Les molécules du Complexe Majeur d’Histocompatibilité (CMH) jouent un rôle crucial dans la régulation des réponses immunitaires. Il existe trois familles de molécules présentatrices d’Ag : les molécules du CMH de classe I et II et les molécules CD1qui possèdent la particularité de présenter des lipides et des glycolipides. Parmi ces molécules, CD1a est exprimée de façon variable à la surface des cellules dendritiques. L’objectif de mon travail de thèse a été de déterminer les mécanismes de régulation de l’expression de la molécule CD1a sur les cellules dendritiques humaines. Ce travail a donc permis de montrer que la régulation de CD1a par CD99, au sein des cellules dendritiques, implique l’activation de la voie de signalisation de p38 MAPK, ainsi que de la voie de l’AMPc conduisant à la phosphorylation constitutive des facteurs de transcription ATF-2 et CREB-1. La forme courte de CD99 est, quant à elle, requise pour obtenir une inhibition de la voie de signalisation induite par la forme longue de CD99. La différentiation in vitro de monocytes en cellules dendritiques est caractérisée par un « switch » de l’expression de CD99. Son absence conduit à la génération de cellules dendritiques CD1a négatives. Mon travail a également permis de démontrer l’implication des voies de l’AMPc et p38 dans la génération de ces deux sous populations de cellules. Cette étude suggère fortement un rôle pour CD99 dans la régulation de la différenciation des monocytes en différents sous types de cellules dendritiques. / Introduction: Accumulating data have shown that the microenvironment of dendritic cells modulates subtype differentiation, demonstrating a link between lipoproteins, PPARγ activation, and the differentiation and functional activity of CD1- and CD1a+ iDCs. We have previously established that CD99, a ubiquitous surface molecule expressed as two isoforms, could regulate CD1a expression in iDCs. The percentage of CD1a negative iDCs substantially varied among individuals, only 10% of healthy donors exhibit a very low percentage of CD1a positive iDCs. The goal of the present study was to characterize the mechanisms by which exogenous factors confer these effects. Methods: Monocyte from healthy donors or patients with lipid disorders were differentiated into iDCs and CD1a expression was analysed by flow cytometry. CD1a expression was analysed at both membrane and intracellular levels using western blot analysis and flow cytometry in healthy donnors. Then monocytes were differentiated to iDCs under differents conditions so that modify CD1a+/CD1a- cells balance. Results: We demonstrated that lipid disorders in patients shift DC differentiation to the development of CD1a− DCs and modulate DC activation through its inhibitory effect on CD1a+ DC differentiation. We suggest that beside activation of intracellular signaling the lipoproteins microenvironement is also crucial for CD1a regulation.

Endochondral ossification is the process of skeletal bone growth via the formation of a cartilage template that subsequently undergoes mineralization to form trabecular bone. Genetic mutations affecting the proliferation or differentiation of chondrocytes result in skeletal abnormalities. Activating transcription factor-2 (ATF-2) modulates expression of cell cycle regulatory genes in chondrocytes, and mutation of ATF-2 results in a dwarfed phenotype. Here we investigate the regulatory role that ATF-2 plays in expression of the pocket proteins, cell cycle regulators important in cellular proliferation and differentiation. The spatial and temporal pattern of pocket protein expression was identified in wild type and mutant growth plates. Expression of retinoblastoma (pRb) mRNA and protein were decreased in ATF-2 mutant primary chondrocytes. pRb mRNA expression was coordinated with chondrogenic differentiation and cell cycle exit in ATDC5 cells. Type X collagen immunohistochemistry was performed to visualize a delay in differentiation in response to loss of ATF-2 signaling. Chondrocyte proliferation was also affected by loss of ATF-2. These studies suggest pRb plays a role in chondrocyte proliferation, differentiation and growth plate development by modulating cell cycle progression. ATF-2 regulates expression of pRb within the developing growth plate, contributing to the skeletal phenotype of ATF-2 mutant mice through the regulation of chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation.

No description available.

