Durant l’exécution de l’apoptose, plus de 2 000 protéines sont protéolysées par les caspases, une famille de protéases à cystéine. Le clivage de plusieurs d’entre elles a pour effet d’interrompre les processus régulant le trafic intracellulaire. Durant mes études, je me suis intéressée à deux substrats potentiels des caspases, soit les sorting nexins SNX1 et SNX2. Leur clivage en N-terminal avait auparavant été identifié par protéomie dans des extraits cellulaires apoptotiques, respectivement aux sites LFAD91[flèche vers le bas]A et VSLD84[flèche vers le bas]S. Conjointement avec le complexe rétromère, SNX1 et SNX2 jouent un rôle essentiel dans le transport rétrograde de cargos, tel le récepteur lysosomal CI-MPR, des endosomes vers le TGN, évitant ainsi leur dégradation aux lysosomes. Notamment, l’association entre SNX1 et SNX2 et le complexe rétromère, via la sous-unité Vps35, requerrait leur domaine N-terminal, or, celui-ci est clivé durant l’apoptose. Dans le but de déterminer l’impact de la protéolyse de SNX1 et SNX2 sur la fonction du complexe rétromère et le transport rétrograde, nous avons étudié leur clivage par les caspases. Nos résultats indiquent qu’in vitro, les caspases initiatrices 8, 9 et 10 protéolysent SNX1 et SNX2 tandis que seule la caspase-6 exécutrice clive SNX2. Plusieurs fragments de SNX1 sont générés par le clivage à 16 sites, dont le site LFAD91[flèche vers le bas]A en N-terminal ainsi que plusieurs suivant un résidu glutamate. Durant l’apoptose, SNX2 est entre autres clivée par la caspase-6, et ce au site VSLD84[flèche vers le bas]S en N-terminal. Nous avons par la suite étudié l’effet de la protéolyse de SNX1 et SNX2 sur la fonction du complexe rétromère. Nos résultats démontrent que SNX2 tronquée, imitant le clivage au site VSLD84[flèche vers le bas]S, n’interagit plus avec Vps35, la sous-unité centrale du complexe rétromère. De plus, la déplétion de SNX1 et SNX2, récapitulant potentiellement leur protéolyse, a pour effet de délocaliser Vps26, une autre sous-unité du complexe rétromère. Par ailleurs, nous avons évalué l’effet de la protéolyse de SNX2 sur la régulation du récepteur Met, lequel serait régulé entre autres par SNX1 et SNX2. La déplétion de SNX2 induit une augmentation de la phosphorylation du récepteur Met et de ERK1/2 suivant sa stimulation. De plus, l’ARNm de SNX1 et SNX2 sont tous deux réduits dans les tissus de tumeurs de patients atteints du cancer colorectal (CCR) et une diminution des niveaux de SNX2 corrèle avec une hausse de mortalité chez ces patients. Pour conclure, notre étude démontre un effet direct de la protéolyse de SNX2 sur le complexe rétromère durant l’apoptose et suggère un lien entre SNX2 et la pathogenèse du CCR. / Abstract: During the execution of apoptosis, more than 2,000 proteins are proteolysed by caspases, a family of cysteine proteases. The cleavage of several of them results in the interruption of intracellular trafficking processes. During my studies, I investigated two potential caspases substrates, namely the sorting nexin SNX1 and SNX2. Their cleavage at their N-terminus has previously been identified in apoptotic cell lysates by proteomics, respectively at LFAD91[down arrow]A and VSLD84[down arrow]S sites. Together with the retromer complex, SNX1 and SNX2 play an essential role in the retrograde transport of cargos, such as the lysosomal receptor CI-MPR, from endosomes to TGN, thus avoiding their degradation by lysosomes. In particular, the association between SNX1 and SNX2 and the retromer complex, via the Vps35 subunit, seems to require their N-terminal domain, which is thought to be cleaved during apoptosis. To determine the impact of SNX1 and SNX2 proteolysis on the function of the retromer complex and retrograde transport, we have first studied their cleavage by caspases. Our results indicate that in vitro, initiator caspases 8, 9, and 10 proteolyze SNX1 and SNX2 while only executioner caspase-6 cleaves SNX2. Several fragments of SNX1 are generated by the cleavage of up to 16 sites, including at the N-terminus LFAD91[down arrow]A site and following glutamate residues. During apoptosis, SNX2 is directly cleaved by caspase-6 at the site VSLD84[down arrow]S in its N-terminus. We next investigated the effect of SNX1 and SNX2 proteolysis on the function of retromer complex. Our results demonstrate that truncated SNX2, mimicking cleavage at the VSLD84[down arrow]S site, no longer interacts with Vps35, the central subunit of retromer complex. Furthermore, depletion of SNX1 and SNX2, potentially recapitulating their proteolysis, redistributes Vps26, another retromer subunit. In addition, we evaluated the effect of SNX2 proteolysis on the regulation of Met receptor, which has been shown to be regulated by SNX1 and SNX2. SNX2 depletion induces an increase in Met and ERK1/2 phosphorylation after stimulation. In addition, both SNX1 and SNX2 mRNAs are reduced in tumor tissues of colorectal cancer patients and decreased expression levels of SNX2 correlates with increased mortality. In conclusion, our study demonstrates a direct effect of SNX2 proteolysis on retromer complex association during apoptosis and suggests a link between SNX2 and the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer.

