About me
As a canadian, I studied for my Bachelor degree (B.Sc.) in Biochemistry (organic synthesis profile) at the University of Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada) from 2008-2011. From 2012-2018, I worked on my PhD thesis entitled “Chemical and immunological studies of Streptococcus suis capsular polysaccharides” at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Montreal (Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Mariela Segura and of my co-advisors, Dr. Marie-Rose Van Calsteren and Prof. Dr. René Roy. I have secured postdoctoral fellowship awards from the “Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies” and from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, thus allowing me to pursue a postdoctoral fellowship within the research group of Prof. Dr. Bernd Lepenies, at the Institute for Immunology since 2019.
My Project
My scientific interests lie in glycoimmunology, which is at the interface between biochemistry, immunology, and chemistry, with a particular focus on vaccinology and glycobiology. More specifically, I aim at better understanding the recognition of carbohydrates by the immune system and its subsequent activation, in order to harness their power as vaccine antigens and/or adjuvants for applications in human and veterinary medicine.
Currently, my main project focuses on the N-glycosylation of viral glycoproteins and their impact on immunogenicity.
My Expertise
- Bioconjugation of polysaccharides and proteins
- Liquid chromatography (FPLC, HPLC, SEC-MALS)
- Purification of polysaccharides and proteins
- Preparation, modifications and characterization of bacterial capsular polysaccharides
- Quantification, typing and functional evaluation of antibodies
- Opsonophagocytosis assays
- Experiments with the mouse model
- Cell culture
- Cloning and transfection of mammalian cells
- Confocal microscopy
- ELISA and Immunoblotting
- Flow cytometry analysis and cell sorting
Selected Publications
- S-Layer from Lactobacillus brevis modulates antigen-presenting cell functions via the Mincle-Syk-Card9 axis
Prado Acosta, M., G. Goyette-Desjardins, J. Scheffel, A. Dudeck, J. Ruland, and B. Lepenies.. Frontiers in Immunology, 12: 602067, 2021.
- Impact of protein glycosylation on the design of viral vaccines
Schön, K., B. Lepenies, and G. Goyette-Desjardins. In: Advances in Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2020_132. 2020.
- Immunogenicity testing of purified capsular polysaccharides from Streptococcus suis serotypes 3, 7, 8 and 9: the serotype 3 polysaccharide induces an opsonizing IgG response
Goyette-Desjardins, G., J.-P. Auger, D. Dolbec, M.-R. Van Calsteren, M. Gottschalk, and M. Segura.. Infection and Immunity, 88(10):e00377-00320, 2020.
- Characterization and protective activity of monoclonal antibodies directed against Streptococcus suis serotype 2 capsular polysaccharide obtained using a glycoconjugate
Goyette-Desjardins, G., S. Lacouture, J.-P. Auger, R. Roy, M. Gottschalk, and M. Segura.. Pathogens, 8 (3): 139, 2019.
- Structure determination of Streptococcus suis serotypes 7 and 8 capsular polysaccharides and assignment of functions of the cps locus genes involved in their biosynthesis
Goyette-Desjardins, G., E. Vinogradov, M. Okura, D. Takamatsu, M. Gottschalk, and M. Segura.. Carbohydrate Research, 473: 36-45, 2019.
- A platform for glycoengineering a polyvalent pneumococcal bioconjugate vaccine using E. coli as a host
Harding, C. M., M. A. Nasr, N. E. Scott, G. Goyette-Desjardins, H. Nothaft, A. E. Mayer, S. Chavez, J. P. Huynh, R. L. Kinsella, C. M. Szymanski, C. L. Stallings, M. Segura, and M. F. Feldman. Nature Communications, 10(1):891, 2019.
- Streptococcus suis serotype 3 and serotype 18 capsular polysaccharides contain di-N-acetyl-bacillosamine
Goyette-Desjardins, G., E. Vinogradov, M. Okura, D. Takamatsu, M. Gottschalk, and M. Segura. Carbohydrate Research, 466: 18-29, 2018.
- Protection against Streptococcus suis serotype 2 infection using a capsular polysaccharide glycoconjugate vaccine
Goyette-Desjardins, G., C. Calzas, T.C. Shiao, A. Neubauer, J. Kempker, R. Roy, M. Gottschalk, and M. Segura.. Infection and Immunity, 84(7): 2059-2075, 2016.
- Glycoengineered outer membrane vesicles (geOMVs): a novel platform for bacterial vesicles vaccines
Price, N. L., G. Goyette-Desjardins, H. Nothaft, E. Valguarnera, C. Szymanski, M. Segura, and M. F. Feldman.. Scientific Reports, 6: 24931, 2016.
- Chapter 6 - Murine whole-blood opsonophagocytosis assay to evaluate protection by antibodies raised against encapsulated extracellular bacteria
Goyette-Desjardins, G., R. Roy, and M. Segura.. In: Methods in Molecular Biology – Carbohydrate-Based Vaccines: Methods and Protocols. B. Lepenies (Ed). Springer, New York, NY, USA. 2015.
- Streptococcus suis, an important pig pathogen and emerging zoonotic agent – An update on the worldwide distribution based on serotyping and sequence typing
Goyette-Desjardins, G.$, J.-P. Auger$, J. Xu, M. Segura, and M. Gottschalk.. Emerging Microbes & Infections, 3(6), e45, 2014.
