Le métapneumovirus humain (hMPV) est un virus responsable d'infections aiguës des voies respiratoires telles que des bronchiolites, des bronchites ou des pneumonies, principalement chez les populations à risques que sont les jeunes enfants de moins de 5 ans, ainsi que les personnes âgées ou immunodéprimées. Découvert en 2001, ce virus et sa pathogénèse ne restent encore aujourd'hui que partiellement caractérisés. De ce fait et malgré les besoins, il n'y a aucun vaccin ou traitement thérapeutique spécifique et efficace contre le HMPV disponible sur le marché. Dans ce contexte, mon projet de thèse s'est articulé autour de deux axes principaux : (i) L'étude de la protéine de fusion F du virus hMPV, protéine majeure antigénique de surface et responsable de l'entrée du virus dans la cellule cible. Elle a pour particularité d'induire de manière autonome la fusion membranaire in vitro et d'être associée à des effets cytopathiques variable selon les souches virales. De par son rôle clé pour le virus hMPV, la protéine F a déjà fait l'objet de plusieurs études structurales et fonctionnelles mais les déterminants de cette activité fusogénique ne sont pas encore entièrement caractérisés. Nous nous sommes donc intéressés à l'identification de déterminants du phénotype viral hyperfusogénique, localisés dans les domaines heptad repeats de la protéine F du hMPV. (ii) L'atténuation de deux souches virales cliniques (CAN98-75 et C-85473) par délétion de gènes accessoires dans le but de développer des candidats vaccinaux adaptés aux enfants en bas âge. Différents virus ont été générés par génétique inverse et les délétions des gènes accessoires SH et G dans les deux fonds génétiques viraux ont été étudiées pour leur impact sur l'infectivité, la réplication et la pathogénèse virale in vitro et in vivo ainsi que leur contribution pour le développement de virus atténués candidats vaccinaux / Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a major pathogen responsible of acute respiratory tract infections, such as bronchiolitis or pneumonia, affecting especially infants, under five years old, elderly individuals and immunocompromised adults. Identified since 2001, this virus and its pathogenesis still remain largely unknown and no licensed vaccines or specific antivirals against hMPV are currently available. In this context, my research project was built over two main subjects: (i) The study of the fusion F glycoprotein which is the major antigenic protein of hMPV and is responsible of viral entry into host cell. By its crucial role for the virus, the F protein has already been characterized in several structural and/or functional studies. Thus, it has been described that the hMPV F protein induces membrane fusion autonomously, resulting in variable cytopathic effects in vitro, in a strain-dependent manner. However, as the determinants of the hMPV fusogenic activity are not well characterized yet, we focused on identification of some of these, located in heptad repeats domains of the protein. (ii) The evaluation of hMPV SH and G gene deletion for viral attenuation. Liveattenuated hMPV vaccine candidates for infants’ immunization has been constructed thank to this deletion approach at the beginning of hMPV vaccine development efforts. Despite encouraging results, these candidates have not been further characterized and the importance of the viral background has not been evaluated

The Innate immune system is the first line of defense against invading microbial pathogens. It is a fast-acting and non-antigen-specific defense system, which employs germline encoded surveillance systems capable of responding to a broad-spectrum of pathogens. The innate immune system involves a variety of immune cells, which express different profiles of surveillance or detection receptors. Upon sensing pathogens, these receptors trigger cell signalling to turn on transcription of inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, anti-microbial peptides and type I Interferons. These effectors have direct effects on the control of pathogen load and also activate the adaptive immune system, which is ultimately required to clear infections. The type I interferons (IFNs) are the principal cytokines strongly induced during infection with viruses and are required for direct control of viral replication and modulation of cells of the adaptive immune response. The signalling pathways induced in order to activate type I IFNs are dependent on the interferon regulatory factors (IRFs). Striving for survival, microbes have evolved various strategies to subvert/impair these critical defense molecules. In this thesis work, I have used Human Metapneumoviruses (HMPVs), a relatively newly described family of paramyxoviruses as model viruses to explore the role of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and the IRF family of transcription factors in the innate immune response. These studies revealed that the recognition of HMPV viral pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by immune cells is different in different cell types. Retinoic acid-inducible gene-I (RIG-I), a cytosolic RNA helicases senses HMPV-A1 virus for triggering type I IFN activation by detecting its 5’- triphosphate viral RNA in most