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No description available.

L’infection par le virus de l’hépatite E (VHE) peut entraîner une hépatite aiguë chez l’homme évoluant en hépatite fulminante dans 1-4% des cas, voire 20% chez les femmes enceintes dans les régions endémiques. Le VHE, transmis par voie entérique, est responsable de grandes épidémies d’origine hydrique dans les pays en voie de développement et de nombreux cas sporadiques d’origine zoonotique dans des pays industrialisés. La description récente de cas d’hépatites E chroniques ou d’atteintes neurologiques graves souligne l’importance de caractériser les interactions du VHE avec son hôte. L’objectif de ce projet de thèse était de caractériser les interactions entre le VHE et la réponse immune innée de l’hôte et en particulier avec le système interféron de type I (IFN-I).La première partie de ce projet a consisté en l’étude de la modulation des voies de signalisation de l’IFN-I par la polyprotéine non-structurale ORF1 du VHE. Celle-ci est constituée de plusieurs domaines fonctionnels putatifs tels qu’une methyltransférase (Met) ou une protéase à cystéine de type papaïne (PCP) dont les fonctions sur la signalisation IFN-I restent encore peu connues. Les résultats obtenus ont montré que le domaine MetPCP de l’ORF1 est capable d’inhiber l’activation du promoteur de l’IFN-β et de celui des gènes sous le contrôle de l’IFN contenant des éléments de réponse à l’IFN (ISRE), ainsi que l’expression de certains des gènes induits par l’IFN (ISGs). En recherchant le mécanisme impliqué dans l’inhibition du promoteur ISRE, nous avons montré que le domaine MetPCP inhibe la phosphorylation de STAT1 et sa relocalisation nucléaire. Nous avons également montré que le domaine MetPCP n’inhibe pas la phosphorylation de STAT2. Le mécanisme d’action du domaine MetPCP reste encore à préciser. La deuxième partie de ce projet a été de déterminer si l’infection par le VHE entraîne la production d’IFN-I par les cellules dendritiques plasmacytoïdes (pDCs). En effet, les pDCs sont la principale source d’IFN-I et jouent un rôle crucial dans la réponse immunitaire innée et adaptative. Les résultats obtenus suggèrent que les pDCs ne produisent que modérément de l’IFN-I lorsqu’elles sont co-cultivées avec des cellules infectées par le VHE. L’ensemble des résultats obtenus pendant ce travail de thèse suggère que le VHE utilise plusieurs mécanismes pour moduler la signalisation IFN-I de l’hôte. / Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is the causative agent of acute hepatitis in humans that can lead to fulminant hepatitis in 1-4% of cases, and in 20% of pregnant women in endemic regions. HEV is an enterically-transmitted virus responsible for large waterborne epidemics in developing countries and numerous cases of zoonotic hepatitis E in industrialized countries. The recent description of cases of chronic hepatitis E and severe neurological disorders highlight the importance to characterize the interactions between HEV and the host. The objective of this PhD project was to characterize the interactions between HEV and the host innate immune response and particularly with the type I interferon system (IFN-I).The first part of this project aimed to study the ability of the ORF1 non-structural polyprotein of HEV to modulate the IFN-I signalling pathways. HEV ORF1 contains several putative functional domains including a methyltransferase (Met) and a papain-like cysteine protease (PCP) whose functions on the IFN-I signalling remain poorly understood. The results obtained showed that the MetPCP domain of ORF1 inhibits IFN-β and IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) promoter activation and the expression of some IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). We then investigated the mechanism involved in this inhibition of ISRE promoter activation. We showed that the MetPCP domain inhibits STAT1 phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. In contrast, we found that the MetPCP domain does not inhibit STAT2 phosphorylation. However, the mode of action of MetPCP remains to be fully characterised. The second part of this project aimed to determine the ability of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) to produce IFN-I in response to HEV infection. Indeed, pDCs are the main IFN-I source and play a crucial role in innate and adaptive responses. The results obtained suggest that pDCs produce IFN-I moderately when co-cultured with HEV-infected cells. Taken together, the results obtained during this PhD project suggest that HEV has evolved different mechanisms to modulate the IFN-I host response.

