In a preliminary cDNA microarray data-mining, stathmin (STMN1) was identified to be up-regulated in the Hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). A further screening on HCC cell lines and some tissue specimens at both the mRNA and protein levels, STMN1 was confirmed to be a HCC tumor marker. However, the underlying mechanism that regulates STMN1 up-regulation in HCC is still unknown. The objective of this study was to identify the potential factors that up-regulate STMN1 mRNA and protein levels in HCC. Three HCC cell lines (SK-Hep1, Hep-3B and Hep-G2) and fifty-eight specimens (liver tumor and adjacent nontumor tissues in the same patient) were obtained. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blotting identified up-regulations of STMN1 at both mRNAs and proteins levels in three HCC cell lines and 58 specimens. Immunofluorescence assays further detected its cytoplasmical subcellular localization. Among tumor specimens, the STMN1 protein was significantly correlated with its mRNA expression level (In HCC; N=35; r=0.843; p<0.05; In Metastasis; N=11; r=0.947; p<0.05). In 46 tissue specimens (HCC=35; Metastasis=11), the expression level of E2F1 transcription factor was found to be up-regulated significantly in tumor specimens (p<0.05) and parallel to the STMN1 protein (In HCC; N=35; r=0.556; p<0.05; In Metastasis; N=11; r=0.524; p<0.05). In synchronized SK-Hep1 and Hep-3B cells, it hypothesizes that STMN1 expression is, in part, under the control of E2F1 transcription factors. Moreover, comparative mapping and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay confirmed two E2F1 and three MYC binding sites (the E box) in the STMN1 proximal promoter region. STMN1 proteins were down regulated after the electroporation of shE2F1 in SK-Hep1 cells in 31~36%. In conclusion, the high level of STMN1 protein was resulted from STMN1 mRNA up-regulation and E2F1 might play an important role to transactivate STMN1 gene in HCC and liver metastasis.

No description available.

O emprego da metodologia de microarranjos no estudo do câncer tem permitido a identificação de genes com alterações em seus perfis de expressão, os quais estão direta ou indiretamente envolvidos na etiologia dessa doença. O crescente número de publicações de experimentos de expressão gênica em repositórios de dados de microarranjos demonstra que, em geral, a limitação não está na quantidade ou qualidade desses experimentos, mas no processamento desses dados. Dessa forma, há a necessidade de desenvolver metodologias de bioinformática que sejam capazes de analisar tais perfis de forma integrada, incluindo no contexto da análise, dados provenientes de outros experimentos. O desenvolvimento do câncer tem sido associado principalmente a distúrbios nos mecanismos de controle do ciclo celular, cujas vias são dependentes de uma maquinaria transcricional e de seus elementos regulatórios; entre estes últimos, os fatores de transcrição (FTs) têm sido estudados como potenciais alvos para a terapia molecular. No presente trabalho, um conjunto de dados de microarranjos realizados a partir de amostras de glioblastoma foi obtido em repositórios públicos (GEO e ArrayExpress). O teste estatístico SAM foi aplicado aos dados e os genes diferencialmente expressos (FDR 0,05), induzidos em glioblastoma (1.830 genes), foram submetidos a uma análise de associação a FTs (programa FatiGO+), a qual associou os FTs HNF1A, IRF7 e E2F (p 0,05) aos genes induzidos. Adicionalmente, a lista de genes foi submetida a uma análise de associação a um banco de dados de assinaturas transcricionais do software TBrowser, extraídas de diversos experimentos de microarranjos do GEO. Como resultado, 7.910 assinaturas foram associadas (p 0,01), sendo que as cem primeiras também foram relacionadas a FTs por meio de ferramentas disponibilizadas no próprio TBrowser. Os FTs E2F1 e E2F4 foram associados a mais de 80% das assinaturas analisadas. Dessa forma, ambas as análises apontaram o FT E2F, mais especificamente E2F1 e E2F4, como associados à lista inicial de genes fornecida pelo SAM. A expressão de E2F1 e E2F4 foi avaliada por meio da técnica de RT-PCR quantitativa em tempo real em amostras de RNA de sete linhagens de glioblastoma (T98, U251, U138, U87, U343, MO59J e MO59K). Interessantemente, ambos os genes foram apontados como superexpressos em todas as linhagens, a maioria com significância estatística. A família de FTs E2F apresenta papéis importantes no controle da proliferação celular e apoptose. Alguns membros atuam como oncogenes, e outros, como genes supressores de tumor, dependendo do contexto molecular nos quais se encontram. Muitos trabalhos da literatura têm apontado a importância desses FTs, especialmente E2F1, no processo de itumorigênese. Com base nos resultados obtidos no presente trabalho, o status de expressão (indução) de E2F1 e E2F4 é provavelmente associado ao glioblastoma. Esses FTs podem influenciar a expressão de uma série de genes cruciais, frequentemente alterados nessa doença, o que ainda requer um estudo mais detalhado, visando à validação desses FTs como biomarcadores, ou até mesmo como alvos moleculares que possam ser empregados no estabelecimento de novas modalidades de terapias. / The application of DNA microarrays in cancer research has