Mounia Lagha Studying gene expression in early development

Gene expression in development: being in the right place at the right time

During embryonic development, perfect coordination is necessary for the correct positioning of tissues and organs. This is often attributed to gene expression at a specific time: when a gene must be transcribed into messenger RNA and translated into protein. But Dr. Lagha believes this falls short in explaining the fascinating complexity of development. She and her team are about to add a new variable to the equation: the location in the cell where protein production takes place.

In her Montpellier laboratory, Dr. Lagha uses fruit flies to study gene expression during the first hours of development. At that stage, the embryo has a very simple structure (only one layer of nuclei) and develops so fast that genetic expression in a whole living organism can be monitored in real time.

The foundation’s support

The Bettencourt Prize to Boost French Research will allow Dr. Lagha’s team to use a state-of-the-art light sheet microscope that will let them view newly synthesized messenger RNA and proteins in a living embryo at the single molecule level in real time.

This technology will also allow them to know where in the cell certain messenger RNAs are preferentially translated into proteins, thus demonstrating how the time and place of translation is important for an embryo’s harmonious development.