INTRODUÇÃO: A desregulação da via de sinalização JAK-STAT é uma característica marcante das neoplasias mieloproliferativas (NMPs), doenças clonais da célula tronco hematopoética, dentre as quais encontra-se a mielofibrose (MF). Diversos inibidores de JAK foram desenvolvidos para o tratamento da MF e encontram-se em diferentes fases de desenvolvimento clínico. Devido ao seu desenvolvimento recente, pouco se sabe a respeito do papel de transportadores de membrana na farmacocinética desses compostos. Essas proteínas realizam o influxo e efluxo celular de substratos endógenos e xenobióticos, e alterações na expressão desses transportadores podem influenciar a resposta a esses fármacos. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o efeito de um inibidor comercial da via JAK-STAT na expressão gênica dos transportadores de membrana ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 e SLCO1A2 em células HepG2, Caco-2 e HEL92.1.7. MÉTODOS: Linhagens de carcinoma hepatocelular (HepG2), adenocarcinoma colorretal (Caco-2) e eritroleucemia humana homozigotas para JAK2V617F (HEL92.1.7) foram cultivadas e tratadas o inibidor comercial da via JAK-STAT JAK Inhibitor I. Para determinar a concentração ideal para o tratamento com o inibidor, as células foram tratadas com diversas concentrações do inibidor de JAK por 24 horas e foram feitos testes de viabilidade celular e fragmentação do DNA. Com as condições de tratamento padronizadas, foi extraído o RNA total das células e sintetizado o cDNA, para análise das expressões de RNAm dos genes ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 e SLCO1A2 por PCR em tempo real. Foi também avaliada a expressão dos transportadores de efluxo ABCB1 e ABCG2 por citometria de fluxo, utilizando anticorpos primários direcionados a essas proteínas. RESULTADOS: Nas células HepG2, foi observado um aumento da expressão de RNAm de ABCB1 nas células tratadas com 4,00 µM do inibidor de JAK, quando comparado com o controle (células incubadas apenas com o veículo) (P=0,041). Não foi observada alteração da expressão de RNAm de ABCG2 e SLC22A1 com o tratamento com o inibidor de JAK nessa linhagem (P>0,05); a expressão de RNAm de SLCO1A2 não foi detectada nessa linhagem. Nas células Caco-2, a expressão de ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 e SLCO1A2 não se alterou com o tratamento com o inibidor de JAK nas concentrações utilizadas (0,25 µM a 1,00 µM) por 24 horas (P>0,05). Para as células HEL92.1.7, não foi observada diferença na expressão de RNAm de ABCB1, ABCG2 e SLC22A1 com o tratamento com 1,00 µM do inibidor de JAK por 24 horas em comparação ao controle (P>0,05); nessa linhagem, a expressão de RNAm de SLCO1A2 não foi detectada. A expressão proteica dos transportadores ABCB1 e ABCG2 não sofreu alteração com o tratamento com o inibidor de JAK nas condições utilizadas nas três linhagens celulares estudadas (P>0,05). CONCLUSÕES: Apenas as células HepG2 apresentaram um aumento da expressão de RNAm do transportador de efluxo ABCB1 em concentrações elevadas do inibidor de JAK, sugerindo que os inibidores de JAK podem modular a expressão do gene desse transportador no fígado. O tratamento com o inibidor da via JAK-STAT não foi associado com alterações na expressão proteica de ABCB1 e ABCG2 em todas as células estudadas. / BACKGROUND: JAK-STAT pathway signaling disregulation is a hallmark of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), hematopoietic stem cell clonal diseases, among which is myelofibrosis (MF). Several JAK inhibitors have been developed for MF treatment and are found in different stages of clinical development. Because the recent development of these compounds, the role of drug transporters in their pharmacokinetics is poorly understood. These proteins perform celular influx and effux of endogenous substrates and xenobiotics, and changes in the expression of these drugs transporters may affect the response to these drugs. AIM: To evaluate the effect of a JAK-STAT pathway commercial inhibitor in gene expression of drug transporters ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 and SLCO1A2 in HepG2, Caco-2 and HEL92.1.7 cells. METHODS: Hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2, colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2 