<p>  </p> <p>Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a complex oncogenic symbiont. The molecular mechanisms governing EBV carcinogenesis remain elusive and the functional interactions between virus and host cells are incompletely defined. Some of the known mechanisms include viral integration into the host genome, expression and mutation(s) of viral genes and the host response to the virus. Despite decades of research there is a lack of effective treatment options for EBV-positive cancer patients underscoring an urgent need to further investigate the mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis as well as explore and develop personalized treatment strategies for patients with EBV-positive cancers. In Chapter 1, I introduce Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), the two phases of EBV lifecycle and an overview of certain EBV-associated carcinomas. I will also discuss the underlying mechanisms and few current therapeutic strategies against EBV infection. Next, I will discuss some of the preclinical model systems and high-throughput computation techniques that are commonly used by researchers in the field of EBV.  </p> <p>In chapter 2, we have systematically analyzed RNA-sequencing from >1000 patients with 15 different cancer types, comparing virus and host factors of EBV+ to EBV- tissues to reveal novel insights into EBV-positive tumors. First, we observed that EBV preferentially integrates at highly accessible regions of the cancer genome with significant enrichment in super-enhancer architecture. Second, we determined that the expression of twelve EBV transcripts, including LMP1 and LMP2, correlated inversely with EBV reactivation signature. Over-expression of these genes significantly suppressed viral reactivation, consistent with a ‘Virostatic’ function. Third, we identified hundreds of novel frequent missense and nonsense variations in Virostatic genes in cancer samples, and that the variant genes failed to regulate their viral and cellular targets in cancer. Lastly, we were able to dichotomously classify EBV-positive tumors based on patterns of host interferon signature genes and immune checkpoint markers, such as PD-L1 and IDO1. </p> <p>In chapter 3, we probed the lifecycle of EBV on a cell-by-cell basis using single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from six EBV-immortalized lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL). While the majority of LCLs comprised cells containing EBV in the latent phase of its life cycle, we identified two additional clusters that had distinct expression of both host and viral genes. Both clusters were high expressors of EBV Latent Membrane Protein-1 (LMP1) but differed in their expression of other EBV lytic genes, including glycoprotein gene GP350. We further probed into the transcriptional landscape of these clusters to identify potential regulators which will be discussed in further detail in the chapter. Importantly, I was able to demonstrate enhancing HIF1-a signaling by using Pevonedistat, a compound that stabilized HIF1-a can preferentially induce the transcriptional program specific to one of the three identified clusters. </p> <p>In Chapter 4, I describe some of my recent work. In this project, we have used an intuitive <em>in-silico </em>drug prediction approach to rapidly screen and identify FDA-approved or clinically available compounds that can be repurposed to induce lytic cycle in different EBV+ tumors. Using this strategy, we identified Ciclopirox, an antifungal drug, as a potent inducer of lytic cycle in EBV+ epithelial cancers. We used EBV+ GC cells to determine the effect of Ciclopirox on EBV reactivation as well as identify the underlying mechanisms. In summary, we discovered that reactivation of EBV lytic cycle by Ciclopirox is mediated by multiple pathways, two of the major ones being the HIF1-a and NF-kB pathways. Although, Ciclopirox treatment enhanced the killing effect of antiviral, further investigation is needed to effectively deliver this drug <em>in vivo.</em> Throughout this chapter, I have discussed findings that needs further investigation and proposed necessary experiments. Finally, in Chapter 5 I have summarized my work and described how our work can provide novel insights that can help delineate some of the complexities of host-pathogen interactions in EBV-associated malignancies. </p>

The ineffectiveness and failing of chemotherapeutic treatments are often associated with multidrug resistance (MDR). MDR is primarily linked to the overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter proteins in cancer cells. ABCG2 (ATP-binding cassette subfamily G member 2, also known as the breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP)) mediates MDR by an increased drug efflux from the cancer cells. Therefore, the inhibition of ABCG2 activity during chemotherapy ought to improve the efficacy of the administered anti-cancer agents by reversing MDR or by enhancing the agents’ pharmacokinetic properties. Significant efforts have been made to develop novel, powerful, selective, and non-toxic inhibitors of BCRP. However, thus far the clinical relevance of BCRP-selective MDR-reversal has been unsuccessful, due to either adverse drug reactions or significant toxicities in vivo. We here report a facile access towards carboranyl quinazoline-based inhibitors of ABCG2. We determined the influence of different methoxy-substitution patterns on the 2-phenylquinazoline scaffold in combination with the beneficial properties of an incorporated inorganic carborane moiety. A series of eight compounds was synthesized and their inhibitory effect on the ABCG2-mediated Hoechst transport was evaluated. Molecular docking studies were performed to better understand the structure-protein interactions of the novel inhibitors, exhibiting putative binding modes within the inner binding site. Further, the most potent, non-toxic compounds were investigated for their potential to reverse ABCG2-mediated mitoxantrone (MXN) resistance. Of these five evaluated compounds, N-(closo-1,7-dicarbadodecaboran(12)-9-yl)-6,7-dimethoxy-2-(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl)-quinazolin-4-amine (DMQCd) exhibited the strongest inhibitory effect towards ABCG2 in the lower nanomolar ranges. Additionally, DMQCd was able to reverse BCRP-mediated MDR, making it a promising candidate for further research on hybrid inorganic-organic compounds.

