Les ARNnc sont impliqués dans la régulation de l’expression de gènes chez les Procaryotes, les Archées et les Eucaryotes. Cette régulation peut être effectuée au niveau transcriptionnel ou post-transcriptionnel. Elle fait parfois intervenir des modifications des histones comme la méthylation ou l’acétylation. J’ai étudié le gène TIR1 dont l’expression est fortement réduite lorsqu’un ARNnc codant antisens nommé TIR1axut est stabilisé. J’ai montré que cette régulation est dépendante de l’histone déacétylase Hda1. De plus, j’ai montré que l’acétylation de H3K14 et H3K18 ne sont pas directement impliquées dans la régulation de TIR1 mais qu’un résidu polaire est nécessaire pour la répression de TIR1 en présence de l’ARNnc antisens. En outre, j’ai mis en évidence que la répression de TIR1 par son XUT est en parti post-transcriptionnel, mais ne fait pas varier la stabilité de l’ARNm. Finalement, j’ai tenté en vain de comprendre le ciblage de l’activité histone déacétylase de Hda1 le long de TIR1 en cherchant la présence d’hybride ARN/ADN grâce à un anticorps reconnaissant ce type de structure. / NcRNAs are involved in gene regulation in Prokaryotes, Eukaryotes and Archaea. This regulation could be transcriptional or post-transcriptional. Histone modifications could be involved such as methylation or acetylation. I studied TIR1 gene whose expression is highly reduced when an antisense ncRNA called TIR1axut is stabilized. I showed that this regulation is Hda1-dependant. In addition to that, I showed that H3K14ac and H3K18ac are not directly responsible for TIR1 repression but a polar residue is required for a proper silencing of TIR1 in a XUT depending manner. Moreover, I showed that TIR1 repression is due to a post-transcriptional effect but does not affect mRNA stability. Finally, I tried in vain to understand Hda1 targeting on TIR1 searching for RNA/DNA hybrids using an antibody that recognizes such structures.

L'intégrase (IN) du VIH-1 est une enzyme qui catalyse l'intégration du génome du virus dans celui de la cellule infectée. Cette étape d'intégration est cruciale pour le virus pour qu'il puisse se répliquer de manière efficace, l'intégration est donc une cible de choix dans les thérapies antivirales. Comprendre les mécanismes qui participent à l'intégration est donc nécessaire afin de développer des solutions efficaces pour contrecarrer le virus.L’intégration rétrovirale est catalysée par une structure oligomérique d’IN et d’ADN viral bien particulière appelée intasome. Les intasomes rétroviraux catalysent l’intégration préférentiellement sur des nucléosomes, composés d’ADN enroulé de protéines histones, plutôt que sur de l’ADN nu. Ceci est en parti du aux contraintes physiques imposés par la structure de l’intasome, mais également grâce à des facteurs de ciblage cellulaires qui vont interagir avec à la fois l’intasome et des composants du nucléosome.Dans ce projet de thèse, nous avons pu mettre en évidence une nouvelle interaction hôte-pathogène entre l’IN du VIH-1 et la queue d’histone H4 (une des protéines constituant le nucléosome). Ce projet s’est ainsi focalisé autour de cette interaction et a permis de :• Démontrer l’importance de l’interaction entre l’IN du VIH-1 et la queue d’histone H4 lors du cycle viral et plus précisément pour l’étape d’intégration, validant ainsi cette interaction comme une nouvelle interaction hôte-pathogène.• D’identifier que la queue d’histone H4 est un partenaire essentiel de l’intasome du VIH-1 pour qu’il puisse s’ancrer sur le nucléosome.• Développer une nouvelle stratégie antivirale visant à bloquer cette interaction dans les cellules infectées grâce à des composés chimiques. / HIV-1 integrase (IN) catalyzes the insertion of the viral genome into the host cell chromatin. This step is crucial for the virus for its efficient replication, integration is thus of interest to target for antiviral strategies. Understanding the mechanisms involved in integration is important in order to develop efficient tools to fight the virus.Retroviral integration is catalyzed by the intasome, an oligomer of IN and viral DNA. Intasomes integrate onto nucleosomes, composed of DNA wrapped around histone proteins, over naked DNA.In this thesis project, we have identified a new host-pathogen interaction between HIV-1 IN and the H4 histone tail. The topic of the project was then focus on this interaction and has highlighted:• The importance of the HIV-1 IN – H4 histone tail interaction for the viral cycle, especially onto the integration step, validating a new host-pathogen interaction.• The identification of the H4 histone tail as an essential partner for HIV-1 intasome for its anchoring onto nucleosomes.• The development of a novel antiviral strategy aiming to block this interaction in infected cells using chemical compounds