and human erythroleukemia homozygous JAK2V617F cell line HEL92.1.7 were grown and treated with the JAK-STAT pathway inhibitor JAK Inhibitor I. In order to determine the optimal concentration for treatment with the inhibitor, cells were treated with several concentrations of JAK inhibitor by 24 hours, and cell viability and DNA fragmentation tests were performed. Once the treatment conditions were standardized, total RNA were obtained from the cells, and cDNA was synthesized in order to evaluate the mRNA expression of ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 and SLCO1A2 genes, performed by real time PCR. We also evaluate the expression of drug efflux transporters ABCB1 and ABCG2 by flow cytometry, using primary antibodies directed to these proteins. RESULTS: In HepG2 cells, it was observed an increase in ABCB1 mRNA expression in cells treated with 4,00 µM of JAK inhibitor, when compared with controls (cells exposed only to the vehicle) (P=0.041). There was no change in ABCB2 and SLC22A1 mRNA expression with the treatment with JAK inhibitor in this cell line (P>0.05); SLCO1A2 mRNA was not detected in this cell line. In Caco-2 cells, ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 and SLCO1A2 mRNA expression did not change with treatment with the JAK inhibitor at the concentrations used (0.25 µM to 1.00 µM) by 24 hours (P>0.05). In HEL92.1.7 cells, it was not observed differences in ABCB1, ABCG2 and SLC22A1 mRNA expression with the treatment with 1 µM of JAK inhibitor by 24 hours when compared with controls (P>0.05); in this cell line, SLCO1A2 mRNA was not detected. Protein expression of ABCB1 and ABCG2 drug transporters has not changed with treatment with the JAK inhibitor under the conditions used in the three cell lines studied. CONCLUSIONS: Only HepG2 cells presented an increase in mRNA expression of drug efflux transporter ABCB1 in presence of high levels of JAK inhibitor, suggesting that JAK inhibitors could modulate this transporter gene expression in liver. Treatment with JAK-STAT pathway inhibitor was not associated with changes in ABCB1 and ABCG2 protein expression in all cell lines studied.

INTRODUÇÃO: A desregulação da via de sinalização JAK-STAT é uma característica marcante das neoplasias mieloproliferativas (NMPs), doenças clonais da célula tronco hematopoética, dentre as quais encontra-se a mielofibrose (MF). Diversos inibidores de JAK foram desenvolvidos para o tratamento da MF e encontram-se em diferentes fases de desenvolvimento clínico. Devido ao seu desenvolvimento recente, pouco se sabe a respeito do papel de transportadores de membrana na farmacocinética desses compostos. Essas proteínas realizam o influxo e efluxo celular de substratos endógenos e xenobióticos, e alterações na expressão desses transportadores podem influenciar a resposta a esses fármacos. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o efeito de um inibidor comercial da via JAK-STAT na expressão gênica dos transportadores de membrana ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 e SLCO1A2 em células HepG2, Caco-2 e HEL92.1.7. MÉTODOS: Linhagens de carcinoma hepatocelular (HepG2), adenocarcinoma colorretal (Caco-2) e eritroleucemia humana homozigotas para JAK2V617F (HEL92.1.7) foram cultivadas e tratadas o inibidor comercial da via JAK-STAT JAK Inhibitor I. Para determinar a concentração ideal para o tratamento com o inibidor, as células foram tratadas com diversas concentrações do inibidor de JAK por 24 horas e foram feitos testes de viabilidade celular e fragmentação do DNA. Com as condições de tratamento padronizadas, foi extraído o RNA total das células e sintetizado o cDNA, para análise das expressões de RNAm dos genes ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 e SLCO1A2 por PCR em tempo real. Foi também avaliada a expressão dos transportadores de efluxo ABCB1 e ABCG2 por citometria de fluxo, utilizando anticorpos primários direcionados a essas proteínas. RESULTADOS: Nas células HepG2, foi observado um aumento da expressão de RNAm de ABCB1 nas células tratadas com 4,00 µM do inibidor de JAK, quando comparado com o controle (células incubadas apenas com o veículo) (P=0,041). Não foi observada alteração da expressão de RNAm de ABCG2 e SLC22A1 com o tratamento com o inibidor