The purpose of the thesis is to explore the role of BMP signaling in developing vertebrate midbrain. BMP signaling plays important roles in various tissues and stages of neural development to regulate cell fate, proliferation, differentiation, morphogenesis and more. We observed that several major BMPs are expressed not only at the roof plate but also the floor plate of the midbrain. This has led us to ask the role of BMP signaling in dorsal and ventral midbrain patterning. Despite ventral experiments, we found that BMP signaling does not regulate ventral cell fate specification in the midbrain. Instead BMPs profoundly influence the shape and early morphogenesis of the midbrain neural plate as it closes into a neural tube. During neural tube closure, one of the early events occurring at the ventral midline is median hinge point (MHP) formation. Failure to form MHP leads to neural tube closure defects, the 2nd most common birth defects in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying MHP formation are not well known. We found that the lowest BMP signaling occurs at the MHP during early neurulation and BMP blockade is necessary and sufficient for MHP formation. Interestingly, we also demonstrated that BMP blockade directs MHP formation by regulating the apicobasal polarity pathway and this regulation may be mediated by biochemical interactions between pSMAD5 and the apical protein, PAR3. Additionally, our time-lapse data suggest that BMP blockade slows cell cycle progression by increasing duration of G1 to S transition and S phase which leads cell nuclei stay at the basal location longer. This mimics basal nuclear migration seen at the MHP where low BMP signaling occurs. Thus, we conclude that BMP signaling regulates neural tube closure via the apicobasal polarity pathway and in a cell cycle dependent manner at the ventral midline. We observed that BMP signaling is necessary and sufficient for the dorsal cell fate specification in a context-dependent manner and ventral BMP signaling affects dorsal cell fates. Taken together, we propose the idea that BMP signaling has distinct roles in different contexts. BMPs regulate tissue morphogenesis in the ventral midbrain and dorsally cell fate specification. / text

[pt] Defensinas de planta, componentes inatos do sistema imune das plantas, são peptídeos antifúngicos, catiônicos, com estrutura primária rica em cisteína. Evidência dada pela literatura demonstrou que trechos de esfingolipídios complexos na membrana dos fungos, contendo manosildiinositolfosforilceramida e glicosilceramida, são sítios de ligação seletivos para as defensinas de planta isoladas de Dahlia merckii e Raphanus sativus, respectivamente. Entretanto, desconhece-se se as defensinas de planta interagem direta ou indiretamente com alvos intracelulares dos fungos. A fim de identificar interações físicas e diretas do tipo proteína- proteína, um sistema de duplo-híbrido, em levedura, baseado no fator de transcrição GAL4, foi construído utilizando-se como isca, a defensina da planta Pisum sativum, Psd1 (Pisum sativum defensin 1). Proteínas alvos, capazes de interagirem com o peptídeo Psd1, foram detectadas através do rastreamento de uma biblioteca de cDNA do fungo Neurospora crassa. Do resultado deste rastreamento, nove dentre quinze candidatos, selecionados pelo método do duplo-híbrido, foram identificados como proteínas nucleares da N. crassa. Um clone, detectado com alta freqüência neste rastreamento, apresentou homologia de seqüência com a proteína ciclina F, relacionada com o controle do ciclo celular. O ensaio de co-purificação utilizando a proteína conjugada a glutationa S-transferase (GST) validou in vitro o resultado obtido pelo sistema duplohíbrido. Análise por microscopia de fluorescência da Psd1, conjugada a FITC, e, dos núcleos do fungo Fusarium solani, marcados com DAPI, demonstrou in vivo a co-localização da defensina de planta Psd1 com os núcleos do fungo. Para pesquisar o modo de ação da Psd1 ao nível do ciclo celular, utilizou-se o modelo multicelular da retina de ratos neonatais, em desenvolvimento. Neste modelo, a migração nuclear intercinética, correlacionada com as transições de fase de S para M do ciclo celular, foi observada na presença da Psd1. Verificouse