Name:Dimitri LAVILLETTEGender:
Education: 
Academic degree:PhDAcademic title:PI/Adjunct professor
Departments:Arbovirus research UnitDiscipline:Virology
Phone:021-54923190E-mail:dlaville@ips.ac.cn
Mailing Address:Life Science Research Building No. 320 Yueyang Road, Xuhui District, 200031


Curriculum vitae:

Dimitri Lavillette initially specializedin the study of the molecular mechanisms of entry of different viruses, which included retroviruses and Hepatitis C virus. He is now developing more broad Virus-Host interaction studies using mosquito transmitted viruses including Dengue and Zikaflaviviruses or Chikungunya alphavirus. After years of research, he has accumulated theoretical basic research discoveries, established a variety of improved research methods (including patent-protected methodology), and he developed new antiviral strategies. Particularly, he successfully developed small molecule drugs or peptides to block cell virus entry, designed more effective immunogens for vaccine approaches and developed new methodsof vaccine effectiveness evaluation. He has published 52 research papers (h-factor of 28; cited 2780 times), participated in more than 90 international academic conferences, received 12 project funding supports in France, USA and China, supervised more than 20 graduate students (PhD and master students), served in several well-known academic journals as reviewers, was invited to conduct academic evaluation in a number of scientific research units, served as chairman of International Conference, was elected in the European Society for Virology (since 2010), and also served as consultant for different biotechnology companies.

Research direction:

 

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are the causative agents of some of the most important emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Among these viruses, the genus Flavivirus (i.e. Dengue DENV and Zika ZIKV viruses) and Alphavirus (i.e. Chikungunya CHIKV virus), belonging to the Flaviviridae and Togaviridae family respectively are particularly active. Since 30 years, all DENV serotypes (1 to 4) spread in sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia and Central -South America. Similarly, since 2005, Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) has been responsible for more than 1 million human cases in the Indian and Southeast Asia where outbreaks had been absent for 32 years. Recently, CHIKV is invading for the first time the American continent. Similarly, since 2013, Zika virus is actively propagating around the world and it reached the American continent in 2015 leading to more than 1.5 million infection cases in Brazil. These viruses cause a tremendous impact on human health and the economy worldwide. So far, there is no specific treatments against the diseases induced by these viruses and only one Dengue vaccine has been recently proposed in restricted contexts. It is therefore crucial to increase our basic knowledge on these pathogens.

Overall, by studying both infections in mammals and insects, our global project wants to unveil the viral and/or host factors responsible for pathogenicity or resistance to infection. Using different model alphaviruses (Chikungunya…) and Flaviviruses (Dengue, Zika…), we want to explore: i) the host factors involved in entry, interspecies transmission and host susceptibility; and ii) the role of post translational modification and cell response in virus replication and the spreading of viruses. These understanding will help to develop new strategies to fight these public health threats.

Research progress:

Identify CHIKV receptor and identify cellular proteins link to alphavirus host susceptibility. Understanding the virus cell entry mechanism at the molecular level is essential for the development of new medicines of the therapeutic class of entry inhibitors. However, the entry process of alphavirus is not understood enough at the molecular level. Our objective is to clone the alphavirus receptors involve in interspecies infection and identify cellular proteins link to host susceptibility to alphaviruses. Our laboratory is using different molecular tools (alphavirus pseudoparticles (pp), infectious clones, replicon) and cutting edge technologies. We are currently using proteomics and CRISPR/Cas9 genome wide screen to identify any factors involved in the entry and infectious cell cycle of Chikungunya virus and Semliki Forest Virus which differ in term of tropism. Different candidates are being validated and we will characterize the function of these proteins in the virus cell cycle of different alphaviruses. In parallel, to complement these in vitro studies in mammals and insect cells, we are developing in vivo studies. We developed the use of mosquitoes and the use of Drosophila and its genetic engineering as a powerful “tool” to address the role of different molecules in alphavirus replication in insects.

 

Characterize the consequences of Alphavirus/Flavivirus co-infection. Pathology associated to infection is often considered as resulting from the reciprocal interaction of a given pathogen with a given host. This paradigm looks however over-simplistic since the pathology, as well as the epidemiology of a pathogen, relies also on the interactions between several infectious agents present within an organism. It is therefore crucial to consider to which extent a host infected by a first microorganism is modified and whether its reaction to the infection by a second is consequently altered. This consideration is especially relevant for arboviruses. Indeed, one consequence of the rapid spreading of arboviruses worldwide is an increased overlapping distribution. Overlapping in the distribution of the arboviral diseases leads to a higher detection of co-infections in humans. This co-infection is also possible in mosquitoes as DENV, ZIKV and CHIKV can share Aedesaegypti and albopictus vectors. At the cellular level, DENV, ZIKV and CHIKV share interactions with common cellular pathways. These possible similar host-virus interactions probably impact the outcome of one virus during co-infection. Our purpose is to define more precisely the molecular and cellular mechanisms of interference between Alphaviruses and Flaviviruses infection in human and mosquito target cells.