de JAK nessa linhagem (P>0,05); a expressão de RNAm de SLCO1A2 não foi detectada nessa linhagem. Nas células Caco-2, a expressão de ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 e SLCO1A2 não se alterou com o tratamento com o inibidor de JAK nas concentrações utilizadas (0,25 µM a 1,00 µM) por 24 horas (P>0,05). Para as células HEL92.1.7, não foi observada diferença na expressão de RNAm de ABCB1, ABCG2 e SLC22A1 com o tratamento com 1,00 µM do inibidor de JAK por 24 horas em comparação ao controle (P>0,05); nessa linhagem, a expressão de RNAm de SLCO1A2 não foi detectada. A expressão proteica dos transportadores ABCB1 e ABCG2 não sofreu alteração com o tratamento com o inibidor de JAK nas condições utilizadas nas três linhagens celulares estudadas (P>0,05). CONCLUSÕES: Apenas as células HepG2 apresentaram um aumento da expressão de RNAm do transportador de efluxo ABCB1 em concentrações elevadas do inibidor de JAK, sugerindo que os inibidores de JAK podem modular a expressão do gene desse transportador no fígado. O tratamento com o inibidor da via JAK-STAT não foi associado com alterações na expressão proteica de ABCB1 e ABCG2 em todas as células estudadas. / BACKGROUND: JAK-STAT pathway signaling disregulation is a hallmark of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), hematopoietic stem cell clonal diseases, among which is myelofibrosis (MF). Several JAK inhibitors have been developed for MF treatment and are found in different stages of clinical development. Because the recent development of these compounds, the role of drug transporters in their pharmacokinetics is poorly understood. These proteins perform celular influx and effux of endogenous substrates and xenobiotics, and changes in the expression of these drugs transporters may affect the response to these drugs. AIM: To evaluate the effect of a JAK-STAT pathway commercial inhibitor in gene expression of drug transporters ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 and SLCO1A2 in HepG2, Caco-2 and HEL92.1.7 cells. METHODS: Hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2, colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2 and human erythroleukemia homozygous JAK2V617F cell line HEL92.1.7 were grown and treated with the JAK-STAT pathway inhibitor JAK Inhibitor I. In order to determine the optimal concentration for treatment with the inhibitor, cells were treated with several concentrations of JAK inhibitor by 24 hours, and cell viability and DNA fragmentation tests were performed. Once the treatment conditions were standardized, total RNA were obtained from the cells, and cDNA was synthesized in order to evaluate the mRNA expression of ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 and SLCO1A2 genes, performed by real time PCR. We also evaluate the expression of drug efflux transporters ABCB1 and ABCG2 by flow cytometry, using primary antibodies directed to these proteins. RESULTS: In HepG2 cells, it was observed an increase in ABCB1 mRNA expression in cells treated with 4,00 µM of JAK inhibitor, when compared with controls (cells exposed only to the vehicle) (P=0.041). There was no change in ABCB2 and SLC22A1 mRNA expression with the treatment with JAK inhibitor in this cell line (P>0.05); SLCO1A2 mRNA was not detected in this cell line. In Caco-2 cells, ABCB1, ABCG2, SLC22A1 and SLCO1A2 mRNA expression did not change with treatment with the JAK inhibitor at the concentrations used (0.25 µM to 1.00 µM) by 24 hours (P>0.05). In HEL92.1.7 cells, it was not observed differences in ABCB1, ABCG2 and SLC22A1 mRNA expression with the treatment with 1 µM of JAK inhibitor by 24 hours when compared with controls (P>0.05); in this cell line, SLCO1A2 mRNA was not detected. Protein expression of ABCB1 and ABCG2 drug transporters has not changed with treatment with the JAK inhibitor under the conditions used in the three cell lines studied. CONCLUSIONS: Only HepG2 cells presented an increase in mRNA expression of drug efflux transporter ABCB1 in presence of high levels of JAK inhibitor, suggesting that JAK inhibitors could modulate this transporter gene expression in liver. Treatment with JAK-STAT pathway inhibitor was not associated with changes in ABCB1 and ABCG2 protein expression in all cell lines studied.

