Cette thèse porte sur la préparation de matériaux hybrides organique-inorganique nanostructurés à partir de macro-précurseurs de silice. Notre approche a consisté à synthétiser des copolymères à blocs portant des groupements trialcoxysilane pendants susceptibles d’être hydrolysés-condensés pour former un réseau inorganique Si-O-Si. La synthèse des copolymères a été réalisée par polymérisation radicalaire contrôlée par les nitroxydes (NMRP). Ensuite, ces copolymères ont été auto-assemblés en solution et en masse en des morphologies diverses (micelles, lamelles, cylindres). Enfin, des objets hybrides nanostructurés ont été obtenus par hydrolyse-condensation, en milieu acide, des domaines contenant les groupements trialcoxysilane. / This dissertation deals with the preparation of nanostructured organic-inorganic hybrid materials using silica macro-precursors. Our approach was to synthesize block copolymers bearing trialcoxysilane groups able to be hydrolyzed and condensed into a Si-O-Si network.Block copolymers were first synthesized using Nitroxide-Mediated Radical Polymerization (NMRP). They were then self-assembled in solution and bulk into various nanoscale morphologies (micelles, lamellas, cylinders). Finally, nanostructured hybrid objects were obtained by hydrolysis-condensation, in acidic medium, of domains containing gelable groups.

Thèse en cotutelle / L'objectif de cette thèse est de réaliser une étude fondamentale de pointe du couplage d'injections pulsées d'aérosols avec une décharge à barrière diélectrique (DBD) à la pression atmosphérique pour le dépôt de films minces (multi)fonctionnels. Dans ce contexte, à partir de mesures électriques et spectroscopiques de la DBD, couplées à la simulation de l’écoulement gazeux, nous avons d'abord étudié la perturbation d'une injection pulsée de gaz sur la stabilité de la décharge. Nous avons observé que le fonctionnement pulsé introduit des changements significatifs dans la composition du gaz dû à des phénomènes de recirculation et de dégazage en amont de la cellule de décharge. Nous avons également examiné les effets d’une injection pulsée de liquide d'un précurseur organosilicié (HMDSO) sur la décharge et les couches minces déposées. Il s'avère que la décharge devient filamentaire et que la vitesse de dépôt est limitée par la quantité d'énergie fournie aux gouttelettes de précurseur, et non par la quantité de précurseur. Dans ces conditions, le dépôt repose sur le chargement des gouttelettes micrométriques par le plasma et leur transport vers le substrat par les forces de Coulomb et de traînée par les neutres. De plus, la morphologie de la couche mince et la fragmentation du précurseur sont fortement liés à la quantité d'énergie fournie par la décharge filamentaire aux gouttelettes d’HMDSO. Alors que des revêtements réticulés et lisses sont obtenus à de faibles énergies comme pour les plasma-polymères standards, des films minces visqueux sont déposés à des énergies plus élevées. Ce dernier matériau est attribué à une polymérisation douce des gouttelettes d'HMDSO. Selon un contrôle judicieux des interactions plasma-gouttelettes, par exemple en variant les paramètres de la décharge comme la fréquence d'excitation, il est possible d’ajuster l’efficacité du dépôt, le degré de polymérisation et la cinétique de formation de poudres. Enfin, nous avons intégré l’ensemble de ces connaissances afin d’explorer le potentiel d’un réacteur-injecteur (permettant l’injection pulsée de précurseurs et de nanoparticules) pour la synthèse de films minces nanocomposites dans les décharges à barrière diélectrique à la pression atmosphérique. / The objective of this thesis is to perform a fundamental state-of-the-art study of the coupling of pulsed aerosol injections with a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure for the deposition of (multi)functional thin films. In this context, from electrical and spectroscopic measurements of the DBD, coupled with gas flow simulation, we first studied the perturbation of a pulsed gas injection on the stability of the discharge. We observed that pulsed operation introduces significant changes in the gas composition due to recirculation and outgassing phenomena upstream of the discharge cell. We also examined the effects of pulsed liquid injection of an organosilicon precursor (HMDSO) on the discharge and the deposited thin films. It is found that the discharge becomes filamentary and the deposition rate is limited by the amount of energy supplied to the precursor droplets, not the amount of precursor. Under these conditions, the deposition relies on the charging of the micrometer droplets by the plasma and their transport to the substrate by the Coulomb and neutral drag forces. In addition, the thin film morphology and precursor fragmentation are strongly related to the amount of energy supplied by the filamentary discharge to the HMDSO droplets. While smooth cross-linked coatings are obtained at low energies as for standard plasma-polymers, viscous thin films are deposited at higher energies. The latter material is attributed to a soft polymerization of HMDSO droplets. Depending on a judicious control of the plasma-droplet interactions, for example by varying the discharge parameters such as the excitation frequency, it is possible to adjust the deposition efficiency, the degree of polymerization and the kinetics of powder formation. Finally, we have integrated all this knowledge to explore the potential of a reactor-injector (allowing pulsed injection of precursors and nanoparticles) for the synthesis of nanocomposite thin films in dielectric barrier discharges at atmospheric pressure.

