No description available.

The primary aim of this diploma thesis was to draw attention to the issue of bone marrow donation. The thesis focuses on the level of public awareness and people's significant doubts regarding bone marrow donation, as these doubts and apprehensions might be the main reason restraining them from entering the bone marrow donor register. The theoretical part provides a comprehensive summary of findings in this area. Substantial part addresses particular types of the hematopoietic cells taking process and the following donor treatment. The empirical part of this diploma thesis constitutes of a quantitative research, in which hundereds of respondents have been reached through an electronic questionnaire. Within exactly 10 days, 576 of them filed for the survey, 496 of them were valid and processed. The outcome of the research reflects strong need for raising factual public awareness in the area of hematopoietic cells donation, especially in respect to current donation methods. 79,51 % of respondents had no knowledge of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation method. 50,26 % of them admitted fear of the bone marrow donation procedure itself. Respondents taking part in the research showed great interest in the topic. 85,48 % of them would appreciate further education and 82,66 % assumes that...

Introdução: A Retinose Pigmentar (RP) é uma doença hereditária da retina, caracterizada por perda da função visual, principalmente devido à degeneração dos fotorreceptores (bastonetes e cones). Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos de uma única injeção intravítrea de fração mononuclear de células da medula óssea (FMMO) CD34+ em pacientes portadores de RP. Métodos: Ensaio clínico aberto, não randomizado, prospectivo, observador mascarado, no qual 20 pacientes, portadores de RP, com boa fixação ao exame de campo visual, foram incluídos. Única injeção intravítrea (IIV) de FMMO foi aplicada em apenas um dos olhos de cada paciente, enquanto que os olhos contralaterais serviram como controle e foram submetidos à injeção simulada. As avaliações incluíram: melhor acuidade visual corrigida (MAVC); campo visual estático - estratégia 30-2 (Octopus 900); microperimetria (MAIA - Center Vue) para avaliar estabilidade de fixação e sensibilidade macular; eletrorretinografia de campo total (ERG) e multifocal (mfERG) - padrão da ISCEV usando aparelho Espion E2 (Diagnosys LLC) e tomografia de coerência óptica (OCT). Os exames foram realizados antes da injeção e 4, 16, 32 e 48 semanas após. Resultados: Não houve diferença significativa na MAVC durante o seguimento. A diferença entre MAVC medida após 48 semanas e a basal foi de -0,04 ? 0,02 logMAR nos olhos tratados frente a -0,03 ? 0,01 logMAR nos controles (p=0,3898). A melhora da sensibilidade macular foi discretamente maior nos olhos com FMMO: 1,0 ? 0,5 dB do que nos olhos contralaterais: 0,2 ? 0,5 dB, mas sem significância estatística (p=0,0569). Não se observou mudança na estabilidade de fixação. A perda de desvio médio (MD) do campo visual dos olhos tratados (0,33 ? 0,70 dB) foi discretamente menor do que nos olhos controle (1,12 ? 0,58 dB) (p=0,0761). Nenhuma diferença significativa foi observada nas amplitudes e latências das respostas eletrorretinográficas durante o período avaliado. Não se verificou nenhuma complicação e nem efeito colateral após a injeção. Conclusão: A aplicação intravítrea de FMMO contendo células CD34+ mostrou-se segura em pacientes com RP. Observou-se, ainda, discreta melhora na sensibilidade macular, mas esta não foi significativa estatisticamente. Estudos futuros são necessários para esclarecer o potencial uso dessas células em distrofias retinianas. / Introduction: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a hereditary disease of the retina, characterized by loss of visual function, mainly due to degeneration of the photoreceptors (rods and cones). Objective: To evaluate the effects of a single intravitreal injection of bone marrow mononuclear fraction (BMMF) containing CD34+ cells in patients with RP. Methods: Open trial, non-randomized, prospective, masked observer, in which 20 patients with RP with good fixation in visual field examination were included. Single intravitreal injection of BMMF was performed in only one eye of each patient, while the contralateral eyes served as control and underwent shaw injection. Evaluations included: best corrected visual acuity (BCVA); static visual field - strategy 30-2 (Octopus 900); microperimetry (MAIA - Center Vue) to evaluate fixation stability and macular sensitivity; full-field (ERG) and multifocal (mfERG) electroretinograms according to the ISCEV using Espion E2 (Diagnosys LLC) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The exams were performed before the injection and 4, 16, 32 and 48 weeks after. Results: There was no significant difference in BCVA during follow-up. The difference measured in BCVA between 48 weeks and baseline was 0.04 ? 0.02 logMAR in treated eyes versus -0.03 ? 0.01 logMAR in controls (p=0.3898). The improvement in macular sensitivity was slightly higher in BMMF eyes: 1.0 ? 0.5 dB than in contralateral eyes: 0.2 ? 0.5 dB, but without statistical significance (p=0.0569). No change in fixation stability was observed. The mean deviation loss (MD) of the visual field in treated eyes (0.33 ? 0.70 dB) was slightly lower than in the control eyes (1.12 ? 0.58 dB) (p=0.0761). No significant difference was observed evaluating amplitudes and latencies of ERG and mfERG responses during the follow-up. No complications or side effects were observed after the injection. Conclusion: The intravitreal injection of BMMF containing CD34 + cells was shown to be safe in patients with RP. There was still a slight improvement in macular sensitivity, but this was not statistically significant. Future studies are needed to clarify the potential use of these cells in retinal dystrophies.