que Psd1 impediu a migração nuclear em neuroblastos, parando o ciclo celular na transição de S para G2. Estes resultados revelaram modos de ação da defensina de planta Psd1 sobre a fisiologia nuclear. / [en] Plant defensins, innate components of the plant immune system, are cationic, antifungal peptides, with a cysteine- rich primary structure. Evidence from the literature demonstrated that fungus membrane patches containing complex sphingolipids, mannosyldiinositolphosphorylceramide and glucosylceramides, are selective binding sites for the plant defensins isolated from Dahlia merckii and Raphanus sativus, respectively. However, whether the plant defensins interact directly or indirectly with fungus intracellular targets is unknown. To identify direct physical protein-protein interactions, a GAL4-based yeast two-hybrid system was constructed, using the plant peptide, Pisum sativum defensin 1 (Psd1), as the bait protein. Target proteins, capable of interacting with the bait Psd1, were detected by screening a Neurospora crassa cDNA library. In this screening, nine out of fifteen two-hybrid candidates were identified as N. crassa nuclear proteins. One clone, detected with high frequency in the screening, presented sequence similarity to a N. crassa cyclin F, related to the cell cycle control. The GST pull- down co purification assay corroborated this two-hybrid result in vitro. Fluorescence microscopy analysis of FITC- conjugated Psd1 and DAPI-stained Fusarium solani nuclei demonstrated in vivo the co-localization of the plant peptide Psd1 and the fungus nuclei. We used the developing retina of neonatal rats as a multicellular model to study Psd1 mode of action at the cell cycle level. In this model, we observed in vivo the interkinetic nuclear migration, correlated to the transitions from S to M-phase of the cell cycle, in the presence of the Psd1 peptide. It was shown that Psd1 impaired nuclear migration of neuroblasts by arresting the cell cycle at the S to G2- phase transition. These results revealed modes of action of the plant defensin Psd1 upon the nuclear physiology.

Résumé confidentiel / Résumé confidentiel

La cytoarchitecture du néocortex repose sur la coordination spatiotemporelle des taux de production des neurones ‐via la régulation du cycle cellulaire de leurs progéniteurs‐ et de leur migration radiale vers la surface corticale. Chez le primate, les couches supragranulaires de l'aire 17 sont plus développées que celles de l'aire 18, conséquence d'une prolifération et d'une production neuronale accrues dans l'aire 17 à E77‐80. Des observations en vidéomicroscopie bi‐photonique, sur tranches organotypiques de cortex, révèlent que la migration radiale est plus rapide dans l'aire 17. Les variations aire‐spécifiques des taux de prolifération et de migration neuronale sont donc congruentes. L'étude des mécanismes moléculaires qui sous‐tendent la régulation coordonnée de la prolifération et de la migration est centrée sur le régulateur du cycle cellulaire p27kip1, qui via son domaine C‐terminal promeut la migration en inhibant la GTPase RhoA. Ce rôle pléiotrope de p27 a été exploré dans la migration nucléaire intercinétique (INM) qu'effectuent les précurseurs de la zone ventriculaire corticale, en synchronie avec les phases du cycle cellulaire. Des formes mutantes de p27 ou des shRNA ont été électroporés spécifiquement dans les neuroblastes d'embryons murins à E14‐15. Des observations en vidéomicroscopie bi‐photonique sur tranches organotypiques révèlent que le domaine C-terminal de p27 affecte l'INM, promeut les décisions différenciatives et la migration radiale. P27 se place donc au sein d'un réseau moléculaire contrôlant conjointement, et de façon aire-spécifique, les divisions successives des précurseurs corticaux, ainsi que la migration des neurones qui en sont issus / Cortical cytoarchitecture relies on the spatiotemporal coordination of neuronal production rate, precursors cell-cycle control and neuronal radial migration towards the cortical plate. In the primate, area 17 supragranular layers are more developed than in area 18, due to higher proliferation and neuronal production rates in area 17 between E77-80. Two-photon videomicroscopy observations on cortical organotypic