La méthylation de l’ADN et les modifications post-traductionnelles des histones sont desmodifications épigénétiques qui interviennent dans la régulation des éléments transposables(ET) chez de nombreuses espèces. La proportion des ET dans les génomes varie selon lesespèces considérées et pose la question des mécanismes de régulation de ces ET. Au sein del’espèce Drosophila simulans, les populations naturelles présentent un polymorphisme uniquedans le nombre de copies des ET, ce qui en fait un excellent modèle pour étudier cettequestion. L’étude de la méthylation d’ADN et des modifications post-traductionnelles deshistones associées au rétrotransposon à LTR tirant dans la lignée germinale des populationsnaturelles a permis de montrer l’influence d’une copie d’ET sur la structure de la chromatineau site d’insertion. Dans un second volet, nous avons cherché à caractériser la méthylation del’ADN chez la drosophile, chez laquelle la fonction est encore mal connue. Nous avons, pardes approches spécifiques et globales, mesuré l’abondance de cette marque épigénétique chezla drosophile. Nous concluons que les taux de méthylation de l’ADN sont très faibles maisvariables entre espèces. Notre travail n’a pas permis de mettre en évidence un rôle de laméthylation de l’ADN dans le contrôle des ET, toutefois, nous ne pouvons pas exclure cesystème de régulation. / Epigenetic modifications such as DNA methylation and post-translational histonemodifications are involved in transposable elements (TE) silencing in many species. Theirrelative abundance in genomes ask the question of differences in regulation mecanismbetween species. Within the Drosophila simulans species, natural populations exibits a uniquepolymorphism in TE copy number, providing a powerfull tool for the analysis of TEregulation in population from the same specie. We analyzed DNA methylation and posttranslationalhistone modifications associated with the LTR retrotransposon tirant in thegermline of natural populations and report the influence of this element on chromatinestructure. DNA methylation is a wide-conserved epigenetic modification involved in generegulation and TE silencing but its function in drosophila remains missunderstood. Usingdifferent methods, we determined the abundance of methylated cytosines in drosophila, andshowed that methylation level are low and variable between species. Our results show lowevidence for a TE regulation system involving DNA methylation but this cannot be so farexcluded.

Les protéines membranaires représentent environ le tiers des gènes dans les différents génomes séquencés. La prépondérance de ce type de protéines en terme de cibles thérapeutiques (50 % des médicaments) ainsi que leur implication dans beaucoup de phénomènes cellulaires tel que la transduction d'énergie, le transport de nutriments et la signalisation reflètent leur importance. Les interactions entre protéines membranaires jouent un rôle primordial dans leur structure, leurs fonctions et leur assemblage en complexes. La fonction de la plupart des protéines membranaires est liée à l'assemblage de leurs segments transmembranaires TMs dans la bicouche lipidique. Les segments TMs sont des morceaux de séquences majoritairement hydrophobes d'environ 20 résidus adoptant une structure en hélice alpha. En fait, les interactions entre hélices TMs sont essentielles pour le repliement des protéines membranaires et leur organisation dans la membrane. Pour cette raison, des interactions qualitatives entre domaines TMs de différentes protéines bitopiques ont été caractérisé en utilisant le système du double hybride bactérien (BACTH) basé sur une complémentation protéique de type adénylate cyclase. Ce système a révélé des interactions homo- et hétérologues entre des domaines TMs appartenant à deux familles de récepteurs humains, la famille des récepteurs du facteur de croissance épidermique à activité tyrosine kinase (EGFRs) et les Neuropilines. / Many cellular and biochemical processes/activities are actually carried out by the complexome, which is defined as a set of protein complexes. Identification and characterization of the complexome are essential for a comprehensive understanding and global visioning of cell functions since protein-protein interactions are the core of an entire interactomics system of any living cell. Membrane proteins make up to 30% of proteomes in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. They form a major class of proteins that are essentially involved in vital processes including bioenergetics, signal transduction, cell adhesion, catalysis and so on. Thus, they also represent more than 50% of all currently available drug targets. The function of most membrane proteins is inextricably linked to the proper packing and assembly of their transmembrane (TM) segments in the lipid bilayer. So, deciphering the contribution of TM domains interaction in the assembly of protein complexes will help to understand the dynamic assembly of membrane proteins complexes which are most important in cell signaling. For this reason, qualitative interactions between the TM domains of different bitopic proteins have been characterized using the bacterial adenylate cyclase complementation assay (BACTH). This system has been successfully adapted in the lab to study the homo- and heteromeric associations of selected TM sequences, using well characterized interactions as controls. Moreover, BACTH has revealed TM interactions of two major classes of mammalian membrane receptors, the family of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) which belongs to receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) superfamily and the neuropilins.