Proteins with selective toxicity have been investigated for use in many ways. One class of proteins, ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs), is found throughout the plant kingdom as well as in lower organisms like certain fungi and bacteria. These are a group of proteins that has the property of damaging the ribosomes in an irreversible manner. They are N-glycosidases that modify the 28S rRNAs to render them incapable of sustaining further translation. RIPs have been divided into two groups, i.e. type I RIPs, which are single polypeptide chains and type II RIPs, which are heterodimeric. Abrin is a type II RIP, isolated from the seeds of Abrus precatorius plant commonly known as jequirity plant. It is a heterodimeric glycoprotein consisting of an A and a B subunit linked together by a single disulfide bond. The toxicity of the protein comes from the A subunit harboring the RNA-N- glycosidase activity which catalyses the depurination of a specific adenine residue at position 4324 on the 28S rRNA. The depurination of the adenine prevents the formation of a critical stem loop structure to which the elongation factor -2 (EF-2) binds during the translocation step of the translation, thus stalling the translation machinery of the cells. The B subunit of abrin is a galactose specific lectin. The lectin activity enables the protein toxin to bind to the cell surface glycoproteins and/or glycolipids. Binding of abrin is followed by internalization of the protein by receptor mediated endocytosis and transport to the Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by the retrograde transport pathway. Inside the ER, the single disulfide bond linking the two subunits, is reduced which is important for the A subunit toxicity. The A subunit then translocates into the cytosol using the ER-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway and cleaves the specific adenine residue on the 28S rRNA of the 60 S ribosome involved in active translation and thereby inhibiting the protein synthesis. In addition to its ability to inhibit translation, abrin induces apoptosis in cells. Earlier work from our laboratory has shown that abrin-induced apoptosis follows the intrinsic pathway of apoptotic cell death. The treated cells show mitochondrial membrane potential loss followed by caspases -9 and -3 activation and DNA fragmentation. RIPs have been used primarily in immunotherapy because of their toxicity at very low concentrations (picomolar). With the development of monoclonal antibodies as tool for targeting cell surface markers, the possibility to couple antibodies to RIPs and thus deliver the toxic protein directly to specific cells becomes feasible. Abrin, as one such potent RIP, has gained interest in the field of medicine and immunotherapeutics. Abrin can also be a candidate for use in bioterrorism and warfare. Therefore, it is very important to first understand the inhibitory effect of abrin and the extent of its toxicity on cells. Earlier studies from our laboratory have focused on the sensitivity and mechanism of cell death induced by abrin in Jurkat cells, a T –cell line. In the present study, we attempted to investigate the overall toxicity of the molecule with respect to both properties, inhibition of protein translation and induction of apoptosis, in different lineages of cells. We have carried out a comparative study on abrin toxicity on human cell lines from two different cell lineages namely hematopoietic and epithelial. The thesis is divided into introduction and two chapters. In the introduction, we have presented the general properties of this family of proteins, with a brief history; classification and distribution of plant RIPs and their enzymatic properties. The chapter also deals with possible usage of these proteins, mainly in the field of immunotherapy. We have introduced, abrin, the protein of our interest in this chapter. The structure of abrin is described and also the biological effects of the toxin are discussed in brief. The chapter one deals with the translation inhibitory property of the protein, abrin. As mentioned earlier, abrin inhibits protein synthesis via the RNA-N-glycosidase activity residing in its A-chain. We have presented the general cytotoxic pathway of type II RIPs in this chapter. It deals with the internalization and transport of the toxin to their site of action, the cytosol. As reported earlier, our results confirmed that abrin inhibited protein synthesis in all cells. Abrin mediated inhibition of translation was dose dependent. Though the inhibition was common to all the cells from both the lineages, the sensitivity of the cells towards the toxin and kinetics of this inhibition event differed significantly. The