yes / AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a pivotal regulator of metabolism at the cellular and organismal levels. AMPK also suppresses inflammation. We found that pharmacological activation of AMPK rapidly inhibited the Janus kinase (JAK)–signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) pathway in various cells. In vitro kinase assays revealed that AMPK directly phosphorylated two residues (Ser515 and Ser518) within the SH2 domain of JAK1. Activation of AMPK enhanced the interaction between JAK1 and 14-3-3 proteins in cultured vascular endothelial cells and fibroblasts, an effect which required the presence of Ser515 and Ser518 and was abolished in cells lacking AMPK catalytic subunits. Mutation of Ser515 and Ser518 abolished AMPKmediated inhibition of JAK-STAT signaling stimulated either by the sIL-6Rα/IL-6 complex or by expression of a constitutively active V658F-mutant JAK1 in human fibrosarcoma cells. Clinically used AMPK activators metformin and salicylate enhanced the inhibitory phosphorylation of endogenous JAK1 and inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation in primary vascular endothelial cells. Therefore our findings reveal a mechanism by which JAK1 function and inflammatory signaling may be suppressed in response to metabolic stress and provide a mechanistic rationale for the investigation of AMPK activators in a range of diseases associated with enhanced activation of the JAK-STAT pathway.

Les mécanismes cellulaires anti-prolifératifs, lesquels comprennent l’apoptose, aussi appelée la mort cellulaire programmée, l’arrêt transitoire du cycle cellulaire et la sénescence, permettent à la cellule de prévenir, en réponse à différents stress, l’accumulation de mutations pouvant conduire à une prolifération incontrôlée et, éventuellement, au développement d’une tumeur. La régulation de ces différents mécanismes requiert l’activation de protéines appelées des suppresseurs de tumeur, dont le principal est p53. p53 est un facteur de transcription dont la stabilisation et l’activation conduit à une hausse de l’expression de gènes directement impliqués dans l’arrêt de la prolifération. Au cours des dernières années, l’ensemble des travaux sur p53 ont permis de mettre en évidence la complexité de sa fonction, de même que la multitude de voies de signalisation et de protéines avec lesquelles il coopère pour maintenir l’intégrité du génome. De ce fait, l’étude des mécanismes d’activation de p53 est de mise pour la compréhension de sa régulation et, éventuellement, pour la prévention et l’élaboration de nouvelles stratégies de traitement contre le cancer. L’objet de cette thèse est la mise en évidence d’un mécanisme d’activation de p53 et de la sénescence par la protéine SOCS1, un suppresseur de la signalisation par les cytokines. Ce mécanisme implique une interaction directe entre les deux protéines, plus précisément entre le domaine SH2 de SOCS1 et le domaine de transactivation de p53. SOCS1 interagit également, au niveau de son SOCS Box, avec les kinases ATM et ATR de la voie du dommage à l’ADN de façon à faciliter la phosphorylation de p53 en sérine 15. Ainsi, en interagissant à la fois avec p53 et ATM/ATR, SOCS1 contribue à la stabilisation et à l’activation de p53. En accord avec ce modèle, l’inhibition de SOCS1 dans des fibroblastes humains normaux tend à diminuer le nombre de cellules sénescentes suite à l’expression de l’oncogène ca-STAT5A et à réduire l’accumulation nucléaire de p53 dans ces cellules. De la même façon, les lymphocytes T provenant de souris Socs1-/-Ifnγ-/- sont moins susceptibles d’entrer en apoptose que les lymphocytes provenant de souris Socs1+/+Ifnγ+/+, suite à une exposition à des radiations. Dans les deux contextes, on observe une baisse de l’expression des gènes cibles de p53, ce qui démontre que SOCS1 est impliquée dans l’activation de p53 in vivo. Cette thèse a également pour but de mettre en évidence l’implication de SOCS1 dans l’activation d’autres facteurs de transcription et, par le fait même, de démontrer qu’elle peut agir comme un régulateur plus général de la transcription. Une étude approfondie de l’interaction entre SOCS1 et p53 a permis de démontrer que le domaine de transactivation II de p53 (acides aminés 36-67) est suffisant pour l’interaction. Plus précisément, il semble que le tryptophane 53 (W53) et la phénylalanine 54 (F54) sont les principaux résidus impliqués. Une analyse structurale de ce domaine