O vírus sincicial respiratório humano (HRSV) é o mais frequente agente patogênico da família Paramyxoviridae. Apesar de sua grande importância e impacto em saúde pública, alguns aspectos demandam elucidação. Entre eles, estão os mecanismos de tráfego intracelular de proteínas virais para o sitio de montagem. Baseado nisso, fizemos um estudo de imunofluorescência tentando contribuir para o entendimento da participação da via secretória no tráfego de proteínas estruturais de HRSV que não são glicosiladas: proteínas de matriz (M) e de nucleocapsídeo (N). Pudemos observar que essas proteínas seguem rota similar àquelas que são glicosiladas no Golgi, como a proteína de fusão (F). Ademais, as proteínas M e N, além de colocalizarem com proteínas celulares da via secretória, tais como trans-Golgi network-46 (TGN46) e sorting nexin-2 (SNX2), também influem no recrutamento de proteínas celulares para os corpos de inclusão virais, como mostrado no caso da proteína Glut1. Os dados indicam que proteínas M e N de HRSV seguem pela via endocítica inicial, acumulam-se em corpos de inclusão que seriam fábricas virais e, no caso de TGN46, podem ser incorporadas aos vírus em brotamento / Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the most relevant cause of respiratory infection in children worldwide. Despite its importance in public health, some aspects of the mechanisms of the trafficking of viral structural proteins remain unclear. In the present study, immunofluorescence was used to understand how the virus matrix (M) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, which are non-glycosylated , are addressed to inclusion bodies in Hep-2 cells (MOI=3). M and N proteins followed similar intracellular trafficking routes as compared to the glycosylated fusion (F) viral protein. Moreover, M and N proteins colocalized with two key elements of the secretory pathway: trans-Golgi network- 46 (TGN46) and sorting nexin-2 (SNX2). Viral proteins M and N appear to be involved in the recruitment of cell proteins at the formation of virus inclusion bodies, as shown for Glucose Transporter Type 1 (Glut1). The data suggest that HRSV M and N proteins follow the secretory pathway, initiating in early endosomes, as indicated by the co-localization with TGN46 and SNX2. In addition, these host cell proteins accumulate in inclusion bodies that are viral factories, and can be part of budding viral progeny. Therefore, HRSV M and N proteins, even though they are not glycosylated, take advantage of the secretory pathway to reach virus inclusion bodies. Confocal images suggest that SNX2, which is known for its membrane-deforming properties, could play a pivotal role in HRSV budding

O vírus sincicial respiratório humano (HRSV) é o mais frequente agente patogênico da família Paramyxoviridae. Apesar de sua grande importância e impacto em saúde pública, alguns aspectos demandam elucidação. Entre eles, estão os mecanismos de tráfego intracelular de proteínas virais para o sitio de montagem. Baseado nisso, fizemos um estudo de imunofluorescência tentando contribuir para o entendimento da participação da via secretória no tráfego de proteínas estruturais de HRSV que não são glicosiladas: proteínas de matriz (M) e de nucleocapsídeo (N). Pudemos observar que essas proteínas seguem rota similar àquelas que são glicosiladas no Golgi, como a proteína de fusão (F). Ademais, as proteínas M e N, além de colocalizarem com proteínas celulares da via secretória, tais como trans-Golgi network-46 (TGN46) e sorting nexin-2 (SNX2), também influem no recrutamento de proteínas celulares para os corpos de inclusão virais, como mostrado no caso da proteína Glut1. Os dados indicam que proteínas M e N de HRSV seguem pela via endocítica inicial, acumulam-se em corpos de inclusão que seriam fábricas virais e, no caso de TGN46, podem ser incorporadas aos vírus em brotamento / Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is the most relevant cause of respiratory infection in children worldwide. Despite its importance in public health, some aspects of the mechanisms of the trafficking of viral structural proteins remain unclear. In the present study, immunofluorescence was used to understand how the virus matrix (M) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, which are non-glycosylated , are addressed to inclusion bodies in Hep-2 cells (MOI=3). M and N proteins followed similar intracellular trafficking routes as compared to the glycosylated fusion (F) viral protein. Moreover, M and N proteins colocalized with two key elements of the secretory pathway: trans-Golgi network- 46 (TGN46) and sorting nexin-2 (SNX2). Viral proteins M and N appear to be involved in the recruitment of cell proteins at the formation of virus inclusion bodies, as shown for Glucose Transporter Type 1 (Glut1). The data suggest that HRSV M and N proteins follow the secretory pathway, initiating in early endosomes, as indicated by the co-localization with TGN46 and SNX2. In addition, these host cell proteins accumulate in inclusion bodies that are viral factories, and can be part of budding viral progeny. Therefore, HRSV M and N proteins, even though they are not glycosylated, take advantage of the secretory pathway to reach virus inclusion bodies. Confocal images suggest that SNX2, which is known for its membrane-deforming properties, could play a pivotal role in HRSV budding