Fabien
PIERREL
I combine biochemical, genetic and evolutionary approaches on model micro-organisms to advance our molecular understanding of the biosynthesis and function of respiratory chains, which are central to cellular bioenergetics. For the last 10 years, I mostly focused on the redox lipid ubiquinone/coenzyme Q. CoQ belongs to the family of isoprenoid quinones, compounds that transfer electrons and protons within respiratory chains. My collaborators and I have identified several new genes involved in ubiquinone biosynthesis and we are now trying to obtain the first structure of a CoQ biosynthetic complex. We are also studying the physiology and evolution of the pathway which appeared on Earth more than 2 billion years ago. At last, we have recently extended our research to other isoprenoid quinones and we are trying to understand their roles and trafficking within complex bacterial communities.
microorganisms, metabolism, bioenergetics, evolution, quinones, ubiquinone, respiratory chaines
Complete list of publications: Pubmed Web of Science
Selected Publications:
An organic O donor for biological hydroxylation reactions
Kazemzadeh KF, Simon P, Pelosi L, Séchet E, Arulanandam Roache, Hajj Chehade M, Rey M, Onal D, Flandrin L, Chreim R, Faivre B, Chau-Duy-Tam Vo S, Arias-Cartin R, Barras F, Fontecave M, Bouveret E, Lombard M*, Pierrel F*
PNAS (2024), in press
COQ4 is required for the oxidative decarboxylation of the C1 carbon of coenzyme Q in eukaryotic cells
Pelosi L, Morbiato L, Burgardt A, Tonello F, Bartlett AK, Guerra R.M, Ferizhendi KK, Desbats MA, Rascalou B, Marchi M, Vázquez-Fonseca L, Agosto C, Zanotti G, Roger-Margueritat M, Alcázar-Fabra M, García-Corzo L, Sánchez-Cuesta A, Navas P, Brea-Calvo G, Trevisson E, Wendisch VF, Pagliarini DJ, Salviati L*, Pierrel F*
Molecular Cell (2024), S1097276524000042
DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.01.003
Diversification of ubiquinone biosynthesis via gene duplications, transfers, losses, and parallel evolution.
Kazemzadeh K, Pelosi L, Chenal C, Chobert SC, Hajj Chehade M, Jullien M, Flandrin L, Schmitt W, He Q, Bouvet E, Jarzynka M, Varoquaux N, Junier I, Pierrel F*, Abby SS*.
Molecular Biology and Evolution (2023) Oct 3:msad219
Ubiquinone Biosynthesis over the Entire O2 Range: Characterization of a Conserved O2-Independent Pathway
Pelosi L, Vo CD, Abby SS, Loiseau L, Rascalou B, Hajj Chehade M, Faivre B, Gousse M, Chenal C, Touati N, Binet L, Cornu D, Fyfe CD, Fontecave M, Barras F, Lombard M*, Pierrel F*
mBio (2019) 10: e01319-19
A soluble metabolon synthesizes the isoprenoid lipid Ubiquinone
Hajj Chehade M, Pelosi L, Fyfe C, Loiseau L, Rascalou B, Brugiere S, Kazemzadeh K, Vo TD, Ciccone L, Aussel L, Coute Y, Fontecave M, Barras F, Lombard M, Pierrel F *
Cell Chemical Biology (2019) 26:482-492
DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2018.12.001
Active collaborations:
Marc Fontecave (Collège de France, Paris)
Frédéric Barras (Institut Pasteur, Paris)
Axel Magalon (LCB, Marseille)
Barbara Schoepp-Cothenet (BIP, Marseille)
Leonardo Salviati (Padova University, Italy)
Martin Ott (Stockholm University, Sweden)
Volker Wendisch (Bielefeld University, Germany)