GEPV - V. CASTRIC

Curriculum Vitae
Since oct 2010	Full time researcher (CNRS, CR1)
2009	Habilitation à diriger des recherches (HDR) Title: "From population genetics to population genomics"
2004-2010	Lecturer at the UFR de biologie of (Université des Sciences & Technologies de Lille 1)
2002-2003	"Junior Lecturer" (ATER) at the UFR de biologie of the Université des Sciences & Technologies de Lille 1, in the Laboratoire de génétique et évolution des populations végétales.
1998-2002	PhD in Louis Bernatchez’s lab in Laval university (Québec, Canada): "Dynamics of genetic diversity in the brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis: diversity of landscapes and diversity of life histories". Keywords : Population genetics, Dispersal Biogeography, Relatedness, Isolation by distance, Microsatellites.
1997-1998	Master degree (DEA) in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology in University of Montpellier in the lab "Génome, populations, Interactions" headed by François Bonhomme.
1995-1998	Agronomic Ingeneer of the Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon.

Publications
23. Leducq JB, Llaurens V, Castric V, Saumitou-Laprade P, Hardy OJ, Vekemans X. 2011. Effect of balancing selection on spatial genetic structure within populations: theoretical investigations on the self-incompatibility locus and empirical studies in Arabidopsis halleri. Heredity 106: 319–329.
22. Castric V, Bechsgaard JS, Grenier S, Noureddine R, Schierup MH, Vekemans X. 2010. Molecular evolution within and between self-incompatibility specificities. Molecular Biology and Evolution 27(1): 11-20.
21. Meyer CL, Kostecka AA, Saumitou-Laprade P, Créach A, Castric V, Pauwels M, Frérot H. 2010. Variability of zinc tolerance among and within populations of the pseudometallophyte species Arabidopsis halleri and possible role of directional selection. New Phytologist 185(1): 130–142.
20. Meyer CL, Vitalis R, Saumitou-Laprade P, Castric V. 2009. Genomic pattern of adaptive divergence in Arabidopsis halleri, a model species for tolerance to heavy metal. Molecular Ecology 18(9):2050-62.
19. Llaurens, V., Billiard, S., Castric, V. & Vekemans, X. (2009) Evolution of dominance in sporophytic self-incompatibility systems: I. Genetic load and coevolution of levels of dominance in pollen and pistil. Evolution 63, 2427-2437.
18. Castric V, Bechsgaard J, Schierup MH, Vekemans X. 2008. Repeated adaptive introgression at a gene under multiallelic balancing selection. PLoS Genetics 4(8).
17. Llaurens V, Billiard S, Leducq JB, Castric V, Vekemans X. 2008. Does frequency-dependent selection with complex dominance interactions accurately predict allelic frequencies at the self- incompatibility locus in Arabidopsis halleri ? Evolution 62:2545-2557.
16. Brulle F, Cocquerelle C, Mitta G, Castric V, Douay F, Leprêtre A & Vandenbulcke F. 2008. Identification and expression profile of gene transcripts differentially expressed during metallic exposure in Eisenia fetida cœlomocytes. Developmental & Comparative Immunology 32:1441-1453.
15. Ruggiero, M. V., Jacquemin, B., Castric V & Vekemans, X. 2008. Hitch-hiking to a locus under balancing selection: high sequence diversity and low population subdivision at the S-locus genomic region in Arabidopsis halleri. Genetics Research (Cambridge) 90, 37-46.
14. Stoeckel S, Castric V, Mariette S, Vekemans X. in press. Unequal allelic frequencies at the self-incompatibility locus within local populations of Prunus avium L.: an effect of population structure? Journal of Evolutionary Biology. ()
13. Llaurens V, Castric V, Austerlitz F, Vekemans X. In press. High paternal diversity in the self-incompatible herb Arabidopsis halleri despite clonal reproduction and spatially-restricted pollen dispersal. Molecular Ecology. () (early online)
12. Castric V, Vekemans X. 2007. Evolution under strong balancing selection: how many codons determine specificity at the female self-incompatibility gene SRK in Brassicaceae? BMC Evolutionary Biology. 7:132. ()
11. Billiard S, Castric V & Vekemans X. 2007. A general model to explore complex dominance patterns in plant sporophytic self-incompatibility systems. Genetics 175 : 1351-1369. ()
10. Bechsgaard JS, Castric V (co-first authors), Charlesworth D, Vekemans X & Schierup MH. 2006. The transition to self-compatibility in Arabidopsis thalianaand evolution within S-haplotypes over 10 Myr. Molecular Biology and Evolution 23(9) : 1741-1750. ()
9. Charlesworth D, Vekemans X, Castric V & Glémin S. 2005. Plant self-incompatibility systems: a molecular evolutionary perspective. New Phytologist 168 : 61-69. ()
8. Castric V & Vekemans X. 2004. Plant self-incompatibility in natural populations: a critical assessment of recent theoretical and empirical advances. Molecular Ecology 13(10) : 2873-2889. ()
7. Castric V & Bernatchez L. 2004. Individual assignment test reveals differential restriction to dispersal between two salmonids despite no increase of genetic differences with distance. Molecular Ecology 13(5) : 1299-1312. ()
6. Castric V & Bernatchez L. 2003. The rise and fall of isolation by distance in the anadromous brook charr. Genetics 163 : 983-996. ()
5. Hendry AP., Castric V, Kinnison MT. & Quinn TP. 2004. The evolution of philopatry and dispersal : homing vs. straying in salmonids. In Salmon and Evolution. A. P. Hendry and S. C. Stearns (ed). Oxford University Press. In press.
4. Castric V, Belkhir K, Bernatchez L & Bonhomme F. 2002. Heterozygote deficiencies in small lacustrine populations of brook charr Salvelinus fontinalisMitchill (Pisces, salmoninae). A test of alternative hypotheses. Heredity 89(1) : 27-35. ()
3. Belkhir K, Castric V & Bonhomme F. 2002. Identix, a computer program to test for relatedness in a population using permutation methods. Molecular Ecology Notes 2 : 611-614. () or software (760 Ko)
2. Boula D, Castric V, Bernatchez L, & Audet C. 2002. Anadromy in the brook charr : physiological, endocrine and genetic bases. Environmental Biology of Fishes. 64 : 229-242. ()
1. Castric V, Bonney F & Bernatchez L. 2001. Landscape structure and hierarchical genetic diversity in the brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchill. Evolution 55(5) : 1016-1028. ()