The nuclear lamina protein, lamin A is produced by proteolytic cleavage of a 74 kDa precursor protein, prelamin A. The conversion of this precursor to mature lamin A is mediated by a specific endoprotease, prelamin A endoprotease. Subnuclear fractionation indicates that the prelamin A endoprotease is localized at the nuclear membrane. The enzyme appears to be an integral membrane protein, as it can only be removed from the nuclear envelope with detergent. It is effectively solubilized by the detergent n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside and can be partially-purified (approximately 1200-fold) by size exclusion and cation exchange (Mono S) chromatography. Prelamin A endoprotease from HeLa cells was eluted from Mono S with 0.3 M sodium chloride as a single peak of activity. SDS-PAGE analysis of this prelamin A endoprotease preparation shows that it contains one major polypeptide at 65 kDa and smaller amounts of a second 68 kDa polypeptide. Inhibition of the enzyme activity in this preparation by specific serine protease inhibitors is consistent with the enzyme being a serine protease.

Background SARS-CoV-2 infection causes acute respiratory distress, which may progress to multiorgan failure and death. Severe COVID-19 disease is accompanied by reduced erythrocyte turnover, low hemoglobin levels along with increased total bilirubin and ferritin serum concentrations. Moreover, expansion of erythroid progenitors in peripheral blood together with hypoxia, anemia, and coagulopathies highly correlates with severity and mortality. We demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 directly infects erythroid precursor cells, impairs hemoglobin homeostasis and aggravates COVID-19 disease. Methods Erythroid precursor cells derived from peripheral CD34+ blood stem cells of healthy donors were infected in vitro with SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant and differentiated into red blood cells (RBCs). Hemoglobin and iron metabolism in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and controls were analyzed in plasma-depleted whole blood samples. Raman trapping spectroscopy rapidly identified diseased cells. Results RBC precursors express ACE2 receptor and CD147 at day 5 of differentiation, which makes them susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. qPCR analysis of differentiated RBCs revealed increased HAMP mRNA expression levels, encoding for hepcidin, which inhibits iron uptake. COVID-19 patients showed impaired hemoglobin biosynthesis, enhanced formation of zinc-protoporphyrine IX, heme-CO2, and CO-hemoglobin as well as degradation of Fe-heme. Moreover, significant iron dysmetablolism with high serum ferritin and low serum iron and transferrin levels occurred, explaining disturbances of oxygen-binding capacity in severely ill COVID-19 patients. Conclusions Our data identify RBC precursors as a direct target of SARS-CoV-2 and suggest that SARS-CoV-2 induced dysregulation in hemoglobin- and iron-metabolism contributes to the severe systemic course of COVID-19. This opens the door for new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

No / Several lines of evidence support an autoimmune basis for alopecia areata (AA), a common putative autoimmune hair loss disorder. However, definitive support is lacking largely because the identity of hair follicle (HF) autoantigen(s) involved in its pathogenesis remains unknown. Here, we isolated AA-reactive HF-specific antigens from normal human scalp anagen HF extracts by immunoprecipitation using serum antibodies from 10 AA patients. Samples were analyzed by LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry, which indicated strong reactivity to the hair growth phase-specific structural protein trichohyalin in all AA sera. Keratin 16 (K16) was also identified as another potential AA-relevant target HF antigen. Double immunofluorescence studies using AA (and control sera) together with a monoclonal antibody to trichohyalin revealed that AA sera contained immunoreactivity that colocalized with trichohyalin in the growth phase-specific inner root sheath of HF. Furthermore, a partial colocalization of AA serum reactivity with anti-K16 antibody was observed in the outer root sheath of the HF. In summary, this study supports the involvement of an immune response to anagen-specific HFs antigens in AA and specifically suggests that an immune response to trichohyalin and K16 may have a role in the pathogenesis of the enigmatic disorder.

