Team Patrice MOLLARD
Networks and rhythms in endocrine glands
Our team’s research focuses on a fundamental question in physiology: ‘How is the production and release of peptide hormones from the hypothalamic-pituitary axis controlled? To this end, we have carried out a multidisciplinary in vivo approach using animal models to explore the integration of cell signals hypothalamic neurons (neuroendocrine and hypothalamic central clock) and pituitary endocrine cells, and their relationship with the microcirculation in physiology/pathology.
Our strategy is based on the development/adaptation of in vivo cell imaging and cell-specific manipulation techniques, combined with new hormone assays and electrophysiology and functional studies in genetically modified animal models expressing fluorescent proteins/ opsins, and appropriate analysis and modelling tools.

Hypothalamus-pituitary system
IGF Nord 015a
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1989PhD - Physiology - University of Bordeaux 2 - France
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19823rd Cycle Doctorate - Biomembranes - University of Poitiers - France
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2023-Exceptional Class Research Director (DRCE) at CNRS
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2005-Head of the "Networks and Rhythms in Endocrine Glands" team - Institute of Functional Genomics (IGF) - Montpellier - France
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2014-2020Director, Department of Physiology - IGF
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2005-Scientific head of the IPAM in vivo imaging platform
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2005-2013Director, Department of Endocrinology - IGF
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1993-1994FOGARTY-NIH/CNRS sabbatical fellowship
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1991NATO sabbatical fellowship
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1980-1982PhD fellowship from DGRST, Ministry of Research - France
- I am head of the "Réseaux et Rythmes dans les Glandes Endocrines" team, and director of the Montpellier Small Animal Imaging Facility (IPAM), a Biocampus platform in Montpellier.
- A pioneer in the description of the organization of large-scale functional networks of pituitary endocrine cells, I have developed approaches for in vivo cell imaging, including micro lens imaging (GRIN) in awake mice.
- As an internationally recognized expert in in vivo imaging, a member of the Montpellier “MARS” node of the ANR-PIA France-Bioimagerie and coordinator or participant in several ANR-supported and large-scale projects (e.g. Fondation Leducq), I have a wide range of established collaborations, notably with clinicians (F. Castinetti, Marseille; M. Dattani, London) and experts in epigenetics (J. Drouin, Montreal) and genetic manipulation (U. Boehm, Homburg).
- I am internationally recognized (>50 invited/keynote lectures in the last ten years). More than 10 years ago, I also initiated a series of international “brainstorming” meetings with world leaders in pituitary physiology and clinic, pituitary development, techniques and modellers, who meet annually to present their unpublished data and discuss future experiments/projects (5 meetings near Montpellier (the last in September 2022), 4 near Montreal, 2 in Oxford/Edinburgh, 1 in Ann Harbor, Michigan, 1 in Jerez, Spain).
- I was a member of the steering committee (ASCM) of the Endocrinology Society annual meetings (US ) from 2015 to 2017 and led the Neuroendocrinology/hypophysis ASCM team in selecting 7 symposia/annual meetings.
IGF Sud 001
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2012Habilitation to Supervise Research - University of Montpellier - France
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2000PhD - Neurobiology - University of Montpellier - France
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2003-CNRS Researcher - Institute of Functional Genomics - Montpellier - France
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2000-2003Postdoctoral fellow - Erasmus Universiteit - Rotterdam - Netherlands
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1996-2000Thesis - CNRS INSERM Center for Pharmacology-Endocrinology - Montpellier - France
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2020-Co-manager of lectures in Neuroendocrinology Master 2 - Univ. Montpellier
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2013-2018Scientific Board of French Society of Neuroendocrinology
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2011-2015ANR grant, Young Researcher
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2009-Committee on Animal Research and Ethics
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2009-2018Scientific Board of French Society of Chronobiology
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2008-2013Scientific Manager of the Animal Facility at IGF-IGH - Montpellier
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2005Marc Herlant Prize (Belgium)
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2004-2006Marie Sklodowska Curie European Reintegration Grant
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2001-2003Marie Sklodowska Curie Individual Fellowship
- Neurosciences & Physiology
- Chronobiology, Neuroendocrinology
IGF Sud 001
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IGF Nord 014f
IGF Sud 001
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IGF Sud 001
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IGF Sud 225
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2006Higher Technician Certificate- Industrial Science and Technology
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2021-Assistant Engineer - Institute of Functional Genomics (IGF) - Montpellier - France
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2016-2021Assistant Engineer - Montpellier Infectious Diseases Research Institute (IRIM) - Montpellier - France
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2014-2015Hospital Service Officer (ASH) - Montpellier - France
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2014Senior Laboratory Technician - Baillargues - France
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2012-2013Technician - IFREMER - Montpellier - France
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2011-2012Technician - Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (ISEM) - Montpellier - France
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2007-2011Assistant Engineer - Institute of Functional Genomics (IGF) - Montpellier - France
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2007Technician - Structural Biology Centre (CBS) - Montpellier - France
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2006-2007Assistant Engineer - Institute of Molecular Genetics (IGMM) - Montpellier - France