Teaching

- Population genetics, (Licence de Biologie Générale, Lille 1)

- Population dynamics, (Maîtrise de Biologie des Populations et des Ecosystemes, Lille 1)

- Evolution, (Maîtrise de Biologie des Populations et des Ecosystemes, Lille 1)

- Molecular ecology, (BSc, Université Laval)

- Molecular biology, (BSc,Université Laval)

- Module "Analyse des données en génétique des populations, MNHN, Paris." ()

Research Interests

The signature of natural selection on genes controlling adaptive traits and their genomic environment

Identifying functionally important genetic variation in natural populations is crucial to understand and predict how populations can adapt to their environment. Yet, very few studies have focused on distinguishing neutral from functionally important variation. I am using model species to assess the functional significance of natural genetic variation by characterizing the molecular signature of natural selection on genes known or believed to be involved in adaptive traits.

1. Genomic effects of frequency-dependent selection on the self-incompatibility locus in the genus Arabidopsis.

The self-incompatibility locus (S-locus) controls the mating system of many plants by preventing fertilization between plants expressing the same alleles at this locus. This system leads to strong frequency-dependent selection on the S-locus. I am using natural variation in species from the genus Arabidopsis to determine the extent to which genetic variation at this locus can be explained by simple theoretical models based on the relatively fine understanding of this system's genetic and physiological features

- Identification of the targets of natural selection along S-alleles sequences (collaboration X. Vekemans & D. Charlesworth)

- Analysis of trans-specific polymorphism at the S-locus in the genus Arabidopsis (collaboration M. Schierup & X. Vekemans)

- Development of theoretical predictions based on sporophytic self-incompatibility systems (collaboration S. Billiard & X. Vekemans)

- Analysis of the geographic structure of genetic diversity at the S-locus in A. halleri and comparison with a set of neutral markers

- Analysis of sequence diversity among functionally equivalent S-alleles

- Characterization of sequence diversity of the genomic tracts surrounding the S-locus (genetic hitchhiking) (collaboration V. Ruggiero, X. Vekemans, D. Charlesworth)

2. Molecular analysis of candidate genes potentially involved in heavy-metal tolerance in A. halleri.

Arabidopsis halleri is one of the very few plants able to tolerate high levels of heavy-metals (Zn, Cd, Pb) such as found in soils polluted by industrial activities. This tolerance is one of the clearest cases of adaptation to a very strong selective pressure. Functional analyses have identified several candidate genes potentially involved in tolerance. QTL mapping approaches have identified several QTL regions associated with tolerance, with several of the candidate genes liing within the QTL region. The aim of this work is therefore to determine whether genetic variation at these candidate genes shows the signature of natural directional variation. (collaboration P. Saumitou-Laprade).

3. Dynamics of genetic diversity in the absence of selection

Genes under selection are obviously also affected by evolutionary forces affecting neutral loci. Assessing the functional significance of genetic variation therefore requires an analysis of the dynamics of neutral diversity. Since my PhD, I have been interested in developing and assessing statistical methods aimed at detecting isolation by distance patterns. (collaboration S. Billiard & J-F. Arnaud).

My past work focused on spatial patterns of genetic diversity in eastern North American populations of the brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis and Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. I showed that the landscape inhabited by a species could shape spatial patterns of genetic diversity differently at large or small geographical scales (Castric et al. 2001, 2002). I showed that isolation by distance patterns were evolving along the most likely route of post-glacial colonization of the brook charr (Castric & Bernatchez 2003) and could be affected by the evolution of the form of dispersal for the species (Hendry et al. 2003, Boula et al. 2002). I finally investigated the usefulness of individual-based methods in population genetics to analyze relatedness patterns among individuals (Belkhir et al. 2002, download the software) and isolation by distance patterns among populations (Castric & Bernatchez 2004). Salmonids are great models to address such questions because 1) they inhabit a wide diversity of landscapes, 2) the last major habitat disturbances they experienced have been relatively well described 3) they exhibit a polymorphism in life-history strategies (anadromy vs. residency) which has consequences on dispersal among populations.