Lionel Navarro

Lionel Navarro is a Professor in the Biology Department at École Normale Supérieure (ENS). His research focuses on the role of small RNAs and epigenetic mechanisms in innate immune responses, particularly in plants and humans. He investigates how pathogens such as Pseudomonas syringae and Shigella flexneri interact with host RNA silencing pathways to evade immune defenses. His work also explores DNA methylation-driven transcriptional gene silencing (TGS) in immune regulation and transgenerational defense mechanisms.

Key research areas include:

• Suppression of miRNA pathways by bacterial effectors
• Epigenetic regulation of pathogen resistance genes via RdDM
• Interactions between non-coding RNAs and chromatin modifications

Selected models include Arabidopsis thaliana for plant immunity and Shigella flexneri for human pathogenesis studies. Recent findings highlight bacterial strategies to target host RNA silencing machinery, offering insights into pathogen-host co-evolution.

His team collaborates with platforms like the Genomics and Bioinformatics Platforms at IBENS. No awards or student advisees are explicitly listed in the provided texts.