Le génome humain est constamment la cible d'agents qui endommagent l'ADN. Ces dommages sont multiples et variés tels que les cassures simple et double brin (DSB). Les DSBs sont des lésions très toxiques dont l'origine peut être multiple. Les cellules de mammifères réparent les DSBs en utilisant deux mécanismes principaux, la recombinaison homologue (RH) qui est dépendante du cycle cellulaire et utilise la chromatide sœur comme matrice de réparation et la jonction des extrémités non homologues (NHEJ) qui est indépendante du cycle cellulaire et consiste en la ligation des extrémités d'ADN endommagées. Cette réparation a lieu dans un contexte chromatinien qui nécessite un dynamisme pour rendre accessible les sites lésés aux différentes machineries de réparation. Lors de mes travaux, j'ai étudié le remodeleur de la chromatine p400 ainsi que le variant d'histone H2A.Z qui sont deux protéines impliquées dans la dynamique de la chromatine, afin de comprendre leur rôle dans les mécanismes de réparation des DSBs et la stabilité du génome. p400, une ATPase de la famille SWI2/SNF2 participe à l'incorporation du variant d'histone H2A.Z dans la chromatine. Au cours de ma thèse, j'ai montré que la déplétion par siRNA du variant d'histone H2A.Z, dans la lignée d'ostéosarcome humain (U2OS) et dans des fibroblastes humains immortalisées, n'a pas d'effets sur la réparation des DSBs. Ces résultats sont corrélés avec une absence de recrutement de H2A.Z au niveau des cassures après étude par micro irradiation laser ou par immunoprécipitation de chromatine. Cependant, la déplétion de H2A.Z affecte la prolifération cellulaire en influençant l'efficacité de clonage et le cycle cellulaire. L'autre partie de mes travaux a mis en évidence que l'ATPase p400 est un frein à l'utilisation de la voie alternative de jonction des extrémités (alt-EJ) qui est un processus de réparation des DSBs très mutagène. L'augmentation des événements du NHEJ-Alternatif et la génération d'instabilité génétique observés lors de la déplétion de p400 par siRNA semblent tributaires de la résection des DSBs par CtIP. Ces résultats indiquent que p400 joue un rôle post-résection dans les étapes plus tardives de la RH. De plus, la déplétion de p400 conduit au recrutement de la polyADP ribose polymérase (PARP) et de l'ADN ligase 3 à la DSB, ce qui provoque la mort sélective de ces cellules lors d'un traitement par des inhibiteurs de PARP. Ces résultats montrent que P400 agit comme un frein pour empêcher l'utilisation du NHEJ-Alternatif et donc l'instabilité génétique. / The human genome is constantly targeted by DNA damaging agents. These damages are many and varied, such as single and double strand breaks (DSBs). The DSB are highly toxic lesions whose origin can be multiple. Mammalian cells mainly use two DNA repair pathways to repair DSB, homologous recombination (RH), which is dependent on the presence of the intact homologous copy (the sister chromatid) and on the cell cycle stage and the non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway, which is cell cycle independent and performs direct ligation of the two DNA ends. The repair of DNA damage takes place in a chromatin context that needs to be remodeled to give access to damaged sites. During my work, I studied the chromatin remodeler p400 and the histone variant H2A.Z both involved in chromatin remodeling, to understand their role in DSB repair and genome stability. p400, an ATPase of the SWI2/SNF2 family is involved in the incorporation of H2A.Z in chromatin. I have shown that H2A.Z depletion in the osteosarcoma cell line U2OS and in immortalized human fibroblasts did not alter DSB repair. These results are correlated with the lack of H2A.Z recruitment at DSB observed after local laser irradiation or Chromatin Immunoprecipitation. However, H2A.Z depletion affects cell proliferation and the cell cycle distribution. In addition, I have shown that the chromatin remodeler p400 is a brake to the use of alternative End Joining (alt-EJ) which is a highly mutagenic repair process. The increase in alt-EJ events observed in p400-depleted cells is dependent on CtIP- mediated resection of DNA ends. Moreover, p400 depletion leads to the recruitment of poly(ADP) ribose polymerase (PARP) and DNA ligase 3 at DSB, leading to selective cell killing by PARP inhibitors. Altogether these results show that p400 acts as a brake to prevent alt-EJ dependent genetic instability and underline its potential value as a clinical marker.

