CV_ABlanchard

Alexandra BLANCHARD
Doctor in Biology
Molecular biologist specialised in plant/pathogen interactions studies

Career accomplishments:

2006-2007        Temporary Attached to Education and Research (ATER) in
                          Rennes 1 University, France

2003-2006        PhD research in Nematology laboratory in the National Institute
                         of Agronomical Research (INRA) in Rennes, France
                         Supervisor: Eric Grenier
                         Identification, polymorphism and molecular evolution of pathogenicity
                         genes in the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida

                                 Online access to the pdf of the manuscript: http://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/view_by_stamp.php?label=INRA&langue=fr&action_todo=view&id=tel-00132028&version=1

2002-2003        Postgraduate degree in Nematology laboratory in INRA in
                         Rennes,France
                         Supervisor: Eric Grenier
                         Study of five transcripts differentially expressed between two cyst
                         nematodes Globodera pallida and G. "mexicana"

2001-2002        Master's degree in Plant Physiology and Pathology laboratory in Nantes
                         University, France
                         Study of resistance of recombining lines (HA89 x LR1) of
                         sunflower (Helianthus annuus) to Orobanche cumana, and essay of
                         callogenesis of Orobanche ramosa

Education:

2003-2006       PhD in Biology, Rennes 1 University, France

2002-2003       Postgraduate degree (DEA) in Genetic, Adaptation and Plant Productions
                        with a speciality in plant/pathogen relationships

2001-2002      Master's degree in Celluar Biology and Physiology, Nantes University, France
                       Speciality in Phytopathology

Scientific communications:

Publications

• Blanchard A, Esquibet M, Fouville D and E Grenier. Ranbpm homologues genes characterised in the cyst nematode Globodera pallida and G. "mexicana". Physiological and Molecular plant Pathology 67:15-22.
  Pdf: Blanchard_2005
  

• Blanchard A, Fouville D, Esquibet M, Mugniéry D and E Grenier. Sequence polymorphism of two pioneer genes expressed in phytoparasitic nematodes showing different host ranges. Journal of Heredity, in press.

• Blanchard A and E Grenier. Variability and selective constraints of the cathepsin L gene during the evolution of plant parsitic nematodes of the Heteroderidae family. Submitted.
  

• Blanchard A, Fouville D, Plantard O and E. Grenier. Characterisation and molecular evolution analysis of a new pectate lyase gene in cyst nematodes belonging to the Heteroderidae family. In prep.
  

Congress

• Blanchard A, Esquibet M, Fouville D and E Grenier. Four new Globodera genes putatively involved in plant-nematode intercation (Poster). XXVII ESN Symposium, June 2004, Rome, Italy. Pdf:

• Grenier E, Blanchard A, Esquibet M, Fouville D. Identification and polymorphism of new potato cyst nematod genes putatively involved in plant-nematode interaction (Poster). Conférences Jacques Monod "Ecology and evolution of host-parasite relationships", September 2004, Roscoff, France.

• Blanchard A, Pylypenko L, Thirugnanasambandam A, Blok V, Chapman S, Grenier E, Lilley C, Neatham J, Phillips M and JT Jones. Characterisation on a ranbpm multigene family from ESTs of Globodera pallida (Talk). 58th International symposium on crop protection, May 2006, Gent, Belgium.

• Blanchard A, Fouville D, Esquibet M and E Grenier. Evolution of parasitism genes among the cyst nematodes (Talk). XXVIII ESN symposium, June 2006, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.

• Blok V, Chapman S, Armstrong M, Phillips M, Lilley C, Urwin P, Blanchard A, Grenier E and JT Jones. Genomic analysis in the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida (Talk). APS-CPS-MSA joint meeting, July-August 2006, Quebec city, Canada.

• Blanchard A, Castagnone P, Rosso MN, Fouville D and E Grenier. Evolution of parasitism genes in Heteroderidae plant parasitic nematodes family (Poster and Talk). XX Evolutionary biology meeting, september 2006, Marseille, France.

Technical skills:

• Concepts, methods and techniques in molecular biology: extraction, purification and electrophoresis of nucleic acids, PCR, sequencing (ABI 310), development of libraries (BAC, cDNA), membranes hybridisations

• Techniques to study genes and transcripts: 5' and 3' RACE, in situ hybridisations, screening of transcript libraries, cloning in bacteria and in yeasts

• Microbiology and in vitro cultures: manipulation in sterile conditions, culture and screening of bacteria and yeasts, culture of plant cells (cals of Orobanche), hydroponic culture (sunflower)

• Methods to analyse sequences in silico: sequence analysis (BioEdit, Chromas), translation of nucleotidic sequences (translate), multiple alignments (Multalin, Clustal, Tcoffee, Revtrans), motif searching (Smart, InterProScan, SignalP, etc.), homolog searching (Blasts)