Silicon Carbide (SiC) is increasingly gaining attention as a potential fuel cladding material, on account of its favorable thermo-mechanical and neutronic properties. The major limitations of such a cladding is currently associated with joining and hermetic sealing. The work presented here investigated the use of Al, Cr and Fe metals and a specialized alloy (FeCrAl) to achieve hermetic sealing of SiC tubes as well as a joining technology of SiC. Major part of solving this issue requires addressing joining of ceramic and metallic components, which are largely dissimilar in both thermal and mechanical properties. Preliminary experiments to bond SiC with FeCrAl resulted in adverse separation partially attributed to the differences in thermal expansion mismatch. To alleviate these problems, thin and thick coatings of the metals and alloys were applied to SiC. Qualitative microstructural characterization of the final product indicated satisfactory bonding between the materials.

Submitted by Maria Creuza Silva (mariakreuza@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-03-09T18:57:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Adriana Galdino. 2016.pdf: 1607403 bytes, checksum: d883ff9855f0e9f5de71ff40481beee9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Creuza Silva (mariakreuza@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-03-10T11:26:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Adriana Galdino. 2016.pdf: 1607403 bytes, checksum: d883ff9855f0e9f5de71ff40481beee9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-10T11:26:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Adriana Galdino. 2016.pdf: 1607403 bytes, checksum: d883ff9855f0e9f5de71ff40481beee9 (MD5) / Introdução- Acidentes de trabalho fatais (ATF) representam uma carga social e econômica expressiva. No mundo, os acidentes de trabalho são responsáveis por 17% das mortes relacionadas ao trabalho. A mortalidade por acidentes de trabalho é estimada em 10,8/100.000 trabalhadores, semelhante à estimada para o Brasil, de 10,0/100.000 trabalhadores segurados. Os ATF são objeto da vigilância em saúde, que envolve a produção sistemática de informações úteis para a prevenção e a busca pela garantia dos direitos dos trabalhadores a trabalho seguro e saudável. Dados de registros de casos, organizados em diversos sistemas de informação, estão disponíveis no Brasil para o monitoramento, podendo ser universais, parciais limitados aos segurados pela Previdência Social, ou dentro desta, os restritos ao seguro compulsório específico para agravos relacionados ao trabalho. Apesar da sua importância, a qualidade e cobertura desses registros nos sistemas de informação estão comprometidas, limitando a precisão das medidas epidemiológicas e empobrecendo decisões da gestão no que diz respeito às políticas de saúde do trabalhador. Além dos problemas de qualidade comuns aos registros de todos os eventos de saúde, agravos relacionados ao trabalho, por refletirem conflitos entre o capital e o trabalho, bem como interesses pecuniários, são ainda mais afetados por essas imprecisões. Embora o sub-registro de casos de ATF venha sendo alvo de estudos, pouco se sabe sobre a completude, inconsistências e registros como ignorados de dados de interesse sobre esses agravos no Brasil. Objetivos- Esta pesquisa teve como objetivos: 1) identificar e descrever os sistemas de informação cujos dados permitem o reconhecimento de ATF, bem como o seu uso em publicações científicas no Brasil; 2) Estimar a qualidade do registro de dados sobre ATF, nos Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade (SIM) e Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação para os acidentes de trabalho graves (Sinan-AT), analisando os padrões espaciais e temporais; e 3) identificar fatores associados à qualidade do registro do campo acidente de trabalho <acidtrab> no SIM. Métodos- Estudo 1) Esta pesquisa documental sistematiza os sistemas de informação disponíveis de instituições públicas que contemplam dados sobre ATF no Brasil. São apresentadas as características desses sistemas, fluxos e respectivas barreiras potenciais para a qualidade da informação. Um levantamento bibliométrico foi realizado para estimar a extensão do uso desses sistemas em artigos, teses e dissertações para o período de 2000 a 2014. Estudo 2) Do SIM foram extraídos os registros de óbitos por Causas Externas para análise da qualidade do preenchimento do campo <acidtrab> que informa se o caso foi acidente de trabalho. Do Sinan analisaram-se as notificações de acidentes de trabalho graves para verificação do preenchimento do campo <evolucao> que permite a identificação dos casos fatais. Medidas foram relativas ao preenchimento e o uso da opção “ignorado”. Estudo 3) Este é um estudo transversal conduzido com dados sobre óbitos por causas externas, de 18 a 65 anos, entre 1998 e 2013. A qualidade do preenchimento foi analisada por duas variáveis: 1) registro como ignorado R-IGN (sim/não); 2) registros ausentes ou com respostas inconsistentes R-AUS (sim/não). Os preditores foram o sexo, raça/cor, grupo de ocupação, região de registro, local do óbito, fonte de informação e atestante. Empregou-se a regressão logística múltipla para identificar fatores associados...

