Les maladies pulmonaires, responsables de 3,1 millions de décès de part le monde représentent un problème majeur de santé publique. En particulier, la fibrose pulmonaire et la broncho-pneumopathie chronique obstructive (BPCO) conduisent à la perte de la fonction pulmonaire. Aucun traitement efficace n’a été identifié à ce jour pour lutter contre ces maladies, la seule alternative étant la transplantation. Au cours de ma thèse, j’ai exploré les mécanismes du développement de ces maladies en utilisant différents modèles chez la souris, soit par l’instillation de nanoparticules de métaux ou de bléomycine, conduisant à l’inflammation et/ou à la fibrose pulmonaire, soit par exposition à la fumée de cigarette provoquant une inflammation. Nous avons montré le rôle de la voie de signalisation IL-33/ST2 dans les réponses inflammatoires induites par les nanoparticules ou la bléomycine et identifié de nouveaux mécanismes de régulation de l’IL-33 au sein des macrophages, différents de ceux décrits pour les cellules épithéliales. Nos résultats indiquent que l’expression intracellulaire de l’IL-33 et de son récepteur ST2, joue un rôle important dans l’inflammation, ainsi que la translocation nucléaire de l’IL-33. D’autre part, mes travaux de thèse ont permis d’identifier le rôle clef du senseur intracytosolique NLRP6 dans l’inflammation provoquée par l’exposition à la fumée de cigarette. Nos résultats indiquent que NLRP6, aux fonctions pulmonaires inexplorées, contrôle l’activation des cellules épithéliales et le recrutement des neutrophiles de façon indépendante de la formation d’un inflammasome mais dépendante de la signalisation par les récepteurs des interférons de type I et III. / Pulmonary diseases are a major health problem with 3.1 million deaths in the worldwide. Among them pulmonary fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which occur after repeated lung epithelium injury, are characterized by impaired lung functions. To date, no effective therapy against pulmonary fibrosis and COPD were developed, lung transplantation being the only alternative. During my thesis, I studied the mechanisms leading to disease development using different experimental models in mice in particular by metal dioxide nanoparticles or bleomycin instillation leading to inflammation and/or pulmonary fibrosis, or by cigarette smoke exposure promoting pulmonary inflammation which may lead to emphysema. We show the crucial role of IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway in response to nanoparticles or bleomycine and identify new mechanisms for IL-33 regulation in macrophages which are different from those described in epithelial cells. Our results indicate that intracellular expression of IL-33 and of its receptor ST2, together with nuclear IL-33 translocation, play an important role in inflammatory response to nanoparticles instillation. On the other hand, my thesis work allowed identifying that the cytosolic sensor NLRP6 as a key player in pulmonary inflammation developed upon mouse cigarette smoke exposure. Interestingly, our results show that the receptor NLRP6, whose pulmonary functions are still unexplored, controls epithelial cells activation leading to neutrophils recruitment in the airways, in an inflammasome-independent manner but dependently of type I and III interferon receptors signaling.

The inflammasome complex is a multiprotein complex that may play a role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by secreting the inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18, and inducing pyroptosis, as a response to signals through several inflammasome sensors. This study looked at the expression of several inflammasome components in the ileum and colon of patients suffering from IBD. The inflammasome sensors NLRP1, NLRP3, AIM2 and pyrin were upregulated in whole intestinal tissue of IBD patients, particularly in the colon. NLRP6 expression was increased in the colon of Crohn's disease patients, but not ulcerative colitis patients relative to colon of controls, and was reduced in the ileum of Crohn's disease patients compared to control ileum. Expression of caspase-1 and IL-1β, but not IL-18, were also increased in ileum and colon tissue from Crohn's patients. To identify the cell type where inflammasome expression was altered in Crohn’s disease, transcription of inflammasome subunits in intestinal tissue enriched for epithelial cells or lamina propria (LP) cells was analysed. These analyses indicated that LP cells have greater expression of the inflammasome sensors NLRP1, NLRP3, AIM2 and pyrin relative to epithelial cells, both during disease and in control tissue. Moreover, LP cells from Crohn’s patients have higher expression level of NLRP1, AIM2 and pyrin than LP cells from controls. In contrast the inflammasome sensor NLRP6 was more highly expressed by epithelial cells relative to LP cells in general, and NLRP6 expression in LP cells from IBD patients was lower than that observed in LP cells from controls. The observed differential expression of inflammasome components in controls versus IBD intestine and in different cellular fractions of intestinal tissue highlight the importance of understanding the role of the inflammasome in IBD and hints at the possibility of targeting the inflammasome pathway as a future treatment strategy.