kinetics of inhibition of protein synthesis is faster in case of hematopoietic cells as compared to the epithelial cells even at lower doses of the toxin. These differences were not due to variations in the ability of protein synthesis of cells. The chapter also discusses binding of the protein to cells. Our data suggest that binding of abrin to the cells is not responsible for the variations observed in the translation inhibitory property of the protein except in Raji cells. The B-cell line Raji was found to be least sensitive towards the toxin. Our studies show that due to presence of high sialic acid residues on the surface of these cells, Raji cells are refractory to abrin mediated inhibition of protein synthesis. The second chapter presents our data on cell death upon abrin treatment. This part is divided into an introduction and two sections, A and B. In the introduction, different cell death modalities are discussed along with recent findings in the field of programmed cell death. Section A deals with abrin induced apoptosis in epithelial cells. We have compared the extent of abrin-triggered apoptosis in these cells. Some of the early events known in the apoptotic cascade of abrin are compared. Though apoptosis is observed in these cells, our data suggest a delay in the apoptotic trigger in the epithelial cells showing that epithelial cells can survive the stress induced by abrin for a longer time. When treated with other apoptotic agents, like etoposide, these cells are found to be resistant. Therefore, though there is a delay in the trigger of apoptosis, we have shown that the cells tested from the epithelial lineage undergo apoptosis on abrin treatment. Section B, discusses the ability of the protein to induce cell death in hematopoietic cells. We have presented studies on cell death other than apoptosis, detected in these cells upon abrin treatment. We found that some of the cell lines tested undergoes more necrosis than apoptosis with abrin treatment. When the status of the mitochondria was checked, we found that in U266B1 cells, a B-cell line, there was mitochondrial stress as well as reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. But these cells died by necrosis. The data obtained from this study show the involvement of lysosomes and cathepsins in abrin induced cell death in U266B1 cells. Though other cells also undergo necrosis, these events were unique to U266B1 cells.

No description available.

IL-1 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which play an important role in the activation and regulation of host defence and immune responses to inflammation or injury. IL-1 is able to bind and activate IL1-RI and IL1-RII, which are found on many cells types. The role of the IL-1 signalling in the deployment of Th cell subsets, especially Th17 cells is well known. However, the specific cells which are responsible for the expression of IL-1 signalling in the immune defense and in the development of the Th cell lineage in response to infection, is still largely unclear. Therefore in this thesis, IL1-RI conditional knockout mice specifically in hematopoietic cells (IL1-RI vaviCre+) were generated. Using IL1-RI vaviCre+ mice in comparison with IL1-RI global knockout mice (IL1-RI-/-) would determine whether the expression IL-1 signalling from hematopoietic cells is responsible for the immune defense and in the development of the Th1, Th2 and Th17 cells against gastrointestinal helminth Trichuris muris (T.muris) infections. The generation of IL1-RI vaviCre+ mice have been investigated at the genomic and proteomic level in order to confirm that the Il1-rI gene is inactivated in hematopoietic cells. The characterisation of IL1-RI vaviCre + mice at the genomic level confirmed that the Il1-rI gene was obliterated successfully. At protein level the characterisation of IL1- RI vaviCre + mice confirmed that IL1-RI was dysfunctional in hematopoietic cells. Additionally, the development of the immune cells was investigated in IL1-RI vaviCre + and IL1-RI-/- mice. Our findings demonstrated that the lymphocyte development was not affected by the deletion of the IL1- RI gene. This data indicated that IL1- RI vaviCre + and IL1-RI-/- mice are vital in vivo models. In high dose infection, both IL1-RI vaviCre + and IL1-RI -/- mice were able to clear the infections due to their ability to generate a Th2 response. Both IL1-RI vaviCre + and IL1-RI -/- mice infected with low dose of T.muris were susceptible to infections and showed high levels of Th1 cytokines. Thus, we hypothesised that IL1-RI signalling in hematopoietic cells was not required for worm expulsion and the generation of Th2 and Th1 response. Interestingly, low dose T.muris