Mathieu Ferron

Accredited Professor

Mathieu Ferron

Contact Information

Unité de recherche en physiologie intégrative et moléculaire
Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)
110, avenue des Pins Ouest – laboratoire 2750
Montréal (Québec)
H2W 1R7

.

T 514 987-5754 bureau
T 514 987-5780 labo
F 514 987-5649
mathieu.ferron@ircm.qc.ca

Themes

Physiological and pathological function of vitamin K and γ-carboxylation:
The only known biological function of vitamin K is to serve as a co-factor for the γ-glutamyl carboxylase (GGCX), an enzyme responsible for the conversion of glutamic acid residues (GLU) into γ-carboxyglutamic acid (GLA) residues in specific secreted proteins. This posttranslational modification is found for instance in some coagulation factors (prothrombin, factor IX, etc.), in MGP, a protein implicated in tissue mineralization, and in osteocalcin, a bone-derived hormone affecting glucose metabolism. However, we still don’t know all the γ-carboxylated proteins and their functions. Recent findings in humans and rodents suggest that vitamin K and γ-carboxylation may be involved in the control of energy metabolism and the development of obesity and diabetes. Our current goal is to address γ-carboxylation function in vivo through the generation of tissue-specific knockout mice for the enzymes implicated in this process. We are also planning to characterize, in a non-bias proteomic approach, the “γ-carboxylome” (i.e. identifying all the GLA proteins produced in tissues were the γ-glutamyl carboxylase is expressed).

Publications

  • Ferron, M., Lacombe, J., Germain, A., Oury, F. and Karsenty, G. (2015) GGCX and VKORC1 inhibit osteocalcin endocrine functions. J Cell Biol., 208, 761-776.
  • Ferron, M., Lacombe, J. Regulation of energy metabolism by the skeleton: Osteocalcin and beyond. (2014) Arch Biochem Biophys., 562, 137-146.
  • Lacombe, J., Karsenty, G., Ferron, M. (2013) In vivo analyis of the contribution of bone resorption to the control of glucose metabolism in male mice. Molecular Metabolism. 2, 498-504.
  • Ferron, M. Settembre, C., Shimazu, J., Lacombe, J., Kato, S., Rawlings, D.J., Ballabio, A., Karsenty, G. (2013) A RANKL-PKCβ-TFEB signaling cascade is necessary for lysosomal biogenesis in osteoclasts. Genes & Dev. 27, 955-69.
  • Ferron, M., Wei, J., Yoshizawa, T., Del Fattore, A., DePinho, R.A., Teti, A., Ducy, P. and Karsenty, G. (2010) Insulin Signaling in Osteoblasts Integrates Bone Remodeling and Energy Metabolism. Cell. 142, 296-308.