human cells, including cell lines and primary monocytes. An exception to these findings was plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs), where Toll-like receptor (TLR)-7 is the primary sensor involved in detecting HMPV viruses. By comparing the innate immune response to two HMPV strains, we found that these two closely related strains had very different immune stimulatory capabilities. HMPV-1A strain triggered type I IFNs in monocytes, PDCs and cells of epithelial origin. In contrast, a related strain, HMPV-B1 failed to trigger IFN responses in most cell types. Our studies suggested that the phosphoprotein (P) of HMPV-B1 could prevent the viral RNA from being detected by RIG-I, thus inhibiting the induction of type I IFN production in most cell type examined. This finding adds to our understanding of the mechanisms by which viruses are sensed by surveillance receptors and also unveils new means of viral evasion of host immune responses. Although IRFs are extensively studied for their role in regulating type I IFN activation, especially in TLR and RIG-I like receptor (RLR) signalling pathways upon viral infection, a clear understanding of how this family of transcription factors contributes to anti-viral immunity was lacking. Studies conducted as part of this thesis revealed that in addition to IRF3 and IRF7, which play a central role in anti-viral immunity downstream of most PRRs (e.g. TLRs, RLRs, DNA sensors), the related factor IRF5 was also an important component of innate anti-viral defenses. Using IRF5-deficient mice we studied in detail the role of IRF5 in coordinating antiviral defenses by examining its involvement in signalling downstream of TLRs. These studies led us to examine the role of IRF5 in the regulation of type I IFNs as well as inflammatory cytokines in different cell types. While most TLRs that induced IFNβ showed normal responses in IRF5-deficient mice, CpG-B-induced IFNβ production in CD11c+CDCs isolated from mouse spleen but not those generated in vitro from bone marrow required IRF5. This was in contrast to responses with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (polyIC), ligands for TLR4 and 3, respectively. Moreover, we found that in contrast to IRF3 and/or IRF7, IRF5 was important in coordinating the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα downstream of some TLRs. In addition to our studies to examine the requirement for IRF5 in TLR signaling, we also showed that muramyl peptide (MDP) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) could activate type I IFNs via IRF5. This was the first evidence linking IRF5 to a non-TLR-driven pathway. IRF5 activation in this case was downstream of a novel nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing (NOD)-2/receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase (RIP)-2 signaling pathway. Collectively, the studies outlined in this thesis have assisted in providing a framework to understand the role of TLRs, RLRs and IRFs in the immune response to paramyxoviruses and have unveiled new mechanisms of activation of the IRFs as well as new mechanisms by which pathogens subvert or evade these important innate defense mechanisms.

As doenças respiratórias agudas (DRAs) são as causas mais comuns de morbidez e mortalidade infantil mundial, podendo ser causadas por uma grande variedade de microorganismos. A fim de se detectar os vírus respiratórios mais comumente associados às infecções agudas do trato respiratório e traçar seu perfil epidemiológico, utilizamos um protocolo de GS RT-PCR (GeneScan Transcrição Reversa-Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase) para a rápida detecção simultânea do, vírus influenza A e B, parainfluenzavirus tipo 1, 2 e 3, picornavirus, metapneumovirus e o adenovírus. As amostras clínicas foram colhidas de crianças menores de cinco anos de idade, apresentando sintomas respiratórios, no Hospital Universitário (HU) da Universidade de São Paulo (USP), durante o ano de 2003. O GS RT-PCR se mostrou uma metodologia sensível e específica, capaz de detectar uma diversidade maior de agentes infecciosos do trato respiratório em relação à Imunofluorescência Indireta (IFI), reduzindo neste estudo a porcentagem de amostras negativas de 69,9% (235 amostras) para 22% (74 amostras). / A reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay based on automated fluorescent capillary electrophoresis and GeneScan software analysis was used to detect nine common respiratory viruses in clinical specimens from young children. Assays for human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV), human parainfluenza viruses 1, 2, and 3, influenza A and B viruses, human metapneumovirus, adenovirus and picornavirus were incorporated into a screening PCR standard assay format. The optimized assay panel was used to test 336 respiratory specimens obtained from children hospitalized with acute respiratory illness (ARI) that had been previously tested by viral culture and indirect immunofluorescence staining (IIF). GS RT-PCR showed be a sensitive and specific methodology, able to detect a larger diversity of respiratory viruses regarding IFI, reducing in this study the percentage of negative samples of 69,9% (235 samples) to 22% (74 samples).