Xylella fastidiosa é uma bactéria gram-negativa, não flagelada, agente causal de doenças de importância econômica como a doença de Pierce nas videiras e a clorose variegada dos citros (CVC) nas laranjeiras. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar análises in silico das sequências promotoras dos genes deste fitopatógeno em uma tentativa de arrecadar novas evidências para o melhor entendimento da dinâmica de regulação transcricional de seus genes, incluindo aqueles envolvidos em mecanismos de patogenicidade e virulência. Para tanto, duas estratégias foram utilizadas para predição de elementos cis-regulatórios em regiões promotoras do genoma da cepa referência 9a5c, comprovadamente associada à CVC. A primeira, conhecida como phylogenetic footprinting, foi empregada para identificação de elementos regulatórios conservados em promotores de unidades transcricionais ortólogas, levando em consideração o conjunto de genes de X. fastidiosa e 7 espécies comparativas. O critério para identificação de unidades transcricionais ortólogas, isto é, unidades trancricionais oriundas de espécies distintas e cujos promotores compartilham elementos cis-regulatórios, foi paralelamente estudado utilizando-se informações regulatórias das bactérias modelos: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis e Escherichia coli. Os resultados obtidos com análise de phylogenetic footprinting nos permitiu acessar a rede regulatória transcricional da espécie de forma compreensiva (global). Foram estabelecidas 2990 interações regulatórias, compreendendo 80 motivos distribuídos nos promotores de 56.8% das unidades transcricionais do genoma de X. fastidiosa. Na segunda estratégia recuperamos informações regulatórias experimentalmente validadas em E. coli e complementamos o conhecimento de dez regulons de X. fastidiosa, através de uma metodologia de scanning (varredura), dos quais algumas interações regulatórias já haviam sido previamente descritas por outros trabalhos. Destacamos os regulons de Fur e CRP, reguladores transcricionais globais, que se mostraram responsáveis pela modulação de genes relacionados a mecanismos de invasão e colonização do hospedeiro vegetal entre outros. Por fim, análises comparativas em regiões regulatórias correspondentes entre cepas foram realizadas e diferenças possivelmente associadas a particularidades fenotípicas foram identificadas entre 9a5c e J1a12, um isolado de citros não virulento, e 9a5c e Temecula1, um isolado de videira causador da doença de Pierce. / Xylella fastidiosa is a gram-negative, non-flagellated bacterium responsible for causing economically important diseases such as Pierce\'s disease in grapevines and Citrus Variegated Clorosis (CVC) in sweet orange trees. In the present work we performed in silico analysis on promoter sequences of protein-coding genes from this phytopathogen, including those involved in virulence and pathogenic mechanisms, in an attempt to better understand the underlying transcriptional regulatory dynamics. Two strategies for cis-regulatory elements prediction were applied on promoter sequences from 9a5c strain genome, a proven causal agent of CVC. The first one, known as phylogenetic footprinting, involved the prediction of regulatory motifs conserved on promoter sequences of orthologous transcription units from X. fastidiosa and a set of 7 comparatives species. The criteria to identify orthologous transcription units, i. e., those from different species and whose promoter sequences share at least one common regulatory motif, was studied based on regulatory information available for model organisms: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. The results obtained with the phylogenetic footprinting analysis permitted us to access the underlying transcriptional regulatory network from the species in a comprehensive manner (genome-wide), with a total of 2990 regulatory interactions corresponding to 80 predicted motifs distributed on promoter sequences of 56.8% of all transcription units. In the second strategy regulatory information from E. coli was recovered and used to expand the knowledge of ten regulons in X. fastidiosa, through a scanning process, of which some regulatory interactions were previously described by independent studies. We emphasize some genes related to host invasion and colonization present in the Fur and CRP regulons, two global transcription regulators. Lastly, comparative analysis on corresponding regulatory regions among strains were performed and differences possibly associated to phenotypic variation were identified between 9a5c and J1a12, a non-virulent strain isolated from orange trees, and between 9a5c and Temecula1, a strain associated to Pierce\'s disease on grapevines.