Esta tesis doctoral tiene por objeto el estudio de la aplicabilidad de los cultivos celulares de mamífero como uso de métodos toxicológicos alternativo al uso de métodos establecidos con animales de experimentación en la detección y cuantificación de toxinas marinas responsables de intoxicaciones alimentarias. Incluye cuatro artículos ya publicados y un manuscrito sometido a publicación en revista indexada. Hasta el momento, el uso de los ensayos celulares (Cell Based Assays, CBAs) como métodos toxicológicos de detección y cuantificación de toxinas marinas en alimentos de origen alimentario se había enfocado por grupos de toxinas con mecanismo de acción similar. En esta tesis, lo que se ha propuesto es simplificar la estrategia de uso de los CBAs mediante un único modelo celular capaz de detectar y cuantificar el efecto tóxico del mayor número de grupos de toxinas partiendo de las siguientes prioridades:  Sensibilidad y repetitividad de respuesta del/os ensayo/s a la detección de la toxicidad teniendo en cuenta los mecanismos de toxicidad implicados.  Reducción del tiempo, complejidad y costes del método.  Interpretación de los resultados.  Priorización de la puesta a punto del método para aquellas toxinas que tienen un mayor impacto en las zonas de muestreo de este estudio. Los pasos seguidos en la optimización se han dividido en dos grandes bloques: Un primer bloque en el que se trabajó con toxinas purificadas estándar a fin de establecer las condiciones de los ensayos para la detección y cuantificación de las toxinas, así como contribuir a la caracterización toxicológica de las diferentes toxinas. Un segundo bloque, en el que se trabajó con muestras naturales con toxinas a fin de establecer las condiciones en situaciones reales. Para evaluar la respuesta del CBA frente a toxinas purificadas se escogieron toxinas representativas de los grupos más comunes. Para el primer grupo de ensayos (Cañete and Diogène, 2008) se utilizó: STX, PbTx-3, PlTX, PTX-2, OA, DTX-1, DA. Para el segundo grupo de ensayos (Cañete and Diogène, 2010) se amplíaron los estudios a toxinas actuando sobre canales de sodio dependientes de voltaje (STX, PbTx-3 y P-CTX) y a toxinas lipofílicas (OA, DTX-1, PTX-2, YTX y AZA-1). Para evaluar la respuesta del CBA frente a muestras naturales con toxinas (Caillaud et al., 2009; Cañete et al., 2010; Cañete et al.) se utilizaron muestras de bivalvos procedentes del Delta del Ebro. Por su elevada importancia en el área geográfica en la que nos encontramos, este trabajo se centró en la optimización del CBA para toxinas del tipo lipofílico. En este trabajo se proponen como conclusiones unas directrices a seguir para el uso de CBAs en este contexto. PUBLICACIONES Caillaud, A., Cañete, E., De la Iglesia, P., Giménez, G., Diogène, J., 2009. Cell-based assay coupled with chromatographic fractioning: A strategy for marine toxins detection in natural samples. Toxicology in Vitro 23 (8), 1591-1596. Cañete, E., Campàs, M., De la Iglesia, P., Diogène, J., 2010. NG108-15 cell-based and protein phosphatase inhibition assays as alternative semiquantitative tools for the screening of lipophilic toxins in mussels. Okadaic acid detection. Toxicology in Vitro 24 (2), 611-619. Cañete, E., De la Iglesia, P., Diogène, J., Evaluation of a toxicological alternative tool for lipophilic toxicity screening in mussels. NG108-15 cell-based assay coupled to chromatographic fractioning; a case study for YTX contamination. Toxicology in Vitro. Submitted. Cañete, E., Diogène, J., 2008. Comparative study of the use of neuroblastoma cells (Neuro-2a) and neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cells (NG108-15) for the toxic effect quantification of marine toxins. Toxicon 52 (4), 541-550. Cañete, E., Diogène, J., 2010. Improvements in the use of neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cells (NG108-15) for the toxic effect quantification of marine toxins. Toxicon 55 (2-3), 381-389. / ABSTRACT This thesis aims to study the applicability of mammalian cell cultures as a toxicological alternative