infection showed a clear reduction in the Th17 cytokines IL22 and IL17 in both IL1-RI vaviCre + and IL1-RI -/- mice, suggesting that IL-1 signalling expressed from hematopoietic cells is responsible for the development of Th17 cells and secretion of IL17 and IL22. IL1- RI vaviCre + and IL1-RI -/- mice infected with low dose of T.muris also showed an increase in inflammation in the colon and decreased of goblet cell hyperplasia. It is well known that IL22 plays an important role in preventing tissue damage and repair. Thus, in this study IL22 global knockout mice (IL22 -/-) were used to determine if the change in crypt lengths and goblet cell hyperplasia in IL1-RI vaviCre + and IL1-RI -/- was due to an absence of IL22. Our finding showed that IL22 -/- mice infected with low dose of T.muris had increased crypt length and a reduction in goblet cells. The similar phenotype in crypt length and goblet cell hyperplasia between IL22 -/-, IL1-RI vaviCre + and IL1-RI -/- mice suggested that a lack of IL22 in IL1-RI vaviCre + and IL1-RI -/- mice is responsible for the change in mice phenotype. It also provides more evidence for the role of IL-1 signaling in hematopoietic cells in the generation of Th17 cells and in the production of its cytokine IL22.IL1-RII is an inhibitor of IL1-RI, thus, in this study IL1-RII global knockout mice (IL1-RII -/-) mice was used in comparison with IL1-RI -/- mice to verify the role of IL-1 signaling in the development of Th17 cells. Our finding showed an overexpression of IL17 and IL22 in IL1-RII -/- compared with IL1-RI -/- mice and a higher level of IL17 in IL1-RII -/- mice compared with IL1-RII flox/flox mice. This data confirmed that IL-1 signaling is important for the development of Th17 cells and the production of its cytokine IL17 and IL22.

Bien que largement étudiés, les mécanismes fondamentaux de prise de décision dans les processus de différenciation cellulaire restent mal compris. Les théories déterministes, souvent basées sur des études populationnelles, atteignent rapidement leur limite lorsqu’il s’agit d’expliquer les différences de choix individuels de cellules, pourtant exposées au même environnement. L’objectif de ma thèse est donc d’étudier les premières étapes de la différenciation des cellules hématopoïétiques à l’échelle de la cellule unique, par des analyses transcriptomiques, protéomiques et morphologiques. Ce travail a été effectué sur deux modèles de différenciation : les lymphocytes T régulateurs et les cellules CD34+ humaines issues de sang de cordon. Nous avons observé le comportement de ces cellules uniques après stimulation. Grâce à la combinaison de la microscopie en time lapse et des analyses moléculaires réalisées à l’échelle de la cellule individuelle, nous avons pu démontrer que le choix du devenir cellulaire n’était pas unique, programmé. La cellule passe d’abord par un état dit « multi-primed », métastable où elle exprime des gènes de plusieurs lignées différentes, puis elle passe par une phase dite « incertaine », instable où elle hésite entre deux phénotypes avant de se stabiliser dans un état fixe. Nos observations sont cohérentes avec une explication stochastique de la prise de décision. La différenciation serait donc un processus spontané, dynamique, fluctuant et non un processus prédéterminé. Les décisions du destin cellulaire sont prises séparément par les cellules individuelles. / Despite intensively studies, the fundamental mechanisms of cell fate decision during cellular differentiation still remain unclear. The deterministic mechanisms, often based on studies of large cell populations, cannot explain the difference between individual cell fates choices placed in the same environment. The aim of my thesis work is to study the first steps of hematopoietic cell differentiation at the single cell level thanks to transcriptomic, proteomic and morphological analyses. Two differentiation models have been used: T regulatory lymphocytes and human cord blood-derived CD34+ cells. The behavior of individual cells following stimulation has been analyzed. Using time-lapse microscopy coupled to single cell molecular analyses, we could demonstrate that the cell fate choice is not a unique, programmed event. First, the cell reaches a metastable “multi-primed” state, which is characterized by a mixed lineage gene expression pattern. After transition through an “uncertain”, unstable state, characterized by fluctuations between two phenotypes, the cell reaches a stable state. Our observations are coherent with a stochastic model of cell fate decision. The differentiation is likely to be a spontaneous, dynamic, fluctuating and not a deterministic process. The cell fate decisions are taken by individual cells.