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Chez les végétaux supérieurs, lembryogenèse est une phase clé du développement au cours de laquelle lembryon établit les principales structures de la future plante. La compréhension des processus moléculaires et physiologiques menant à la formation de la graine est donc dun intérêt agronomique majeur. Chez Phaseolus la caractérisation moléculaire de lembryogenèse permet de mieux comprendre les mécanismes du développement embryonnaire et de son dysfonctionnement observé chez les hybrides interspécifiques. Cette thèse sinscrit dans ce cadre et vise à identifier et caractériser des gènes clés impliqués dans le développement de l'embryon chez Phaseolus. Des hybridations interspécifiques ont été réalisées entre lespèce P.vulgaris L. (cultivar NI637) utilisée comme parent mâle et lespèce P. coccineus L. (cultivar NI16) utilisée comme parent femelle. Des analyses ont aussi été effectuées sur un mutant obtenu par mutagenèse chimique à l'EMS (Ethyl Méthyl Sulfonate) de graines de la variété BAT93 de P.vulgaris. Une étude histologique comparative a permis de suivre la dynamique de lembryogenèse du haricot commun à partir dembryons prélevés 3 à 12 jours après la pollinisation et provenant de plantes normales et déficients dans la production de graines. Les embryons de P. vulgaris se développent plus rapidement par rapport à ceux issus du mutant EMS. Ces derniers présentent des anomalies au niveau de lembryon et du suspenseur. La caractérisation fonctionnelle de deux gènes candidats MIPS (myo-inositol phosphate synthase) et Sus (sucrose synthase) a été réalisée par RT-PCR quantitative et hybridation in situ suite à une étude spatio-temporelle dexpression de ces deux gènes candidats au cours de développement embryonnaire chez Phaseolus. Lanalyse du profil dexpression de ces deux gènes montre quils sont exprimés différemment au niveau des tissus de lembryon et du suspenseur. Lanalyse in silico nous a permis de sélectionner 22 gènes candidats dont nous avons vérifié l'expression au cours de développement de la graine chez Phaseolus. Des variations au niveau de la méthylation de lADN ont été déterminées chez les hybrides interspécifiques comparativement à leurs parents. La technique de lHSS a permis disoler des fragments dADNs complémentaires différemment exprimés au cours de développement de la graine chez Phaseolus. Lanalyse des séquences de ces ADNs complémentaires montre quils codent pour plusieurs protéines intervenant dans le développement cellulaire et embryonnaire, en particulier le "storage protein activator" (SPA), le "pentatricopeptide repeat-containing protein" (PPR) et lacetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase). La caractérisation de ces différents gènes exprimés au cours du développement de la graine, fournit de nouveaux outils susceptibles de mettre en évidence des mécanismes de dysfonctionnement embryonnaire chez le genre Phaseolus.

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La protéine kinase DYRK1A fait partie du groupe des CMGC kinases et est impliquée dans divers processus neurodégénératifs tels que la maladie d’Alzheimer.Dans ce cadre, une étude topologique a été menée autour d’un hit imidazo[1,2-B]pyridazine identifié par un criblage biologique. Ce composé a servi à concevoir des inhibiteurs ATP-Compétitifs de DYRK1A par l’utilisation de méthodes métallo-Catalysées (Pd, Cu) pour introduire divers fragments fonctionnalisés.Sur les soixante dérivés imidazo[1,2-X]azine synthétisés, sept composés ont montré une affinité nanomolaire pour DYRK1A (IC50 = 41-130 nM). En parallèle de ce travail de pharmacochimie, le développement de nouvelles méthodologies de synthèse a visé à la polysubstitution régiosélective du cycle pyridazine.En dernier lieu, nous avons donné les éléments et concepts permettant la construction de chimiothèques virtuelles dérivées de pyridazines et destinées à être criblées in silico. / DYRK1A protein kinase belongs to the CMGC group and is involved in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.In this context we examined an imidazo[1,2-B]pyridazine hit identified by biological screening, through detailed structure-Activity relationship studies. This compound was used to synthesize DYRK1A ATP-Competitive inhibitors by using metallo-Catalyzed methodologies (Pd, Cu) in order to introduce various functionalized moieties.Out of the 60 derivatives synthesized, 7 compounds showed nanomolar activities (IC50 = 41-130 nM).Beside this work of medicinal chemistry, new synthetic methodologies has been developed to regioselectively access polysubstituted pyridazine derivatives. Finally, we developed data and concepts to establish virtual pyridazine libraries for in silico screening.