This thesis describes the deposition of thin films of titanium oxide and Magnéli phases of titanium oxide by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using a novel β-ketoesterate precursor. Titanium oxide is a promising candidate for the high-k dielectric gate oxide layer for CMOS devices in microelectronic circuits. The Magnéli phases of titanium oxide are difficult to grow and stabilize, especially in the thin film form, and have useful properties. The thin film deposition of oxides by CVD/ALD requires suitable precursors, which are often metalorganic complexes. The estimation of vapour pressure using thermogravimetry is described, and employed, using an approach based on the Langmuir equation. This data is important for the evaluation of the suitability of these complexes as CVD precursors. The first chapter gives a brief introduction to the topics that will be discussed in this thesis. Part one of the thesis deals with the synthesis, characterization, and studies of the vapour pressure and partial pressures of the precursors for CVD. This part comprises of the second, third and fourth chapter. The second chapter deals with the synthesis and characterization of the various metalorganic complexes that have been synthesized and characterized to evaluate their suitability as precursors for CVD. The third chapter describes the derivation of vapour pressure of precursors for CVD and ALD, from rising temperature thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data, using the Langmuir equation. The fourth chapter deals with the determination of partial pressure of CVD precursors using data from low-pressure thermogravimetry. Part Two of the thesis reports the deposition of titanium oxide thin films by ALD, and the detailed investigation of their properties, for application as high-k dielectric materials. Chapters five, six and seven constitute this part. The fifth chapter deals with the deposition of titanium oxide thin films by ALD. Chapter six describes the electrical characterization of the thin films of titanium oxide, for applications as high-k dielectric gate oxide layers for CMOS circuits. In the seventh chapter, the deposition of Magnéli phases of titanium by ALD is described. The dielectric properties of the films are studied.

mRNA degradation is a fundamental process that controls both the level and the fidelity of gene expression. Using a combination of bioinformatic, genomic, genetic, and molecular biology approaches, we have shown that Edc3p, a yeast mRNA decay factor, controls the stability of the intron-containing YRA1 pre-mRNA. We found that Edc3p-mediated degradation of YRA1 pre-mRNA: 1) is a component of a negative feedback loop involved in the autoregulation of YRA1, 2) takes place in the cytoplasm, 3) is independent of translation, 4) occurs through a deadenylation-independent decapping and 5΄ to 3΄ exonucleotic decay mechanism, and 5) is controlled by specific cis-acting elements and trans-regulatory factors. Cis-regulation of YRA1 pre-mRNA degradation is complicated and precise. Sequences in exon1 inhibit YRA1 pre-mRNA splicing and/or promote pre-mRNA export in a size-dependent but sequence-independent manner. Sequences in the intron dictate the substrate specificity for Edc3p-mediated decay. Five structurally different but functionally interdependent modules were identified in the YRA1 intron. Two modules, designated Edc3p-responsive elements (EREs), are required for triggering an Edc3p-response. Three other modules, designated translational repression elements (TREs), are required for repressing translation of YRA1 pre-mRNA. TREs enhance the efficiency of the response of the EREs to Edc3p by inhibiting translation-dependent nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). Trans-regulation of YRA1 pre-mRNA is governed by Yra1p, which inhibits YRA1 pre-mRNA splicing and commits the pre-mRNA to nuclear export, and the RNP export factors, Mex67p and Crm1p, which jointly promote YRA1 pre-mRNA export. Mex67p also appears to interact with sequences in the YRA1 intron to promote translational repression and to enhance the Edc3p response of YRA1 pre-mRNA. These results illustrate how common steps in the nuclear processing, export, and degradation of a transcript can be uniquely combined to control the expression of a specific gene and suggest that Edc3p-mediated decay may have additional regulatory functions in eukaryotic cells.