provided the identification of abnormal expression profiles of a series of genes, which may be directly involved in the etiology of such disease. The increasing number of publications related to gene expression profile in microarray repositories has demonstrated that the limitation of such experiments is not associated with the quantity neither the quality of such experiments, but with data processing. Therefore, there is a great interest in the development of methodologies in bioinformatics that allow the integrated analysis of such profiles, including data set from other experiments. Cancer development has been associated mostly with changes in cell cycle control, whose intracellular pathways are dependent on the transcriptional machinery. Regulatory elements involved in transcription, which include transcriptional factors (TFs), can be potential targets for molecular therapy. In the present study, a set of microarray data achieved from glioblastoma samples were obtained from public repositories (GEO and ArrayExpress). Data were submitted to statistical analysis using SAM, and 1,830 up-regulated genes (FDR 0.05) were submitted to TFs association analysis (FatiGO+ program). Those genes were associated to the TFs HNF1A, IRF7 and E2F (p 0.05). Moreover, the set of genes was submitted to a transcription signature bank data association analysis using the software TBrowser, extracted from GEO, which provided a wide range of data sets from microarray experiments. The analysis led to 7,910 associated signatures (p 0.01); out of them, the first 100 were related to TFs according to the tools available in TBrowser. The TFs E2F1 and E2F4 were associated to more than 80% from the analyzed signatures. Therefore, both analysis suggested that the TF E2F, specifically E2F1 and E2F4, were associated to the initial gene set obtained by the SAM analysis. The expression of E2F1 and E2F4 was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR using RNA samples from seven glioblastoma cell lines (T98, U251, U138, U87, U343, MO59J and MO59K). Interestingly, both genes were found up-regulated in all cell lines. The E2F TFs family members present important roles in cell proliferation control and apoptosis. Depending on the molecular context involved, some members act as oncogenes and others as tumor suppressor genes. A great number of studies has suggested the importance of such TFs , specially E2F1, in the tumorigenesis process. According to the present results, the expression status (induced) of E2F1 and E2F4 may be associated with glioblastoma. These TFs may influence the abnormal expression of important genes in cancer, even though detailed studies should be necessary in order to validate these TFs as biomarkers or molecular targets for therapeutical intervention.

CIAP1 (cellular Inhibitor of Apoptosis 1) possède une activité E3-ubiquitine ligase et présente des propriétés oncogéniques. Récemment, notre équipe a montré que cIAP1 pouvait réguler l’activité du facteur de transcription E2F1. L’objectif de mon travail de thèse était d’approfondir les mécanismes de cette régulation et d’évaluer l’importance de la coopération cIAP1-E2F1 dans l’activité oncogénique de cIAP1. J’ai démontré une interaction d’E2F1 avec la poche hydrophobe du domaine BIR3 de cIAP1. J’ai par ailleurs démontré l’importance de la première hélice α de ce domaine pour l’interaction de cIAP1 avec E2F1 et avec les autres protéines partenaires de cIAP1 capables de lier la poche hydrophobe du domaine BIR3. De plus, j’ai participé au travail montrant pour la première fois une régulation d’E2F1 par une ubiquitinylation non dégradative. cIAP1 permet la conjugaison de chaînes d’ubiquitines de type K63 sur les lysines 161 et 164 d’E2F1. Cette modification post-traductionnelle est indispensable à la stabilisation de la protéine lors d’un stress génotoxique et elle permet le recrutement du facteur de transcription sur les promoteurs des gènes cibles. Enfin, l’analyse des propriétés oncogéniques de cIAP1 n’ont pas permis, à ce jour, d’évaluer l’importance de la coopération cIAP1-E2F1. Cependant, nous avons montré l’importance du domaine BIR1 pour les propriétés oncogéniques de cIAP1 (domaine nécessaire à l’interaction de cIAP1 avec l’adaptateur moléculaire TRAF2). / The cellular inhibitor of Apoptosis 1 (cIAP1) behaves as an E3 ubiquitin ligase and has oncogenic properties. Previously, our team has shown that cIAP1 can regulate the E2F1 transcription factor activity. My research project has been focused on deepening our current knowledge on this interaction. Firstly, we characterized the E2F1-cIAP1 interaction, then we analyzed the regulation of E2F1 by cIAP1 and finally assessed the importance of the cIAP1-E2F1 interaction for the oncogenic properties of cIAP1. I have demonstrated a interaction of E2F1 with the hydrophobic pocket of the BIR3 domain of cIAP1. Moreover, I highlighted that the alpha 1 helix of the BIR3 domain is mandatory for the stability of this pocket. Moreover, we discovered an ubiquitination on lysine 161 and 164 of E2F1 by cIAP1. This ubiquitination is essential for the stability and transcriptional activity of E2F1. Finally, it appears that the cIAP1 BIR1 domain that is required for the interaction with TRAF2 is involved in its oncogenic properties.

