Scientific Interest(s):
Dr. Guillaume Chanfreau's research focuses on RNA processing and RNA-protein interactions. Specifically, he and his colleagues are studying RNA processing and RNA recognition by eukaryotic RNase III enzymes and the biogenesis of small ribonucleolar protein particles (snoRNPs). This aspect of Chanfreau's research is the most relevant to cancer, as one of the proteins involved in snoRNPs is mutated in dyskeratosis congenita, a genetic disease leading to gastrointestinal cancers.
Selected Cancer-Related Publications:
Oberstrass FC, Lee A, Stefl R, Janis M, Chanfreau G, Allain FH. Shape-specific recognition in the structure of the Vts1p SAM domain with RNA. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2006; 13(2): 160-7.
Sam M, Henras AK, Chanfreau G. A conserved major groove antideterminant for Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNase III recognition. Biochemistry. 2005; 44(11): 4181-7.
Yang PK, Hoareau C, Froment C, Monsarrat B, Henry Y, Chanfreau G. Cotranscriptional recruitment of the pseudouridylsynthetase Cbf5p and of the RNA binding protein Naf1p during H/ACA snoRNP assembly. Mol Cell Biol. 2005; 25(8): 3295-304.
Zer C, Chanfreau G. Regulation and surveillance of normal and 3'-extended forms of the yeast aci-reductone dioxygenase mRNA by RNase III cleavage and exonucleolytic degradation. J Biol Chem. 2005; 280(32): 28997-9003.
Wu H, Henras A, Chanfreau G, Feigon J. Structural basis for recognition of the AGNN tetraloop RNA fold by the double-stranded RNA-binding domain of Rnt1p RNase III. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004; 101(22): 8307-12.