Human pluripotent stem cells are increasingly used for cell-based regenerative therapies worldwide, with the use of embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells as potential treatments for a range of debilitating and chronic conditions. However, with the level of chromosomal aneuploidies the cells may generate in culture, their safety for therapeutic use could be in question. This study aimed to develop sensitive and high-throughput assays for the detection and quantification of human pluripotent stem cell aneuploidies, to assess any changes in their positioning in nuclei, as well as investigate the possible roles of lamins in the accumulation of aneuploidies. Using Droplet Digital PCR™, we optimised the detection of aneuploid cells in a predominantly diploid background. An assay was established for the sensitive detection of up to 1% of mosaicism and was used for the monitoring of low-level chromosome copy number changes across different cell lines, conditions and passages in the human pluripotent stem cells. In addition, fluorescence in-situ hybridisation was used to map genes ALB and AMELX on chromosomes 4 and X, respectively, in karyotype-stable chromosome X aneuploid lymphoblastoid cell lines. Our results demonstrated significant alternations in the gene loci positioning in the chromosome X aneuploid cell lines. Using the same established method, the positioning of ALB and AMELX was monitored, alongside the genomic instability with ddPCR™, in the different human pluripotent stem cell lines, conditions and passage. We demonstrated a highly plastic nuclear organisation in the pluripotent stem cells with many changes occurring within a single passage. Furthermore, these results were not exclusive to a single cell line or condition, regardless of the presence or absence of feeder cells and of passage number, and the flexibility of the chromatin organisation remained throughout the duration of the study. We demonstrated high levels of genomic instability with recurrent gains and losses in the AMELX copy number in the human embryonic stem cells during the course of our study, however no significant changes in their gene loci positioning from these abnormalities were observed. xvi | P a g e Additionally, we observed reduced levels of lamin B2 in the aneuploid lymphoblastoid cell lines and complete loss in some hPSC samples. Our results support recent findings that suggest a link between lamin B2 loss and the formation of chromosome aneuploidies in cell culture. In conclusion, our data demonstrates several key novel findings. Firstly, we have established a sensitive technique for the detection of up to 1% mosaicism, which to our knowledge is the most sensitive assay currently available. Secondly, we showed significant changes in the gene loci positioning between aneuploid and diploid cell lines. Thirdly, utilising our novel ddPCR™ assay, we demonstrated the karyotypical instability of hPCSs with consistent gains and/or loses of gene copy numbers in a short period of time in culture. When studying the effects of different growth conditions, we showed that the karyotypical instability was not exclusive to a single condition or a combination of conditions, and what is more, the karyotypical abnormalities detected were not observed to change the gene positioning of hPSCs significantly, with the genome organisation remaining plastic. Finally, our results support a potential association of lamin B2 loss and karyotypical instability. We conclude that more sensitive and robust techniques need to be readily used by clinicians for the screening of potential therapeutic hPSCs.