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2009-2011Manager of the paraffin-embedding apparatus for histological samples - Institute of Functional Genomics - Montpellier
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IGF Sud 001
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2025Doctorate - Neuroscience - University of Montpellier - France
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2025Master's Degree - Experimental and Regenerative Medicine - University of Montpellier - France
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2024University Diploma - Biology, Ecology, and Evolution - University of Montpellier - France
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2023Bachelor's Degree - Animal Physiology and Neuroscience - University of Montpellier - France
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2025- Internship (6 months) - MARine Biodiversity, Exploitation & Conservation (MARBEC) - Montpellier - France
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2024- Internship (4 months) - Institute of Functional Genomics (IGF) - Montpellier - France
- Main techniques mastered
- - Molecular biology: PCR, qPCR, protein assays
- - Histology: microtome, staining, immunohistochemistry
- - Behavior
- Data analysis
- - GraphPad Prism
- - R
- - Image J
- - Excel
IGF Sud 001
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IGF Nord 001
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2025-PhD - Neuroscience - Doctoral School ED168 CBS2 - University of Montpellier - France
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2018-2025Master's Degree - Biology and Health - Neuroscience - University of Montpellier - France
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2018-2024State Midwifery Diploma - University of Montpellier - France
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2025-Ph.D (Supervisor: X. Bonnefont) - Networks and rhythms in endocrine glands - Institute of Functional Genomics - Montpellier - France
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2025Master's 2 Internship - François Team (4 months) - Neural networks of affective and social touch - Institute of Functional Genomics - Montpellier - France
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2025Independent midwife - Gard - France
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2024Master's 1 internship - Jeanneteau team (1 month) - Stress, hormones and plasticity - Institute of Functional Genomics - Montpellier - France
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2024Midwife - Polyclinic Grand Sud Nîmes - France
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2023-2025Midwife - Alès Hospital Centre - France
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2018-2020Tutor in reproductive biology and foeto-placental unit - University of Montpellier - France
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2025-Doctoral scholarship from the ED168 CBS2 Doctoral School (Ranking 5/68)
- I am a midwife pursuing a PhD in neuroscience. The subject of my thesis is the plasticity of the maternal circadian clock.
- Main techniques mastered:
- Molecular biology: DNA extraction, qPCR, immunohistochemistry
- Imaging: epifluorescence microscopy
- Vibratome
- Data analysis:
- Image J
- GraphPad Prism
- Guillou A, Kemkem Y, Lafont C, Fontanaud P, Calebiro D, Campos P, Bonnefont X, Fiordelisio-Coll T, Wang Y, Brûlé E, Bernard DJ, Le Tissier P, Steyn F,Mollard P. TSH Pulses Finely Tune Thyroid Hormone Release and TSH Receptor Transduction. Endocrinology. 2023 Nov 20;165(1):bqad164. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqad164.PMID: 37934802
- El Cheikh Hussein L, Fontanaud P,Mollard P, Bonnefont X. Nested calcium dynamics support daily cell unity and diversity in the suprachiasmatic nuclei of free-behaving mice. PNAS Nexus. 2022 Jul 11;1(3):pgac112. doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac112. eCollection 2022 Jul.PMID: 36741435
- Romanò N, Lafont C, Campos P, Guillou A, Fiordelisio T, Hodson DJ,Mollard P, Schaeffer M. Median eminence blood flow influences food intake by regulating ghrelin access to the metabolic brain. JCI Insight. 2023 Feb 8;8(3):e165763. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.165763.PMID: 36574295
- Golan M, Boulanger-Weill J, Pinot A, Fontanaud P, Faucherre A, Gajbhiye DS, Hollander-Cohen L, Fiordelisio-Coll T, Martin AO,Mollard P. Synaptic communication mediates the assembly of a self-organizing circuit that controls reproduction. Sci Adv. 2021 Feb 19;7(8):eabc8475. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abc8475. Print 2021 Feb.PMID: 33608269
- Hoa O, Lafont C, Fontanaud P, Guillou A, Kemkem Y, Kineman RD, Luque RM, Fiordelisio Coll T, Le Tissier P,Mollard P. Imaging and Manipulating Pituitary Function in the Awake Mouse. Endocrinology. 2019 Oct 1;160(10):2271-2281. doi: 10.1210/en.2019-00297.PMID: 31329247
- El Cheikh Hussein L,Mollard P, Bonnefont X. Molecular and Cellular Networks in The Suprachiasmatic Nuclei. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Apr 25;20(8):2052. doi: 10.3390/ijms20082052.PMID: 31027315
- Yip SH, Romanò N, Gustafson P, Hodson DJ, Williams EJ, Kokay IC, Martin AO,Mollard P, Grattan DR, Bunn SJ. Elevated Prolactin during Pregnancy Drives a Phenotypic Switch in Mouse Hypothalamic Dopaminergic Neurons. Cell Rep. 2019 Feb 12;26(7):1787-1799.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.01.067.PMID: 30759390
- Abitbol K, Debiesse S, Molino F, Mesirca P, Bidaud I, Minami Y, Mangoni ME, Yagita K,Mollard P, Bonnefont X. Clock-dependent and system-driven oscillators interact in the suprachiasmatic nuclei to pace mammalian circadian rhythms. PLoS One. 2017 Oct 23;12(10):e0187001. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187001. eCollection 2017.PMID: 29059248
- Romanò N, Guillou A, Hodson DJ, Martin AO,Mollard P. Multiple-scale neuroendocrine signals connect brain and pituitary hormone rhythms. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Feb 28;114(9):2379-2382. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1616864114. Epub 2017 Feb 13.PMID: 28193889
- Le Tissier P, Campos P, Lafont C, Romanò N, Hodson DJ,Mollard P. An updated view of hypothalamic-vascular-pituitary unit function and plasticity. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2017 May;13(5):257-267. doi: 10.1038/nrendo.2016.193. Epub 2016 Dec 9.PMID: 27934864

Pituitary cell networks: function and pathologies
Principal investigator
Patrice MOLLARD

Circadian clock versatility in health and disease
Principal investigator
Xavier BONNEFONT

Control of Prolactin secretion by tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons of the arcuate nucleus
Principal investigator
Agnès O. MARTIN