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / FundaÃÃo Cearense de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento Cientifico e TecnolÃgico / Este trabalho teve como objetivos caracterizar fÃsico-quÃmica e estruturalmente polissacarÃdeos obtidos de folhas de Aloe barbadensis e avaliar suas atividades antiviral, anti-hemorrÃgica e prÃ-coagulante e possÃveis sinais de toxicidade. Foi realizada extraÃÃo aquosa de polissacarÃdeos totais (PT) de A. barbadensis, seguido de precipitaÃÃo por etanol e remoÃÃo dos contaminantes proteicos com TCA. A cromatografia em DEAE-celulose foi eficiente no fracionamento dos PT, onde foram obtidas as fraÃÃes PI e PII. A caracterizaÃÃo fÃsico-quÃmica mostrou que a fraÃÃo PI à composta por manose (78,4%), glucose (7,3%), galactose (2,1%), fucose (2,8%) e Ãcidos urÃnicos (10,0%), e isenta de grupos Ãster sulfato. Enquanto, a fraÃÃo PII à constituÃda por manose (39,2%), glucose (22,2%), galactose (26,3%), arabinose (3,8%), xilose (1,1%), Ãcidos urÃnicos (8,0%) e grupos Ãster sulfato (12,0%). Na revelaÃÃo das bandas polissacarÃdicas da fraÃÃo PII, obtidas por PAGE e gel de agarose corados com stainsall foi constatado a presenÃa de duas bandas que apresentaram diferentes coloraÃÃes, roxa e ciana, correspondentes a presenÃa de grupos sulfato e carboxilados, respectivamente. Na anÃlise estrutural das fraÃÃes PI e PII, por espectroscopia no IR, foi demonstrado que a fraÃÃo PI apresenta unidades monossacarÃdicas de Ã-manose O-acetiladas (812,2 e 960 onda.cm-1) e Ãcidos urÃnicos neutros (1738 onda.cm-1) em sua estrutura. Diferentemente, a fraÃÃo PII, mostrou-se ser constituÃda por unidades monossacarÃdicas de manose (1014,7 onda.cm-1), galactose (1078,2 onda.cm-1), Ãcidos urÃnicos carregados negativamente (1635 onda.cm-1) e Ãster sulfato (1329,5 e 1260,9 onda.cm-1). Na avaliaÃÃo estrutural da fraÃÃo PII por RMN foi comprovado à presenÃa do grupo Ãster sulfato. Em relaÃÃo Ãs atividades biolÃgicas, o teste de citotoxicidade mostrou que os PT e as fraÃÃes PI e PII nÃo apresentaram toxicidade para a maioria das cÃlulas testadas e nÃo foram eficientes na inibiÃÃo de vÃrus nÃo envelopados Ad-19 e Ad-41. No entanto, os PT e a fraÃÃo PI foram capazes de inibir a infecÃÃo causada por HSV-1 e HSV-2. Em ensaios com metapneumovÃrus (HMPV), a fraÃÃo PII apresentou atividade antiviral superior à ribavirina. Embora os PT e as fraÃÃes PI e PII nÃo terem apresentado atividade contra dengue vÃrus sorotipo 1 (DENV-1), os PT puderam inibir a hemorragia em ratos, diminuindo o tempo de sangramento e o tempo de protrombina. Os PT nÃo apresentaram toxicidade em camundongos, mas aumentaram o tamanho do baÃo e o nÃmero de plaquetas sanguÃneas. Pode ser concluÃdo que extratos foliares de A. barbadensis podem apresentar polissacarÃdeos neutros ou carregados negativamente por grupos carboxilados/sulfatados. Em adiÃÃo, alÃm de apresentar atividade inibitÃria contra os vÃrus HSV-1, HSV-2 e HMPV, podem tambÃm apresentar efeito anti-hemorrÃgico e prÃcoagulante, propriedades essas, importantes, visto que a complicaÃÃo de muitas viroses leva a quadros hemorrÃgicos. AlÃm disso, os PT de A. barbadensis nÃo apresentaram toxicidade expressiva, podendo ser utilizada como agente terapÃutico seguro e eficaz. / The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical and structural parameters of polysaccharides obtained from Aloe barbadensis leaves and to evaluate the antiviral and cytotoxic activities and procoagulant, anti-bleeding effects. In addition, toxicological analysis was carried out. The pulp was submitted to aqueous extraction (70 ÂC) and the total polysaccharides (PT) obtained by ethanol precipitation, TCA was used to remove the protein contamination. The fractionation of PT with DEAE-celulose resulted in two fractions (PI and PII). The physicochemical characterization showed that PI fraction presents mannose (78,4%), glucose (7,3%), galactose (2,1%), fucose (2,8%) and uronic acid (10,0%). Sulfate esters were not detected in PI fraction. On the other hand, PII fraction presents the monosaccharides mannose (39,2%), glucose (22,2%), galactose (26,3%), arabinose (3,8%), xylose (1,1%), uronic acids (8,0%) and sulfate esters groups (12,0%). The polysaccharidics of PII obtained by PAGE and agarose gel electrophoresis were revealed with toluidine