slices revealed that radial migration is faster in area 17 than 18. This indicates that area-specific variations of proliferation and migration rates are congruent during corticogenesis. The study of molecular mechanisms underlying the coordinated regulation of proliferation and migration focused on the cell-cycle regulator p27kip1, which promotes migration, via inhibition of the Rhoa GTPase by its C-terminal domain. This p27 dual function could play a major role during the Interkinetic Nuclear Migration (INM) performed by cortical precursor cells from the ventricular zone, in synchrony with the cell-cycle phases. Mutant forms of p27 or shRNA were electroporated into neuroblasts of E14-15 mice embryos. Two-photon videomicroscopy observations on organotypic slices revealed that p27 affects INM, promotes differentiative divisions and neuronal radial migration, though its C-terminal domain. P27 is thus part of a molecular network which finely tunes, in an area-specific manner, the successive rounds of divisions of precursor, as well as the migratory behavior of the newborn neurons

Orientador: Nelson Sabino Bittencourt Júnior / Resumo: Compreender a diversidade das Nymphaeales, considerado como o segundo ramo da filogenia das angiospermas, é de considerável interesse como modelo da evolução inicial das angiospermas. Este trabalho objetivou investigar a ontogenia da antera, dos óvulos e sementes em espécies de Nymphaea. Ovários e sementes de N. amazonum Mart. & Zucc. subsp. amazonum, N. caerulea Savigny e N. lotus L. e, anteras de N. amazonum Mart. & Zucc. subsp. amazonum e N. caerulea Savigny, em diversos estádios de desenvolvimento, foram fixados, infiltrados em historesina e as secções obtidas com 1-4 µm foram coradas com azul-de-toluidina O ou submetidas a testes histoquímicos. O desenvolvimento da parede do androsporângio é do tipo básico. Após a meiose, a citocinese simultânea dá origem a tétrades tetraédricas de andrósporos nas quais já são detectáveis a intina e a primexina, há um atraso na liberação dos andrósporos das tétrades em N. caerulea. A partir do estádio de andrósporos livres observa-se uma abertura anelar equatorial e, no estádio de andrósporos vacuolados observa-se o ‘pollenkitt’ na superfície da esporoderme. A mitose do andrósporo ocorre perpendicularmente à esporoderme e, a intina se espessa, principalmente abaixo da abertura, onde há a contribuição da endexina para a formação do oncus. O tapete de N. amazonum e N. caerulea é secretor e não apresenta ciclos invasivo como relatado para N. colorata. O tipo básico de desenvolvimento do androsporângio também foi relatado para Amborella tric... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Understanding the diversification of Nymphaeales, the second branch in the angiosperm phylogenetic tree, has a considerable interest to propose models of early evolution of the angiosperms. This work aims to analyze the anther and ovule ontogeny in species of Nymphaea. Ovaries and seeds of N. amazonum Mart. & Zucc. subsp. amazonum, N. caerulea Savigny and N. lotus L. and, anthers of N. amazonum Mart. & Zucc. subsp. amazonum and N. caerulea Savigny, in several development stages, were fixed infiltrated in historesin and the sections with 1-4 µm were stained with toluidine blue O or submitted to histochemical tests. The androsporangium wall follows the basic type of development. After meiosis, a simultaneous cytokinesis give rise a tetrahedral tetrad of androspores, the intine and primexine is detectable in this stage and, in N. caerulea occurs a delay in the release of androspores from the tetrads. We observe an equatorial ring-like aperture in the free androspores stage and, in vacuolated androspores the ‘pollenkitt’ is visualized in the sporoderm surface. The mitosis of the androspore occurs perpendicularly to sporoderm and, the intine begins to thicken beneath the aperture and, together with the endexine originate the oncus. The tapetum of Nymphaea amazonum and N. caerulea are secretor and do not show invasive cycles as reported to N. colorata. The basic type of androsporangium wall development also are reported to Amborella trichopoda, Nuphar pumila and for the species of ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor