Antoine Nicolas: The Plant Cell First Author

Antoine Nicolas, first author of “De novo stem cell establishment in meristems requires repression of organ boundary cell fate”

Current Position: Looking for a postdoc position in Germany close to Berlin

 Education: PhD in Plant Biology at University Paris-Saclay ; MSc and BSc at University Paris-Saclay

 Non-scientific Interests: Sports and video games

 Brief bio:  I have completed my PhD at the Jean-Pierre Bourgin Institute (INRAE Versailles, France) in the Transcription Factors and Architecture group under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Laufs. My PhD work mainly focused on the CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON 1-3 (CUC1-3) transcription factors that are expressed in boundary domains and are crucial for both meristem formation and organogenesis. The aim of my doctorate was to refine the transcriptional and post-transcriptional genetic network upstream of CUC genes with the aim to better understand how the development of the aerial architecture occurs in Arabidopsis thaliana. Part of my work has allowed me to clarify the function of NGATHA-LIKE 1-3 (NGAL 1-3) transcription factors that repress the expression of CUC genes during axillary meristem formation.  In particular, I have shown that such a repression of the CUC genes by NGAL factors following axillary meristem initiation is required for rapid de novo stem cell establishment. In a second part of my work, I have analyzed the role of the NGAL/CUC interaction in other organs of the plant.