O emprego da metodologia de microarranjos no estudo do câncer tem permitido a identificação de genes com alterações em seus perfis de expressão, os quais estão direta ou indiretamente envolvidos na etiologia dessa doença. O crescente número de publicações de experimentos de expressão gênica em repositórios de dados de microarranjos demonstra que, em geral, a limitação não está na quantidade ou qualidade desses experimentos, mas no processamento desses dados. Dessa forma, há a necessidade de desenvolver metodologias de bioinformática que sejam capazes de analisar tais perfis de forma integrada, incluindo no contexto da análise, dados provenientes de outros experimentos. O desenvolvimento do câncer tem sido associado principalmente a distúrbios nos mecanismos de controle do ciclo celular, cujas vias são dependentes de uma maquinaria transcricional e de seus elementos regulatórios; entre estes últimos, os fatores de transcrição (FTs) têm sido estudados como potenciais alvos para a terapia molecular. No presente trabalho, um conjunto de dados de microarranjos realizados a partir de amostras de glioblastoma foi obtido em repositórios públicos (GEO e ArrayExpress). O teste estatístico SAM foi aplicado aos dados e os genes diferencialmente expressos (FDR 0,05), induzidos em glioblastoma (1.830 genes), foram submetidos a uma análise de associação a FTs (programa FatiGO+), a qual associou os FTs HNF1A, IRF7 e E2F (p 0,05) aos genes induzidos. Adicionalmente, a lista de genes foi submetida a uma análise de associação a um banco de dados de assinaturas transcricionais do software TBrowser, extraídas de diversos experimentos de microarranjos do GEO. Como resultado, 7.910 assinaturas foram associadas (p 0,01), sendo que as cem primeiras também foram relacionadas a FTs por meio de ferramentas disponibilizadas no próprio TBrowser. Os FTs E2F1 e E2F4 foram associados a mais de 80% das assinaturas analisadas. Dessa forma, ambas as análises apontaram o FT E2F, mais especificamente E2F1 e E2F4, como associados à lista inicial de genes fornecida pelo SAM. A expressão de E2F1 e E2F4 foi avaliada por meio da técnica de RT-PCR quantitativa em tempo real em amostras de RNA de sete linhagens de glioblastoma (T98, U251, U138, U87, U343, MO59J e MO59K). Interessantemente, ambos os genes foram apontados como superexpressos em todas as linhagens, a maioria com significância estatística. A família de FTs E2F apresenta papéis importantes no controle da proliferação celular e apoptose. Alguns membros atuam como oncogenes, e outros, como genes supressores de tumor, dependendo do contexto molecular nos quais se encontram. Muitos trabalhos da literatura têm apontado a importância desses FTs, especialmente E2F1, no processo de itumorigênese. Com base nos resultados obtidos no presente trabalho, o status de expressão (indução) de E2F1 e E2F4 é provavelmente associado ao glioblastoma. Esses FTs podem influenciar a expressão de uma série de genes cruciais, frequentemente alterados nessa doença, o que ainda requer um estudo mais detalhado, visando à validação desses FTs como biomarcadores, ou até mesmo como alvos moleculares que possam ser empregados no estabelecimento de novas modalidades de terapias. / The application of DNA microarrays in cancer research has provided the identification of abnormal expression profiles of a series of genes, which may be directly involved in the etiology of such disease. The increasing number of publications related to gene expression profile in microarray repositories has demonstrated that the limitation of such experiments is not associated with the quantity neither the quality of such experiments, but with data processing. Therefore, there is a great interest in the development of methodologies in bioinformatics that allow the integrated analysis of such profiles, including data set from other experiments. Cancer development has been associated mostly with changes in cell cycle control, whose intracellular pathways are dependent on the transcriptional machinery. Regulatory elements involved in transcription, which include transcriptional factors (TFs), can be potential targets for molecular therapy. In the present study, a set of microarray data achieved from glioblastoma samples were obtained from public repositories (GEO and ArrayExpress). Data were submitted to statistical analysis using SAM, and 1,830 up-regulated genes (FDR 0.05) were submitted to TFs association analysis (FatiGO+ program). Those genes were associated to the TFs HNF1A, IRF7 and E2F (p 0.05). Moreover, the set of genes was