Les polymorphonucléaires neutrophiles (PMNs) représentent une arme primordiale dans la défense contre divers agents pathogènes; notamment les bactéries, les champignons, les cellules tumorales de même que les cellules infectées par des virus. Cependant, certaines pathologies reliées à l’inflammation chronique soulèvent l’implication des neutrophiles notamment dans l’arthrite rhumatoïde. La réponse inflammatoire persistante générée par l’activation et la survie des neutrophiles engendre une destruction des tissus environnants suite à la sécrétion non contrôlée de leurs produits cytotoxiques. Même si l’activation chronique des neutrophiles est néfaste dans plusieurs pathologies, elle pourrait s’avérer un bon outil en cas de neutropénie, comme c’est souvent le cas les patients ayant reçu des traitements de chimiothérapie. Ce projet fait suite aux travaux doctoraux de Lagraoui (1999). Il vise à identifier le(s) facteur(s) du liquide synovial qui augmente la survie des neutrophiles ainsi que le mécanisme d’action impliqué dans ce processus. Similairement au facteur semi-pur isolés par Lagraoui (1999), le milieu conditionné concentré (MCC) augmente la survie des PMNs de 75% (39% ± 9.5 vs 68% ± 2.5, p<0.01). Suivant le séquençage du MCC parallèlement au facteur semi-pur actif, deux protéines ont été identifiées à la fois dans le MCC et dans le facteur semi-pur soient : l’albumine et la fétuine. Notre projet vise donc à comparer les effets de l’albumine et de la fétuine à ceux du GM-CSF dans l’optique d’une thérapie alternative au GM-CSF en tant qu’adjuvant de chimiothérapie. La présence d’albumine, de fétuine ou de GM-CSF chez les PMNs incubés 24 heures avec la Mutamycin® induit une diminution du nombre de cellules en apoptose par rapport à la Mutamycin® (Ctrl : 43% ± 10; A : 74% ± 3; F : (82% ± 6 et GM : 74% ± 7; p<0.01). L’effet de l’albumine dépend de la voie de la kinase PI3 mais également celle la kinase ERK, alors que celle de la fétuine dépend de la kinase PI3. Similairement l’EPO, l’albumine et la fétuine supporte la différentiation des HSCs en précurseurs érythrocytaires de type BFU-E. Dans un modèle murin de chiomioprotection, l’albumine augmente la concentration cellulaire rapport au groupe contrôle des leukocytes de la rate (66 ±8 x106c/ml vs 81 ±16 x106c/ml) et du sang (3.6 ±0.4 x106c/ml vs 5.7 ±2.3 x106c/ml). Donc, in vitro, l’albumine et la fétuine sont comparables au GM-CSF au niveau fonctionalité et mécansimes d’action. Cependant, vu leur manque de spécificité, l’application thérapeutique en tant qu’adjuvant de chiomiothérapie de l’albumine et la fétuine est peu prometteuse. Par contre, les maladies dégénératives et les évènements ischémiques pourraient s’avérer de bonnes cibles thérapeutiques, principalement pour l’albumine. / Circulating polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) possess a short half-life and are constantly renewed by the bone marrow to ensure the first-line of defense. Therefore, homeostasis must be maintained through a well-regulated process of apoptosis. Survival of PMN can be regulated by several cytokines as well as conditioned media (CM). Although PMN are crucial for protection against microorganisms, activated neutrophils can lead to severe tissue damage in diseases characterized by chronic inflammation. Indeed, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), activated PMN contribute to tissue damage by releasing a number of destructive agents. On the other hand, chronic activation of PMN could prevent opportunistic infections present in immunosuppressed patients. This project addresses the isolation and mechanism of action of synovial liquid components on the survival of neutrophils based on previous work (Lagraoui, 1999). Following tangential flow filtration (MW cut off: 30 and 50 kDa), concentrated CM enhanced the viability (75%) of 24-hour cultured human neutrophils isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers (39% ± 9.5 vs 68% ± 2.5, p<0.01) as seen in Lagraoui (1999) previous work. N-terminal protein sequence analysis of the concentrated CM and fractionated conditioned media from previous work revealed 2 known proteins contained in both analysis: albumin, and fetuin. In view of the importance of neutrophiles in immune defense, we compared the benefits of albumin and fetuin to those of granulocytes macrophages-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a growth factor used as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy. Albumin and fetuin were tested by the AnnexinV-FITC/7-AAD method and displayed an inhibition of neutrophil apoptosis of two to three folds relative to control value. Moreover, albumin (A : 200μM) and fetuin (F : 200μM) rescue human PMN from mutamycin-induced apoptosis, comparable to GM-CSF (GM : 10ng/ml); (Ctrl : 43% ± 10; A : 74% ± 3; F : (82% ± 6 et GM : 74% ± 7; p<0.01). Albumin also induces cellular signaling pathways activation via PI3-K and ERK, whereas fetuin acts through PI3-K pathway only. They induce the differentiation of HSCs into erythrocytes progenitors BFU-E. In immunosuppressed mice, albumin protects white blood cells depletion induced by cytotoxic agent from spleen and blood. Considering all the benefits of albumin and fetuin, their targeting as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy could be disappointing in view of their lack of specificity. On the other hand, their multiple benefits could have a major impact on neurodegenerative disorders and ischemic events.