blue and stainsall dye showing the presence of two different bands, one purple (indicative of sulfate) and another cyan (indicative of carboxilated groups). Structural analysis of PI and PII fractions by IR spectroscopy demonstrated that PI fraction is composed of residues of Ã-mannose O-acetylated (812.2 and 960 cm-1) and uronic acids (1738 cm-1). In contrast, the PII fraction is composed of mannose (1014.7 cm-1), galactose (1078.2 cm-1), negatively charged uronic acids (1635 cm-1) and sulfate ester (1329.5 and 1260.9 cm-1). These results corroborate with NMR analyses that suggest the presence of sulfate groups in PII structure. The cytotoxicity evaluation showed that PT and the fractions PI and PII did not show toxicity against most of tested cells and the same fractions were not effective against non-enveloped virus (Ad 19 and Ad 41) inhibition. However, the PT and PI fraction were able to inhibit the infection caused by HSV-1 and HSV-2. In addition, PII fraction presents antiviral activity against metapneumovirus. Although the PT and the fractions PI and PII did not show activity against dengue virus serotype 1 (DENV-1), PT could inhibit the bleeding effects in rats, reducing the bleeding and prothrombin time. The PT showed no toxicity in mice, but increased spleen size and number of blood platelets. In conclusion, A. barbadensis leaves contain neutral or negatively charged carboxylated/sulfated polysaccharides. In addition, besides having inhibitory activity against HSV-1, HSV-2 and HMPV, they can also anti-bleeding and procoagulant effect. Moreover, the PT of A. barbadensis showed no significant toxicity and can be used as a safe and effective therapeutic agent.

Orientadores: Clarice Weis Arns, Fernando Rosado Spilki / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T19:38:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Silva_LucianaHelenaAntoniassida_D.pdf: 3352165 bytes, checksum: 1c8836441214fc41a7890899268f1163 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Os membros da família Paramyxoviridae são vírus que causam infecções em humanos e animais de importância econômica global. Entre os membros desta família incluem patógenos de importância mundial para os humanos, como o vírus respiratório sincicial humano (hRSV), o metapneumovírus humano (hMPV) e vírus de importância em Medicina Veterinária, como o vírus respiratório sincicial bovino (bRSV) e o metapnemovírus aviário (aMPV). Os membros da família Paramyxoviridae, subfamília Pneumovirinae são vírus envelopados, não-segmentados dotados de genoma de RNA de fita simples com sentido negativo. Na primeira parte do estudo, desenvolvemos um adenovírus recombinante expressando a proteína F do aMPV. A expressão da proteína F foi determinada por Western Blot. Os níveis de transcrição do gene F foram avaliados por RT-PCR em tempo real, em células HEK-293 e células HEP-2. Foi realizada a imunização experimental de Ad-aMPV-F e foi analisada a indução de resposta de anticorpos em camundongos BALB/c. Os títulos de anticorpos neutralizantes foram detectados após a imunização com Ad-aMPV-F. Na segunda parte do trabalho o objetivo foi à construção de adenovírus recombinantes expressando a proteína F do bRSV. A proteína F parece ser um antígeno ideal para fins de diagnóstico. Utilizando anticorpo anti-V-5, uma banda de ~90 kDa foi detectada no sobrenadante de cultura de células HEK-293 infectadas com Ad-bRSV-F. Na terceira parte do estudo, o objetivo foi à construção de dois vetores adenovirais expressando as proteínas G do aMPV e bRSV, a expressão destas proteínas em células HEK-293 infectadas foi analisada pela expressão do gene repórter, da proteína verde fluorescente (GFP) / Abstract: The members of the family Paramyxoviridae are viruses that cause infectious in human and animals of importance to global economics. Among the member of this family include pathogens of importance global for humans such as human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV), the human and metapneumovirus (hMPV) and of viruses importance in veterinary medicine, such as bovine respiratory syncytial virus (bRSV) and avian metapnemovírus (aMPV). The members of the Paramyxoviridae are enveloped, non-segmented viruses, with negative-sense single stranded genomes. In the first part of the study, we developed a