Résumé: L’expression des gènes modifiés contribue à l’initiation et la progression du cancer. Malheureusement, les recherches actuelles s’attardent essentiellement à l’expression globale des gènes sans tenir compte des différentes isoformes des ARNm résultant de l’épissage alternatif, codant potentiellement pour des protéines de fonctions différentes. En effet, la haute similitude et la complexité des isoformes ARNm rendent la discrimination des isoformes laborieuse, raisons pour lesquelles l’épissage alternatif est historiquement étudié gène par gène. C’est la raison pour laquelle nous avons développé une méthodologie à haut débit pour la quantification des isoformes d’ARNm. Basé sur cette technique, cette Thèse présente une série d’évidences qui appuie l’hypoThèse selon laquelle certaines isoformes d’ARNm sont nécessaires à la tumorigénèse. Précédemment, des études bioinformatiques à grande échelle ainsi que des validations expérimentales à petite échelle ont révélé la présence d’isoformes spécifiques à certains types de cancers. Toutefois, ces conclusions ont été tirées à partir de tumeurs dont le contenu cellulaire est hétérogène. Or, il est bien connu que les niveaux des isoformes d’ARNm diffèrent largement en fonction du type cellulaire et il est possible que les différences observées dans des tumeurs entières soient des artéfacts résultant de la complexité cellulaire des tissus comparés. En nous basant sur le cancer de l’ovaire comme modèle, nos préparations homogènes de différents types cellulaires nous ont permis de révéler la présence d’isoformes associées au cancer indépendamment de l’hétérogénéité des tumeurs. Étonnamment, les changements les plus intéressants ne se retrouvent pas dans les cellules cancéreuses à proprement dites, mais dans les cellules "normales" en bordure de la tumeur. Notre analyse des facteurs de régulation de ces isoformes nous a permis d’affirmer que ces changements ne sont pas dûs à un dérèglement anarchique des cellules cancéreuses, mais découlent plutôt d’un programme destiné à avantager les cellules cancéreuses. Pour évaluer la fonction des isoformes d’ARNm, nous avons généralisé des outils moléculaires permettant de reprogrammer spécifiquement l’expression d’isoformes de gènes cible dans des lignées cellulaires cancéreuses. Ainsi, le criblage systématique d'isoformes d’ARNm de gènes cibles associés au cancer a permis de révéler leur caractère pro-cancer dans des essais in vitro. L'ensemble de ces travaux démontrent la contribution des isoformes d’épissage dans le développement des tumeurs solides. // Abstract: Cancer cells modify their gene expression pattern to promote tumor growth. Unfortunately, current research focuses almost exclusively on global gene expression changes, without taking into account the fact that the majority of genes produce multiple alternative splicing variants, which potentially code for proteins of different functions In fact, the main reason splicing isoforms are still studied on a gene by gene basis is because the high sequence similarity and complexity of mRNA isoforms make it very difficult to detect and quantify them. To overcome this difficulty, we developed a high-throughput methodology to accurately quantify splicing isoforms. This methodology has been applied in this thesis to generate evidence supporting a causal role for splicing isoforrns in the tumorigenesis of solid tumors. A few years ago, genome-wide bioinformatics predictions, and some experimental validations in human tissues, suggested the existence of cancer-specific splicing isoforms. However, these conclusions may be simply explained by the cellular heterogeneity of tumor. In fact, it is well established that alternative splicing is a cell type-specific process. To address this, we microdissected cancer tissues and demonstrated that some splicing isoforms are truly cancer-associated and independent of tumor cell type content. Surprisingly, the most interesting changes were found in the "normal" stromal cells surrounding the tumor and not within the cancer cells. Our analysis of splicing-factor expression changes using the same tissue set allowed us to confirm that these splicing shifts were not a random process, but rather part of a defined splicing program promoting tumor development. To evaluate the functional contribution of splicing isoforms, we developed molecular tools that modulate splicing of endogenous targets in cancer cell lines. We used these tools to decipher the pro-cancer properties of cancer-associated splicing isoforms using in vitro assays. Overall, this work demonstrated the contribution of splicing isoforms in solid tumor development.

