Âncoras de glicosilfosfatidilinositol (GPI) são estruturas essenciais para a ancoragem de glicoconjugados e proteínas na superfície celular de protozoários. Trypanosoma cruzi produz uma gama de estruturas únicas de GPI, as quais ancoram mucinas e trans-sialidases, que participam de processos envolvidos na interação entre parasita e hospedeiro. Afim de estudar a biossíntese de âncora de GPI de T. cruzi e possivelmente utilizá-la como um potencial alvo anti-T.cruzi, este trabalho visa sintetizar análogos de âncoras de GPI e analisar o potencial destas moléculas como substratos da via biossintética de GPIs. Neste contexto, um pseudo-dissacarídeo 31 foi sintetizado através de O-glicosilação entre os doadores derivados de azido-glicopiranosídeo (32 ou 33a-d) e o acceptor de mio-inositol (34), preparados a partir de cloridrato de glucosamina (35) e metil-?-D-glucopiranósido (36), respectivamente, usando proteção/desproteção ortogonais. Cinco diferentes dadores de glicosídicos (32 e 33a-d) foram preparados para investigar a influcia dos seus grupos protetores na estereoselectividade da reações de O-glicosilação na presença de diferentes solventes para estudar o favorecimento da configuração ?, presente em GPIs. Ademais, a síntese do aceptor de mio-inositol 34 foi realizada em 12 etapas pela estratégia do rearranjo Ferrier para formar um derivado de ciclitol, além de diversas proteções/desproteções, funcionalizado que permite a introdução regiosselectiva da unidade de azido glicose (32-33a-d) e uma porção de fosfolípido no seu C-1 e posições C-6, respectivamente. Assim, O-glicosilação entre doador 33c e o acceptor 34, foi realizada utilizando TMSOTf como promotor para originar o composto 31c com boa estereoseletividade para ?, com elevado rendimento (~70%). Após a dealilação de 31c, a porção fosfodiéster contendo uma cadeia C-8 (87), preparada pela abordagem do H-fosfonato, foi anexada ao pseudo-dissacarídeo para gerar, após desprotecção global, o composto alvo 30a. A mesma estratégia sintética foi aplicada ao preparo do composto 91 contendo uma cadeia lateral alquil-naftil (90) que está em últmas etapas de desproteção para gerar o composto final 30c. Atualmente, o composto 30a está sendo testado como substrato da biossíntese de âncoras de GPI em membranas microssomais de Euglena gracilis, uma alga unicelular não patogênica, que pode potencialmente ser utilizada como modelo para parasitas humanos filogeneticamente relacionados. Após a incubação do potencial substrato de GPI 30a com membranas microssomais de E. gracilis para geração de metabólitos, será realizada análise do extrato por LC-MS e, eventualmente, isolamento dos produtos formados para posterior caracterização. Os produtos que apresentarem atividade como substrato ou como inibidores da biossíntese de GPI em E. gracilis serão também ensaiados na membrana microsomal do T. cruzi. / Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors are essential molecules to attach glycoconjugates and proteins in protozoan\'s cell surface. Trypanosoma cruzi produces a range of unique GPI structures that anchor mucins and trans-sialidases which participate in important processes involved in the interaction between parasite and host. As an effort to study T. cruzi GPI anchor biosynthesis and possibly use it as a potential target for an antichagasic drug, this work aims to synthesize GPI anchor analogs (labelled or not) and analyze the potential of these molecules as substrates in the GPI biosynthetic pathway. In this context, a pseudo-disaccharide 31 was synthesized by O-glycosylation reaction between azide glycosyl donors (32 or 33a-d) and myo-inositol acceptor (34), prepared from glucosamine (35) hydrochloride and methyl ?-D-glucopyranoside (36), respectively, using orthogonal protection/ deprotection. Five different glycosyl donors (32 and 33a-d) were prepared to investigate the influence of their protective groups on the stereoselectivity of the O-glycosylation reaction in the presence of different solvents to afford the required GPI ?-linkage. In addition, the synthesis of the myo-inositol acceptor 34 was achieved using several protection/deprotection steps, besides the Ferrier rearrangement, to form a functionalized cyclitol derivative that enables the regioselective introduction of the azide glycoside unit and phospholipid moiety on its C-1 and C-6 positions, respectively. Then, O-glycosylation of acceptor 34 with donor 33c was accomplished in diethyl ether, using TMSOTf as promoter to give exclusively ?-anomer 31c in high yield. After deallylation of 31c, the phosphodiester moiety bearing an octyl chain (87), prepared by the H-phosphonate approach, was appended to the pseudo-disaccharide to yield, after deprotection, target compounds 30a. The same synthetic strategy was applied to the preparation of 30c, even though in the protective form, compound 91 bearing an alkyl-naphthyl side chain (90). Currently, compound 30a is being tested as substrates of GPI anchor biosynthesis in Euglena gracilis cell membranes, a non-pathogenic unicellular algae, which may potentially be used as a model for phylogenetically related human parasites. After incubation of the potential GPI substrate 30a with E. gracilis microsomal membranes for generation of metabolites, the analysis by LC-MS and, eventually, isolation of the products will be performed for further characterization. Products that show any substrate or inhibitory activities will be also assayed in T. cruzi microsomal membrane.