Chimie organométallique résonne avec catalyse homogène, et chimie des surfaces avec catalyse hétérogène. Mais la frontière établie entre ces deux domaines est en réalité très mince. Leur rapprochement aboutit dans les années 1990 au développement d’une nouvelle science : la chimie organométallique de surface, qui souligne leur complémentarité. L’objectif de cette science, dans laquelle s’inscrit ce travail de thèse, est de créer des catalyseurs hétérogènes à partir de composés organométalliques. Notre objectif est d’apporter une contribution à la compréhension de la formation de nanoparticules de platine - métal incontournable en catalyse hétérogène - sur des supports de silice amorphe, et ce grâce à la chimie organométallique. Au cours de ce travail, une palette de catalyseurs Pt/SiO2 a été préparée à partir de trois précurseurs de platine : le composé classique H2PtIVCl6.xH2O et deux composés organométalliques PtII(η 4-C8H12)Cl2 et Pt0(η 2-C7H10)3 , et de trois supports : une silice commerciale (Davison), une silice mésoporeuse SBA-15 synthétisée au laboratoire et unesilice naturelle, la diatomite. De plus, l’étude du catalyseur de référence au platine « EuroPt-1 » a permis de développer une méthodologie de suivi operando par Spectroscopie Infrarouge à Transformée de Fourier par Réflexion Diffuse (DRIFTS) de l’adsorption du monoxyde de carbone (CO) sur les différents sites d’une nanoparticule de platine. En conclusion, les catalyseurs préparés à partir de Pt0(η 2-C7H10)3 s’avèrent être plus actifs qu’EuroPt-1 pour la réaction d’oxydation du CO, ce qui démontre le potentiel d’utilisation des composés organométalliques dans le domaine de la catalyse hétérogène. / Organometallic chemistry resonates with homogeneous catalysis, and surface chemistry with heterogeneous catalysis. But the frontier between these two fields is very thin. In the 90’s, these fields approached each other and led to the development of a new science: organometallic surface chemistry, which underlines their complementarity. The goal of this science, with which this work is associated, is to create heterogeneous catalysts from organometallic compounds. Our goal is to contribute to the understanding of platinum nanoparticle formation - platinum being an important metal in heterogeneous catalysis - onto amorphous silica supports, thanks to organometallic chemistry. During this work, various Pt/SiO2 catalysts were prepared fromthree platinum precursors: the classical one, H2PtIVCl6.xH2O and two organometallic compounds PtII(η 4-C8H12)Cl2 et Pt0(η2-C7H10)3, and involved three supports: a commercial silica (Davison), a mesoporous silica SBA-15 synthesized in the laboratory, and a natural silica, the diatomite. Moreover, the study of the standard platinum reference catalyst “EuroPt-1” lead to the development of a methodology of operando Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) of carbon monoxide (CO) adsorption on the different sites of a platinum nanoparticle. Catalysts prepared from Pt0(η 2-C7H10)3 are more active than EuroPt-1 for the CO oxidation reaction, and this work shows the potential of organometallic precursors in the domain of heterogeneous catalysis.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Alzheimer disease (AD) results, in part, from the excess accumulation of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) as neuritic plaques in the brain. The short Aβ peptide is derived from a large transmembrane precursor protein, APP. Two different proteolytic enzymes, BACE1 and the gamma-secretase complex, are responsible for cleaving Aβ peptide from APP through an intricate processing pathway. Dysregulation of APP and BACE1 levels leading to excess Aβ deposition has been implicated in various forms of AD. Thus, a major goal in this dissertation was to discover novel regulatory pathways that control APP and BACE1 expression as a means to identify novel drug targets central to the Aβ-generating process. MicroRNAs (miRNA) are short, non-coding RNAs that act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression through specific interactions with target mRNAs. Global analyses predict that over sixty percent of human transcripts contain evolutionarily conserved miRNA target sites. Therefore, the specific hypothesis tested was that miRNA are relevant regulators of APP and BACE1 expression. In this work, several specific miRNA were identified that regulate APP protein expression (miR-101, miR-153 and miR-346) or BACE1 expression (miR-339-5p). These miRNAs mediated their post-transcriptional effects via interactions with specific target sites in the APP and BACE1 transcripts. Importantly, these miRNA also altered secretion of Aβ peptides in primary human fetal brain cultures. Surprisingly, miR-346 stimulated APP expression via target sites in the APP 5’-UTR. The mechanism of this effect appears to involve other RNA-binding proteins that bind to the APP 5’-UTR. Expression analyses demonstrated that these miRNAs are expressed to varying degrees in the human brain. Notably, miR-101, miR-153 and miR-339-5p are dysregulated in the AD brain at various stages of the disease. The work in this dissertation supports the hypothesis that miRNAs are important regulators of APP and BACE1 expression and are capable of altering Aβ homeostasis. Therefore, these miRNA may possibly serve as novel therapeutic targets for AD.

No / Heterozygous germline defects in a gene encoding a type II receptor for bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPR-II) underlie the majority of inherited cases of the vascular disorder known as pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). However, the precise molecular consequences of PAH causing mutations on the function of the receptor complex remain unclear. We employed novel enzymatic and fluorescence activity based techniques to assess the impact of PAH mutations on pre-mRNA splicing, nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) and receptor complex interactions. We demonstrate that nonsense and frameshift mutations trigger NMD, providing further evidence that haplo-insufficiency is a major molecular consequence of disease-related BMPR2 mutations. We identified heterogeneous functional defects in BMPR-II activity, including impaired type I receptor phosphorylation, receptor interactions and altered receptor complex stoichiometry leading to perturbation of downstream signalling pathways. Importantly, these studies demonstrate that the intracellular domain of BMPR-II is both necessary and sufficient for receptor complex interaction. Finally and to address the potential for resolution of stoichiometric balance, we investigated an agent that promotes translational readthrough of a BMPR2 nonsense reporter construct without interfering with the NMD pathway. We propose that stoichiometric imbalance, due to either haplo-insufficiency or loss of optimal receptor-receptor interactions impairs BMPR-II mediated signalling in PAH. Taken together, these studies have identified an important target for early therapeutic intervention in familial PAH.