Short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are 21-23 nucleotide-long double-stranded RNA molecules that can trigger the RNA interference (RNAi). RNAi is a post-transcriptional gene silencing process whereby siRNAs induce the sequence-specific degradation of complementary messenger RNA (mRNA). Despite their promising therapeutic capabilities, siRNA-based strategies suffer from enzymatic degradation and poor cellular uptake. Several carrier-based approaches have been employed to enhance the stability and efficiency of siRNA delivery. Considering their safety, efficiency, and targeting capabilities, peptide-based delivery systems have shown great promise for overcoming the main obstacles in siRNA therapeutic delivery. Peptides are versatile and easily designed to incorporate a number of specific attributes required for efficient siRNA delivery. This thesis focuses on the design, characterization and utilization of a new class of amphipathic peptides for siRNA delivery. The study includes: (i) designing amphipathic, amino acid pairing peptide sequences for siRNA delivery, (ii) siRNA delivery experiments in vitro to evaluate transfection efficacy of the designed peptides, (iii) physicochemical characterization of the interaction between promising peptides and siRNA, and (iv) identifying internalization pathway and kinetics of a promising peptide, C6M1. The peptide C6, an 18-mer amphipathic, amino acid pairing peptide, was designed as an siRNA delivery carrier by incorporating three types of amino acids, i.e., arginine, leucine, and tryptophan. This peptide adopted a helical structure upon co-assembling with siRNA. The C6-siRNA co-assembly showed a size distribution between 50 and 250 nm, confirmed by dynamic light scattering and atomic force microscopy. The C6-siRNA interaction enthalpy and stoichiometry were 8.8 kJ.mol-1 and 6.5, respectively, obtained by isothermal titration calorimetry. A minimum C6:siRNA molar ratio of 10:1 was required to form stable co-assemblies/complexes, indicated by agarose gel shift assay and fluorescence spectroscopy. C6 showed lower toxicity and higher efficiency in cellular uptake of siRNA, compared with Lipofectamine 2000, a lipid-based positive control. Fluorescence microscopy images confirmed the localization of C6-siRNA complexes in the cytoplasm. In order to enhance the solubility and delivery efficiency further, a modified peptide, C6M1, was designed by replacing three leucine with tryptophan residues in the C6 sequence. The fluorescence assay confirmed that the sequence mutation significantly increased the solubility of C6M1. C6M1 adapted a stable helical structure in saline or upon interaction with siRNA. The toxicity assay showed lower toxicity of C6M1 with an IC50 (the concentration of peptide at 50% cell viability) of 22 ??M, compared with C6 with that of 12 ??M. Naked siRNA was completely degraded after 4 h incubation in 50% serum, while the siRNA in complex with C6M1 was preserved even after 24 h. Western blotting showed a significant decrease in GAPDH protein contents (75%) in CHO-K1 Chinese hamster ovary cells, 48 h after treatment with C6M1-GAPDH siRNA complexes. The interaction of C6M1-siRNA complexes with cell surface and the mechanisms involved in the internalization of the complex in different size ranges were studied. Heparin and chlorate treatments revealed that the electrostatic interaction of the C6M1-siRNA complex with heparan sulphate proteoglycans at the cell surface is required to trigger the uptake process. Using endocytic inhibitors, it was found that small C6M1-siRNA complexes (mean ~155 nm) mainly enter CHO-K1 cells through an energy-independent mechanism, most likely involving direct translocation. In contrast, large complexes (mean ~460 nm) internalize the cells mainly through a lipid raft-dependant macropinocytosis. The integrity of the cytoskeletal components also showed significant impact on the efficient internalization of the C6M1-siRNA complex. The kinetics experiments confirmed the fast internalization of small complexes (with uptake half-time of 25 min) in comparison to large complexes (70 min). This work provides essential information for peptide design and characterization in the development of amphipathic peptide-based siRNA delivery.