Eukaryotes have developed stringent regulatory mechanisms that control cell division and ensure proper chromosome segregation. Maintaining genome integrity is especially important during meiosis, the specialised cell division programme in the germline that generates haploid gametes. As these cells transmit genetic information to the next generation, the consequences of meiotic errors are not restricted to an organismal level, but can directly impact the fitness of the offspring. Mammals display a high degree of sexual dimorphism in meiosis with regard to the stringency of regulatory mechanisms. This manifests in a relatively high degree of maternally-derived aneuploidies due to weaker checkpoint control in females, whereas more rigorous checkpoints in males frequently perturb fertility. Mouse models of aneuploidy often exhibit complete male sterility and early germ cell arrest, preventing the study of aneuploidy during late and post-meiotic stages in males. In this thesis, we have used the trans-chromosomic mouse model, Tc1, which carries a single copy of human chromosome 21 (HsChr21) and show that, unlike other aneuploid mouse strains, the Tc1 mouse can successfully passage the exogenous human chromosome through male meiosis and generate aneuploid offspring. Our investigations have shown that the presence of the aneuploid human chromosome causes spermatogenic defects due to an arrest at the first meiotic division. Despite this impairment, we found an unexpectedly high number of aneuploid gametes in Tc1 males and the majority of males were able to produce aneuploid offspring, albeit at a lower frequency. Transmission of HsChr21 through the male germline was less efficient compared to female germline transmission, but allowed us to study the impact of male germline-associated chromatin remodelling on the transcriptional deployment of HsChr21 in the offspring. This revealed that, despite fundamentally different developmental dynamics, male- versus female-germline passage result in indistinguishable transcriptional and regulatory phenotypes. An important pathway in the male germline involves the expression of piRNAs, a class of small non-coding RNAs that are commonly found in the germline of animals where they defend cells against transposable elements. Profiling the expression of small RNAs in the Tc1 mouse showed that conserved human piRNA clusters can be successfully transcribed by the mouse piRNA machinery. In addition, we detected Tc1-specific piRNA sequences that were neither present in human nor mouse, mapping to a human-specific repeat element. In line with the previously observed activation of human-specific repeat elements in the Tc1 mouse, this suggests that novel transcripts arising from human repeats can trigger an adaptive piRNA response, thereby demonstrating the plasticity of this pathway to newly invading repeat elements. Transcriptional profiling of spermatogenic cell populations on a single-cell level allowed us to generate an atlas of gene expression over the course of spermatogenesis and dissect meiotic silencing dynamics in the presence of aneuploidy. Transcriptional silencing during meiosis occurs in response to unpaired chromosomes and, in male germ cells, affects the sex chromosomes due to their largely unpaired nature. We found that the presence of HsChr21 has no impact on the silencing of chromosome X, however, the two chromosomes display drastically different silencing patterns with HsChr21 showing a much weaker repression. Taken together, this study revealed a higher than expected tolerance for aneuploidy in the mouse male germline thus allowing the characterisation of meiotic checkpoint mechanisms, the meiotic silencing response to unpaired chromosomes as well as piRNA expression in the presence of an exogenous human chromosome.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a conserved pathway that plays key roles in heterochromatin formation, gene regulation and genome surveillance across a wide range of eukaryotes. One of the most utilised model organisms for studying the RNAi pathway is the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. However, this species is somewhat atypical, in that it has not retained the ancestral role for RNAi in the silencing of mobile genetic elements. In contrast, the related fission yeast S. japonicus has a large and diverse retrotransposon complement that appears to give rise to abundant siRNAs. For this reason, we believe that S. japonicus may be a more suitable model for studying the role of RNAi in silencing mobile genetic elements, a function that is conserved in many higher eukaryotes. Functional analysis of the S. japonicus RNAi pathway proved more challenging than expected, as it was generally not possible to recover strains bearing deletions of core RNAi components (Ago1/Clr4/Rdp1/Arb1/Arb2). This suggests that a functional RNAi pathway may be required for viability in S. japonicus, unlike in S. pombe. However, disruption mutants were isolated for the sole Dicer ribonuclease Dcr1, at very low frequency. Analysis of these mutants revealed that disruption of Dcr1 impaired the generation of retrotransposon derived siRNAs, and caused de-repression of retroelement transcript accumulation and mobilisation in an element dependent manner. Surprisingly however, Dcr1 appeared dispensable for the maintenance of H3K9me2 at transposons, suggesting that, in contrast to S. pombe, silencing may occur principally at the post-transcriptional level. It is also possible that the isolated Dcr1 mutants represent rare survivors that are viable due to the presence of suppressor mutations elsewhere in the genome. I utilised my genome wide RNA sequencing data to help improve the annotation of the S. japonicus genome, with a specific focus on the retrotransposon complement. From this, I identified 12 new families of LTR retrotransposon, which increased the annotated retrotransposon complement by around 40% in S. japonicus. Finally, I characterised the integrative preference of the S. japonicus retrotransposon Tj1, and found that it shares characteristics associated with the S. cerevisiae retrotransposons Ty1 and Ty3, mostly integrating upstream of RNA PolIII transcribed tRNA genes. The findings of this work highlight some potentially key differences in the way the RNAi pathway functions across the fission yeast clade, both in terms of its importance for viability and its mode of action. The work undertaken here also contributes to the establishment of S. japonicus as a model for the study of RNA interference and genome regulation.

During normal cell development, many genes are activated and repressed, usually through epigenetic mechanisms. These are modifications of the DNA and protein within the nucleus that result in changes in gene expression without alteration in DNA sequence. Key proteins for epigenetic modifications are the histone proteins bound to DNA in the nucleus. The best-characterised epigenetic complexes that modify histone proteins are the polycomb group proteins (PcG), comprising polycomb repressive complexes 1 (PRC1) and 2 (PRC2). The repressive modifications generated by these complexes can be removed, and the blocked genes reactivated, by enzymes that are the subject of this project. PRC1 repressive marks are removed by deubiquitinases USP12, USP16 and BAP1, whereas PRC2 marks are removed by demethylases KDM6A, KDM6B and potentially UTY. During the development of cancer, the regulation of many genes becomes abnormal, allowing the cells to escape normal growth restrictions. In this thesis, the expression of this set of chromatin-modifying enzymes in a leukaemia cell line was investigated. The FANTOM consortium has been helping to understand patterns of gene expression for over 10 years. The FANTOM4 dataset described changes in gene expression and promoter usage during differentiation of the THP-1 acute monocytic leukaemia cell line, using CAGE (Cap Analysis of Gene Expression) technology. This human monocyte-like cancer cell line can be stimulated with phorbol esters to halt proliferation and differentiate into macrophages. However, the FANTOM4 time course did not capture detailed mechanisms of regulatory factors in macrophage differentiation due to sparse time points and low read coverage. The main aim of this project was therefore to repeat the time course with tighter time points and deeper sequencing of the transcriptome to develop a very precise picture of sequential activation of gene expression, transcription start site (TSS) usage and the activity of enhancers during the transition from proliferating monocytes to differentiated macrophage phenotype of the THP-1 leukaemia cell line, using CAGE. The focus of this research was on the chromatin-modifying enzymes, but other key cell cycle and macrophage genes have also been examined. The differentiation time course was repeated in triplicate. RNA was extracted and CAGE libraries generated for 18 time points, including the 6 originally studied in FANTOM4. Sequencing results were analysed and normalised using bioinformatics tools. It was shown that analysing 8 samples on one Illumina HiSeq 2500 lane yielded enough read coverage to detect activity from even low expression TSSs, such as those associated with enhancer activity. Clusters of genes which were up- and downregulated at different time points during the differentiation process were identified and characterised. CAGE results for key genes encoding chromatin modifying enzymes and macrophage markers were validated by qRT-PCR. There was a rapid increase of histone demethylase KDM6B mRNA once differentiation was initiated. Histone deubiquitinase USP12 mRNA was also upregulated early in the process. Histone deubiquitinase BAP1 mRNA shows an interesting cyclic regulation pattern which was not seen in the more limited samples of FANTOM4. These interesting chromatin-modifying enzymes and their close paralogues (deubiquitinases USP12, USP16 and BAP1, together with demethylases KDM6A, KDM6B and UTY) were investigated by bioinformatics and genetic tools. USP16 knockout THP-1 cell line was successfully created using CRISPR-Cas9 and its ability to differentiate into macrophages was examined using cell cycle analysis and CAGE sequencing. The USP16 knockout cell line, along with siRNA knock downs of USP12, USP16 and BAP1, was also compared to wildtype THP-1 differentiation using CAGE. Unfortunately, creating other mutant THP-1 cell lines was unsuccessful due to low THP-1 viability after single cell sorting. Investigating KDM6A, KDM6B and UTY using bioinformatics showed that UTY and KDM6A gene expression is positively correlated and this is disrupted in cancer samples. Gene expression and sequence comparison suggested that KDM6A and UTY are coregulated and may act in a similar way in histone demethylation. In summary, the results in this thesis show the transcriptomic changes as the leukaemia cell line ceases proliferation and commences differentiation. Detailed examination suggests that histone modifications are important in the transition between proliferation and differentiation and provide better understanding of regulatory factors in macrophage differentiation and leukaemia.

