Ecole Polytechnique | France
Alexis M. Gautreau is an internationally recognized cell biologist whose research centers on the molecular mechanisms governing cytoskeleton organization and cell morphogenesis. As Principal Investigator of the “Cytoskeleton and Cell Morphogenesis” team within the Research Unit Structural Biology of the Cell (UMR7654 CNRS/Ecole Polytechnique), his work investigates how actin networks are dynamically assembled and coordinated to drive essential processes such as membrane protrusion, cell migration, and tissue architecture. His group has been particularly influential in elucidating the functions of multiprotein complexes regulating actin nucleation, cytoskeletal remodeling, and mechanotransduction in normal and pathological contexts, including cancer progression.
Since establishing his research team in 2008, he has played a central role in advancing structural and functional analyses of actin-regulatory factors, contributing to a deeper understanding of how cytoskeletal dynamics shape cell behavior. His scientific leadership includes serving as Research Director at CNRS, Professor at Ecole Polytechnique, Chair of the Biology Department, and elected member of the bureau of the French Society for Cell Biology. He has coordinated international collaborations, notably an International Associated Laboratory with cancer research institutes in Russia, and has contributed to high-level teaching on the actin cytoskeleton, cancer mechanisms, and precision medicine. His work has been recognized through distinctions such as the Fondation ARC “Distinguished Team” Prize and a Visiting Professorship at the MechanoBiology Institute, NUS.
Featured Publications:
Krause, M., Gautreau, A., & others. (2014). Steering cell migration: Lamellipodium dynamics and the regulation of directional persistence. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 15(9), 577–590.
Derivery, E., Sousa, C., Gautier, J. J., Lombard, B., Loew, D., Gautreau, A., & others. (2009). The Arp2/3 activator WASH controls the fission of endosomes through a large multiprotein complex. Developmental Cell, 17(5), 712–723.
Fievet, B. T., Gautreau, A., Roy, C., Del Maestro, L., Mangeat, P., Louvard, D., & others. (2004). Phosphoinositide binding and phosphorylation act sequentially in the activation mechanism of ezrin. The Journal of Cell Biology, 164(5), 653–659.
Gorelik, R., & Gautreau, A. (2014). Quantitative and unbiased analysis of directional persistence in cell migration. Nature Protocols, 9(8), 1931–1943.
Crepaldi, T., Gautreau, A., Comoglio, P. M., Louvard, D., & Arpin, M. (1997). Ezrin is an effector of hepatocyte growth factor–mediated migration and morphogenesis in epithelial cells. The Journal of Cell Biology, 138(2), 423–434.
Gautreau, A., Poullet, P., Louvard, D., & Arpin, M. (1999). Ezrin, a plasma membrane–microfilament linker, signals cell survival through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 96(13), 7300–7305.
Ng, T., Parsons, M., Hughes, W. E., Monypenny, J., Zicha, D., Gautreau, A., & others. (2001). Ezrin is a downstream effector of trafficking PKC–integrin complexes involved in the control of cell motility. The EMBO Journal.
Gautreau, A., Louvard, D., & Arpin, M. (2000). Morphogenic effects of ezrin require a phosphorylation-induced transition from oligomers to monomers at the plasma membrane. The Journal of Cell Biology, 150(1), 193–204.
Novikov, N. M., Zolotaryova, S. Y., Gautreau, A. M., & Denisov, E. V. (2021). Mutational drivers of cancer cell migration and invasion. British Journal of Cancer, 124(1), 102–114.
Pujuguet, P., Del Maestro, L., Gautreau, A., Louvard, D., & Arpin, M. (2003). Ezrin regulates E-cadherin-dependent adherens junction assembly through Rac1 activation. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 14(5), 2181–2191.