Breast cancers with overexpression or amplification of the HER2 tyrosine kinase receptor are more aggressive, resistant to chemotherapy, and associated with a worse prognosis. Currently, these breast cancers are treated with the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin®). Unfortunately, not all patients respond to trastuzumab drug therapy; some patients show de novo resistance, while others acquire resistance during treatment. This thesis describes our RNAi studies to identify novel regulators of the HER2 signaling pathway in breast cancer. Three kinome-wide siRNA screens were performed on five HER2 amplified and seven HER2 non-amplified breast cancer cell lines, two normal breast cell lines, as well as two HER2-positive breast cancer cell lines with acquired trastuzumab resistance and their isogenic trastuzumab-sensitive controls. To understand the main kinase drivers of HER2 signaling, we performed a comprehensive screen that selected against growth inhibitors of the non-HER2 amplified breast cancer cell lines. This screen identified the loss of the HER2/HER3 heterodimer as the most prominent selective inhibitor of HER2-amplified breast cancers. In a trastuzumab sensitization screen on five trastuzumab-treated breast cancer cell lines, we identified several siRNA against the PI3K pathway as well as various other signaling pathways that inhibited proliferation. Finally, in a screen for acquired trastuzumab resistance, PKCη and its downstream targets were identified. Loss of PKCη resulted in a decrease in G1/S transition and upregulation of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p27. Initial data suggest that PKCη promotes p27 ubiquitination and degradation. Taken together, these studies provide novel insight into the complex signaling of HER2-positive breast cancers and the mechanisms of resistance to trastuzumab therapy. This work describes how various kinases can modulate cell proliferation, and points to possible novel drug targets for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancers.

My dissertation encompasses five different studies that are linked by a common theme the investigation of transposable element (TE) contributions to eukaryotic gene sequences. A detailed analysis of exonization events of LTR elements in the human genome shows the preference towards the fixation of LTR elements in gene untranslated regions, which supports the existing concept of a major role of LTR elements as a natural source of regulatory sequences. The ability of different classes of sequence similarity search methods to detect TE-derived sequences was evaluated. In general, the different search methods are found to be complementary, and combined search approaches are needed to systematically check any data set for all potential TE-associated coding sequences. On average, TE-derived exon sequences have low protein coding potential. In particular, non-coding TEs, are frequently exonized but unlikely to encode protein sequences. Many of these non-coding exonized TEs may be actually involved in gene regulation via the formation of double stranded RNA complexes with complementary TE-derived exons. The investigation of the relationship between human miRNAs and TEs shows that 55 experimentally verified human miRNA genes (~12%) originated from TEs. Overall, TE-derived miRNA genes are less conserved than non TE-derived miRNAs. The potential regulatory and functional significance of TE-derived miRNAs was explored. An ab initio prediction algorithm I developed was used to discover putative cases of novel TE-derived miRNA genes. A miRNA gene family, hsa-mir-548, was found to be derived from Made1 family of MITEs. The palindromic structure of the Made1 elements, and MITEs in general, points to a specific mechanism by which these sequences can be recognized and processed by the miRNA biogenesis pathway. MITEs may also represent an evolutionary link between siRNAs and miRNAs. An original model for a siRNA-to-miRNA evolutionary transition mediated by DNA-type TEs is proposed. This model is supported by the presence of evolutionary intermediate TE sequences that encode both siRNAs and miRNAs in the Arabidopsis and rice genomes. The siRNA-to-miRNA evolutionary transition is representative of a number of other regulatory mechanisms that evolved to silence TEs and were later co-opted to serve as regulators of host gene expression.

