"Life after GIGA" #1 Xavier Rambout

Xavier is research assistant professor at the Center for RNA Biology at the University of Rochester Medical Center (New York).
He studied Bioenginnering at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech and obtained a second master's degree in Molecular Medicine at Cranfields University (UK). He started his PhD studies in 2008 in the laboratory of Prof. Franck Dequiedt at GIGA until 2015. After that, he chose to join the laboratory of Prof. Lynne Maquat at the URMC to further investigate the coupling of gene expression machineries. 

Xavier Rambout is the first former GIGA member to tell us about his life after GIGA in this new series that you will find every 2 weeks if you follow us on facebook or instagram! Thank you to him for accepting this interview.

Xavier, could you present yourself and explain your current position ?

My name is Xavier Rambout, and I am an RNA biologist. At least, this is what I tell people if I want to brag a little bit, now that everybody knows what RNA is and that it was used to develop vaccines against COVID-19!

As a kid with quite severe asthma, I remember vividly that I decided early on to study life sciences with the hope of curing this disease. I studied Bioscience Engineering at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech and found a particular interest in molecular biology. I obtained a second master’s degree in Molecular Medicine at Cranfield University (UK) through a student exchange program, and then studied the functional connection between gene transcription, pre-mRNA splicing and mRNA decay in cancer cells during my PhD at the GIGA.

I recently transitioned from a postdoc to a research assistant professor position at the Center for RNA Biology at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), which is localized upstate NY. There, I am still studying the complex connections between different steps of gene expression, with a focus on transcription and co-transcriptional pre-mRNA processing, in the context of muscle biology and cardiovascular diseases. I co-mentor postdocs on projects related to the direct scientific interests of my host laboratory. I also have obtained independent funding to support my own research, which will serve as the basis for the development of my own lab in the near future.

So, while I have not quite cured asthma (yet!), I have dedicated my early academic career to the elucidation of gene expression mechanisms that are perturbed in diseases.

What has been your career path so far?

I started my PhD studies in 2008 in the laboratory of Prof. Franck Dequiedt at the GIGA. While Franck’s expertise was in chromatin remodeling, my initial findings drove us to study the unanticipated connections between gene transcription and mRNA decay, a field that was new to the lab. I think that my training as a bioengineer and my initial lack of expertise in this specific field of research allowed me to think out of the box. I’ll always be very thankful to Franck for trusting me to bring this research project into uncharted territories.

It paid off, as we discovered that transcription factors, which were until then only believed to regulate gene transcription, could also cooperate with RNA-binding proteins to promote mRNA decay and pre-mRNA splicing.

It took me about seven years to finalize my doctoral research and convince the RNA community of the veracity of my findings. While this was longer and more challenging than expected (isn’t it always the case?), it eventually gave me many opportunities to join a top-tier laboratory as a postdoc and advance my training in RNA biology.

I chose to join the laboratory of Prof. Lynne Maquat at the URMC to further investigate the coupling of gene expression machineries. Lynne is an outstanding RNA biologist, whose interest in this field is superbly illustrated by her discovery and key contributions to the elucidation of the mechanisms of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). NMD is a critical mRNA surveillance pathway that couples pre-mRNA splicing, mRNA translation, and mRNA decay to prevent the expression of aberrant mRNAs that cause disease and regulate normal gene expression. In her lab, I have been studying how the nuclear cap-binding complex, which functions in NMD, and its adaptors, cooperate with a well-established transcriptional co-activator to regulate gene transcription, co-transcriptional processes, and mRNA decay.

Is your current position in keeping with what you did at the GIGA?

Yes, totally. My goal was to build on my expertise in RNA biology and to find a lab where I could dig deeper into the functional connections that exist between the different steps of gene expression in mammalian cells.

What do you particularly enjoy in your current position?

What I enjoy the most is that I have the freedom and resources to study what I am interested in. While Lynne, my current mentor, built her stellar scientific career on NMD, she hired me to pursue other, yet related, biological questions, which beautifully aligned with my interests.

In what ways is your work experience at the GIGA useful to you in your current position?

Working at the GIGA gave me the opportunity to carry out my doctoral research in a way that would not necessarily have been possible in other places. It did so by providing a fertile intellectual environment and by giving access to a large array of equipment and reagents that single labs or small academic structures could not offer. This environment helped me develop a strong skill set and an attractive CV, both of which helped me get to my current position.

What are your good memories of the GIGA?

Franck’s lab was initially localized at Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, and I was the first lab member to move to the GIGA, only a couple months into my PhD studies. I will always remember how welcoming and supportive everyone was, both in and outside of the lab. Special thanks to Marielle Lebrun, without whom my, and I know many other people’s, first steps in the GIGA would not have been so easy! I met wonderful people throughout my years at the GIGA and made friends for life!

How do you see your career developing in the coming years?

I have been recently promoted Research Assistant Professor at the URMC, after obtaining funding through a career development award from the American Heart Association. While I will finish up ongoing research projects in the Maquat lab, some of which are in collaboration with postdocs that I co-mentor, I will also actively work to further define my own identity as a scientist. This will hopefully help me reach my goal to open my own lab in the next couple of years.

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