Des variants récessifs touchant le gène PIGB, encodant une enzyme impliquée dans la biosynthèse des ancres GPI, ont récemment été décrits chez des patients présentant une déficience héritée des ancres GPI ainsi qu’une encéphalopathie épileptogène (EE), une forme d’épilepsie infantile sévère associée à des atteintes cognitives. Chez l’humain, plus de 150 protéines, dont certaines sont critiques pour la fonction neuronale, sont localisées à la membrane cellulaire grâce aux ancres GPI. Des données préliminaires du laboratoire Rossignol démontrent que la délétion embryonnaire du gène Pigb dans les interneurones GABAergiques (IN) dérivés de l’éminence ganglionnaire médiale (MGE) est suffisante pour induire des crises d’épilepsie spontanées et des déficits cognitifs chez la souris, suggérant un rôle critique de PIGB dans le développement de l’inhibition corticale. Toutefois, les mécanismes cellulaires et moléculaires sous-tendant les phénotypes cliniques associés aux délétions du gène PIGB sont inconnus. Compte tenu du rôle central joué par les molécules de guidage, dont certaines sont des protéines à ancrage GPI, lors de la migration des IN vers la plaque corticale, nous postulons que la perte sélective des ancres GPI, résultant d’une délétion conditionnelle de Pigb dans les IN, altère leur dynamique de migration, ce qui a pour conséquence de réduire leur nombre dans le cortex postnatal, menant à une désinhibition corticale et au développement de l’épilepsie. L’imagerie en temps réel d’explants cellulaires de MGE a révélé que la perte de fonction du gène Pigb dans les IN dérivés du MGE entraine un défaut de la migration tangentielle et des anomalies morphologiques se traduisant par une réduction de la densité des IN dans le cortex postnatal. Nous avons également démontré que la signalisation motogène EphA4-éphrineA2 est altérée dans les IN déficients en ancres GPI, contribuant au délai de migration observé. En somme, nos travaux ont permis de préciser les mécanismes physiopathologiques sous-tendant les EE associées à des variants pathogéniques du gène PIGB et d’approfondir notre compréhension du rôle des ancres GPI durant le neurodéveloppement et plus précisément, durant la migration des IN. / Recessive variants in the PIGB gene, encoding an enzyme involved in the biosynthesis pathway of GPI anchors, were recently described in children with an inherited GPI anchor defect and epileptic encephalopathy (EE), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by early-onset epilepsy with cognitive impairment. GPI anchors are critical for the membrane attachment of at least 150 human proteins, some of which are important for proper neuronal function. Preliminary data from the Rossignol group show that the embryonic deletion of Pigb in GABAergic interneurons (INs) emanating from the medial ganglionic eminence (MGE) causes spontaneous seizures and cognitive deficits in mice, suggesting a critical role of PIGB in the establishment of cortical inhibition. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms leading to epilepsy remain unknown. Given the central role of guidance molecules, some of which are GPI-anchored proteins, during neuronal migration, we postulate that loss of GPI anchors following the conditional deletion of Pigb in MGE-derived INs disrupts chemotactic guidance and IN migration dynamics, leading to cortical disinhibition and epilepsy post-natally. Time-lapse live imaging of MGE explants revealed that the targeted deletion of Pigb impairs the tangential migration as well as the morphological development of MGE-derived INs, resulting in reduced IN densities in the postnatal cortex. We showed that the kinetic deficits are partly due to a loss of EphA4-ephrinA2 motogenic signaling in PigbcKO INs. In summary, our work helps clarify the physiopathology underlying PIGB associated-EE and deepens our understanding of the roles of GPI-anchor-related pathways in neurodevelopment and more specifically, in the migration of cortical INs.