, Sinigaglia L, Bonnet-Madin L, Le Charpentier T, Hafirassou ML, Zamborlini A, Cao-Lormeau VM, Coulpier M, Missé D, Jouvenet N, Tabibiazar R, Gressens P, Schwartz O, AMARA A (2017). Axl Mediates ZIKA Virus Entry in Human Glial Cells and Modulates Innate Immune Responses. Cell Reports Jan 10;18(2):324-333. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.12.045.
► Fernandez-Garcia, M. D., L. Meertens, M. Chazal, M. L. Hafirassou, O. Dejarnac, A. Zamborlini, P. Despres, N. Sauvonnet, F. Arenzana-Seisdedos, N. Jouvenet and A. AMARA (2016). “Vaccine and Wild-Type Strains of Yellow Fever Virus Engage Distinct Entry Mechanisms and Differentially Stimulate Antiviral Immune Responses.” MBio 2016 7(1): e01956-01915.
► Carnec, X., L. Meertens, O. Dejarnac, M. Perera-Lecoin, M. L. Hafirassou, J. Kitaura, R. Ramdasi, O. Schwartz and A. AMARA (2015). “The Phosphatidylserine and Phosphatidylethanolamine Receptor CD300a Binds Dengue Virus and Enhances Infection.” J VIROL  , 90(1): 92-102.
► Hamel, R., O. Dejarnac, S. Wichit, P. Ekchariyawat, A. Neyret, N. Luplertlop, M. Perera-Lecoin, P. Surasombatpattana, L. Talignani, F. Thomas, V. M. Cao-Lormeau, V. Choumet, L. Briant, P. Despres, A. AMARA, H. Yssel and D. Misse (2015). “Biology of Zika Virus Infection in Human Skin Cells.” J VIROL 89(17): 8880-8896. Major paper in the field.
► AMARA A & Mercer J. (2015) Viral apoptotic mimicry. Nature Reviews Microbiology Aug;13(8):461-9.
► Meertens L, Carnec X, Perera Lecoin M , Ramdasi R, Guivel-Benhassine F, Lew E, Lemke G, Schwartz O and AMARA A (2012) The TIM and TAM Families of Phosphatidylserine Receptors Mediate Dengue Virus Entry. Cell Host & Microbe, 12, 4, 544-557