Pauline Marie

After completing a bachelor's degree in life sciences between Evry-Val-d'Essonne and Madrid, I entered at the University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris for my Master's degree in molecular and cellular biology. I defended my Ph.D. in genetics in 2016 entitled "From egg to adult: molecular and functional study of piRNA-mediated repression during germline development in Drosophila melanogaster".

In metazoan germ cells, transposable element activity is repressed by small noncoding PIWI-associated RNAs (piRNAs). Numerous investigations in Drosophila have enlightened the mechanism of this repression in the adult germline. However, very little was known about piRNA-mediated repression during germline development. Nevertheless, to maintain the integrity of the genome, repression should occur throughout the lifespan of germ cells.
During my PhD, I studied the piRNA-mediated repression activity and mechanism in the female germline, from late embryonic to pupal primordial germ cells using the powerful model D. melanogaster. I observed the piRNA synthesis during these stages of development and show that production of telomeric piRNAs depends on Heterochromatin Protein 1a (HP1a).

I recently arrived at Oxford University and joined the Wilson group at DPAG. The team is focused on the development of a novel model for prostate and prostate cancer in flies. I will be part of the project studying extracellular vesicle secretion and endolysosomal trafficking in vivo.