submitted to a transcription signature bank data association analysis using the software TBrowser, extracted from GEO, which provided a wide range of data sets from microarray experiments. The analysis led to 7,910 associated signatures (p 0.01); out of them, the first 100 were related to TFs according to the tools available in TBrowser. The TFs E2F1 and E2F4 were associated to more than 80% from the analyzed signatures. Therefore, both analysis suggested that the TF E2F, specifically E2F1 and E2F4, were associated to the initial gene set obtained by the SAM analysis. The expression of E2F1 and E2F4 was evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR using RNA samples from seven glioblastoma cell lines (T98, U251, U138, U87, U343, MO59J and MO59K). Interestingly, both genes were found up-regulated in all cell lines. The E2F TFs family members present important roles in cell proliferation control and apoptosis. Depending on the molecular context involved, some members act as oncogenes and others as tumor suppressor genes. A great number of studies has suggested the importance of such TFs , specially E2F1, in the tumorigenesis process. According to the present results, the expression status (induced) of E2F1 and E2F4 may be associated with glioblastoma. These TFs may influence the abnormal expression of important genes in cancer, even though detailed studies should be necessary in order to validate these TFs as biomarkers or molecular targets for therapeutical intervention.

E2F1, un régulateur crucial du métabolisme dans les cellules normales et cancéreuses.Résumé: Le facteur de transcription E2F1 est largement décrit pour son implication dans le contrôle du cycle cellulaire. Notre laboratoire et d'autres ont montré qu'il jouait également un rôle majeur dans le contrôle de l'homéostasie du glucose et des lipides. Dans les travaux présentés dans cette thèse, nous avons démontré ici en utilisant les souris invalidées pour E2F1 (souris E2f1-/-), qu'il joue un rôle dans le mécanisme de sécrétion d'insuline, dans la lipogenèse et la gluconéogenèse hépatique et dans le contrôle du métabolisme oxydatif. Dans la cellules β pancréatique, E2F1 contrôle la sécrétion d'insuline via le contrôle de l'expression de Kir6.2. Nous avons également montré l'implication de E2F1 dans la régulation de l'expression de gènes oxydatifs dans le TAB et le muscle. De plus, l'étude du foie de ces souris a permis de montrer le rôle de E2F1 dans le contrôle de la lipogenèse et la néoglucogenèse. E2F1 semble en effet capable de réguler l'expression d'un gène clé de la lipogenèse, Fas et de la G6Pase, un gène impliqué dans la production hépatique de glucose, en coopérant avec le facteur de transcription foxo-1. Enfin, nous avons observé que la diminution de la néoglucogenèse en absence de E2F1 empêche la formation de métastases pulmonaires. Ces différents résultats démontrent que E2F1 est un régulateur clé du métabolisme, et que la modulation de son activité pourrait avoir des conséquences majeures dans le développement de maladies comme le diabète, l'obésité, les myopathies et le cancer.Mots clés: E2F1, sécrétion d'insuline, métabolisme oxydatif, lipogenèse, gluconéogenèse, cancer. / E2F1, a crucial regulator of metabolism in normal and cancer cells. Abstract: E2F1 is a key transcription factor involved in the control of the cell cycle. We and others have previously demonstrated a a major role for E2F1 in the control of glucose and lipid homeostasis. In this thesis, we showed bu using E2F1 null mice, that E2F1 plays a major role in the control of insulin secretion, oxidative metabolism, lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis. E2F1 controls insulin secretion through the modulation of Kir6.2 expression. Moreover, we demonstrated that E2F1 controls the expression of oxidative genes in BAT and muscle. In addition, we observed that E2F1 is involved in the control of lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis in the liver. E2F1regulates the expression of key lipogenic genes, such as Fas, and G6Pase, a gene involved in hepatic glucose production, through cooperation with foxo-1. Finally, we observed that the inhibition of gluconeogenesis upon E2f1 genetic ablation impaired the formation of lung metastases. These different results show that E2F1 is a key regulator of metabolism, and that modulating its activity could have High outcomes on diseases such as diabetes, obesity, muscular distrophies or cancers.Key words: E2F1, insulin secretion, oxidative metabolism, lipogenesis, gluocneogenesis, cancer.