Les polymorphonucléaires neutrophiles (PMNs) représentent une arme primordiale dans la défense contre divers agents pathogènes; notamment les bactéries, les champignons, les cellules tumorales de même que les cellules infectées par des virus. Cependant, certaines pathologies reliées à l’inflammation chronique soulèvent l’implication des neutrophiles notamment dans l’arthrite rhumatoïde. La réponse inflammatoire persistante générée par l’activation et la survie des neutrophiles engendre une destruction des tissus environnants suite à la sécrétion non contrôlée de leurs produits cytotoxiques. Même si l’activation chronique des neutrophiles est néfaste dans plusieurs pathologies, elle pourrait s’avérer un bon outil en cas de neutropénie, comme c’est souvent le cas les patients ayant reçu des traitements de chimiothérapie. Ce projet fait suite aux travaux doctoraux de Lagraoui (1999). Il vise à identifier le(s) facteur(s) du liquide synovial qui augmente la survie des neutrophiles ainsi que le mécanisme d’action impliqué dans ce processus. Similairement au facteur semi-pur isolés par Lagraoui (1999), le milieu conditionné concentré (MCC) augmente la survie des PMNs de 75% (39% ± 9.5 vs 68% ± 2.5, p<0.01). Suivant le séquençage du MCC parallèlement au facteur semi-pur actif, deux protéines ont été identifiées à la fois dans le MCC et dans le facteur semi-pur soient : l’albumine et la fétuine. Notre projet vise donc à comparer les effets de l’albumine et de la fétuine à ceux du GM-CSF dans l’optique d’une thérapie alternative au GM-CSF en tant qu’adjuvant de chimiothérapie. La présence d’albumine, de fétuine ou de GM-CSF chez les PMNs incubés 24 heures avec la Mutamycin® induit une diminution du nombre de cellules en apoptose par rapport à la Mutamycin® (Ctrl : 43% ± 10; A : 74% ± 3; F : (82% ± 6 et GM : 74% ± 7; p<0.01). L’effet de l’albumine dépend de la voie de la kinase PI3 mais également celle la kinase ERK, alors que celle de la fétuine dépend de la kinase PI3. Similairement l’EPO, l’albumine et la fétuine supporte la différentiation des HSCs en précurseurs érythrocytaires de type BFU-E. Dans un modèle murin de chiomioprotection, l’albumine augmente la concentration cellulaire rapport au groupe contrôle des leukocytes de la rate (66 ±8 x106c/ml vs 81 ±16 x106c/ml) et du sang (3.6 ±0.4 x106c/ml vs 5.7 ±2.3 x106c/ml). Donc, in vitro, l’albumine et la fétuine sont comparables au GM-CSF au niveau fonctionalité et mécansimes d’action. Cependant, vu leur manque de spécificité, l’application thérapeutique en tant qu’adjuvant de chiomiothérapie de l’albumine et la fétuine est peu prometteuse. Par contre, les maladies dégénératives et les évènements ischémiques pourraient s’avérer de bonnes cibles thérapeutiques, principalement pour l’albumine. / Circulating polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) possess a short half-life and are constantly renewed by the bone marrow to ensure the first-line of defense. Therefore, homeostasis must be maintained through a well-regulated process of apoptosis. Survival of PMN can be regulated by several cytokines as well as conditioned media (CM). Although PMN are crucial for protection against microorganisms, activated neutrophils can lead to severe tissue damage in diseases characterized by chronic inflammation. Indeed, in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), activated PMN contribute to tissue damage by releasing a number of destructive agents. On the other hand, chronic activation of PMN could prevent opportunistic infections present in immunosuppressed patients. This project addresses the isolation and mechanism of action of synovial liquid components on the survival of neutrophils based on previous work (Lagraoui, 1999). Following tangential flow filtration (MW cut off: 30 and 50 kDa), concentrated CM enhanced the viability (75%) of 24-hour cultured human neutrophils isolated from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers (39% ± 9.5 vs 68% ± 2.5, p<0.01) as seen in Lagraoui (1999) previous work. N-terminal protein sequence analysis of the concentrated CM and fractionated conditioned