DNA methylation is essential for mammalian development and transcriptional repression of genes and retrotransposons during embryo development and in somatic cells. The patterns of DNA methylation are established by de novo DNA methyltransferases, which are regulated by developmental signalling and require access to chromatin. Besides DNA methyltransferases, other proteins have recently been implicated in DNA methylation, such as the ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler LSH. The absence of LSH in mouse embryos leads to defects in DNA methylation and development. In relation to this, mutations in LSH have been found to cause Immunodeficiency-Centromeric instability-Facial anomalies (ICF) syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by centromeric instability and CpG hypomethylation of centromeric satellite repeats, and is most often caused by mutations in the catalytic domain of the DNA methyltransferase DNMT3B. LSH is essential for developmentally programmed de novo DNA methylation of large chromosomal domains including promoters of protein coding genes and repetitive sequences. Importantly, fibroblasts derived from chromatin remodeling ATPase LSH-null mouse embryos, which lack DNA methylation at transposons and specific gene promoters, are capable of re-establishing normal patterns of DNA methylation and transcriptional silencing of misregulated genes upon re-expression of LSH. The ATP hydrolysis by LSH is essential for its function in gene silencing and de novo DNA methylation. However, the molecular mechanisms of LSH-dependent gene silencing and de novo DNA methylation are yet unclear. Here we use an inducible system that enables controlled expression of LSH in Lsh-null mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) to follow chromatin dynamics, transcriptional silencing and establishment of de novo DNA methylation. This conditionally reversible Lsh knockout cellular system allowed us to study the order of events occurring immediately after LSH restoration in MEF cell lines in order to elucidate the molecular mechanism of LSH-dependent gene silencing. We have demonstrated that LSH upon its restoration localises to the promoters of LSH-dependent loci leading to a mild decrease in the occupancy of H3, which reinforces the previously shown role of LSH as a chromatin remodeler. Simultaneously, there is removal of acetyl groups from H3 tails when LSH is bound to these target regions, which might be facilitated by the interaction of HDACs with LSH. The removal of H3Ac marks is followed by deposition of H3K9me2 by G9a/GLP histone methylases at the same time point when misregulated genes are silenced. This suggests that LSH creates a suitable substrate for G9a/GLP promoting gene silencing. Surprisingly, transcriptional repression occurs without acquisition of DNA methylation at the promoters of these loci. This order of events implies that LSH plays a role as a chromatin remodeler leading to changes in chromatin structure and modifications that facilitate epigenetic gene silencing without DNA methylation in the initial period when LSH is restored in MEF cell lines. Furthermore, deposition of H3K9me2 by the G9a/GLP complex is critical for silencing of specific genes, but not for repetitive elements such as IAPs. The histone modification H3K27me3 seems to play a transitory role in the silencing of IAP retrotransposons in the absence of G9a/GLP activity. In conclusion, this work has demonstrated that changes in chromatin modifications leading to a transcriptionally repressive chromatin state can be established in somatic cells by the chromatin remodeler LSH without acquisition of DNA methylation. This suggests that the primary role of LSH is to promote changes in chromatin structure and modifications that lead to gene silencing and not DNA methylation, which most likely occurs as a consequence of transcriptional silencing.

Ten-Eleven-Translocation (TET) proteins form a family of enzymes responsible for active DNA demethylation by oxidation of 5-methylcytosine. TET proteins play a key role in genomic reprogramming in vitro and in vivo. Although TET proteins are expressed in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), their role in regulating pluripotency remains unclear. In addition, the mechanisms by which TET proteins are recruited to chromatin are largely unknown. To visualise TET protein dynamics during pluripotency and differentiation, the endogenous Tet1/2/3 alleles were fused to epitope tags in ESCs using CRISPR/Cas9. Characterisation of these cell lines showed that TET1 is the highest expressed TET protein in both naïve and primed pluripotent cells. In contrast, TET2 is expressed heterogeneously in ESCs and marks cells with a high self-renewal capacity. To assess the function of Tet genes in pluripotent stem cells, the endogenous Tet1/2/3 ORFs were removed using CRISPR/Cas9. Comparative analysis of single and combined Tet gene knockout ESC lines indicated that Tet1 and Tet2, but not Tet3, play redundant roles to promote loss of pluripotency. Furthermore, Tet-deficient cells retained a naïve morphology in differentiating conditions, suggestive of a LIF-independent self-renewal phenotype. To characterise physiological TET1 protein-protein interactions, TET1 protein partners were identified in ESCs by mass spectrometry and co-immuno-precipitations. This revealed that TET1 interacts with multiple epigenetic and pluripotency-related factors in ESCs. Moreover, detailed characterisation of the interaction between TET1 and NANOG identified three regions of TET1 involved in protein-protein interactions that are conserved in evolution. To investigate TET1 chromatin binding in ESCs, both at the molecular and cellular levels, TET1 was characterised by ChIP-seq analysis and live imaging experiments. Interestingly, TET1 is targeted to chromatin by two different mechanisms, involving distinct protein regions. The interaction with multiple protein partners, including NANOG, might enable TET1 to be targeted to specific chromosomal locations. Additionally, TET1 has the unusual ability to bind mitotic chromatin through its N-terminus, independently of its interaction with NANOG. Together these analyses provide a new understanding of the role of TET proteins in pluripotent cells, as well as a detailed map of TET1 residues involved in protein-protein interactions and mitotic chromatin binding.

Submitted by Izabella Pazzoto Alves null (izapazzoto@hotmail.com) on 2017-03-29T18:48:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Mestrado - Alves, IP 2017.pdf: 1322169 bytes, checksum: 9b200f325b4ed42b13b4e4aafcd85329 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-03-30T18:04:35Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 alves_ip_me_jabo.pdf: 1322169 bytes, checksum: 9b200f325b4ed42b13b4e4aafcd85329 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-03-30T18:04:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 alves_ip_me_jabo.pdf: 1322169 bytes, checksum: 9b200f325b4ed42b13b4e4aafcd85329 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A avaliação de espermatozoides em tecnologias de reprodução assistida raramente analisa a integridade do DNA, crucial para o desenvolvimento embrionário. A técnica do azul de toluidina permite identificar alterações da cromatina com avaliação concomitante da morfometria espermática. O método foi descrito em diversas espécies, mas ao conhecimento dos autores, ainda não foi relatado em gatos. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a aplicabilidade da técnica de coloração de azul de toluidina em avaliar as anormalidades de DNA de espermatozoides epididimários (cabeça, corpo e cauda) de gatos. Investigar ainda se houve correlação entre as variáveis: condensação do DNA, morfologia e morfometria da cabeça espermática. Para este propósito, os índices de alteração de DNA obtidos pela técnica de azul de toluidina e laranja de acridina foram comparados, observando correlação de 65,38% (p<0,001). A estabilidade da cromatina aumentou significativamente da região da cabeça (92,06%) do epidídimo para a cauda (97,94%, p=0,0023), mas não houve diferença entre as regiões do corpo e da cauda, demonstrando que os espermatozoides provenientes destas regiões já possuem maturidade reprodutiva. Não houve correlação entre a anormalidade do DNA e a morfologia espermática como nas demais espécies, mas sim com a morfometria. Observou-se diminuição significativa do tamanho da cabeça do espermatozoide durante a passagem pelas três regiões epididimárias (p < 0,0001). A porcentagem de espermatozoides com cromatina descondensada diminuiu significativamente da região da cabeça até a cauda do epidídimo (26,36%, 15,69%, 3,38%, respectivamente, p<0,0001). Assim, concluímos que existe correlação entre área da cabeça do espermatozoide felino e condensação da cromatina. / Sperm selection in assisted reproductive technologies rarely evaluates the DNA integrity, which is crucial to the embryo’s development. The toluidine blue technique allows identification of chromatin alterations, simultaneously with evaluation of sperm morphometry. The method has been described in many species, but to the authors’ knowledge, it has yet to be described in cats. The objective of this study was to verify the applicability of the toluidine blue technique in analyzing DNA abnormalities of epididymal sperm (caput, corpus and cauda) in cats and further investigating if there was correlation between the variables: DNA condensation, morphology and morphometry of the sperm head. For this purpose, the DNA alteration indexes obtained by both toluidine blue and acridine orange techniques were compared and a 65.38% (p < 0.001) correlation was observed. The chromatin stability increased significantly in the head region of the epididymis (92.06%) in relation to the cauda (97.94%, p = 0.0023), however there was no difference between the caput and cauda regions, which demonstrates that sperm coming from these region are already mature. There was no correlation between the DNA abnormality and the sperm morphology as observed in other species, however there was correlation to morphometry. A significant decrease of the sperm head size was observed during the passage of the three epididymal regions (p < 0.0001). The percentage of sperm with deficient chromatin condensation decreased significantly from caput region to cauda of the epididymis (26.36%, 15.69%, 3.38%, respectively, p < 0.0001). Therefore, the evaluation of sperm head size can predict the quality of chromatin condensation.