CD40 (TNFRSF5) és una glicoproteïna de membrana que pertany a la família de receptors del factor de necrosi tumoral (TNF-R). La interacció amb el seu lligand fisiològic (CD40L o CD154) regula una àmplia varietat de funcions biològiques, des de l'activació del sistema immune, tant humoral com cel·lular, a diferents aspectes de la resposta inflamatòria. Els principals objectius d'aquesta tesi han estat 1) l'estudi a nivell molecular del paper de CD40 en l'activació de les cèl·lules endotelials, i 2) les conseqüències del bloqueig d'aquesta via de senyalització en la resposta immunoinflamatòria. S'ha obtingut un siRNA potent i específic capaç de reduir l'expressió del receptor CD40 humà en un 85%, tant a nivell de mRNA com a nivell de proteïna. Aquest siRNA expressat en forma de shRNA en un vector lentiviral permet assolir un silenciament gènic eficient i estable de CD40 al llarg del temps. S'ha validat l'activitat antiinflamatòria d'aquest siRNA analitzant les conseqüències funcionals del silenciament d'aquest receptor en cèl·lules endotelials. Aquest siRNA bloqueja l'activació endotelial via CD40L impedint la inducció de l'expressió de les molècules d'adhesió ICAM-1, VCAM-1 i E-selectina, i inhibint l'adhesió leucocitària en aquestes cèl·lules en un 87%. S'ha utilitzat el potencial antiinflamatori del siRNA dirigit contra CD40 humà per estudiar el paper d'aquest receptor en cèl·lules endotelials en inflamació. Utilitzant microarrays, s'ha realitzat una anàlisi comparativa del perfil global d'expressió gènica en cèl·lules endotelials humanes en les quals s'inactiva específicament aquesta via de senyalització mitjançant RNAi, en el context de la interacció cèl·lula endotelial i limfòcit T activat (CD40L+), com a primer pas en l'inici de la resposta immunoinflamatòria. Aquest estudi d'expressió gènica ha permès identificar nous gens i noves vies de senyalització implicades en la inducció de la resposta inflamatòria desencadenada per l'activació de CD40 en endoteli.Per altra banda, es volia avaluar l'eficàcia del silenciament gènic de CD40 per a la inducció de tolerància immunològica en un model experimental d'al·lotrasplantament renal. Amb aquesta finalitat s'ha obtingut un siRNA anti-CD40 de rata amb una potent eficiència silenciadora i s'ha optimitzat la transferència d'aquest siRNA en el ronyó a trasplantar mitjançant electroporació in vivo de l'òrgan. L'objectiu d'aquest estudi era silenciar temporalment l'expressió d'aquest receptor en les cèl·lules renals i bloquejar la interacció CD40-CD40L essencial per a la inducció de procés inflamatori que dóna lloc al rebuig del ronyó trasplantat. Resultats preliminars mostren que la teràpia gènica local amb siRNA redueix la resposta inflamatòria posttrasplantament. El siRNA anti-CD40 causa una reducció significativa de l'expressió del mRNA de CD40, disminuint l'aparició de rebuig agut humoral i allargant el temps mig de supervivència dels animals trasplantats amb els ronyons tractats amb siRNA en comparació amb els animals control. / CD40 (TNFRSF5) belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor family (TNF-R). Its interaction with its physiological ligand (CD40L or CD154) regulates a wide variety of biological functions, from the activation of the immune system, to different aspects of the inflammatory response.The main goals of this work have been 1) the molecular study of the role of CD40 in the activation of the endothelial cells, and 2) the consequences of blocking this signaling in the immunoinflammatory response. We have obtained a powerful and specific siRNA able to reduce human CD40 expression by 85%. The anti-inflammatory activity of this siRNA has been validated by analyzing the functional consequences of CD40 silencing in endothelial cells activated via CD40L. This siRNA blocks the induction of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin expression, and inhibits leukocyte adhesion in these cells by 87%.We have used the anti-inflammatory potential of this siRNA directed against human CD40 to carry out a global gene expression profiling analysis in order to study the role of CD40 in endothelial cells during inflammation. Using microarrays, we have performed a comparative transcriptome analysis in human endothelial cells, in the context of the endotelial cell interaction with activated T lymphocyte (CD40L+), as the first step of the immunoinflammatory response. This study has allowed us to identify new genes and signaling pathways involved in the induction of the inflammatory response by CD40 activation in endothelium.On the other hand, we have obtained an siRNA against rat CD40 with a powerful silencing activity and we have optimized its transfer to the kidney through in vivo electroporation. The purpose of this study was to determine the CD40 gene silencing effectiveness in inducing immunological tolerance in an experimental model of renal allotransplantation. Preliminary results show that local gene therapy with siRNA reduces the inflammatory response post-transplantation. The anti-CD40 siRNA treatment causes a significant reduction of the incidence of acute humoral rejection and increases the survival half life of animals transplanted with kidneys treated with siRNA compared to control animals.