de p53 a conduit à l’identification d’un motif conservé dans plusieurs autres facteurs de transcription pourvus d’un domaine de transactivation acide, dont p63, p73 et E2F1. En accord avec ces résultats, SOCS1 est en mesure d’interagir avec chacune des deux protéines. Ainsi, la capacité de SOCS1 d’interagir et de réguler l’activité de p53 peut s’étendre à d’autres facteurs de transcription. En terminant, le mécanisme présenté dans cette thèse contribue à la compréhension de la régulation de p53, le principal suppresseur de tumeur de la cellule. De plus, il met en évidence une nouvelle fonction de SOCS1, laquelle était jusqu’alors essentiellement connue pour inhiber la voie de signalisation JAK/STAT. Ce nouveau rôle pour SOCS1 permet d’expliquer de quelle manière une activation aberrante de la signalisation par les cytokines peut déclencher la sénescence ou l’apoptose. Enfin, le fait que SOCS1 puisse réguler différents facteurs de transcription permet de la qualifier de régulateur général des facteurs de transcription composés d’un domaine de transactivation acide. / In response to different stress, three anti-proliferative mechanisms, namely apoptosis, also called programmed cell death, transient growth arrest and senescence, prevent the cells from cumulating mutations that can lead to uncontrolled proliferation and, eventually, to tumor development. Regulation of these mechanisms requires the activation of proteins called tumor suppressors. One of them, p53, is a transcription factor whose stabilization and activation lead to an increase in expression of genes directly implicated in cell cycle arrest. In the past years, studies about p53 showed how much its function is complex and with how many signaling pathways and proteins it cooperates to maintain genome integrity. Thus, studying the activation mechanisms of p53 is essential to understand its regulation and, thereby, to prevent tumor development and to elaborate new strategies for cancer treatment. The first aim of this thesis is to show a new activation mechanism of p53 and of senescence by the protein SOCS1, a suppressor of cytokine signaling. This mechanism implies a direct interaction between the two proteins, specifically between the SH2 domain of SOCS1 and the N-terminal transactivation domain of p53. SOCS1 also interacts with the DNA damage-regulated kinases ATM and ATR via its C-terminal domain, which contains a SOCS Box, to facilitate the phosphorylation of p53 on its serine 15. Thus, by interacting at the same time with p53 and ATM, SOCS1 contributes to stabilization and activation of p53. In accordance with this model, SOCS1 inhibition in human normal fibroblasts decreases the number of senescent cells in which the activated oncogene STAT5A is expressed and reduces p53 nuclear accumulation in these cells. In the same way, T cells from Socs1-/-Ifnγ-/- mice are less likely to undergo apoptosis than T cells from Socs1+/+Ifnγ+/+ mice, after exposure to γ radiation. In both contexts, the expression of p53 target genes is decreased, which indicates that SOCS1 is implicated in p53 activation in vivo. This thesis also aims to show the role of SOCS1 in the activation of other transcription factors and, thereby, to show that it can act as a more general regulator of transcription. A detailed study of the interaction between SOCS1 and p53 showed that the transactivation domain II of p53 (amino acids 36-67) is sufficient for the interaction. Specifically, it seems that tryptophan 53 (W53) and phenylalanine 54 (F54) are essential for the interaction. A structural analysis of this p53 region highlights an acid transactivation domain actually conserved in many others transcription factors, such as p63, p73 and E2F1. In accordance with this observation, SOCS1 is able to interact with both proteins. Thus, the capacity of SOCS1 to interact with p53 and to regulate its activity may extend to other transcription factors. The mechanism showed in this thesis contributes to the understanding of p53 regulation and highlights a new function for the SOCS1 protein. Indeed, until now, SOCS1 was mostly known to be a negative regulator of the JAK/STAT pathway. Moreover, this new role for SOCS1 explains how an aberrant cytokine signaling can trigger senescence or apoptosis. Finally, the fact that SOCS1 can regulate different transcription factors allows us to consider it as a general regulator of transcription factors containing an acid transactivation domain.