to the mouse bioassay in the detection and quantification of marine toxins which can produce food-borne intoxications. The study includes four published articles, and a manuscript submitted, in indexed journals. On previous studies, the use of Cell Based Assays (CBAs) as a toxicological method for marine toxins screening on seafood products were focused on toxins with similar mechanism of action. This thesis was oriented to simplify the strategy and propose a CBA, with a single cell model, able to detect and quantify the toxic effect of a higher number of groups of toxins. The following priorities were considered for the assay:  Sensitivity and repeatability of the assay for the detection of the toxic effects taking into considerations the mechanisms of action involved.  Reduce time, complexity and costs of the method.  Interpretation of results.  Prioritize improvements of assay conditions for those toxins which have a greater impact on the sampling areas of this study. The experiments performed in the optimization can be divided into two main groups: The first group of experiments were performed with standard purified toxins to establish assays conditions for the detection and quantification of toxicity and to contribute to the toxicological characterization of the different groups of toxins. For this propose some toxins were chosen as a representation of the principal groups. For the first set of tests, the following toxins were used: STX, PbTx-3, PlTX, PTX-2, OA, DTX-1 and DA. For the second group of tests, studies were extended to toxins acting on voltage gated sodium channels (STX, PbTx-3 and P-CTX) and lipophilic toxins (OA, DTX-1, PTX-2, YTX and AZA-1). A second group of experiments were performed with bivalve natural samples containing toxins to establish the conditions in real situations. For this propose samples were obtained from the Ebre Delta. This part of the study was focused to optimize the assay for lipophilic toxins which are of particular relevance in this geographical area. In this thesis we finally propose some guidelines for the use of CBAs as a toxicological tool for marine toxins screening and the points which needs improvements in order to obtain a method alternative to the mouse bioassay.

Lesioned axons do not regenerate in the adult mammalian central nervous system, owing to the overexpression of inhibitory molecules such as myelin-derived proteins or chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans. In order to overcome axon inhibition, strategies based on extrinsic and intrinsic treatments have been developed. For myelin-associated inhibition, blockage with NEP1-40, receptor bodies or IN-1 antibodies has been used. In addition, endogenous blockage of cell signalling mechanisms induced by myelin-associated proteins is a potential tool for overcoming axon inhibitory signals. We examined the participation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3beta) and ERK1/2 in axon regeneration failure in lesioned cortical neurons. We also investigated whether pharmacological blockage of GSK3beta and ERK1/2 activities facilitates regeneration after myelin-directed inhibition in two models: i) cerebellar granule cells and ii) lesioned entorhino-hippocampal pathway in slice cultures, and whether the regenerative effects are mediated by Nogo Receptor 1 (NgR1). We demonstrate that, in contrast to ERK1/2 inhibition, the pharmacological treatment of GSK3beta inhibition strongly facilitated regrowth of cerebellar granule neurons over myelin independently of NgR1. Lastly these regenerative effects were corroborated in the lesioned EHP in NgR1 -/- mutant mice. These results provide new findings for the development of new assays and strategies to enhance axon regeneration in injured cortical connections. On the other hand, and focused in the OMgp, by using recording electrophysiological nano-devices we found that, OMgp has a role in synaptic transmission, since it can induce excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) in cultured hippocampal neurons.