As a first approach, we are studying successive co infection of different mosquito cell lines derived from Aedesalbopictus or Aedesaegypti. We are using different molecular virology technic to quantify infection, production, assembly and spreading of the viruses. In order to provide more relevant analysis, we are also doing in vivo experiments by infecting sequentially Aedesaegypyi mosquito.

 

Zikavirus cell host interactions. Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito borne flavivirus, which was a neglected tropical pathogen until it emerged and spread across the Pacific Area and the Americas, causing large human outbreaks associated with fetal abnormalities and neurological disease in adults. The factors that contributed to the emergence, spread and change in pathogenesis of ZIKV are not well understood. Using sequence alignments of different ZIKV strains of a range of spatiotemporal history of isolation and representing African and Asian lineages, we identified possible differences in the post translational modification (PTM) of different proteins. We are analysis the effect of some PTM in the function of ZIKV proteins and on the pathogenesis.

 

Collaboration

-        PrGang LONG and Pr Pei HAO, IPS-CAS, onZika virus cell host interaction

-        PrJin ZHONG and PrZhong HUANG, IPS-CAS, on HCV inhibitors development

 

-        Dr Carine Maisse-Paradissi, UMR754 INRA-UCBL-EPHE Virus infection and comparative Pathogenesis, Lyon, France

-        Dr Valerie CHOUMET, ERI/CIBU, Institut Pasteur Paris, France

-        Dr Nathalie Pardigon, ERI/CIBU,, Institut Pasteur Paris, France

-        Dr Nathalie DEJUCQ-RAINSFORD, IRSET-Inserm U1085, University os Rennes

-        Dr Alexander PLOSS and DrFlorian DOUAM, Princeton University, U.S.A.

-        DrOusmane FAYE and Gamou FALL, “Arbovirus and Hemorrhagic fever Unit”, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal

 

Funding

2017. International grant “Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology for EU-China Inter-governmental S&T Cooperation grant” (MOST). (grant number 2016YFE0133500). 06/2017-05/2019. Coordinator.

2016. ZIKAlliance consortium. A global alliance for Zika virus control and prevention. Horizon 2020 European Commission ?Research and Innovation Action? (H2020-SC1-2016-RTD-Zika) in WP3 ? Virology and antivirals ? Role as Coordinator-Legal Entity Appointed Representative (LEAR) for IPS. 7/2016-6/2019.

2016. ? Flavizome ? Role of PDZ-binding motif from Flavivirus non-structural proteins in flaviviral life cycle. Programmes Transversaux de Recherche PTR Pasteur Paris with Nathalie PARDIGON (Unité de recherche et d'expertise Environnement et risques infectieux CIBU), Yves JACOB and Nicolas Wolff. 2017-2019. Participant.

2016. Cai Yuan Pei program; French ministry of foreign affairs (international exchanges) with Carine Maisse-Paradissi coordinator France (Virus Infection and Comparative Pathology, INRA UMR754, Lyon). Coordinator for China.

2015. 100 Talent of Chinese Academy of Sciences. Alphaviruses and Flaviviruses interspecies transmission and host cell response.

2015. 1000 Talent of Shanghai Municipality. Alphaviruses and Flaviviruses interspecies transmission.

 

Publications

_ Co-infection of mosquitoes with Chikungunya and Dengue Viruses reveals modulation of the replication of both viruses in midguts and salivary glands of Aedesaegypti mosquitoes. Le Coupanec A, Tchankouo-Nguetcheu S, Roux P, Khun H, Huerre M, Morales-Vargas R, Enguehard M, Lavillette D, Missé D, Choumet V. Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Aug 4;18(8). pii: E1708. doi: 10.3390/ijms18081708. PMID: 28777313

_ Specialization of Hepatitis C Virus envelope glycoproteins for B-lymphocytes in chronically infected patients. Douam F, Bobay LM, Maurin G, Fresquet J, Calland N, Durand T, Cosset FL, Féray C and Lavillette D. J Virol. January 2016 vol. 90  no. 2  992-1008.