Les mécanismes cellulaires anti-prolifératifs, lesquels comprennent l’apoptose, aussi appelée la mort cellulaire programmée, l’arrêt transitoire du cycle cellulaire et la sénescence, permettent à la cellule de prévenir, en réponse à différents stress, l’accumulation de mutations pouvant conduire à une prolifération incontrôlée et, éventuellement, au développement d’une tumeur. La régulation de ces différents mécanismes requiert l’activation de protéines appelées des suppresseurs de tumeur, dont le principal est p53. p53 est un facteur de transcription dont la stabilisation et l’activation conduit à une hausse de l’expression de gènes directement impliqués dans l’arrêt de la prolifération. Au cours des dernières années, l’ensemble des travaux sur p53 ont permis de mettre en évidence la complexité de sa fonction, de même que la multitude de voies de signalisation et de protéines avec lesquelles il coopère pour maintenir l’intégrité du génome. De ce fait, l’étude des mécanismes d’activation de p53 est de mise pour la compréhension de sa régulation et, éventuellement, pour la prévention et l’élaboration de nouvelles stratégies de traitement contre le cancer. L’objet de cette thèse est la mise en évidence d’un mécanisme d’activation de p53 et de la sénescence par la protéine SOCS1, un suppresseur de la signalisation par les cytokines. Ce mécanisme implique une interaction directe entre les deux protéines, plus précisément entre le domaine SH2 de SOCS1 et le domaine de transactivation de p53. SOCS1 interagit également, au niveau de son SOCS Box, avec les kinases ATM et ATR de la voie du dommage à l’ADN de façon à faciliter la phosphorylation de p53 en sérine 15. Ainsi, en interagissant à la fois avec p53 et ATM/ATR, SOCS1 contribue à la stabilisation et à l’activation de p53. En accord avec ce modèle, l’inhibition de SOCS1 dans des fibroblastes humains normaux tend à diminuer le nombre de cellules sénescentes suite à l’expression de l’oncogène ca-STAT5A et à réduire l’accumulation nucléaire de p53 dans ces cellules. De la même façon, les lymphocytes T provenant de souris Socs1-/-Ifnγ-/- sont moins susceptibles d’entrer en apoptose que les lymphocytes provenant de souris Socs1+/+Ifnγ+/+, suite à une exposition à des radiations. Dans les deux contextes, on observe une baisse de l’expression des gènes cibles de p53, ce qui démontre que SOCS1 est impliquée dans l’activation de p53 in vivo. Cette thèse a également pour but de mettre en évidence l’implication de SOCS1 dans l’activation d’autres facteurs de transcription et, par le fait même, de démontrer qu’elle peut agir comme un régulateur plus général de la transcription. Une étude approfondie de l’interaction entre SOCS1 et p53 a permis de démontrer que le domaine de transactivation II de p53 (acides aminés 36-67) est suffisant pour l’interaction. Plus précisément, il semble que le tryptophane 53 (W53) et la phénylalanine 54 (F54) sont les principaux résidus impliqués. Une analyse structurale de ce domaine de p53 a conduit à l’identification d’un motif conservé dans plusieurs autres facteurs de transcription pourvus d’un domaine de transactivation acide, dont p63, p73 et E2F1. En accord avec ces résultats, SOCS1 est en mesure d’interagir avec chacune des deux protéines. Ainsi, la capacité de SOCS1 d’interagir et de réguler l’activité de p53 peut s’étendre à d’autres facteurs de transcription. En terminant, le mécanisme présenté dans cette thèse contribue à la compréhension de la régulation de p53, le principal suppresseur de tumeur de la cellule. De plus, il met en évidence une nouvelle fonction de SOCS1, laquelle était jusqu’alors essentiellement connue pour inhiber la voie de signalisation JAK/STAT. Ce nouveau rôle pour SOCS1 permet d’expliquer de quelle