This Master's Thesis deals with a design of L-band receiver front-end. In the concrete the receiver is designed for receiving signals of frequency band 1,3 GHz. All particular blocks from low noise amplifier to intermediate frequency amplifier and frequency doubler in LO input are described, designed and simulated in program Ansoft. The part of this Master's Thesis is aimed to construct a working front-end receiver and to measure its basic parameters.

No description available.

H-REV107-1 wird in normalen Geweben ubiquitär exprimiert, während die Expression in humanen Mamma-, Ovarial-, und Lungentumoren unterdrückt ist. H-REV107-1 hemmt das Tumorwachstum in vitro und in vivo. Die Expression und Regulation des H-REV107-1 Gens wurde in verschiedenen, humanen Zelllinien untersucht. In Tumor Zelllinien wird die H-REV107-1 Expression durch IFNgamma induziert Eine Korrelation der H-REV107-1 und der IRF1 Expression nach Induktion mit IFNgamma wurde gezeigt. H-rev107-1 konnte nach konditionaler IRF1 Expression, Proteinsynthese-unabhängig, nachgewiesen werden und ist ein direktes Zielgen von IRF1. Die H-rev107-1 Expression ließ sich durch Unterdrückung des MEK/ERK Signalwegs mit dem MEK1 Inhibitor PD98059 aktivieren. Dies bedeutet, dass H-REV107-1 durch mindestens zwei verschiedene Signalwege, IFNgamma und MEK/ERK, reguliert wird. Der in vitro amplifizierte H-REV107-1 Promoter enthält keine TATA-Box, sondern ein Initiator Element sowie, in dem für eine TATA-Box definierten Abstand, eine ATF2 Bindungsstelle. Die Inkubation von transient transfizierten Zellen mit TNF alpha, cAMP und IFN gamma steigerte die Luciferase Aktivität. Mit Hilfe von Deletions- und Mutationskonstrukten wurden die regulatorischen Bereiche des Promoters bestimmt. Eine Mutation der cRel-Bindungsstelle, potentiell über NFkappaB reguliert, resultierte in einer Luciferase Aktivität von nur 9% des Wildtyp Promoters. Die Mutation der CREB/ATF2 Bindungsstelle reduzierte die Luciferase Aktivität auf 37%. Die Ko-Transfektion eines NFkappaB Suppressor reduzierte die Luciferase Aktivität um 53%. Diese Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass NFkappaB und ATF2 die H-REV107-1 Expression positiv regulieren. In einem EMSA wurde die Bindung von ATF2 an die CREB/ATF-2 Bindungsstelle gezeigt. Die Ergebnisse lassen vermuten, dass H-REV107-1 durch eine IFNgamma induzierte, möglicherweise PKR vermittelte, Signalkette von den Faktoren IRF1 und ATF2 direkt, sowie von NFkappaB indirekt, reguliert wird. / The H-REV107-1 class II tumor suppressor gene is ubiquitously expressed in normal tissues and down regulated in human breast, ovarian and lung tumors. H-REV107-1 has the capacity to suppress growth of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. H-REV107-1 is up regulated after treatment with IFN gamma. A NIH3T3 cell line harboring an estrogen inducible IRF.1/hER fusion protein showed a protein synthesis independent up regulation of H-rev107-1 expression after induction of IRF-1. H-rev107-1 is a direct target of IRF-1. Inhibition of the MEK/ERK pathway, using the MEK1 inhibitor PD 98059, leads to a restored expression of H-rev107-1. Therefore, H-REV107-1 can be a target of the MEK/ERK-pathway. Thus, H-REV107-1 is regulated by at least two different pathways. To understand the regulatory mechanisms of the expression of the H-REV107-1 gene, the putative promoter region was analyzed in silico. The sequence was amplified and cloned. Induction of the promoter constructs with TNF alpha, cAMP and IFN gamma increased the luciferase activity. Several deletions constructs and constructs with putative transcription factor binding sites mutated were used to narrow down the important regulatory elements of the promoter. The mutations of a cRel binding site and a CREB/ATF-2 binding site decreased the luciferase activity by 91% and 63%, respectively. Co transfection of the full length promoter construct with a repressor of NFkappaB activation, reduced the luciferase activity to 47%. As a result of the investigation H-REV107-1 is directly regulated by IRF-1 and probably indirectly regulated by NFkappaB and the MEK/ERK signaling pathway. In an Electro Mobility Shift Assay (EMSA), the binding of ATF-2 to the CREB oligonucleotid was demonstrated by the use of a specific antibody. The ATF.2 binding site in the posititon –30 bp - 23 bp of the human, TATA-less H-REV107-1 promoter replaces the TATA-like element, which can be found in the H-rev107-1 promoter of rat and mouse.

