Departement of Genomes and Genetics

The Genomes and Genetics department was created in 2006, gathering most of the teams belonging to the former Genomes Structures and Dynamics department lead by Bernard Dujon. Antoine Danchin directed the department from 2006 to 2009.

Within our department teams explore the genetic information in organisms of increasing complexity such as bacteria and yeasts to human.
We include 170 people belonging to 17 teams (7 units, 3 provisional units, 1 G5, 2 laboratories, 3 platforms members of the Genopole, and the « Biological Software and Databases group»).

We use all genomic and post genomic approaches to study the different bacterial (bacilli of tuberculosis, streptococci, Vibrio, Legionella) and yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and Candida albicans) models, and for human genetics.
These different organisms are thoroughly studied in order to understand how they live and what determines their pathogenic nature, when appropriate.
Yeasts are also studied, both for their own properties and as models to help us understand human genetics. The department is also looking into the evolution of infectious agents and the selective pressures that they have exerted on human genes over time.
The success of these research programs greatly benefits from the current progress being made in new sequencing and genotyping technologies, in which we are directly involved, in particular through the 3 platforms belonging to the Genopole.
We also have an important in silico activity, especially in projects dealing with modeling of biological systems, and bioinformatics analysis. Furthermore, the group “Biological Software and Databases” and the “genome analysis and integration” Platform (PF4) provide a broad support to the scientists of our institute, in the analytical software and databases implementation, development and updating.