Proteins of the nuclear lamina provide structural support to the nuclear envelope and participate in a variety of cellular functions, such as chromatin organization and transcriptional regulation. One of these proteins, Lamin A (72kDa), is synthesized as a 74 kDa precursor protein, Prelamin A, which undergoes an unusual maturation pathway that requires two farnesylation-dependent endoproteolytic cleavages. The second cleavage is unique to lamin A in higher vertebrates and is specifically carried out by the endoprotease zmpste24. Although most previous studies have focused mainly on the function of mature Lamin A, recent evidence from our laboratory shows important biological functions for Prelamin A as well. Prelamin A concentration in proliferating cells is very low or undetectable. Conversely, during quiescence induced by mitogen withdrawal or contact inhibition, Prelamin A levels increase dramatically. These variations are directly regulated by changes in expression and enzymatic activity of zmpste24. The central hypothesis of this dissertation is that full-length farnesylated and carboxymethylated prelamin A (FC-PreA) antagonizes both proliferation and apoptosis, therefore playing a role in cellular quiescence/senescence. To accomplish this goal, we studied the transcriptional regulation of zmpste24 and the interaction of FC-preA with proteins that participate in cell cycle control. 1) We identified and characterized a functional site for the E2F1 transcription factor (involved in the control of cell cycle) in the proximal 5’ UTR region of zmpste24. 2) By using proximity-labeling and co-immunoprecipitation-mass spectrometry techniques, we identified a set of proteins that interact preferentially with L467R-Prelamin A (uncleavable mutant) but not with mature Lamin A. Many of these proteins function to regulate progression through cell cycle.

La protéine SC35 appartient à la famille des protéines SR (Ser/Arg-rich) connues pour être des régulateurs cruciaux de l'épissage alternatif et constitutif. L'activité de ces protéines est largement régulée par phosphorylation. Alors que plusieurs études ont mis en évidence une dérégulation de l'expression des protéines SR au cours du processus de carcinogenèse, peu de données existent à ce jour concernant les voies de signalisation cellulaire qui contrôlent l'expression et/ou l'activité de ces protéines dans les cellules cancéreuses. Pour la première fois, nous démontrons que SC35 est une protéine acétylée. Cette modification post-traductionnelle met en jeu l'acétyltransférase Tip60 et la déacétylase HDAC6. Nos données mettent aussi en évidence une connexion étroite entre la phosphorylation et l'acétylation de SC35 pour le contrôle de son niveau d'expression et de son activité. Nous démontrons enfin que ces modifications post-traductionnelles de SC35 sont critiques pour l'induction de l'apoptose en réponse aux agents génotoxiques et pour la mise en place d'un phénomène de sénescence en réponse au sodium butyrate, un inhibiteur d'histones déacétylases, dans différentes lignées cellulaires dérivées de carcinomes pulmonaires humains. La protéine E2F1 est un facteur de transcription qui participe au contrôle de la prolifération cellulaire en stimulant le passage des cellules en phase S du cycle cellulaire et est aussi capable d'induire l'apoptose. Au laboratoire, nous avons identifié la protéine SC35 comme une nouvelle cible transcriptionnelle directe de E2F1 et montré que les deux protéines coopèrent pour induire l'apoptose en réponse aux agents génotoxiques. Nous démontrons dans ce travail que SC35 gouverne aussi l'entrée et la progression en phase S en contrôlant certains gènes cibles de E2F1 impliqués dans ce contexte, tels que la cycline E. Nous mettons en évidence que la voie de signalisation cellulaire PI3K/AKT est impliquée dans le contrôle de l'expression de la cycline E médié par les deux protéines E2F1 et SC35, notamment via la phosphorylation de SC35. Finalement, nous décrivons une corrélation directe entre le niveau d'expression protéique de la cycline E et de P-SC35 dans une série de tumeurs pulmonaires neuroendocrines. L'ensemble de ces travaux identifie donc de nouvelles voies de signalisation contrôlant les fonctions cellulaires de SC35 et ouvre des perspectives quant aux conséquences biologiques découlant de la dérégulation de l'expression de SC35 dans les cancers bronchiques.

O glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) é um dos tumores mais letais e a radioterapia permanece como um dos principais tratamentos. Novas estratégias são necessárias para coibir a resistência ao tratamento, como o silenciamento de fatores de transcrição (FTs). Nossa hipótese é a de que FTs associados a listas de genes diferencialmente expressos, os quais foram selecionados para linhagens de GBM irradiadas, ou comparando amostras de GBM à amostras de tecido cerebral, possam fornecer alvos moleculares que aumentariam a morte das células tumorais, quando silenciados. Foram analisadas a proliferação, morte e ciclo celular, além da formação e diferenciação de neuroesferas, utilizando, em quase todas as etapas, a citometria de fluxo. Os FTs HEB e E2F1, cujas funções principais estão relacionadas à neurogênese e proliferação celular, foram selecionados a partir das análises in silico de GBM irradiados ou não, ou de GBMs comparados a amostras de cérebro normal, respectivamente. Esses FTs encontram-se expressos em linhagens U87, astrócitos primários e neuroesferas provenientes das mesmas, analisadas por Western blot. O silenciamento de HEB e E2F1 na linhagem U87, de forma geral, reduziu a proliferação, induziu morte celular e diminuiu a porcentagem de células em G0/ G1, em pelo menos um dos tempos analisados (24, 48 e 72h) em relação ao grupo transfectado com a sequência scrambled. O silenciamento de HEB e E2F1 reduziu o número de neuroesferas quando comparadas às células transfectadas com a sequência scrambled. Possivelmente, a capacidade anti-proliferativa do silenciamento dos FTs HEB e E2F1 observada no cultivo em monocamada da U87, possam atuar na capacidade de formação de neuroesferas e, consequentemente, podem ter um papel na manutenção das células tronco do GBM. O silenciamento não alterou a radiorresistência da U87 cultivada em monocamada, com exceção dos efeitos do silenciamento de E2F1 em 24 h, em que houve radioproteção. A irradiação não reduziu o número de neuroesferas silenciadas para HEB em comparação ao grupo não irradiado, mas reduziu o número de células presentes nas neuroesferas, indicando uma possível atuação de HEB na resposta à irradiação em neuroesferas, fato este nunca antes descrito. O silenciamento de E2F1 não interferiu na resposta das neuroesferas à radiação. A expressão de CD133 avaliada oito dias após a dissociação das células silenciadas para E2F1 e HEB, cultivadas em meio de diferenciação, foram superiores ao do grupo scrambled, indicando uma possível diminuição na diferenciação celular. O silenciamento dos dois FTs não atuou na seleção positiva de CD133+ após a irradiação, como observado no grupo das neuroesferas transfectadas com a sequência scrambled e irradiadas, comparado às não irradiadas. Assim, E2F1 e HEB mostraram-se alvos interessantes no sentido de reduzir a proliferação, tanto em células U87 cultivadas em monocamada quanto em neuroesferas. / Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most lethal tumors, and radiation therapy remains one of the main treatments. New strategies are needed to suppress typical GBM treatment resistance and transcription factors (TFs) silencing seems to be a promising strategy. Our hypothesis is that TFs associated with lists of differentially expressed genes which were selected for irradiated compared to shamirradiated GBM cell lines, or GBM samples compared to brain tissue samples, could provide molecular targets that are supposed to increase tumor cell death when they are silenced. We analyzed proliferation, cell death and cell cycle progression, besides the formation and differentiation of neurospheres, using several analyses by flow cytometry. The TFs HEB and E2F1, whose primary functions are related to neurogenesis and cell proliferation, were selected from in silico analysis of GBM irradiated or sham-irradiated GBMs and GBM samples compared with normal brain samples, respectively. These TFs were found expressed in U87 GBM cell line, and primary astrocytes, as well as in neurospheres derivated from both, as analyzed by Western blot. Silencing of E2F1 and HEB in U87 cells, reduced proliferation, induced cell death and decreased the percentage of cells at G0/G1 (24, 48 or 72h) compared to the scrambled sequence transfected group. HEB and E2F1 silencing