Perfusion operation mode is currently under fast expansion in mammalian cell based manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, not only for labile drug protein but also for stable proteins such as monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Perfusion mode can advantageously offer a stable cell environment, long-term production with high productivity and consistent product quality. Intensified high cell density culture (HCDC) is certainly one of the most attractive features of a perfusion process due to the high volumetric productivity in a small footprint that it can provide. Advancements in single-use technology have alleviated the intrinsic complexity of perfusion processes while the maturing in cell retention devices has improved process robustness. The knowledge for perfusion process has been gradually built and the “continuous” concept is getting more and more acceptance in the field. This thesis presents the development of robust perfusion process at very high cell densities in various culture systems. Four HCDC perfusion systems were developed with industrial collaborators with three different mAb producing Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines: 1-2) WAVE Bioreactor™ Cellbag prototype equipped with cell separation by hollow fiber filter utilizing Alternating Tangential Flow (ATF) and Tangential Flow Filtration (TFF) techniques; 3) Fiber matrix based CellTank™ prototype; 4) Glass stirred tank bioreactor equipped with ATF. In all the systems, extremely high viable cell densities above 130 million viable cells per milliliter (MVC/mL) up to 214 MVC/mL were achieved. Steady states were maintained and studied at 20-30 MVC/mL and 100-130 MVC/mL for process development. Perfusion rate selection based on cell specific perfusion rate (CSPR) was systematically investigated and exometabolome study was performed to explore the metabolic footprint of HCDC perfusion process. / <p>QC 20170523</p>