El ácido 2-hidroxioleico (2OHOA) es un fármaco antitumoral diseñado para regular la estructura y composición de los lípidos de membrana y la función de importantes proteínas de membrana. El objetivo principal de este trabajo fue estudiar cómo el 2OHOA modula la composición lipídica y la estructura de membrana en las células tumorales. Se observó que el 2OHOA indujo profundas alteraciones en el contenido de fosfolípidos, aumentando el contenido de esfingomielina y disminuyendo el contenido de fosfatidiletanolamina y fosfatidilcolina. Este efecto fue específico contra las células cancerosas, ya que el tratamiento no afectó la composición lipídica de las células no tumorales MRC-5 de fibroblastos humanos. El aumento de SM se debió a una activación rápida y específica de las SM sintasas. Como consecuencia de la activación sostenida de la SMS, todo el metabolismo de los esfingolípidos se vio afectado. Finalmente, se evaluó el impacto de todos estos cambios sobre las propiedades biofísicas de membrana mediante espectroscopia de fluorescencia / 2-Hydroxyoleic acid (2OHOA) is a potent antitumor drug that was designed to regulate membrane lipid composition and structure and the function of important membrane proteins. The main goal of this work was to study how 2OHOA modulates the membrane lipid composition and structure of tumor cells. 2OHOA induced dramatic alterations in phospholipid content, increasing sphingomyelin mass, and decreasing phosphatidyl-ethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine. This effect was specific against cancer cells as it did not affect non-tumor MRC-5 cells. The increased SM mass was due to a rapid and highly specific activation of SM synthases. As a consequence of the sustained activation of SMS, the whole sphingolipid metabolism was affected. Then, the impact of all these changes on membrane biophysical properties was evaluated by fluorescence spectroscopy

En esta tesis se estudian los efectos farmacológicos de derivados lipídicos frente el glioma y el Alzheimer. Los beneficios de este tipo de fármacos, basados en la terapia lipídica de membrana, están asociados con la modulación de la composición y las propiedades fisicoquímicas de membrana. En concreto, el ácido 2-hidroxioleico (2OHOA) es un potente fármaco antitumoral que fue diseñado para regular la composición y la estructura de la membrana lipídica así como la función de importantes proteínas de membrana. Por otro lado, el ácido 2-hidroxiaraquidónico (2OHARA), el ácido 2-hidroxieicosapentaenóico (2OHEPA), y el ácido 2-hidroxidocosahexanóico (2OHDHA) son derivados lipídicos hidroxilados que fueron diseñados en nuestro grupo de investigación para el tratamiento del Alzheimer. Este trabajo se ha basado en el estudio del funcionamiento de estos derivados de ácidos grasos hidroxilados en la modulación de las vías de señalización de la UPR (respuesta a las proteínas mal plegadas) y de la autofagia en células de glioma y células neuronales. / In this thesis, the pharmacological effects of lipid derivatives against glioma and Alzheimer's Disease are studied. The benefits of this type of drugs, which are based on the lipid membrane therapy, are associated with the modulation of the composition and physicochemical properties of membranes. 2-Hydroxyoleic acid (2OHOA) is a potent antitumor drug designed to regulate membrane lipid composition and structure and the function of important membrane proteins. In addition, 2- hydroxyarachidonic acid (2OHARA; LP204A1), 2-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (2OHEPA; LP205A1), and 2-hydroxydocosahexanoic acid (2OHDHA; LP226A1) are new hydroxy derivated lipids designed in our group for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. The main goal of this work was to study how these synthetic hydroxy derivates modulate the unfolded protein response and the autophagy pathways in glioma cells and neuron-like cells for Alzheimer’s Disease.

La apigenina (4', 5, 7 trihidroxiflavona), flavonoide presente en distintos vegetales, tiene numerosas características saludables por las cuales elegimos un derivado hidrosoluble, la apigenina potásica, para el presente estudio.Hemos estudiado su actividad frente a la inflamación aguda, al cáncer de próstata y a los daños causados por las radiaciones, tanto ionizantes como no ionizantes (radiación UV), utilizando diversas técnicas, tanto in vitro como en modelos in vivo. Este flavonoide demostró actividad antiinflamatoria, reduciendo la inflamación hasta un 78%. Asimismo, la apigenina potásica mostró actividad quimiopreventiva frente al cáncer de próstata, al reducir la viabilidad y la migración e inducir apoptosis in vitro, y aumentar la supervivencia de animales con tumores. Además, la apigenina potásica presentó efecto geno- y citoprotector frente a la radiación ionizante (radiación γ y X), con un factor de protección de un 27-35 % en linfocitos humanos, y de un 50-86 % en dos líneas celulares de próstata. Por último, el flavonoide ha demostrado proteger frente al fotoenvejecimiento causado por la radiación UV, reduciendo la displasia epitelial y la elastosis dérmica, dos marcadores de cáncer cutáneo; además, ha sido posible detectar la apigenina en diversos tejidos, entre ellos el cerebro. / Apigenin (4', 5, 7 trihidroxyflavone), a flavonoid present in different plants, shows some healthy characteristics for which a water soluble derivated, potassium apigenin, was chosen for this study.It has been studied the activity of potassium apigenin against acute inflammation, prostate cancer and the effect of ionising and non-ionising (UV) radiations, using different techniques, both in vitro and in vivo models.This flavonoid showed anti-inflammatory effects, inhibiting the inflammation by up to 78%. It also demonstrated chemopreventive activity against prostate cancer, by reducing the cell viability and migration, inducing apoptosis and increasing the animal survival. Moreover, potassium apigenin showed genoprotector and citoprotector effects against ionising radiation (radiation γ and X), with a protection factor of 27-35% in human lymphocytes and of 50-86% in two prostate cell lines. Finally, the flavonoid protected from the photoaging induced by UV radiation, diminishing epithelial dysplasia and dermal elastosis, two markers of skin cancer; furthermore, potassium apigenin was detected in some tissues, brain among them.

