Liliane Michalik obtained her PhD from the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg in 1993. She taught there for one year, then joined UNIL in 1994 for her postdoctoral training. She then pursued her research and teaching as an assistant professor, then as a professor of teaching and research. She joined the Integrative Genomics Center of UNIL at its creation in 2003 and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2018. Liliane Michalik is also Vice-Director (2011 to 2019) and Director (2019-2021) of the School of Biology. In August 2021, she joined the management of the University of Lausanne as Vice-Rector in charge of the "Equality, Diversity and Careers" department.
skin repair, UV induced skin cancer, angiogenesis, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors.
Research summary
Cells in our body must adapt to a constantly changing environment. They continually receive a whole repertoire of cues that our genome translates into cell responses by changing gene expression. To maintain appropriate cell responses, and thereby to maintain our body integrity, the control of gene expression is crucial, as misregulated gene expression programs can cause a broad range of diseases, including cancers.
Our overall goal is to understand how our cells integrate environmental cues and how they respond by adapting gene transcription. In this purpose, we study how the skin, our largest interface with the environment, responds to insults like mechanical injuries, allergens or sunlight Ultra Violet (UV) rays (a major environmental cue and a complete carcinogen). Notably, we explore how the nuclear hormone receptors PPARs control gene expression and skin cell responses to these environmental insults.
PPARs are ligand activated transcription factors that sense cues and transform them into transcriptional responses. As nuclear hormone receptors, they are activated by natural endogenous agonists, but can also be regulated by synthetic agonists or antagonists, what makes them very attractive drugable targets. We study PPAR-dependent regulations of skin responses to insults and of UV-induced skin cancers using genetically modified mice, organ and cell culture models, as well as genomic approaches.
Representative publications
Identification of a novel PPARβ/δ/miR-21-3p axis in UV-induced skin inflammation.
Degueurce G., D'Errico I., Pich C., Ibberson M., Schütz F., Montagner A., Sgandurra M., Mury L., Jafari P., Boda A. et al., 2016. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 8 (8) pp. 919-936. Peer-reviewed.
[URN] [DOI] [WoS] [Pmid] [serval:BIB_EC0CAB165489]
Endothelial, but not smooth muscle, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ regulates vascular permeability and anaphylaxis.
Wawrzyniak M., Pich C., Gross B., Schütz F., Fleury S., Quemener S., Sgandurra M., Bouchaert E., Moret C., Mury L. et al., 2015. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 135 (6) pp. 1625-1635.e5. Peer-reviewed.
[DOI] [WoS] [Pmid] [serval:BIB_1ED6EDEE8520]
Src is activated by the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ in ultraviolet radiation-induced skin cancer.
Montagner A., Delgado M.B., Tallichet-Blanc C., Chan J.S., Sng M.K., Mottaz H., Degueurce G., Lippi Y., Moret C., Baruchet M. et al., 2014. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 6 (1) pp. 80-98.
[URN] [DOI] [WoS] [Pmid] [serval:BIB_61D2EDA76529]
PPARs at the crossroads of lipid signaling and inflammation.
Wahli W., Michalik L., 2012. Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism, 23 (7) pp. 351-363.
[DOI] [WoS] [Pmid] [serval:BIB_EA74394CACCD]
The nuclear hormone receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor beta/delta potentiates cell chemotactism, polarization, and migration.
Tan N.S., Icre G., Montagner A., Bordier-ten-Heggeler B., Wahli W., Michalik L., 2007. Molecular and Cellular Biology, 27 (20) pp. 7161-7175. Peer-reviewed.
[DOI] [WoS] [Pmid] [serval:BIB_A57EC9DCD756]
