Dr. François Potus

2018 Paroian Family PH Research Scholarship

Department of Medicine & Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences, Queens University, Kingston, ON 

Under the supervision of: Dr. Stephen L. Archer

About Dr. Potus

Dr. François Potus is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Medicine at Queen's University (Kingston, ON). He obtained a Master’s Degree with distinction in Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, in France, and completed his PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology at Laval University in Québec, Canada. Dr. Potus is a Physiologist and Molecular Biologist with expertise in cardiovascular research and genetics. His main work currently focuses on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). More specifically, he is interested in exploring the role that DNA methylation plays in pathological regulation of gene expression in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Project:

Linking inflammation and the progression of pulmonary arterial hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe lung disease in which blood circulation in the lungs gets blocked. This results in a combination of increased pressure, abnormal cell growth, and increased inflammation. We have identified special modifications to DNA (“epigenetic changes”) that alter the way genes are expressed in PAH lungs.

This study will investigate the role of a critical regulator of this epigenetic mechanism—called ten-eleven-translocase (TET2)—in the development of PAH. We will determine if artificial modulation of TET2 worsens or improves disease outcomes in an animal model of PAH. We will then investigate lung inflammation, cell proliferation, and TET2 expression to understand how this factor contributes to the disease. Finally, using an animal model of PAH, we will investigate which section(s) of DNA are targeted by epigenetic changes and determine the link between TET2, the identified genes, inflammation, and cell proliferation. 

This project aims to increase basic knowledge of PAH etiology and investigate TET2 modulation as a potential cure for PAH.