André Sentenac

André Sentenac is a Professor and Research Director at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), heading the Joliot-Curie Biology Department at the Saclay center since 1999 and serving as Scientific Advisor for the Life Science Division since 2003.

His pioneering research in molecular biology focuses on eukaryotic gene transcription mechanisms using yeast models. His laboratory isolated and characterized RNA polymerases I, II, and III, revealing their subunit composition (14, 12, and 17 subunits respectively), evolutionary relationships, and phosphorylation modifications. Key discoveries include the shared subunits across polymerases, the TATA-binding factor's role in Pol III transcription, the six-subunit TFIIIC factor's promoter binding mechanism, and the facilitated reinitiation pathway enabling high-efficiency RNA polymerase III transcription.

Dr. Sentenac's scientific contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors:

• EMBO Membership (1985)
• CNRS Silver Medal (1987)
• Prix des Sciences Biologiques et Médicales (1995)
• Officier des Palmes Académiques (1995)
• Prix Charles-Léopold Mayer (1997)
• French Academy of Sciences Membership (1999/2007)
• Academia Europaea Membership (1999)
• Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite (2001)
• Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (2007)

He has advised 46 PhD students and published 180 papers, with major contributions spanning RNA polymerase purification, transcription factor characterization, and the discovery of the MAF1 repressor for Pol III transcription. His leadership spanned the "Transcription of DNA" Laboratory (1970), Biochemistry Service (1972), and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Service (1990) at CEA/Saclay.