Le GABA est le principal neurotransmetteur inhibiteur du SNC et est impliqué dans le développement du cerveau, la plasticité synaptique et la pathogénèse de maladies telles que l’épilepsie, les troubles de l’anxiété et la douleur chronique. Le modèle actuel de fonctionnement du récepteur GABA-B implique l’hétérodimérisation GABA-B1/B2, laquelle est requise au ciblage à la surface membranaire et au couplage des effecteurs. Il y est cependant des régions du cerveau, des types cellulaires et des périodes du développement cérébral où la sous-unité GABA-B1 est exprimée en plus grande quantité que GABA-B2, ce qui suggère qu’elle puisse être fonctionnelle seule ou en association avec des partenaires inconnus, à la surface cellulaire ou sur la membrane réticulaire. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous montrons la capacité des récepteurs GABA-B1 endogènes à activer la voie MAPK-ERK1/2 dans la lignée dérivée de la glie DI-TNC1, qui n’exprime pas GABA-B2. Les mécanismes qui sous-tendent ce couplage demeurent mal définis mais dépendent de Gi/o et PKC. L’immunohistochimie de récepteurs endogènes montre par ailleurs que des anticorps GABA-B1 dirigés contre la partie N-terminale reconnaissent des protéines localisées au RE tandis des anticorps C-terminaux (CT) marquent une protéine intranucléaire. Ces données suggèrent que le domaine CT de GABA-B1 pourrait être relâché par protéolyse. L’intensité des fragments potentiels est affectée par le traitement agoniste tant en immunohistochimie qu’en immunobuvardage de type western. Nous avons ensuite examiné la régulation du clivage par le protéasome en traitant les cellules avec l’inhibiteur epoxomicine pendant 12 h. Cela a résulté en l’augmentation du marquage intranucléaire de GABA-B1-CT et d’un interacteur connu, le facteur de transcription pro-survie ATF-4. Dans des cellules surexprimant GABA-B1-CT, l’induction et la translocation nucléaire d’ATF-4, qui suit le traitement epoxomicine, a complètement été abolie. Cette observation est associée à une forte diminution du décompte cellulaire. Étant donné que les trois derniers résidus de GABA-B1-CT (LYK) codent un ligand pseudo-PDZ et que les protéines à domaines PDZ sont impliquées dans la régulation du ciblage nucléaire et de la stabilité de protéines, en complément de leur rôle d’échaffaud à la surface cellulaire, nous avons muté les trois derniers résidus de GABA-B1-CT en alanines. Cette mutation a complètement annulé les effets de GABA-B1-CT sur l’induction d’ATF-4 et le décompte cellulaire. Cette deuxième série d’expériences suggère l’existence possible de fragments GABA-B1 intranucléaires régulés par le traitement agoniste et le protéasome dans les cellules DI-TNC1. Cette régulation d’ATF-4 dépend des résidus LYK de GABA-B1-CT, qui modulent la stabilité de GABA-B1-CT et favorisent peut-être la formation d’un complexe multiprotéique incluant GABA-B1-CT, ATF-4, de même qu’une protéine d’échaffaudage inconnue. En somme, nous démontrons que les sous-unités GABA-B1 localisées au RE, lorsque non-hétérodimérisées avec GABA-B2, demeurent capables de moduler les voies de signalisation de la prolifération, la différentiation et de la survie cellulaire, via le couplage de protéines G et possiblement la protéolyse régulée. Les mécanismes de signalisation proposés pourraient servir de nouvelle plate-forme dans la compréhension des actions retardées résultant de l’activation des récepteurs 7-TMs. / GABA is the principal inhibitory neurotransmitter in the CNS and is implicated in brain development, synaptic plasticity and the pathogenesis of diseases such as epilepsy, anxiety disorders and chronic pain. In the current model of GABA-B function, there is a requirement for GABA-B1/B2 dimerization for targetting to the cell surface and effector coupling. However, there are certain brain regions (putamen), cell types (glial cells) and times during brain development where GABA-B1 is expressed in higher amounts than GABA-B2, suggesting that GABA-B1 might be functional alone or in association with unidentified partners, either at the cell surface or on the ER membranes. In this thesis, we first show the capacity of endogenous GABA-B1 receptors to activate the MAPK-ERK1/2 pathway in the DI-TNC1 glial-derived cell line which does not express GABA-B2. The underlying mechanisms remain incompletely defined but depend on Gi/o and PKC. Immunohistochemistry of endogenous receptors shows that GABA-B1 N-terminal antibodies recognize ER-localized proteins and that C-terminal (CT) antibody shows intranuclear distribution. This data suggests that fragments of the GABA-B1 receptor are generated by proteolysis and indeed we show that agonist treatment affects the intensity of certain C-terminal GABA-B1 fragments both in immunohistochemistry and western blots suggesting that the GABA-B1 receptor is subjected to regulated proteolysis. Since a 13-residue potential PEST sequence was localized immediately distal to the ER retention motif in the GABA-B1 CT, we examined proteasome regulation of the cleavage event. Following a 12h treatment with the proteasome inhibitor, epoxomicin, we detected increases in intranuclear staining for both GABA-B1 and a known interactor, the pro-survival transcription factor ATF-4, using confocal microscopy and by western blotting of nuclear extracts. These increases are due either to proteasome inhibition or activation of the ER stress pathway. In cells overexpressing GABA-B1-CT, ATF-4 induction and nuclear translocation, which normally follows epoxomicin treatment, was completely abolished. This observation was associated to a strong decrease in cell number. Since the last three residues of GABA-B1-CT (LYK) encode a pseudo-PDZ ligand and that PDZ domain protein regulate nuclear targeting and protein stability, in complement to their role in scaffolding at the cell surface, we mutated the last three residues of GABA-B1-CT to alanines. This mutation completely reversed the effect of GABA-B1-CT on ATF-4 induction and on cell number. This second set of data suggests the existence of agonist and proteasome-regulated intranuclear GABA-B1 fragments in DI-TNC1 cells. Further, the GABA-B1-CT pseudo-PDZ ligand appears to be critically important in regulating ATF-4 induction by modulating GABA-B1-CT stability and perhaps by favoring the formation of a multiprotein complex with ATF-4, ATF-4 interactors and an unknown scaffolding protein. Overall, we show that ER-localised GABA-B1 subunits, when not dimerized with GABA-B2, can still modulate proliferation, differentiation and survival pathways, both through G-protein coupling and regulated proteolysis. The signalling mechanisms which we propose could serve as a new platform in understanding the long term effects of 7-TM receptor activation.