User:Pierre-Alexandre Vidi

Contact Info



 * Pierre-Alexandre Vidi, Ph.D.
 * Purdue University
 * Basic Medical Sciences
 * Lynn Hall, 625 Harrison St.
 * West Lafayette, IN, USA
 * pvidi@purdue.edu

I am a postdoctoral research associate in Sophie Lelièvre Laboratory.

Education

 * 2006, PhD, University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland
 * 2002, MS, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

Research interests

 * Genome stability
 * Structural organization of the cell nucleus
 * Cellular microenvironment and tissue architecture
 * Protein interactions as pharmacological targets
 * Protein targeting mechanisms

Past and Present Research
My research goal is to understand the spatial and temporal orchestration of DNA repair in the cell nucleus and to define the influence of tissue architecture on the DNA damage response. I am using 3D culture models of breast epithelia to study DNA repair mechanisms in relevant cellular contexts. I am also interested to develop a drug discovery approach based on 3D cell culture and targeting DNA repair in cancer cells and lead a collaborative project with Joseph Irudayaraj laboratory to develop measurement techniques for DNA repair in tissues based on nanosensors. I also participate in the development of an in vitro model of breast ductal system (breast on-a-chip). The goal is to reproduce a branched structure constituted of polarized epithelial cells and tumor nodules to test cancer detection and drug delivery approaches based on magnetic guidance of nanoparticles.

I have a solid background in pharmacology and in fluorescence complementation techniques (from a first post-doc in Val Watts Laboratory). I applied for the first time bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) to G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), and showed that agonists and antagonists modulate GPCR oligomerization and localization. I also developed combined fluorescence approaches that revealed higher-order assembly of GPCRs at the plasma membrane.

Awards and Fellowships

 * 2010, Travel award, American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting
 * 2009-2010, Novartis Stiftung fellowship
 * 2008-2009, Swiss National Science Foundation, prospective researcher fellowship
 * 2008, Travel award, Experimental Biology meeting
 * 2007, Best poster award, Great Lakes GPCR retreat

Publications
3D culture of breast epithelial cells 
 * Vidi PA, Bissell MJ, Lelièvre SA. Three dimensional culture of human breast epithelial cells: The how and the why. Methods in Molecular Biology.  Accepted.
 * Grafton M ‡, Wang L ‡, Vidi PA ‡, Leary J, Lelièvre SA. (2011) Breast on-a-chip: mimicry of the channeling system of the breast for development of theranostics. Integrative Biology, Jan 14. (‡ equal contribution) Integrative Biology PMID: 21234506

Fluorescence techniques, G protein-coupled receptor signaling
 * Chen J, Nag S, Vidi PA, Irudayaraj J. (2011) Single molecule in vivo analysis of Toll-like receptor 9 and CpG DNA interaction. PLoS ONE. Accepted.
 * Vidi PA, Ejendal KF, Przybyla JA, Watts VJ. (2011) Fluorescent protein complementation assays: new tools to study G protein-coupled receptor oligomerization and GPCR-mediated signaling.  Mol Cell Endocrinol., 331(2):185-94. Review. PMID: 20654687
 * Vidi PA, Przybyla JA, Hu CD, Watts VJ. (2010) Visualization of G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) interactions in living cells using bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC). Curr Protoc Neurosci., Chapter 5, Unit 5.29. PMID: 20373507
 * Vidi PA, Watts VJ. (2009) Fluorescent and bioluminescent protein-fragment complementation assays in the study of G protein-coupled receptor oligomerization and signaling. Mol Pharmacol., 75(4):733-9. Review. PMID: 19141658
 * Vidi PA, Chen J, Irudayaraj JM, Watts VJ. (2008) Adenosine A(2A) receptors assemble into higher-order oligomers at the plasma membrane. FEBS Lett., 582(29):3985-90. PMID: 19013155
 * Vidi PA, Chemel BR, Hu CD, Watts VJ. (2008) Ligand-dependent oligomerization of dopamine D(2) and adenosine A(2A) receptors in living neuronal cells. Mol Pharmacol., 74(3):544-51. PMID: 18524886

Plant chloroplast biogenesis and vitamin E metabolism
 * Zbierzak AM, Kanwischer M, Wille C, Vidi PA, Giavalisco P, Lohmann A, Briesen I, Porfirova S, Bréhélin C, Kessler F, Dörmann P. (2010) Intersection of the tocopherol and plastoquinol metabolic pathways at the plastoglobule. Biochem J., 425(2):389-99. PMID: 19843012
 * Meskauskiene R, Würsch M, Laloi C, Vidi PA, Coll NS, Kessler F, Baruah A, Kim C, Apel K. (2009) A mutation in the Arabidopsis mTERF-related plastid protein SOLDAT10 activates retrograde signaling and suppresses 1O2-induced cell death. Plant J., 60(3):399-410. PMID: 19563435
 * Kessler F, Vidi PA. (2007) Plastoglobule lipid bodies: their functions in chloroplasts and their potential for applications. Adv Biochem Eng Biotechnol., 107:153-72. Book chapter. PMID: 17522825
 * Vidi PA, Kessler F, Bréhélin C. Plastoglobules: a new address for targeting recombinant proteins in the chloroplast. (2007) BMC Biotechnol., 7:4. PMID: 17214877
 * Austin JR 2nd, Frost E, Vidi PA, Kessler F, Staehelin LA. (2006) Plastoglobules are lipoprotein subcompartments of the chloroplast that are permanently coupled to thylakoid membranes and contain biosynthetic enzymes. Plant Cell., 18(7):1693-703. PMID: 16731586
 * Vidi PA, Kanwischer M, Baginsky S, Austin JR, Csucs G, Dörmann P, Kessler F, Bréhélin C. (2006) Tocopherol cyclase (VTE1) localization and vitamin E accumulation in chloroplast plastoglobule lipoprotein particles. J Biol Chem., 281(16):11225-34. PMID: 16414959
 * Bauer J, Hiltbrunner A, Weibel P, Vidi PA, Alvarez-Huerta M, Smith MD, Schnell DJ, Kessler F. (2002) Essential role of the G-domain in targeting of the protein import receptor atToc159 to the chloroplast outer membrane. J Cell Biol., 159(5):845-54. PMID: 12460988
 * Hiltbrunner A, Bauer J, Vidi PA, Infanger S, Weibel P, Hohwy M, Kessler F. (2001) Targeting of an abundant cytosolic form of the protein import receptor at Toc159 to the outer chloroplast membrane. J Cell Biol., 154(2):309-16. PMID: 11470820