Arnaud Capron

I wanted to become a scientist for as long as I can remember. I thought it would be cool to wear a lab coat and perform experiments. So, after completing my undergrad in 1999, I joined the lab of Pascal Genschik at the IBMP/Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, working on protein ubiquitin-dependent degradation in tobacco and Arabidopsis. I studied the role of E2 and E3 enzymes on cell cycle and development, performing the first characterization of the Anaphase Promoting Complex in plants and earning a lot about molecular biology and biochemistry. Following my graduation in 2003, I crossed the Atlantic to work at the University of California-Davis with Pr. Sundaresan. There, I studied female gametogenesis and fertilization in Arabidopsis, discovering LORELEI, a new gene necessary for proper release of the sperm cells in the embryo sac. In 2007, I moved to Canada, at the University of Toronto.  I joined the team of Pr. Berleth to take over a quantitative genetics project on cell wall properties, using again Arabidopsis as a model. This allowed me to develop new skills in bioinformatics, genetics and project management.

In 2012, I crossed the continent again to enlist in the POPCAN project in the Douglas lab at the University of British Columbia, to do dry and wet lab work on poplar transcriptome analysis, putting all I’ve learned so far to good use.

When I’m not in the lab, I enjoy swimming, golfing and playing video games.

Publications:

Criqui MC, Weingartner M, Capron A, Parmentier Y, Shen WH, Heberle-Bors E, Bogre L, Genschik P (2001). Sub-cellular localisation of GFP-tagged tobacco mitotic cyclins during the cell cycle and after spindle checkpoint activation. Plant J., 28(5), 569-81

Criqui MC, de Almeida Engler J, Camasses A, Capron A, Parmentier Y, Inze D, Genschik P (2002). Molecular characterization of plant ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes belonging to the UbcP4/E2-C/UBCx/UbcH10 gene family. Plant Physiol., 130(3), 1230-40

Capron A, Okresz L, Genschik P (2003). First glance at the plant APC/C, a highly conserved ubiquitin-protein ligase. Trends Plant Sci., 8(2), 83-9

Capron A, Serralbo O, Fülop K, Frugier F, Parmentier Y, Dong AW, Lecureuil A, Guerche P, Kondorosi E, Scheres B, Genschik P (2003). The Arabidopsis Anaphase-Promoting Complex or Cyclosome: Molecular and Genetic Characterization of the APC2 Subunit. Plant Cell, 15(10), 2370-82

Pagnussat GC, Yu HJ, Ngo QA, Sarojam R, Mayalagu S, Johnson CS, Capron A, Xie LF, Ye D, Sundaresan V (2005). Genetic and molecular identification of genes required for female gametophyte development and function in Arabidopsis. Development

Griffith ME, Mayer U, Capron A, Ngo QA, Surendrarao A, McClinton R, Jurgens G, Sundaresan V (2007). The TORMOZ Gene Encodes a Nucleolar Protein Required for Regulated Division Planes and Embryo Development in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell, 19(7), 2246-63

Capron A, Gourgues M, Neiva LN, Faure JE, Berger F, Pagnussat G, Krishnan A, Alvarez-Mejia C, Vielle-Calzada JP, Lee YR, Liu B, Sundaresan V (2008). Maternal control of male-gamete delivery in Arabidopsis involves a putative GPI-anchored protein encoded by the LORELEI gene. Plant Cell, 20(11), 3038-49

Capron A, Chatfield S, Provart N, Berleth T (2009). Embryogenesis: Pattern Formation from a Single Cell. The Arabidopsis Book, 7:e0126

Capron A, Chang XF, Hall H, Ellis B, Rodger RP, Berleth T (2012). Identification of Quantitative Traits Loci Controlling Fiber Length and Lignin Content in Arabidopsis Stems. J. Exp. Bot., in press.