published_or_final_version / Biological Sciences / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Anatomy / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Anatomy / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Mitochondrial mutations and heteroplasmy have been associated with disease states that result from inadequate cellular energy production. As mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes many of the polypeptides involved in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), mtDNA mutations may lower energy production which is required for cell division and sustained ATP synthesis. In order to test the relationship between mtDNA mutations and the rate of cell division, a mammary epithelial cancer cell line, MCF-7, is used as a model. Nine proliferate single cell clones have been isolated from MCF-7. Population doubling times of six single cell clones and the MCF-7 stock have been determined. Clones with distinctly different growth rates were selected for mutational analysis. Growth rates of these clones appeared to be different from each other. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing, three cases of heteroplasmy have been identified in the mitochondrial genes of the MCF-7 stock and four single cell clones (ATPase C9119T, ND6 T14300G, Cytb G15807A). Heteroplasmy present in the Cytb gene is differs between single cell clones. Differences between the growth rates may be indicative of metabolic variations in these single cell clones. The OXPHOS enzymes encoded by the mutated genes were quantified by standard enzymatic assays. The assays demonstrated significant differences in specific activity between the clones, but were not correlated with mitochondrial heteroplasmy. This thesis determines that the differences in specific activity observed between clones is of nuclear origin.

Obesity is a multi-factorial metabolic disease, resulting in increased adipose tissue acquisition by the host. This disease increases the risk for developing co-morbidities, including Metabolic Syndrome and other disorders such as breast cancer. Obesity, and particularly abdominal obesity, is characterised by metabolic changes, including chronically elevated insulin concentrations and aberrant secretion of cytokines released from fat tissue, called adipokines. Epidemiologically, the risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer is increased in obese individuals. The molecular link between obesity and breast cancer however is not well understood. The study presented here aimed at identifying the molecular mechanisms involved in this link, by testing the hypothesis that high insulin concentration and certain adipokines may promote breast cancer progression and/or breast cancer aetiology. A cell culture system of breast cancer cells and breast epithelial cells was employed to investigate changes in cell proliferation, activation of cell signalling pathways, cell cycle progression and apoptosis after treatment with insulin, leptin, TNF-α, adiponectin and IL-6. In MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, insulin treatment did not affect cell proliferation, cell cycle or apoptosis. Conversely, IR-phosphorylation, AKT-phosphorylation and ERK1/2-phosphorylation were all significantly increased. Microarray analysis indicated several important changes in gene expression with insulin treatment. Leptin treatment increased proliferation by 21%. Additional analyses of the effect of leptin indicated that neither the PI3-kinase pathway nor the MAP-kinase pathway was involved in mediating this effect. Treatment with TNF-α increased apoptosis, but did not affect cell proliferation or activation of cell signalling pathways. In MCF-10A breast epithelial cells, cell proliferation increased after insulin treatment by 180%. IR-phosphorylation, AKT-phosphorylation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation were all significantly increased while early apoptosis decreased after insulin treatment. Analysis of cell cycle however did not indicate a change in progression. Microarray analysis indicated that insulin treatment may increase expression of genes related to cancer growth. Leptin treatment increased cell proliferation and also increased ERK1/2-phosphorylation, while AKT-phosphorylation was not affected. Leptin did not change cell cycle progression. TNF-α treatment increased cell proliferation and also increased ERK1/2 phosphorylation, while AKT-phosphorylation was not changed. TNF-α treatment tended to increase apoptosis, the change however was not statistically significant. In SK-BR-3 breast cancer cells, cell proliferation did not change after insulin treatment. IR-phosphorylation and AKT-phosphorylation increased after insulin treatment, while ERK1/2-phosphorylation decreased. Gene expression of cyclin D and cyclin E increased with insulin treatment, while apoptotic rate and cell cycle profile were also not affected. Cell proliferation increased by 115% after treatment with 100 ng/ml leptin. ERK1/2-phosphorylation however decreased, while AKT-phosphorylation tended to increase, but the change was not statistically significant. Cell cycle profile was not affected by leptin treatment, G1-phase however tended to increase, but the change was again not statistically significant. Cell proliferation increased by 59% after 48 h treatment with 10 ng/ml TNF-α. AKT-phosphorylation and ERK1/2-phosphorylation increased with TNF-α treatment. Cell cycle analysis showed a decrease in S-phase and G2-phase, indicative of a decrease in cell cycle progression. These results indicate that none of the examined obesity-related factors is convincingly identified as the main molecular link between obesity and postmenopausal breast cancer. Conversely, all treatments affected each of the cell lines in, at least, one of the examined aspects. This indicates that many of the obesity-related factors may affect breast cancer and that a single breast tumour may utilise a unique combination of those factors to promote growth. All treatments increased proliferation in MCF-10A breast epithelial cells, with additional analysis generally supporting growth promotion. Insulin treatment particularly increased cell proliferation, while leptin and TNF-α increased MAP-kinase signalling. This may indicate that insulin and adipokines may have a higher impact on breast cancer aetiology than on breast cancer progression.