Cette thèse comporte quatre fichiers vidéo. This thesis comes with four video files. / L'industrie chimique mondiale est en pleine mutation, cherchant des solutions pour rendre la synthèse organique classique plus durable. Une telle solution consiste à passer de la catalyse chimique classique à la biocatalyse. Bien que les avantages des enzymes incluent leur stéréo, régio et chimiosélectivité, cette sélectivité réduit souvent leur promiscuité. Les efforts requis pour adapter la fonction enzymatique aux réactions désirées se sont révélés d'une efficacité modérée, de sorte que des méthodes rapides et rentables sont nécessaires pour générer des biocatalyseurs qui rendront la production chimique plus efficace. Dans l’ère de la bioinformatique et des outils de calcul pour soutenir l'ingénierie des enzymes, le développement rapide de nouvelles fonctions enzymatiques devient une réalité. Cette thèse commence par un examen des développements récents sur les outils de calcul pour l’ingénierie des enzymes. Ceci est suivi par un exemple de l’ingénierie des enzymes purement expérimental ainsi que de l’évolution des protéines. Nous avons exploré l’espace mutationnel d'une enzyme primitive, la dihydrofolate réductase R67 (DHFR R67), en utilisant l’ingénierie semi-rationnelle des protéines. La conception rationnelle d’une librarie de mutants, ou «Smart library design», impliquait l’association covalente de monomères de l’homotétramère DHFR R67 en dimères afin d’augmenter la diversité de la librairie d’enzymes mutées. Le criblage par activité enzymatique a révélé un fort biais pour le maintien de la séquence native dans un des protomères tout en tolérant une variation de séquence élevée pour le deuxième. Il est plausible que les protomères natifs procurent l’activité observée, de sorte que nos efforts pour modifier le site actif de la DHFR R67 peuvent n’avoir été que modérément fructueux. Les limites des méthodes expérimentales sont ensuite abordées par le développement d’outils qui facilitent la prédiction des points chauds mutationnels, c’est-à-dire les sites privilégiés à muter afin de moduler la fonction. Le développement de ces techniques est intensif en termes de calcul, car les protéines sont de grandes molécules complexes dans un environnement à base d’eau, l’un des solvants les plus difficiles à modéliser. Nous présentons l’identification rapide des points chauds mutationnels spécifiques au substrat en utilisant l'exemple d’une enzyme cytochrome P450 industriellement pertinente, la CYP102A1. En appliquant la technique de simulation de la dynamique moléculaire par la force de polarisation adaptative, ou «ABF», nous confirmons les points chauds mutationnels connus pour l’hydroxylation des acides gras tout en identifiant de nouveaux points chauds mutationnels. Nous prédisons également la conformation du substrat naturel, l’acide palmitique, dans le site actif et nous appliquons ces connaissances pour effectuer un criblage virtuel d'autres substrats de cette enzyme. Nous effectuons ensuite des simulations de dynamique moléculaire pour traiter l’impact potentiel de la dynamique des protéines sur la catalyse enzymatique, qui est le sujet de discussions animées entre les experts du domaine. Avec la disponibilité accrue de structures cristallines dans la banque de données de protéines (PDB), il devient clair qu’une seule structure de protéine n’est pas suffisante pour élucider la fonction enzymatique. Nous le démontrons en analysant quatre structures cristallines que nous avons obtenues d’une enzyme β-lactamase, parmi lesquelles un réarrangement important des résidus clés du site actif est observable. Nous avons réalisé de longues simulations de dynamique moléculaire pour générer un ensemble de structures suggérant que les structures cristallines ne reflètent pas nécessairement la conformation de plus basse énergie. Enfin, nous étudions la nécessité de compléter de manière informatisée un hémisphère où l’expérimental n’est actuellement pas possible, à savoir la prédiction de la migration des gaz dans les enzymes. À titre d'exemple, la réactivité des enzymes cytochrome P450 dépend de la disponibilité des molécules d’oxygène envers l’hème du site actif. Par le biais de simulations de la dynamique moléculaire de type Simulation Implicite du Ligand (ILS), nous dérivons le paysage de l’énergie libre de