Abstract Peptide surfactants developed in the Centre for Biomolecular Engineering at The University of Queensland are engineered to combine the advantages of traditional surfactants with biodegradability, biocompatibility, formation of a mechanically strong interfacial cohesive network, and reversible stimuli-responsiveness. In this project, the potential of peptide-stabilised emulsions as delivery systems for small interfering RNA (siRNA) was explored. In recent years, the potential of siRNA as a new class of therapeutics has attracted great attention. The ubiquitous nature of RNA interference (RNAi) implies that siRNA can be used to silence any disease-causing gene to treat any disease. The hurdle that needs to be overcome to turn siRNA therapy into clinical reality is its delivery into the cytosol, where gene silencing by siRNA occurs. Although numerous systems have been developed for the delivery of siRNA, safety and efficiency are major concerns associated with current formulations. Therefore this project aimed to prepare a stable peptide emulsion formulation and to conduct initial tests of its ability to deliver siRNA in vitro. The human tumour suppressor gene p53 and the human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line were used as the model gene and model cell line, respectively. The commercially available lipid-based transfection reagent Lipofectamine™ 2000 was used as the benchmark control. Sonication and membrane extrusion were used to formulate emulsions with droplet size (d=120 nm) suitable for intravenous applications using peptide surfactant in the presence of Zn(II). Although these peptide emulsions are stable by themselves and in bovine serum, emulsion stability was found to be strongly affected by the presence of salt, EDTA, and proteins. The instability of AM1 emulsion in cell culture media has been a concern when it was subjected to in vitro cell culture tests. AM1-stabilised emulsion droplets were shown to be taken up by MCF-7 cells. However, siRNA when coupled with AM1 emulsion was not delivered into cells. Cytotoxicity studies showed that peptide surfactants did not exhibit high-level toxicity to CHO cells at the tested concentrations (0.25-2 mg mL-1). AM1 peptide-stabilised emulsions were mildly toxic to CHO cells but no toxicity was observed with MCF-7 cells. Future work could include evaluation of peptide emulsion-siRNA complex formation, and exploring the effects of different cell culture media compositions on emulsion stability and their relation to cytotoxicity.

Master of Science in Medicine (by research) / Assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) are very efficient in producing embryos, however many of these embryos have poor viability. No more than 50% of IVF embryos complete preimplantation development (Hardy et al. 2001). The poor viability is manifested as a reduced rate of cell proliferation and increased rates of apoptosis in the early embryo, resulting in high rates of embryo mortality (Hardy et al. 2001). The reduced viability occurs as a response to a range of cellular stressors that are a consequence of embryo culture (Hardy et al. 2001). The stress of culture disrupts some survival signalling pathways, metabolism of substrates and induces redox stress (Hardy et al. 2001). The cellular stress sensor p53 is expressed in the early embryo but is normally kept at very low levels (Li et al. 2005). This latency may be breached in IVF embryos following culture of zygotes in vitro for 96 hours, resulting in the up-regulation and nuclear accumulation of p53 (Li et al. 2005). Activation of the p53 stress-sensing pathway in the early mouse embryo by culture in vitro causes a marked loss of their developmental competence (Li et al. 2005). This study aimed to establish whether benefits could be obtained by culturing mice IVF embryos in the presence of p53 protein inhibitors. IVF zygotes were cultured individually in 10µl drops of 1.25, 2.5, 5 or 10µM Pifithrin-a (PFTa) in 0.05% DMSO for 96 hours. On day 5 the development stage was assessed. Embryos reaching the blastocyst stage were fixed and stained with Hoechst 33342 for total cell count and the proportion of nuclei with normal and abnormal morphology. There was an increase in the blastocyst rate, total cell count and the proportion of nuclei in a blastocyst with normal nuclei in 10µM-treated embryos. This study also aimed to determine whether benefits could be obtained by incubating mouse IVF sperm with p53 protein inhibitors during IVF. IVF sperm was treated with 1.25, 2.5, 5 or 10µM of PFTa in 0.05% DMSO during incubation with oocytes for 6 hours. Resulting zygotes were cultured for 96 hours individually in 10µl drops of MODHTFM. On day 5 the development stage was assessed. Embryos reaching the blastocyst stage were fixed and stained with Hoechst 33342 for total cell count and the proportion of nuclei with normal and abnormal morphology. There was a reduction in the proportion of fragmented nuclei in blastocysts derived from 1.25 and 10µM-treated sperm. 