reduced the number of neurospheres when compared to cells transfected with scrambled sequence. Possibly, the anti-proliferative ability of silencing of HEB and E2F1 TFs observed in monolayer culture of U87, may act in neurospheres forming capacity and therefore may play a role in the maintenance of GBM stem cells. In our experiments, gene silencing did not alter the radio-resistance of U87 grown in monolayer. Irradiation did not reduce the number of neurospheres silenced for HEB compared to non-irradiated group, but reduced the number of cells present in neurospheres, indicating a possible role of HEB in response to ionizing irradiation in neurospheres, a fact that was not described yet. The silencing of E2F1 in neurospheres did not affect the response to irradiation. The expression of CD133, as assessed at eight days after the dissociation of cells silenced for E2F1 and HEB (cultured in differentiation culture media), was superior compared with the scrambled group, indicating a possible decrease in cell differentiation. The silencing of both TFs did not influence the positive selection of CD133 after irradiation, as observed in the group of neurospheres transfected with scrambled sequence, and irradiated compared to nonirradiated. Thus, E2F1 and HEB proved to be interesting targets for decreasing proliferation in both U87 cells grown as monolayer or neurospheres.

La voie de réparation NER implique une cascade de complexes protéiques dont le senseur des dommages de l’ADN (XPC/HR23B). Des mutations dans les gènes de la NER (TTD-A, XPA-G, XPV, CSA et CSB), sont associées à des maladies génétiques humaines dont le Xeroderma Pigmentosum (XP), la Trichothiodystrophie (TTD) et le syndrome de Cockayne (CS). L’ensemble des symptômes des patients ne peut être expliqué seulement par un défaut de la réparation de l’ADN. Or depuis quelques années, il a été prouvé que les facteurs de la NER sont aussi impliqués lors de la transcription. Dans le cadre de ma thèse, je me suis particulièrement intéressé à la protéines XPC en déterminant son rôle transcriptionnel à l’échelle génomique afin de mieux comprendre les conséquences de sa dérégulation dans un contexte pathologique. En ce sens, mon second objectif a été de caractériser au niveau moléculaire l’étiologie de nouveaux patients XP en analysant de manière combinée les évènements moléculaires de la NER et la transcription associés à XPC. Nos différentes approches expérimentales ont permis d’identifier au niveau génomique un ensemble de gènes sont les promoteurs sont régulés aussi bien positivement que négativement par XPC dans un contexte RAR dépendant. De plus, nous montrons que XPC interagit avec KAT2A contenu dans le complexe ATAC, ainsi que qu’avec le facteur de transcription E2F1, le facteur de remodelage de la chromatine BRD2 et le variant d’histone H2A.Z. Via KAT2A, ce complexe va acétyler non seulement H2A.Z mais également H3K9 au niveau des promoteurs ciblés par E2F1. / NER involves a cascade of protein complexes including the DNA damage sensor (XPC/HR23B). Mutations in NER genes (TTD-A, XPA-G, XPV, CSA and CSB) are associated with human genetic diseases including Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), Trichothiodystrophy (TTD) and Cockayne Syndrome (CS). All the symptoms can only be explained by a defect of the DNA repair. However all the symptoms can only be explained by a defect of the DNA repair. However, it has been proven that NER factors are also involved in transcription. As the genomic scale to better understand the consequences of its deregulation in a pathological context. In this sense, my second goal has been to characterize at the molecular level the etiology of new XP patients by analyzing in a combined way the molecular events of the NER and the transcription associated with XPC. Our different experimental approaches have made it possible to identify at genomic level a set of gene whose promoters are regulated both positively and negatively by XPC in a dependent RAR context. In addition, we show that XPC interacts with KAT2A contained in the ATAC complex, as well as with the transcription factor E2F1, the chromatin remodeling factor BRD2, and the histone variant H2A.Z. Via KAT2A, this complex will acetylate not only H2A.Z but also H3K9 at promoters targeted by E2F1.