Prof. Dr. Jean-Michel Rigo 

Diplomas

1986 Graduate in Biology 
1994 PhD in Biology (Experimental Biomedical Sciences) 


Career

1988-1996 Assistantship in the laboratory of human physiology (Prof. Moonen) at the university of Liège 
1996-2004 Tenure track at the university of Liège (laboratory of human physiology, center for cellular and molecular neurosciences and department of pre-clinical sciences) 
2004-... Professorship at UHasselt 


Teaching

1988-2002 general physiology, human physiology (assistant) 
2002-2004 learning techniques, practical informatics for bioscientists 
2004-... neurophysiology 


Research topics

Apoptotic signals to cultured developing and adult neurons 
Glia-neuron interactions 
Developing signals to neural stem and progenitor cells 
Physiology and pharmacology of inhibitory synapses (ligand-gated channels: type A GABA receptors and glycine receptors) 


Current topics

The embryonic glycine receptor (alpha2-containing subunits): physiology, aggregation properties, role in the developing brain 
Co-promoter of the work by Roeland 


Main techniques

Cell biology 
Cell culture 
Electrophysiology (including molecular patch-clamping) 


Publications from the last 5 years (1999-2003)

1999 
Malgrange,B., Rigo,J.-M., Van De Water,T.R., Staecker,H., Moonen,G. and Lefebvre,P.P., Growth factor therapy to the damaged inner ear : clinical prospects, International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 49 (1999) S19-S25 
Princen,F., Robe,P., Lechanteur,C., Mesnil,M., Rigo,J.-M., Gielen,J., Merville,M.P. and Bours,V., A cell type-specific and gap junction-independent mechanism for the herpes simplex virus-1 thymidine kinase gene/ganciclovir- mediated bystander effect, Clinical Cancer Research, 5 (1999) 3639-3644. 
2000 
Belachew,S., Malgrange,B., Rigo,J.-M., Rogister,B., Hans,G., Nguyen,L. and Moonen,G., Glycine-triggered intracellular calcium influx in oligodendrocyte progenitor cells is mediated by the activation of both glycine receptor and transporters, European Journal of Neuroscience, 12 (2000) 1924-1930. 
2001 
Nguyen,L., Rigo,J.-M., Rocher,V., Belachew,S., Malgrange,B., Rogister,B., Leprince,P. and Moonen,G., Neurotransmitters as early signals for central nervous system development, Cell and Tissue Research, 305 (2001) 187-202. 
2002 
Hans,G., Moonen,G. and Rigo,J.-M., Modulation of neuronal survival and excitability by an astroglia-derived factor, Journal of Physiology (Paris), 96 (2002) 323-328. 
Malgrange,B., Rigo,J.-M., Coucke,P., Thiry,M., Hans,G., Nguyen,L., Van De Water,T.R., Moonen,G. and Lefebvre,P.P., Identification of factors that maintain mammalian outer hair cells in adult organ of Corti explants, Hearing Research, 170 (2002) 48-58. 
Malgrange,B., Belachew,S., Thiry,M., Nguyen,L., Rogister,B., Alvarez,M.-L., Rigo,J.-M., Van De Water,T.R., Moonen,G. and Lefebvre,P.P., Proliferative generation of mammalian auditory hair cells in culture, Mechanisms of Development, 112 (2002) 79-88. 
Nguyen,L., Malgrange,B., Belachew,S., Rogister,B., Rocher,V., Moonen,G. and Rigo,J.-M., Functional glycine receptors are expressed by postnatal nestin positive neural stem/progenitor cells, European Journal of Neuroscience, 15 (2002) 1299-1305. 
Rigo,J.-M., Hans,G., Nguyen,L., Rocher,V., Belachew,S., Malgrange,B., Leprince,P., Moonen,G., Selak,I., Matagne,A. and Klitgaard,H., The antiepileptic drug levetiracetam reverses the inhibition by negative allosteric modulators of neuronal GABA- and glycine-gated currents, British Journal of Pharmacology, 136 (2002) 659-672. 
2003 
Lallemend,F., Lefebvre,P.P., Hans,G., Rigo,J.-M., Van De Water,T.R., Moonen,G. and Malgrange,B., Substance P protects spiral ganglion neurons from apoptosis via PKC-Ca2+-MAPK/ERK pathways, Journal of Neurochemistry,87 (2003) 508-521. 
Mangin,J.-M., Baloul,M., Prado da Carvalho,L., Rogister,B., Rigo,J.-M. and Legendre,P., Kinetics properties of the alpha2 homo-oligomeric glycine receptor impairs a proper synaptic functioning, Journal of Physiology, 553 (2003) 369-386. 
Nguyen,L., Malgrange,B., Breuskin,I., Bettendorf,L., Moonen,G., Belachew,S. and Rigo,J.-M., Autocrine/paracrine activation of the GABAA receptor inhibits the proliferation of neurogenic PSA-NCAM+ precursor cells from postnatal striatum, Journal of Neuroscience, 23 (2003) 3278-3294. 
Nguyen,L., Rigo,J.-M., Malgrange,B., Moonen,G. and Belachew,S., Untangling the functional potential of PSA-NCAM-expressing cells in CNS development and brain repair strategies, Current Medicine Chemistry, 10 (2003) 2185-2196. 
Nguyen,L., Malgrange,B., Rocher,V., Hans,G., Moonen,G., Rigo,J.-M. and Belachew,S., Chemical inhibitors of cycling-dependent kinases control proliferation, apoptosis and differentiation of oligodendroglial cells, Int. J. Dev. Neurosci., 21 (2003) 321-326. 
Rigo,J.-M., Badiu,C.I. and Legendre,P., Heterogeneity of postsynaptic receptor occupancy fluctuations among glycinergic inhibitory synapses, Journal of Physiology, 553 (2003) 819-832. 
2004 
Nguyen,L., Malgrange,B., breuskin,I., Lallemend,F., Hans,G., Moonen,G., Belachew,S. and Rigo,J.-M., Striatal PSA-NCAM+ precursor cells from newborn rat express functional strychnine-sensitive glycine receptors, Neuroreport, (2004) in press.