No description available.

Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is an autosomal dominant craniofacial development disorder and is caused by mutations in the TCOF1 gene. The TCOFl protein treacle is a nucleolar protein and may function in ribosome biogenesis.Previously, we identified downstream candidate genes using microarray analysis after manipulating Tcofl levels in a murine neuroblastoma (NB) cell line. The list of genes includes cell cycle genes as well as the transcription factors Cnbp and Tbx2, which are known to affect the cell cycle through the c-myc and p19-Mdm2-p53-p21 pathways respectively. To further characterize the cellular effects of Tcofl, stably transfected NB cell lines with overexpression or knockdown of Tcofl were generated. Growth curves were generated by counting cell numbers. BrdU incorporation and TUNEL assays were used to determine proliferation and apoptosis levels. Western blot analysis was used to detect protein level changes of candidate downstream pathway genes. Bothoverexpression and knockdown of Tcofl are detrimental to cell growth. Overexpression of Tcofl causes increased apoptosis and knockdown of Tcofl causes reduced cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. Western blot analysis shows that Cnbp and Tbx2 protein levels change with Tcofl, c-myc level is decreased in Tcofl knockdown cells and p19 (Cdkn2d), p53 and p21 (Cdkn1a) levels are increased in Tcofl overexpressing cells. Our results suggest that an optimal Tcofl level is required for cell proliferation and survival, and that overexpression and knockdown of Tcofl may affect cell proliferation and apoptosis through the p19-Mdm2-p53-p21 and Cnbp-c-myc pathways respectively.Heterozygous Tcofl knock out mice are neonatal lethal, which circumvents further analysis of the heterozygous and homozygous mice. In this study, we generated Tcofl conditional allele mice with loxP sites flanking exon 1. These mice were crossed with Wntl-Cre transgenic mice to generate a conditional knockout of Tcofl specifically in neural crest (NC) cells. Homozygous conditional knockout mice show craniofacial abnormalities resembling TCS patients. Heterozygous conditional knockout mice are phenotypically normal, which suggests that Tcofl functions in tissues other than NC cells during development. Cnbp expression is decreased in a proportion of the homozygous conditional knockout mouse embryos. Our results suggest that Tcofl may affect craniofacial development through Cnbp by maintaining cell growth.

Hippocampal neurons are vulnerable to injury, as indicated by the prevalence of learning and memory deficits following traumatic brain injury. Research indicates that proliferation of neural precursor cells increases following brain injury, which implies that there is an endogenous response in the hippocampus to replenish neurons and restore cognitive function. Studies show that mitogenic growth factors may drive this proliferative response; one of which is epidermal growth factor. Because adults and the elderly manifest the most enduring deficits following TBI, it is critical to investigate how EGF expression following injury may relate to injury-induced cell proliferation and the degree of cognitive recovery observed with aging. In the current study, we assessed the temporal and spatial expression of EGF in the injured hippocampus with age. Our results suggest that EGF expression increases following TBI, and this increase is more significant in the younger brain. Additionally, we investigated the phenotype and localization of cells that express EGF following injury.

La famille de protéines kinases SNF1/AMPK/SnRK1 (levure/mammifères/plantes) est un régulateur central du métabolisme cellulaire chez l’ensemble des eucaryotes, activant le catabolisme et inhibant l’anabolisme en réponse au stress. Ces hétérotrimères sont composés d’une sous-unité catalytique (kinase α) et de deux sous-unités régulatrices (β et γ). De très nombreux travaux sur l’AMPK (AMP-activated Kinase) chez les mammifères ont révélé l’incroyable complexité de cette voie de signalisation impliquant des régulateurs en amont et une pléthore de cibles.Chez les plantes, les cibles connues de SnRK1 (« SNF1-Related Kinase 1 ») comprennent des facteurs de transcription, imposant une reprogrammation transcriptomique importante, et des enzymes clés du métabolisme telles que la Sucrose Phosphate Synthase et la Nitrate Reductase, conduisant, comme chez l’animal, au contrôle de l’homéostasie énergétique. Toutefois, les mécanismes de régulation de ces complexes sont eux très peu connus.Dans une première partie, nous avons recherché des métabolites capables d’influencer l’activité de SnRK1. L’enrichissement rapide d’extraits végétaux en complexes SnRK1 d’Arabidopsis thaliana, couplé à des mesures spécifiques d’activité kinase in vitro, nous ont permis de montrer que l’ADP, l’AMP et le citrate étaient des inhibiteurs forts de ces enzymes. Ces résultats nous ont permis d’établir un modèle physiologique dans lequel les complexes SnRK1 répondent à la fois au statut carboné de la cellule mais également aux niveaux globaux des adénylates.Dans une seconde partie, nous nous sommes intéressés aux kinases amont AtSnAK1 et AtSnAK2 (activatrices des sous-unités catalytiques AtSnRK1α1). Des essais kinases sur protéines recombinantes ont permis de mettre en évidence de nouveau un effet inhibiteur des adénylates sur l’activité de ces protéines, suggérant que l’ensemble de la voie SnAK/SnRK1 répond à des signaux énergétiques. De plus, la caractérisation de mutants perte-de-fonction a révélé un rôle important des kinases AtSnAK1 et 2 dans la transition hétérotrophie/autotrophie des jeunes plantules.Enfin, nous avons caractérisé un lien inédit chez les plantes entre homéostasie énergétique et prolifération cellulaire en montrant que les kinases AtSnRK1 sont capables de phosphoryler et inhiber les orthologues KRP6 et KRP7 de l’inhibiteur du cycle cellulaire de mammifères p27KIP1.Un modèle global des fonctions de cette kinase à l’échelle de la plante entière et de son développement est proposé en intégrant ces résultats aux connaissances actuelles sur les complexes SnRK1. / The conserved family of protein kinases SNF1/AMPK/SnRK1 (yeast/mammals/plants) is considered as a central element of cell metabolism regulation by controlling both anabolism and catabolism in response to stress conditions. These proteins are complexes composed of three actors, one conferring the catalytic activity (kinase α) and two regulatory subunits (β and γ). A massive interest for the mammalian AMPK (AMP-activated Kinase) during the past two decades has underlined the extreme complexity of this signalling pathway which involves several upstream regulators and multiple targets. In plants, known SnRK1 (SNF1-Related Kinase 1) targets mainly include transcription factors inducing a massive transcriptomic reprogramming, and key metabolic enzymes such as Sucrose Phosphate Synthase and Nitrate Reductase leading, like in mammals, to the control of cellular homeostasis. However, little is known concerning their regulation. In a first axis, we focused on the search for cell components capable of influencing Arabidopsis thaliana SnRK1 activity. Using an in vitro specific peptide-based assay, we have characterized upstream inhibitors including adenylates and citrate. These data allow us to add novel elements to a physiological model where AtSnRK1 coordinates metabolism in response to adenylates and citrate concentrations.The second axis is dedicated to the upstream activating kinases SnAK1 and SnAK2. A biochemical approach with recombinant proteins and in vitro specific peptide-based assays were used to test the effects of metabolites on SnAK1 and SnAK2 activities. By using loss-of-function mutants, we further pointed out a key role for these proteins during the heterotrophic-to-autotrophic transition of the young plantlets.In addition, we have identified a novel target of SnRK1 complexes. The characterisation of the AtSnRK1-dependent phosphorylation of AtKRP6 and AtKRP7, homologous to the p27KIP1 mammalian cell cycle inhibitor, highlighted a novel link between energy homeostasis and cell proliferation in plants.The current knowledge on SnRK1 complexes and the results described above allowed us to provide a global model regarding SnRK1 functions at the whole-plant level.

A proteína FBXO25 é uma E3-ligase do tipo SCF, responsável pela seletividade da ligação da Ub à proteína substrato e pelo direcionamento da proteína marcada para o barril proteassomal 26s. Sabe-se que FBXO25 é capaz de interagir e ubiquitinar a proteína Elk-1 em células HEK293T e, assim, inibir a expressão de genes importantes na regulação da proliferação celular, como C-FOS e EGR-1, após estímulo com o mitógeno PMA. Aqui mostramos que FBXO25 atua em um outro ponto da via das MAPKs, modulando os níveis de fosforilação de ERK1/2. Por meio da utilização de células nocaute para FBXO25 (FBXO25KO) foi possível observar que o tratamento com PMA promoveu aumento dos níveis de fosforilação de ERK1/2 nestas células quando comparadas com sua linhagem parental. Observouse também que o estímulo com os mitógenos PMA ou ATP levou a um aumento da proliferação celular não relacionada à modulação direta do ciclo celular nas células nocautes, sendo que estas apresentaram uma redução significativa dos seus níveis de apoptose. Tomando esses resultados em conjunto, mostramos que FBXO25 atua sobre a sinalização de MAPK por meio de redução da ativação ERK1/2 e, dessa forma, promove uma resposta secundária sobre o fenótipo de proliferação celular / The FBXO25 protein is an SCF-type E3-ligase responsible for the selectivity of Ub binding to the protein and the targeting of the labeled protein to the 26s proteasome barrel. FBXO25 has been long known to be able to interact and ubiquitinate the Elk-1 protein in HEK293T cells, thereby inducing a decrease in the expression of important genes in the regulation of cell proliferation such as CFOS and EGR-1 after stimulation with the mitogen PMA. Here we show that FBXO25 acts at another point in the MAPK pathway by modulating the ERK1/2 phosphorylation levels. We observed that the treatment with PMA rised the phosphorylated levels of ERK1/2 in knockout cells for FBXO25 (FBXO25KO) when compared to its parental lineage. Stimulation with the mitogens PMA or ATP also led to an increase in cell proliferation unrelated to a direct modulation of the cell cycle in knockout cells, with a significant weight of apoptosis levels being observed. Taking these results together, we show that FBXO25 acts on MAPK signaling by reducing ERK1/2 activation and thus promotes a secondary response on the cell proliferation phenotype.