manière une activation aberrante de la signalisation par les cytokines peut déclencher la sénescence ou l’apoptose. Enfin, le fait que SOCS1 puisse réguler différents facteurs de transcription permet de la qualifier de régulateur général des facteurs de transcription composés d’un domaine de transactivation acide. / In response to different stress, three anti-proliferative mechanisms, namely apoptosis, also called programmed cell death, transient growth arrest and senescence, prevent the cells from cumulating mutations that can lead to uncontrolled proliferation and, eventually, to tumor development. Regulation of these mechanisms requires the activation of proteins called tumor suppressors. One of them, p53, is a transcription factor whose stabilization and activation lead to an increase in expression of genes directly implicated in cell cycle arrest. In the past years, studies about p53 showed how much its function is complex and with how many signaling pathways and proteins it cooperates to maintain genome integrity. Thus, studying the activation mechanisms of p53 is essential to understand its regulation and, thereby, to prevent tumor development and to elaborate new strategies for cancer treatment. The first aim of this thesis is to show a new activation mechanism of p53 and of senescence by the protein SOCS1, a suppressor of cytokine signaling. This mechanism implies a direct interaction between the two proteins, specifically between the SH2 domain of SOCS1 and the N-terminal transactivation domain of p53. SOCS1 also interacts with the DNA damage-regulated kinases ATM and ATR via its C-terminal domain, which contains a SOCS Box, to facilitate the phosphorylation of p53 on its serine 15. Thus, by interacting at the same time with p53 and ATM, SOCS1 contributes to stabilization and activation of p53. In accordance with this model, SOCS1 inhibition in human normal fibroblasts decreases the number of senescent cells in which the activated oncogene STAT5A is expressed and reduces p53 nuclear accumulation in these cells. In the same way, T cells from Socs1-/-Ifnγ-/- mice are less likely to undergo apoptosis than T cells from Socs1+/+Ifnγ+/+ mice, after exposure to γ radiation. In both contexts, the expression of p53 target genes is decreased, which indicates that SOCS1 is implicated in p53 activation in vivo. This thesis also aims to show the role of SOCS1 in the activation of other transcription factors and, thereby, to show that it can act as a more general regulator of transcription. A detailed study of the interaction between SOCS1 and p53 showed that the transactivation domain II of p53 (amino acids 36-67) is sufficient for the interaction. Specifically, it seems that tryptophan 53 (W53) and phenylalanine 54 (F54) are essential for the interaction. A structural analysis of this p53 region highlights an acid transactivation domain actually conserved in many others transcription factors, such as p63, p73 and E2F1. In accordance with this observation, SOCS1 is able to interact with both proteins. Thus, the capacity of SOCS1 to interact with p53 and to regulate its activity may extend to other transcription factors. The mechanism showed in this thesis contributes to the understanding of p53 regulation and highlights a new function for the SOCS1 protein. Indeed, until now, SOCS1 was mostly known to be a negative regulator of the JAK/STAT pathway. Moreover, this new role for SOCS1 explains how an aberrant cytokine signaling can trigger senescence or apoptosis. Finally, the fact that SOCS1 can regulate different transcription factors allows us to consider it as a general regulator of transcription factors containing an acid transactivation domain.

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