_ Marnata C, Saulnier A, Mompelat D, Krey T, Cohen L, Boukadida C, Warter L, Fresquet J, Vasiliauskaite I, Escriou N, Cosset FL, Rey FA, Lanford RE, Karayiannis P, Rose NJ, Lavillette D, Martin A. Determinants Involved in Hepatitis C Virus and GB Virus B Primate Host Restriction. J Virol. 2015 Dec 1;89(23):12131-44. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01161-15

_ Fusil F, Calattini S, Amirache F, Mancip J, Costa C, Robbins JB, Douam F, Lavillette D, Law M, Defrance T, Verhoeyen E, Cosset FL. A Lentiviral Vector Allowing Physiologically Regulated Membrane-anchored and Secreted Antibody Expression Depending on B-cell Maturation Status.MolTher.2015 Aug 18.doi: 10.1038/mt.2015.148.

_ Maurin G, Halgand B, Bruscella P, Fresquet J, Duclos-Vallée JC, Roque-Afonso AM, Cosset FL, Samuel D, Féray C*, Lavillette D*. Low cross neutralization of Hepatitis C virus correlates with liver disease in immunocompromized patients. AIDS. 2015 Jun 1;29(9):1025-33. doi: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000000651.

_ Douam F, Dao Thi VL, Maurin G., Fresquet J., Mompelat D., Cosset FL and Lavillette D. A critical interaction between E1 and E2 glycoproteins determines binding and fusion properties of hepatitis C virus during cell entry. Hepatology. 2014 Mar;59(3):776-88.

_ Murphy L, Varela M, Desloire S, Ftaich N, Murgia C, Golder M, Neil S, Spencer TE, Wootton SK, Lavillette D, Terzian C, Palmarini M, Arnaud F. The sheep tetherinparalog oBST2B blocks envelope glycoprotein incorporation into nascent retroviral virions. J Virol. 2015 Jan;89(1):535-44. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02751-14. Epub 2014 Oct 22.

_ Girard-Gagnepain A, Amirache F, Costa C, Lévy C, Frecha C, Fusil F, Nègre D, Lavillette D, Cosset FL, Verhoeyen E. Baboon envelope pseudotypedlentiviral vectors outperform VSV-G pseudotypedlentiviral vectors for gene transfer into cytokine-stimulated and resting hematopoietic stem cells. Blood.2014 Jun 20.

_ Lévy C, Aerts L, Hamelin Mè, Granier C, Szécsi J, Lavillette D, Boivin G, Cosset FL. Virus-like particle vaccine induces cross-protection against human metapneumovirus infections in mice. Vaccine. 2013 Jun 7;31(25):2778-85

_ Garrone P, Fluckiger AC, Mangeot PE, Gauthier E, Dupeyrot-Lacas P, Mancip J, Cangialosi A, Du Chéné I, Legrand R, Mangeot I, Lavillette D, Bellier B, Cosset FL, Tangy F, Klatzmann D, Dalba C. A prime-boost strategy using virus-like particles pseudotyped for HCV proteins triggers broadly neutralizing antibodies in macaques. SciTransl Med. 2011 Aug 3;3(94):94

_ Maurin G, Fresquet J, Granio O, Wychowski C, Cosset FL and Lavillette D. Identification of interactions in the E1E2 heterodimer of Hepatitis C virus important for cell entry. J Biol Chem. 2011 Jul 8;286(27):23865-76

 

_ Lupberger J, Zeisel MB, Xiao F, Thumann C, Fofana I, Zona L, Davis C, Mee CJ, Turek M, Gorke S, Royer C, Fischer B, Zahid MN, Lavillette D,Fresquet J, Cosset FL, Rothenberg SM, Pietschmann T, Patel AH, Pessaux P, Doffo?l M, Raffelsberger W, Poch O, McKeating JA, Brino L, Baumert TF. EGFR and EphA2 are host factors for hepatitis C virus entry and possible targets for antiviral therapy. Nat Med. 2011 May;17(5):589-95.

Laboratory members:

Dimitri LAVILLETTE, Principal Investigator

Ke XU, Co-Principal Investigator

Dandan REN, Technician

Lingyue GUO, Lab Manager

Post Doc:

Solene GRAYO, PIFI Postdoctoral Fellow

Shuming  KUO, CAS Postdoctoral Fellow

PhD Candidates:

Marie CRESSON, UCAS- Lyon University PhD Student

Margot ENGUEHARD, UCAS- Lyon University PhD Student

Bowen DUAN, Master-PhD Student

Anupriya GAUTAM, UCAS PhD Student

Mathilde BAN, UCAS- Paris Descartes University PhD Student

Lucie CAPPUCCIO, UCAS- Lyon University PhD Student

Salome BOURGEAU, UCAS – Rennes University PhD Student

Master Students:

Emilie CARLOT, UCAS Master Student

Li HUANG, UCAS biotechnology Master Student

Rui XIONG, Co-educated ECST Master Student

Minyi DING, Co-educated ESCT Master Student