Chromosome abnormalities are one of the most important causes of congenital disorders. The main goal of this research is to give a broad view of the use and evolution of prenatal and postnatal cytogenetic diagnosis in Girona province between 1999 and 2009. It also aims at linking prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis with the existing screening methods. The main conclusions are the following: - A rise in the use of cytogenetic diagnosis has been detected. This has been caused by a growing preventive medicine trend. - Case studies match the literature consulted when the study population is similar in accordance with national health policies. - The overall sensitivity of obstetric ultrasound scan was 60,8%, and this result matches, and in many cases exceeds, those found in the literature consulted. - The moving from second-trimester to first-trimester aneuploidy prenatal screening has meant a significant increase in aneuploidy detections. - Prenatal cytogenetic diagnosis appears as an interdisciplinary field in which the extent of prenatal screening tests, like obstetric ultrasound scans and aneuploidy screening, is crucial. / Les anomalies cromosòmiques són una de les causes més importants dels defectes congènits. L’objectiu d’aquest treball és donar una visió global de l’ús i l’evolució del diagnòstic citogenètic prenatal i postnatal a les comarques de Girona en el període 1999-2009 i relacionar el diagnòstic citogenètic prenatal amb els diferents mètodes de cribratge. Les conclusions principals són: - Es constata un augment de l’ús del diagnòstic citogenètic com a resultat d’una tendència creixent en medicina preventiva. - La casuística coincideix amb la bibliografia consultada quan la població d’estudi és semblant, atenent a la política sanitària del país. - La sensibilitat global de l’ecografia obstètrica va ser del 60,8%, i és un resultat concordant i en molts casos millor en comparació amb la literatura consultada. - La substitució del cribratge del segon trimestre pel cribratge del primer trimestre ha suposat un increment important en la detecció d’aneuploïdies. - El diagnòstic citogenètic prenatal es mostra com a una àrea interdisciplinària en què la contribució de les proves de cribratge prenatal com l’ecografia obstètrica i el cribratge d’aneuploïdies són importants.

Exocrine pancreatic cancer is the fifth leading cause of death from malignant disease in Western society and it is one of the most aggressive human tumors. Once diagnosed, the 12-month patient survival is less than 5%. More than 90% of human exocrine tumors are classified as "ductal adenocarcinomas" on the basis of their microscopic appearance. The plasminogen system plays a critical role in intravascular thrombolysis as well as in other biological processes that require cellular migration, such as angiogenesis, inflammatory reactions, tissue remodelling, and tumor progression. There are two types of plasminogen activators that catalyze plasmin generation from plasminogen: tissue-type (tPA) and urokinase-type (uPA). Activation of plasminogen to plasmin results in progressive degradation of fibrin and other extracellular matrix components and may also lead to activation of metalloproteases, latent growth factors, and proteolysis of membrane glycoproteins. All these processes may contribute to tumor development and metastasis. There is extensive evidence supporting the notion that the uPA system, including its receptor and plasminogen activator inhibitor PAI-1, can contribute to tumorigenesis in a variety of tissue types but there is less evidence for such a role regarding tPA and annexin A2 (AnxA2), a putative tPA receptor. Previous studies of our group have shown that tPA is commonly expressed in pancreas cancer tissues and cell lines and appears to be selectively associated with the neoplastic phenotype. Using neutralizing antibodies or chemical inhibitors leads to reduced in vitro tumor invasion. Our results support that - in the pancreas - the tPA system plays an important role in tumor development and/or progression whereas the uPA system may play a more dominant role in pancreatitis. More recent studies have shown that tPA stimulates cell proliferation and angiogenesis in exocrine pancreatic tumors. These results allow new approaches to improve the treatment of this disease, but to do so it is necessary to use of mouse models of disease. In attempt to explore the role of tPA and its receptor, annexin A2, in pancreatic tumorigenesis, we have taken advantage of two well established transgenic mouse models: Ela1-TAg (1-127) and Ela1-myc. In these mice, transgenes are targeted to acinar cells using the Elastase-1 enhancer/promoter. We have also analyzed the pancreas of Ela1-CCK2 and MT-TGFa transgenic mice, as models of acinar-ductal transdifferentiation and ductal complex formation. Our results show that expression