recombinant adenovirus expressing the F protein of AMPV. The expression of F gene was determined by Western Blot. The levels of transcription were evaluated by RT-PCR in real time in HEK-293 cells and HEP-2 cells. Immunization experiment was carried out Ad-AMPV-F was analyzed and the induction of antibody response in BALB/c mice. The neutralizing antibody titers detected after immunization with Ad-AMPV-F. In the second part, the objective was to construct recombinant adenoviruses expressing the F protein of bRSV. Protein F appears to be an ideal antigen for diagnostic purposes. Using the anti-antibody AdV-5, a single band of ~ 90 kDa was detected in the culture supernatant in 293 cells infected with Ad-bRSV-F. In the third part of the study, the objective was to build two adenoviral vectors expressing the G protein of aMPV and bRSV and the expression of these proteins in infected HEK-293 cells were analyzed for expression of the reporter gene, green fluorescent protein (GFP) / Doutorado / Microbiologia / Doutora em Genética e Biologia Molecular

Ma thèse a porté sur l’étude des activités enzymatiques impliquées dans la formation de la coiffe de deux virus à ARN: le virus du Nil Occidental (WNV) et le métapneumovirus humain (hMPV). Ces virus codent pour des enzymes assurant l’ajout de la coiffe de type-1 (m7GpppN2’Om) à l’extrémité 5’ de leur ARNm.Le domaine N-terminal de la protéine NS5 (NS5MTase) du WNV porte les activités N7- et 2’O-méthyltransférases (N7- et 2’O-MTases) et il a été proposé que NS5MTase puisse également porter l’activité guanylyltransférase (GTase). J’ai identifié in vitro des résidus clés impliqués dans l’interaction entre NS5MTase et des ARN substrats de chaque activité MTase. Nos résultats démontrent que le site de fixation de la coiffe est nécessaire lors de la 2’O-méthylation et ne l’est pas pour la N7-méthylation. En parallèle, j’ai recherché des résidus catalytiques de la GTase par la méthode de génétique inverse. Des résultats préliminaires indiquent que la mutation K29A induit un défaut de réplication. Ce résidu pourrait donc être impliqué dans l’activité GTase de NS5MTase.Concernant hMPV, j’ai effectué une analyse fonctionnelle du domaine CR-VI+ de la protéine L. J’ai démontré que CR-VI+ possède les activités N7- et 2’O-MTases et j’ai identifié les résidus impliqués dans le recrutement de l’ARNm. L’ordre de méthylation est non canonique avec la 2’O-méthylation qui précède la N7-méthylation. Enfin, j’ai également démontré que CR-VI+ possède une activité d’hydrolyse du GTP.Ce travail démontre que ces MTases possèdent 2 voire 3 des activités enzymatiques nécessaires à la formation de la coiffe, et représentent donc une cible de choix pour le développement d’inhibiteurs. / My PhD project is focus on the study of the enzymatic activities involved in the RNA capping pathway of two RNA viruses: the West Nile Virus (WNV) and the human metapneumovirus (hMPV). These viruses encode for enzymes allowing the addition of a cap-1 structure (m7GpppN2’Om) to their mRNA 5’ ends. The NS5 N-terminal domain (NS5MTase) of WNV harbours the N7- and 2’O-methyltransferase activities (N7- and 2’O-MTase); and it has been proposed that NS5MTase also bears a guanylyltransferase activity (GTase). I have identified residues involved in the NS5MTase interaction sites with their RNAs substrate. My assays demonstrate the importance of the cap-binding site for the 2’O-methylation but not for the N7-methylation. In parallel, I have tried to identify putative catalytic residues of the GTase activity by reverse genetics. Preliminary results suggest that NS5MTase K29 could be a catalytic residue.Concerning hMPV, I performed a functional analysis of CR-VI+ domain of the protein L. I demonstrated that the CR-VI+ domain harbours the N7- and 2’O-MTase activities and identified the residues involved in the mRNA recruitment. I showed that the methylation order is not canonical with the 2’O-methylation preceding the N7-methylation. Finally, I showed that the domain harbours an additional GTP hydrolysis activity, representing the first step of RNA cap formation for Mononegavirales.This work demonstrates that this MTase domains harbour 2 or 3 of the enzymatic activities required for viral RNA cap synthesis and represent attractive targets for the development of antivirals.