10µM treated sperm increased the total cell count, the proportion of normal nuclei in a blastocyst and the blastocyst development rate. IVF sperm incubated with 1.25µM PFTa during insemination of oocytes increased the fertilisation rate. Another aim of this study was to establish whether p53 siRNA could inhibit p53 mRNA in mice IVF embryos and if so, whether this would improve embryo viability in culture. IVF zygotes were transfected with 15nM p53 small inhibiting RNA (siRNA) and 0.8% Oligofectamine Reagent immediately, 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after IVF then cultured individually in 10µl drops of MOD-HTFM for a total of 96 hours. On day 5 the blastocyst rate was assessed and immunofluorescence performed probing for p53. There was no significant reduction in p53 expression and no improvement in blastocyst rate at any of the transfection times. However, there was a decrease in the proportion of nuclei which expressed p53 when p53 siRNA was transfected 72 hours after IVF. Also, it was determined that siRNA was efficiently being delivered into the preimplantation embryo with Oligofectamine Reagent. Lastly, this study aimed to determine whether mice sperm with p53 gene deletions have a selective advantage in fertilising the oocyte compared to their wild-type counterparts. p53+/- males were mated with p53+/+ females and the resulting zygotes genotyped after 24 hours of culture. More than 50% of offspring had a p53+/+ genotype. There was no selective advantage for p53 null sperm to fertilise the oocyte, there was actually a disadvantage. The selective disadvantage for p53 null sperm to fertilise the F1 hybrid oocyte in IVF compared to its wild-type counterparts may imply that p53 null sperm are not as viable and may have a survival disadvantage. The reduction in fertility of p53 null sperm in vitro infers that p53 function may be important for the fertility of the mouse sperm in vitro. The results of this thesis could establish means of improving human embryo viability in ART, some examples being P53 protein inhibition in preimplantation embryos during culture prior to transfer to the uterus, or P53 protein inhibition in IVF sperm. The use of the new technology, p53 siRNA was not effective in inhibiting p53 expression, although the build-up experiments determined that siRNA is efficiently delivered into the preimplantation embryo with Oligofectamine Reagent. The demonstration that p53 null sperm has a selective disadvantage in fertilising the oocyte compared to their wild-type counterparts does not indicate a positive selection pressure for naturally occurring mutations to this gene. And so, there is no concern regarding the genetic and epigenetic risks to progeny arising from assisted reproductive technologies with respect to sperm.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a post-transcriptional gene silencing process elicited by double-stranded RNA, such as micro-RNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA). They are 18-25 nucleotide long, small non-coding RNAs acting as critical regulators in eukaryotic genome expression. They play an important role in regulating a wide range of biological processes such as cell cycle control, differentiation, aging and apoptosis. However, their role in supporting skeletal development and bone homeostasis is still poorly understood. Osteoporotic fractures constitute a tremendous and growing problem in our ageing populations, with an annual incidence of approximately 60000 osteoporotic fractures in Sweden. Osteoporosis is referred as the “Silent epidemic” because bone loss is gradual and a basically symptomless development until a fracture occurs. Results presented in this thesis provide a novel insight into crucial roles of   miRNAs in regulating bone homeostasis. The initial aim for the thesis was to perform global miRNA expression profiling in human bone cells, and to correlate these levels to global mRNA levels. We identified and functionally characterized several miRNAs that were differentially expressed and acted in important bone signaling pathways such as the Wnt and BMP pathways. These miRNAs included hsa-miR-29b, hsa-miR-30c2 and hsa-miR-125b, which we found targeting genes highly relevant to bone metabolism e.g. COL1A1, SPARC, RUNX2, BGLAP and FRZB. Thereafter, the effect on the microRNAome upon external stimuli (e.g., Dexamethasone and Parathyroid hormone) was assessed by SOLiD sequencing. We observed a substantial difference in the expression of miRNAs between PTH and DEX treated cells. Understanding the changes in miRNAome in human bone cells under different conditions could provide new insight in bone remodeling, specifically differentiation and functional properties of osteoblasts. Based on these studies, we furthermore identified Dlx5 as potential common target of miR-203 and miR-320b and these miRNAs negatively regulate BMP-2-induced osteoblast differentiation. To activate the RNAi pathway, siRNA or miRNA molecules must be conveyed into the cytoplasm of target cells. Since challenges in cellular delivery of these small silencing RNA molecules so far have limited their clinical utility, we developed a new siRNA design that demonstrates a novel carrier-free cellular delivery. This development could potentially have a major impact in RNAi therapeutics. In conclusion, this thesis provides novel insight of miRNAs that play a major role in the regulation of bone remodeling and differentiation and functional properties of osteoblasts. Our findings may have diagnostic and/or therapeutic implications in disorders of bone metabolism.

