Publications

 

Selected publications of the group using ExM:

1. Charting the landscape of cytoskeletal diversity in microbial eukaryotes. F. Mikus, A. Rubio Ramos, H. Shah, M. Olivetta, S. Borgers, J. Hellgoth, C. Saint Donar, M. Araujo, C. Bhickata, Y. Schwab, F. Husnik, S. Seoane, I. Probert, AML, P. Guichard, V. Hamel, G. Dey et O. Dudin . Cell. 2025 Oct 31:S0092-8674(25)01127-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2025.09.027.

Using U-ExM, this study maps the extraordinary structural diversity of cytoskeletal architectures across microbial eukaryotes, expanding our understanding of cytoskeletal evolution.

2. The A-C linker controls centriole structural integrity and duplication. Bournonville L, Laporte MH, Borgers S, Guichard P, Hamel V. Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 24;16(1):6836. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-62154-6.

This works uses U-ExM to demonstrate that the A-C linker is essential for maintaining centriole cohesion and for enabling accurate centriole duplication.

3. Unveiling the Molecular Architecture of T Cells and Immune Synapses with Cryo-Expansion Microscopy. Lemaître F, Mercey O, Mean I, Paulin E, Dutoit V, Rath J, Migliorini D, Arber C, Guichard P, Hamel V, Wolf B. bioRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.15.648816

This study uses cryo-expansion microscopy to resolve the molecular organization of T cells and immune synapses with unprecedented nanoscale clarity.

4. The Luminal Ring Protein C2CD3 Acts as a Radial In-to-Out Organizer of the Distal Centriole and Appendages. Bertiaux E, LouvelV, McCafferty CL, van den Hoek H, Batman U, Mukherjee S, Bournonville L, Mercey O, Mean I, Müller A, Van der Stappen P, Buss G, Daraspe J, Genoud C, Stearns T, Engel BD, Hamel V, Guichard P. bioRxiv. doi: 10.1101/2025.06.17.660204.

Combining Cryo-ET, U-ExM and iU-ExM, authors demonstrate the presence of a luminal ring at the distal part of centrioles that radially organizes distal centriole architecture.

5. Glutamylation imbalance impairs the molecular architecture of the photoreceptor cilium. Mercey O, Gadadhar S, Magiera MM, Lebrun L, Kostic C, Moulin A, Arsenijevic Y, Janke C, Guichard P, Hamel V. EMBO J. 2024 Dec;43(24):6679-6704. doi: 10.1038/s44318-024-00284-1. Epub 2024 Nov 11.

Using U-ExM on retinal tissue, authors reveal that disrupted tubulin glutamylation destabilizes the molecular architecture of the photoreceptor cilium, leading to functional defects.

6. Time-series reconstruction of the molecular architecture of human centriole assembly. Laporte MH, Gambarotto D, Bertiaux É, Bournonville L, Louvel V, Nunes JM, Borgers S, Hamel V, Guichard P. Cell. 2024 Apr 25;187(9):2158-2174.e19. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.025. Epub 2024 Apr 10.

This work investigates the spatial and temporal assembly of 24 different proteins at the level of human centriole.

7. Fine-tuning FAM161A gene augmentation therapy to restore retinal function. Arsenijevic Y, Chang N, Mercey O, El Fersioui Y, Koskiniemi-Kuendig H, Joubert C, Bemelmans AP, Rivolta C, Banin E, Sharon D, Guichard P, Hamel V, Kostic C. EMBO Mol Med. 2024 Apr;16(4):805-822. doi: 10.1038/s44321-024-00053-x. 2024 Mar 19.

Using U-ExM on cryosections, this paper shows that optimized FAM161A gene therapy restores photoreceptor structure and function in models of inherited retinal degeneration.

8. iU-ExM: nanoscopy of organelles and tissues with iterative ultrastructure expansion microscopy. Louvel V, Haase R, Mercey O, Laporte MH, Eloy T, Baudrier É, Fortun D, Soldati-Favre D, Hamel V, Guichard P. Nat Commun. 2023 Nov 30;14(1):7893. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-43582-8.

This article introduces iU-ExM, a method enabling about 16x expansion of samples, via several rounds of expansion

9. Gene augmentation of LCA5-associated Leber congenital amaurosis ameliorates bulge region defects of the photoreceptor ciliary axoneme. Faber S, Mercey O, Junger K, Garanto A, May-Simera H, Ueffing M, Collin RW, Boldt K, Guichard P, Hamel V, Roepman R. JCI Insight. 2023 May 22;8(10):e169162. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.169162.

The study shows that LCA5 gene therapy restores key structural features of the photoreceptor ciliary axoneme and ameliorates associated defects.

10. In situ architecture of the ciliary base reveals the stepwise assembly of intraflagellar transport trains. van den Hoek H, Klena N, Jordan MA, Alvarez Viar G, Righetto RD, Schaffer M, Erdmann PS, Wan W, Geimer S, Plitzko JM, Baumeister W, Pigino G, Hamel V, Guichard P, Engel BD. Science. 2022 Jul 29;377(6605):543-548. doi: 10.1126/science.abm6704. Epub 2022 Jul 28.

With a combination of Cryo-ET and U-ExM, this work reveals the stepwise assembly pathway of intraflagellar transport trains at the ciliary base in their native context.

11. The connecting cilium inner scaffold provides a structural foundation that protects against retinal degeneration. Mercey O, Kostic C, Bertiaux E, Giroud A, Sadian Y, Gaboriau DCA, Morrison CG, Chang N, Arsenijevic Y, Guichard P, Hamel V. PLoS Biol. 2022 Jun 16;20(6):e3001649. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001649. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Using U-ExM for the first time in tissue, the study identifies an inner scaffold structure in the connecting cilium that maintains photoreceptor stability and protects against retinal degeneration.

12. Visualizing the native cellular organization by coupling cryofixation with expansion microscopy (Cryo-ExM). Laporte MH, Klena N, Hamel V, Guichard P. Nat Methods. 2022 Feb;19(2):216-222. doi: 10.1038/s41592-021-01356-4. Epub 2022 Jan 13.

This paper establishes Cryo-ExM, combining cryofixation with expansion microscopy to preserve and visualize native cellular ultrastructure at nanoscale resolution.