Les paramyxovirus respiratoires humains sont des virus responsables d'infections chez les jeunes enfants, les personnes âgées et les patients immuno déprimés. Ces virus possèdent deux glycoprotéines à la surface de leur enveloppe, jouant un rôle dans l'entrée du virus dans la cellule cible. La glycoprotéine d’attachement (HN, G ou H) permet l’attachement du virus à son récepteur cellulaire et, dans le cas de HN, celle-ci est suspectée d’activer la seconde glycoprotéine, la protéinede fusion (F). Cette dernière réalise la fusion entre l'enveloppe du virus et la membrane cellulaire.Le mécanisme par lequel la protéine HN "active" la protéine F reste mal caractérisé, malgré la détermination récente de leurs structures en cristallographie. Plusieurs modèles sont actuellement proposés. Ce travail de thèse s’est focalisé principalement sur les glycoprotéines d’enveloppe des virus parainfluenza humain de type 2 (hPIV-2) et parainfluenza de type 5 (PIV-5), ainsi que sur la glycoprotéine de fusion du métapneumovirus humain (hMPV). La première partie de ce projet a consisté à caractériser une mutation retrouvée sur la protéine F de souches circulantes hPIV-2. Cette étude a notamment souligné l’importance de la sous-unité F2 dans la régulation de la fusion membranaire. Puis, dans un second temps, l’une des étapes du mécanisme d’entrée du métapneumovirus a été étudiée : la fusion membranaire induite par la glycoprotéine F. Il a été démontré qu’il était possible dans une certaine mesure, et par une approche de mutagenèse combinatoire, de dissocier les caractéristiques de F hMPV et ainsi de pouvoir mieux les étudier. Ce travail d’ingénierie de la glycoprotéine F hMPV s’est également inscrit dans un objectif de recherche appliquée afin de contribuer au développement de nouveaux outils prophylactiques et thérapeutiques. Cette perspective thérapeutique de F PIV-5 a été évaluée dans le cadre d’un vecteur oncolytique basé sur l’adénovirus de type 5 (AdV-5). L’expression de cette glycoprotéine hyperfusogène a ainsi contribué à un effet cytotoxique amplifié des vecteurs armés in vitro ainsiqu’en modèle animal immunocompétent. / Human respiratory paramyxoviruses are responsible for infectious diseases and hospitalisations among infants, children, elderly and the immunocompromised. These viruses harbour two glycoproteins implicated in virus entry into the cell. The attachment glycoprotein (HN,G or H) is implicated the virus attachment on a target cell receptor, and HN is also suspected to activate the second glycoprotein, the fusion protein (F). This latter glycoprotein can perform the fusion between the cellular membrane and the viral envelope. The mechanism of activation of the F protein, is not well-defined, even with the structural characterisation for some viruses studied inthis thesis. This thesis work is focussed on the viral glycoprotein of parainfluenza virus type 2 (hPIV-2), parainfluenza virus type 5 (PIV-5), and the fusion glycoprotein of human Metapneumovirus (hMPV).The first part of this project was the characterization of a mutation observed in the F protein natural variants of hPIV-2. This work highlights the importance of the F2 subunit of F in the fusion regulation. A second part of the project consisted of the study of the mechanism of F hMPV entry into the cell, induced by F glycoprotein. This work showed that it was possible to dissociate the characteristics of the F glycoprotein, in order to allow a better understanding of these characteristics. This engineering work on the F protein was used to understand the basic science but could also be used in the development of therapeutic tools.The therapeutic use of F PIV-5 was also evaluated in an oncolytic vector based on adenovirus type 5 (AdV-5). Its expression in tumours showed a highly cytotoxic activity for the target cells in vivo, but also in vitro on immunocompetent rodents.