of tPA is undetectable in the non-neoplastic pancreatic epithelium and in metaplastic ducts and in acinar tumors. By contrast, tPA is overexpressed in neoplastic pancreatic ducts. This pattern expression is in agreement with the results described in humans, indicating that mouse models of pancreatic cancer may be useful for the study of human pathology. On the other hand, AnxA2 is undetectable in acinar tumors but it is detected in the apical membrane of normal and metaplastic duct epithelium. In addition, AnxA2 is strongly expressed in ductal tumor cells where it shows a non-polarized distribution. These results suggest that different molecular events may participate in the activation of tPA and its receptor, AnxA2, in non-neoplastic ducts. In order to analyze the role of tPA in the progression of pancreatic tumors, we mated Ela1-TAg and Ela1-myc transgenic mice to tPA-deficient mice. The proportion of tumors displaying pure acinar differentiation or mixed acinar/ductal components was similar in both mouse strains, indicating that tPA is not required for in acinar-ductal transdifferentiation. However, it was observed an increased survival in hybrid mice Ela1-myc:tPA-/- supporting a critical role for tPA in the progression of pancreatic ductal tumors. To get insight into the mechanism by wich tPA participates in this process we have analyzed factors related to tumor progression: tumors arising in a tPA-/- genetic background show a lesser vessel density and proliferation rate than those arising in wild type mice. These results indicate that tPA could play a role in angiogenesis stimulation and cell proliferation and suggest that the increase in survival observed in Ela1-myc tPA-/- mice could be a consequence of the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and cell proliferation. In addition, we have analyzed the differential gene expression between Ela1-myc and Ela1-myc tPA-/- mice by microarrays. This analysis has led to the identification of related genes with tumor progression and invasion that can be a target for the action of tPA, although more work is necessary to determined their role. Finally, we have studied the direct effects of the expression of tPA in the pancreas, by the generation of two transgenic mice which tPA expression is targeted to acinar cells, using the Elastase-1 enhancer/promoter (Ela1-tPA), or to ductal cells using the Citokeratin 19 promoter (CK19-tPA). The results in Ela1-tPA mice show that overexpression of tPA in acinar cells does not affect normal mouse development. The effects on the pancreas analysed are currently being analyzed in greater detail. Altogether, the data described here support the relevant role of tPA in pancreas cancer progression and indicate that mouse models of pancreatic cancer may be useful for the preclinical evaluation of drugs targeting the tPA system.

La tesi que teniu a les mans recull quatre treballs amb un objectiu comú; determinar si els patògens (virus, bacteris, paràsits.) han exercit pressions selectives sobre els genomes dels seus hostes (com per exemple els humans).Sabent que la detecció de l'empremta de la selecció permet identificar aquelles regions del genoma que han estat rellevants al llarg de l'evolució d'una espècie, ja que a nivell local és la variació funcional qui acaba essent objecte de la selecció, ens hem disposat a estudiar els possibles senyals de selecció en gens relacionats amb la interacció hoste-patògen. En concret, hem analitzat gens que codifiquen per: a) components del sistema immunitari innat i, b) enzims de glicosilació, la majoria dels quals s'inclouen en quatre de les principals rutes biosintètiques de glicans, en diferents poblacions humanes.Com a conclusió principal; ambdós conjunts de gens mostren clars senyals de selecció. A més hem vist que segons el context biològic on és troben certs gens és veuen més afectats per l'acció de la selecció natural. / The present thesis includes four studies with a common objective: determining whether pathogens (virus, bacteria, parasites.) have exerted selective pressures on the genome of their hosts (for example, humans).Detecting signatures of positive selection is a useful tool to identify functionally relevant genomic regions since selection locally shapes the functional variation. Based on this premise, we have studied the possible signatures of selection in genes related to host-pathogen interactions. Specifically, we have analyzed those genes encoding: a) components of the innate immunity response; and ii) glycosylation enzymes most of them involved in four major glycan biosynthesis pathways, in different human populations.The main conclusion obtained from these studies is that both studied gene categories show clear signatures of selection. Moreover, we have determined that according to their biological context certain genes are more prone to the action of selection.