media from previous work revealed 2 known proteins contained in both analysis: albumin, and fetuin. In view of the importance of neutrophiles in immune defense, we compared the benefits of albumin and fetuin to those of granulocytes macrophages-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), a growth factor used as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy. Albumin and fetuin were tested by the AnnexinV-FITC/7-AAD method and displayed an inhibition of neutrophil apoptosis of two to three folds relative to control value. Moreover, albumin (A : 200μM) and fetuin (F : 200μM) rescue human PMN from mutamycin-induced apoptosis, comparable to GM-CSF (GM : 10ng/ml); (Ctrl : 43% ± 10; A : 74% ± 3; F : (82% ± 6 et GM : 74% ± 7; p<0.01). Albumin also induces cellular signaling pathways activation via PI3-K and ERK, whereas fetuin acts through PI3-K pathway only. They induce the differentiation of HSCs into erythrocytes progenitors BFU-E. In immunosuppressed mice, albumin protects white blood cells depletion induced by cytotoxic agent from spleen and blood. Considering all the benefits of albumin and fetuin, their targeting as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy could be disappointing in view of their lack of specificity. On the other hand, their multiple benefits could have a major impact on neurodegenerative disorders and ischemic events.

L’immunothérapie basée dans l’utilisation des cellules NK pour le traitement de différents types de cancers humains est une stratégie très prometteuse. Les cellules dendritiques plasmacytoïdes (pDC) activées permettent de stimuler les cellules NK pour augmenter leurs propriétés anti-tumorales. Les cellules NK activées par les pDC sont capables de développer in vitro et in vivo une forte réponse cytotoxique contre différentes lignées de leucémie lymphoblastiques pre-B. En revanche, les faibles quantités de pDC obtenues à partir du sang périphérique limitent leur l’utilisation en clinique. L’expansion et la différenciation des pDC in vitro à partir des progéniteurs hématopoïétiques CD34, permet d’obtenir des pDC humaines en grande quantité. Récemment il a été démontré que l’utilisation des antagonistes du récepteur de l’aryl hydroxycarbone (AhR) augmente le nombre des pDC générées in vitro. Cependant, la capacité à activer les cellules NK des pDC différenciées in vitro en présence d’antagonistes de l’AhR n’a pas encore été étudiée. Dans cette étude, nous montrons que les pDC obtenues in vitro ont une expression de molécules d’activation et une sécrétion de IFN plus faibles que celles des pDC du sang périphérique, mais que leur capacité à stimuler des cellules NK est similaire. Ces résultats ouvrent donc la voie à l’utilisation des pDC générées in vitro comme agent immuno-therapeutique visant à stimuler les fonctions anti-tumorales des cellules NK. / NK cells immunotherapy is a promising treatment for different human cancers. An effective approach to stimulate NK cells has been the use of activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC). NK cell activated by pDC develops a strong cytotoxic response against pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines in vitro and in vivo. However, the use of pDC in the clinic has limitations because of its low frequency. One suitable strategy is the differentiation of CD34+ progenitors using different cytokines and chemokines. Recently, it has been demonstrated that antagonists of aryl hydroxyl receptor (AhR) increase the number of pDC obtained after culture of CD34+ cells. Nevertheless, the ability of these in vitro differentiated pDC to induce NK cells activation has not been well documented. In this study, it was showed that activated in vitro differentiated pDC present different characteristics than adult pDC, like a lower expression of activation markers and IFNalpha secretion, but their capacity to stimulate NK cells was similar to that observed in adult pDC. In addition, NK cells activated by in vitro differentiated pDC showed a strong cytotoxicity against the pre-B ALL cell line REH suggesting its effectiveness to treat ALL patients.