En médecine humaine et vétérinaire, les agents pathogènes représentent la cause de mortalité principale à travers la planète. Les méthodes de diagnostic de ces pathogènes ont considérablement changé et évolué particulièrement depuis l’apparition du séquençage haut débit. Les nouvelles méthodes de séquençage massif ont considérablement diminué le prix d’une séquence permettant de rendre accessible cette technologie révolutionnaire. Dans le cadre de mes travaux de thèse, nous avons mis en place un protocole pour l’utilisation du séquençage Illumina® (avec le séquenceur MiSeq) comme méthode de diagnostic lors de différents cas pathologiques aviaires. L’utilisation de cette méthode nous a permis dans un premier temps d’identifier l’agent étiologique de la maladie foudroyante de la pintade. Cette étude nous a permis de valider l’utilisation de ce genre de méthode pour des cas ciblés, ici lors d’un épisode clinique particulier n’impliquant vraisemblablement qu’un seul candidat pathogène. Ce nouveau coronavirus a fait l’objet d’études complémentaires afin de le caractériser. Nous avons élargis les cibles recherchées en analysant dans un deuxième temps l’ensemble des virus ARN chez le canard lors d’épisodes cliniques respiratoires et/ou de chute de ponte. L’analyse des données a mis en évidence une importante diversité virale et a permis d’identifier des candidats responsables potentiels. L’ensemble des résultats obtenus nous permet de valider l’utilisation du séquençage à haut débit comme un outil puissant de diagnostic. / Infectious diseases are considered the most prevalent cause of mortality in humans as well as other animals worldwide. Since the advent of high throughput sequencing technologies, diagnostic methods for these conditions have quickly changed and evolved, as the continuously decreasing cost of mass sequencing is making this tool available to larger numbers of people. As part of my thesis project, an Illumina®-based sequencing method (on a MiSeq machine) was designed for diagnostic purposes in clinical cases in poultry. We first used this method to identify the causative agent of the fulminating disease of guinea fowl. This validated the use of our protocol to identify the pathogenic infectious agent behind a specific condition. This newly identified Coronavirus was further analysed and characterised. In a second study we used an unbiased mass sequencing approach to describe the RNA virus populations present in the duck respiratory tract during clinical episodes (respiratory illness or egg drops). Data showed an important viral diversity and we identified some candidate pathogens. Taken together, these results validate the use of high throughput sequencing as a powerful diagnostic tool.

A reação em cadeia por polimerase (PCR) e suas variantes tem sido, desde o isolamento do metapneumovírus humano (hMPV), a técnica mais utilizada para a detecção do vírus em secreções respiratórias de diferentes grupos de pacientes. Entretanto, a interpretação de estudos abordando aspectos epidemiológicos e patogenéticos da infecção pelo hMPV tem sido dificultada pelo uso de uma grande variedade de técnicas de PCR \"in house\" na ausência de uma técnica \"padrão ouro\" claramente definida. A avaliação da sensibilidade, especificidade e reprodutibilidade de qualquer técnica molecular \"in house\" é um passo crucial para podermos comparar estudos realizados por diferentes grupos de pesquisa e diferentes grupos de pacientes. Este estudo teve como objetivos a padronização de duas técnicas de PCR - convencional e em tempo real - para a detecção do hMPV em secreções respiratórias e a avaliação da concordância existente entre as técnicas. Entre 228 amostras de lavado de nasofaringe coletadas de receptores de transplante de células tronco hematopoiéticas com sintomas de infecção respiratória aguda, 10 (4,4%) foram positivas para a presença do hMPV pela técnica de PCR convencional enquanto que 11 (4,8%) foram positivas pela técnica de PCR em tempo real. A concordância entre as técnicas, medida pelo índice Kappa para um intervalo de confiança de 95%, foi de 0,95, ou seja, quase perfeita. / The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been, since the isolation of the virus in 2001, the most used technique for detection of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in respiratory specimens of several groups of patients. However, the interpretation of studies regarding the epidemiology and pathogenesis of hMPV infection has been hindered by the use of a great variety of PCRs techniques for hMPV detection, in the absence of a clearly defined \"gold standard\". The assessment of the sensitivity, specificity and reproducibility of any in-house molecular technique is a crucial step to allow the comparison of studies conducted in different settings and different groups of patients. The aim of the present study was to standardize two in-house PCR assays a conventional PCR and a real-time PCR for detecting hMPV in nasopharyngeal aspirates and to evaluate the agreement between the two assays. Of 228 samples of nasopharyngeal aspirates obtained from hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients with acute respiratory symptoms, 10 (4.4%) were positive for hMPV by conventional PCR whereas 11 (4.8%) were positive by real-Time PCR. The agreement of both assays, measured by Kappa Index, was almost perfect (0.95, 95% confidence interval).

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