petites molécules neutres de gaz pour cartographier les canaux potentiels empruntés par les gaz dans les cytochromes P450 : CYP102A1 et CYP102A5. La comparaison pour les gaz CO, N2 et O2 suggère que ces enzymes évoluent vers l’exclusion du CO inhibiteur. De plus, nous prédisons que les canaux empruntés par les gaz sont distincts des canaux empruntés par le substrat connu et que ces canaux peuvent donc être modifiés indépendamment les uns des autres. / The chemical industry worldwide is at a turning point, seeking solutions to make classical organic synthesis more sustainable. One such solution is to shift from classical catalysis to biocatalysis. Although the advantages of enzymes include their stereo-, regio-, and chemoselectivity, their selectivity often reduces versatility. Past efforts to tailor enzymatic function towards desired reactions have met with moderate effectiveness, such that fast and cost-effective methods are in demand to generate biocatalysts that will render the production of fine and bulk chemical production more benign. In the wake of bioinformatics and computational tools to support enzyme engineering, the fast development of new enzyme functions is becoming a reality. This thesis begins with a review of recent developments on computational tools for enzyme engineering. This is followed by an example of purely experimental enzyme engineering and protein evolution. We explored the mutational space of a primitive enzyme, the R67 dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), using semi-rational protein engineering. ‘Smart library design’ involved fusing monomers of the homotetrameric R67 DHFR into dimers, to increase the diversity in the resulting mutated enzyme libraries. Activity-based screening revealed a strong bias for maintenance of the native sequence in one protomer with tolerance for high sequence variation in the second. It is plausible that the native protomers procure the observed activity, such that our efforts to modify the enzyme active site may have been only moderately fruitful. The limitations of experimental methods are then addressed by developing tools that facilitate computational mutational hotspot prediction. Developing these techniques is computationally intensive, as proteins are large molecular objects and work in aqueous media, one of the most complex solvents to model. We present the rapid, substrate-specific identification of mutational hotspots using the example of the industrially relevant P450 cytochrome CYP102A1. Applying the adaptive biasing force (ABF) molecular dynamics simulation technique, we confirm the known mutational hotspots for fatty acid hydroxylation and identify a new one. We also predict a catalytic binding pose for the natural substrate, palmitic acid, and apply that knowledge to perform virtual screening for further substrates for this enzyme. We then perform molecular dynamics simulations to address the potential impact of protein dynamics on enzyme catalysis, which is the topic of heated discussions among experts in the field. With the availability of more crystal structures in the Protein Data Bank, it is becoming clear that a single protein structure is not sufficient to elucidate enzyme function. We demonstrate this by analyzing four crystal structures we obtained of a β-lactamase enzyme, among which a striking rearrangement of key active site residues was observed. We performed long molecular dynamics simulations to generate a structural ensemble that suggests that crystal structures do not necessarily reflect the conformation of lowest energy. Finally, we address the need to computationally complement an area where experimentation is not currently possible, namely the prediction of gas migration into enzymes. As an example, the reactivity of P450 cytochrome enzymes depends on the availability of molecular oxygen at the active-site heme. Using the Implicit Ligand Sampling (ILS) molecular dynamics simulation technique, we derive the free energy landscape of small neutral gas molecules to map potential gas channels in cytochrome P450 CYP102A1 and CYP102A5. Comparison of CO, N2 and O2 suggests that those enzymes evolved towards exclusion of the inhibiting CO. In addition, we predict that gas channels are distinct from known substrate channels and therefore can be engineered independently from one another.

