Dr. Jean-Luc Parent

Dr. Jean-Luc Parent is an Assistant Professor in the Rheumatology Division of the Faculty of Medicine at University of Sherbrooke. He obtained his B.Sc. in Microbiology & Immunology at McGill University (1990), and both his M.Sc. in Biology (1992) and Ph.D. in Cellular Biology (1997) at the University of Sherbrooke. He then did a postdoctoral research fellowship on the regulation of G protein-coupled receptors in the laboratory of Dr. Jeffrey L. Benovic at the Kimmel Cancer Center of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, supported by a Fellowship award from the Medical Research Council of Canada (1996-1999). Dr. Parent then worked as a Senior Scientist for a year in the pharmaceutical industry in Boston before joining the University of Sherbrooke in his current position. During the three years he has been in Sherbrooke, he has established his own laboratory and independent research career, as well as collaborations worldwide. His research team is presently composed of four M.Sc and five Ph.D.students.

Dr. Parent’s research is currently focused on the regulation of signaling, endocytosis and recycling of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) using the thromboxane A2 (TXA2) receptor as a model. GPCRs form the single largest family of cell surface receptors involved in signal transduction. More than one thousand different GPCRs have been identified since the first receptors were cloned. These receptors are key controllers of such diverse physiological processes as cellular metabolism, neurotransmission, cell differentiation and growth, secretion, taste and smell perception, inflammatory and immune response. Of the drug prescribed today, more than 50% act through GPCRs. In order to maintain proper cellular function, the response of GPCRs to a stimulus must be regulated. The receptor activity will eventually be shut down (desensitization) by a process involving phosphorylation and internalization (endocytosis) of the receptor into intracellular compartments. The receptor can then either be targeted for its degradation, or dephosphorylated and recycled back to the cell surface (resensitization). Dr. Parent’s laboratory has identified new mechanisms of endocytosis for a specific class of GPCRs, namely those which are said to signal through a protein referred to as Ga_q.

His research utilizes recombinant DNA technologies, expression of exogenous proteins in mammalian cells, immunofluorescence microscopy, immunoprecipitations, protein-protein interaction techniques, as well as the yeast two-hybrid system to identify new proteins interacting with GPCRs.

Dr. Parent’s research might one day affect how inflammatory and cardiovascular conditions are treated. Some of the proteins identified in his laboratory may lead to a better understanding of damages caused by oxidative stress and free radicals, and hopefully to new drug targets. Work undertaken with his colleagues of the Rheumatology Division also addresses the mechanisms underlying arthritis, osteoporosis, and bone resorption/formation.

Dr. Parent’s research is funded by the Kidney Foundation of Canada, the National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and by two grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (formerly Medical Research Council of Canada). He was also granted with a major equipment award from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, as well as from the Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec. He is the recipient of the prestigious New Investigator Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research covering his salary for the 2001-2006 period. So far, he has received for more than $1,300,000.00 in research funding for his projects. He has been an invited speaker at national and international meetings, and is a peer reviewer for two scientific journals, as well as granting agencies from here and abroad. Presently his publication record includes 26 peer-reviewed papers, and 24 abstracts.

For further information, please contact Dr. Jean-Luc Parent using the Email contact form or by phone at 819 564-5264