Fate specification in the developing cerebral cortex

I am a developmental neurobiologist interested in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of brain development, especially neuronal fate specification and cell death/survival in the cerebral cortex. My aim is to understand the gene regulatory networks underpinning these processes and how their dysregulations can lead to pathologies.

We typically use single-cell RNAseq to characterize progenitor cells, mature neurons and intermediate cell states, allowing to reconstruct the developmental differentiation trajectories for distinct lineages. We combine with mouse genetics to investigate pathways of interest, using histology for tissue validation.

I was trained at the Magistère de Biologie from École Normale Supérieure, and obtained my PhD from Université Paris VI in 2004. I did a postdoc at Imperial College (London, UK) and rejoined France in 2007 with an Inserm Junior position before becoming a tenured Inserm researcher in 2012. I obtained my HDR from Université Paris VII in 2014. I was appointed as a Theme Leader by the scientific advisory board of Imagine in 2021. I am also an elected representative of Imagine researchers, a member of the Executive Committee, and a gender equality representative.

Selected recent publications:

• Differential contribution of P73⁺ Cajal-Retzius cells and Reelin to cortical morphogenesis. (2025) Elorriaga V, Bouloudi B, Delberghe E, Saillour Y, Morel JS, Azzam P, Moreau MX, Stottmann R, Bahi-Buisson N, Pierani A, Spassky N, Causeret F. Development 152:dev.204451. DOI: 10.1242/dev.204451

  In this paper, we provide novel insights in the contribution of Cajal-Retzius neurons and Reelin during cerebral cortex development. Our work demonstrate Reelin-independent functions for Cajal-Retzius neurons during hippocampal morphogenesis.

   

• Repurposing of the multiciliation gene regulatory network in fate specification of Cajal-Retzius neurons. (2023)  Moreau M, Saillour Y, Elorriaga V, Bouloudi B, Delberghe E, Deutsch Guerrero T, Ochandorena-Saa A, Maeso-Alonso L, Marques MM, Marin MC, Spassky N, Pierani A, Causeret F. Dev Cell 58(15):1365-1382.e6. DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2023.05.011

  In this paper, we characterize the differentiation trajectory of Cajal-Retzius cells and unravel the implication of multiciliogenesis genes in their fate specification. We demonstrate how the same gene module can control two very distinct biological processes depending on the cellular context. Our work exemplify how novel cell identities can emerge during evolution.

   

• Cajal-retzius cells: Recent advances in identity and function.  (2023) Elorriaga V, Pierani A, Causeret F. Curr Opin Neurobiol. 79:102686. DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102686

  In this review, we summarize current knowledge about Cajal-Retzius neurons, with a special focus on the mechanisms involved in their specification and transient lifespan.

   

• Single-cell transcriptomics of the early developing mouse cerebral cortex disentangles the spatial and temporal components of neuronal fate acquisition.  (2021) Moreau MX, Saillour Y, Cwetsch AW, Pierani A, Causeret F. Development 148(14):dev197962. DOI: 10.1242/dev.197962

  In this paper, we disentangle the gene modules underlying temporal versus spatial regulations of neuronal specification in the cerebral cortex. We propose a model by which the superimposition of spatial information and temporal maturation enables the production of discrete neuronal identities from a continuous gradient of progenitors.

Team members :

Juliette Morel, PhD student

Elodie Delberghe, PhD student

Alexandrine Garrigue, Engineer

Muriele Nguyen Huy

Alumni:

Vicente Elorriaga, PhD

Matthieu Moreau, PhD

Iffat Sumia, PhD

Liloïe de la Guillonière

Benjamin Bremaud

Mehdi Indari

Thandi Philippe

Tanya Deutsch-Guerrero

Stephen Babin

Esther Hondré

Full publication list and ORCID profile