Les lactones macrocycliques (LM) sont des anthelminthiques (AH) à effet paralysant très utilisés chez les animaux et les humains contre les nématodes parasites. Cependant, leur succès thérapeutique est compromis par la résistance croissante aux LM, qui pourrait être en partie dû aux ABC transporteurs P-glycoprotéines (Pgps) sélectionnés et surexprimés chez les nématodes résistants aux LM. Dans ce travail, nous avons étudié plus précisément la P-glycoprotéine 13 du parasite de petits ruminants, Haemonchus contortus. Son orthologue chez le modèle nématode C. elegans, Cel-Pgp-13, est exprimé dans les amphides, structures qui ont été associées à la sensibilité aux AH chez C. elegans et H. contortus. Pour prédire la capacité des Pgps de nematode à transporter des drogues, incluant des LM et autres AH, nous avons développé un modèle de docking in silico. Nous avons utilisé la structure cristallographique de C. elegans Pgp-1 (Cel-Pgp-1), et nous avons montré la liaison avec une forte affinité de plusieurs ligands décrits comme activateurs de sa fonction ATPasique. Nous avons aussi décrit une forte affinité des LM, et un site spécifique de liaison de ces composés à Cel-Pgp-1. Cette approche représente un outil important pour prédire les interactions entre AH, et pour concevoir rationnellement de nouveaux inhibiteurs compétitifs des Pgps de nématode, dans le but d'améliorer les stratégies thérapeutiques. Sur la base de cette approche, nous avons prédit la structure 3D de Hco-Pgp-13 à partir du cristal de Cel-Pgp-1 afin d'étudier son intéraction avec des substrats potentiels, en particulier les LM. Nous avons trouvé des affinités similaires pour différents composés précédemment testés sur Cel-Pgp-1. In vitro, la mesure de l'activité ATPasique montre que l'actinomycine D est un substrat de Hco-Pgp-13. Nos données démontrent la présence possible d'un domaine de reconnaissance multispécifique sur ce transporteur de parasite. La détermination par immunofluorescence de l'expression de Hco-Pgp-13 a montré une distribution tissulaire large indiquant que Hco-Pgp-13 pourrait jouer un role important dans le transport de substrats endogènes et/ou exogènes. En conclusion, ce travail permet de mieux comprendre le rôle des Pgps de nématodes dans le transport de médicaments AH, tant au niveau de l'organisme modèle C. elegans que du nématode parasite H. contortus. Cette étude suggère la conservation de la fonction de tranporteur ABC multidrogue dans ces espèces. La localisation de Hco-Pgp-13 sur les structures amphidiales, et son éventuelle implication dans la résistance aux médicaments et à la survie de H. contortus à l'exposition à des composés AH, restent à préciser. / Macrocyclic lactones (ML) are paralyzing anthelmintics used in animals and humans against parasite nematodes. However, their therapeutic success is compromised by the spread of ML resistance. This might be at least partly due to P-glycoproteins (Pgps) ABC transporters that are selected and overexpressed in ML-resistant nematodes. Deciphering the role of the 10 Pgps expressed in the parasite of small ruminants Haemonchus contortus is thus of major importance to guaranty anthelmintic (AH) efficacy of various drugs. Here we focused on Hco-Pgp-13 due to the expression in the amphids of its closest ortholog in the model nematode C. elegans. Indeed, the amphids represent a putative entry route of drugs to reach AH targets in the nervous system and have been linked to AH susceptibility in C. elegans and H. contortus. In order to predict the capacity of nematode Pgps to transport drugs, including ML and otherAH, we have developed an in silico drug docking model. We have used C. elegans Pgp-1 (Cel-Pgp-1) crystal structure and have showed a high affinity binding of several ligands that have been shown to be activators of its ATPase function. ML were also found to bind with high affinity to Cel-Pgp-1, on a specific binding site. This approach provides a valuable tool to predict drug-drug interactions and to rationally design new competitive inhibitors of nematode Pgps, in order to improve anthelmintic therapeutics. We then predicted a putative 3D structure of Hco-Pgp-13 based on the recently released crystal of Cel-Pgp-1, with which it presented a high homology. This allowed the study of the interaction of Hco-Pgp-13 with potential substrates, in particular ML. We found similar affinities for various drugs previously tested on Cel-Pgp-1, supporting the good homology of these two proteins. Together with in vitro ATPase assay experiments that confirmed the substrate status of actinomycin D, this indicates a possible multispecifc recognition capacity of this parasitic transporter. The determination of Hco-Pgp-13 localization using immunohistochemistry showed a wide tissue expression consistent with a critical role for Hco-Pgp-13 in endogenous and/or exogenous substrate transport. In conclusion, this work provides insights into the role of nematode Pgps in transporting AH drugs, both at the level of the model organism C. elegans and of the parasitic nematode H. contortus. This suggests a high homology of function conserved between ABC tranporters in these species. The localization of such protein on amphidial structures and its possible involvement in drug resistance and survival of H. contortus to exposure to AH compounds remain to be precised.