En nanomédecine, une nouvelle approche consiste à développer des vecteurs synthétiques pour co-délivrer au sein d’une cellule tumorale, un anticancéreux ainsi qu’un siARN, capable de supprimer l’expression d’une protéine impliquée dans les mécanismes de résistance. Les travaux décrits dans ce manuscrit ont été consacrés à la synthèse de nano-vecteurs micellaires pour la délivrance simultanée de ces deux agents thérapeutiques. Une première partie décrit la synthèse et la formulation de micelles nanométriques diacétyléniques photopolymérisables conçues pour délivrer efficacement un siARN. Les propriétés d’encapsulation et de délivrance de ces micelles ont ensuite été étudiées in vitro et in vivo pour une application en thérapie combinatoire. Enfin, une dernière partie présente la fonctionnalisation par interaction électrostatique de ces vecteurs cationiques avec des anticorps préalablement modifiés par des oligonucléotides anioniques pour réaliser un ciblage actif des cellules tumorales. / In the nanomedecine field, a new approach consists in developing synthetic vectors able to co-deliver into a cancer cell, an antitumoral drug and siRNAs that target protein(s) involved in MDR. The work described in this manuscript was dedicated to the development of micellar nanovectors for the intracellular co-delivery of these two therapeutic agents. The first part details the synthesis and the formulation of nanometric photopolymerized diacetylenic micelles adapted for the delivery and intracellular release of the siRNA. Then, the encapsulation and delivery properties of these micelles, bearing histidine polar heads have been investigated in vitro and in vivo for the application of combination therapy. Finally, the last part presents the functionalization by electrostatic interaction of these cationic vectors with antibodies, priorly modified by anionic oligonucleotides. This original and versatile system allowed achieving an active targeting of tumoral cells.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Chemistry / Duy H. Hua / Four research projects were carried out and they are described in this dissertation. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3β) plays a pivotal and central role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and protein kinase C (PKC) controls the function of other proteins via phosphorylation and involves in tumor promotion. In pursuit of identifying novel GSK3β and/or PKC inhibitors, substituted quinoline molecules were designed and synthesized based on the structure-activity-relationship studies. Synthesized molecules were evaluated for their neural protective activities and selected molecules were further tested for inhibitory activities on GSK3β and PKC enzymes. Among these compounds, compound 2 was found to have better GSK3β enzyme inhibitory and MC65 cell protection activities at low nanomolar concentrations and poor PKC inhibitory activity whereas compound 3 shows better PKC inhibitory activity. This demonstrates the potential for uses of quinoline scaffold in designing novel compounds for AD and cancer. Pharmacokinetics and distribution profiles of two anti-Alzheimer molecules, CP2 and TP70, discovered in our laboratory were assessed using HPLC/MS. Plasma samples of mice and rats fed with TP70 via different routes over various times were analyzed to quantify the amounts of TP70 in plasma of both species. Distribution profiles of TP70 in various tissues of mice were studied and results show that TP70 penetrated the blood brain barrier and accumulated in the brain tissue in significant amounts. Similarly, the amount of CP2 in plasma of mice was analyzed. The HPLC analysis revealed that both compounds have good PK profiles and bioavailability, which would make them suitable candidates for further in vivo efficacy studies. Nanodelivery of specific dsRNA for suppressing the western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) genes was studied using modified chitosan or modified polyvinylpyrrolidinone (PVP) as nanocarriers. Computational simulation studies of dsRNA with these polymers revealed that nanoparticles can be formed between dsRNA and modified chitosan and PVP polymers. Nanocarriers of hydroxylated PVP (HO-PVP) and chitosan conjugated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) were synthesized, and analyzed using IR spectroscopy. Particle sizes and morphology were evaluated using AFM and encapsulation was studied using UV spectroscopy. However, the formation of stable nanoparticles with dsRNA could not be achieved with either of the polymers, and further efforts are ongoing to discover a better nanocarrier for nanodelivery of siRNA by using chitosan-galactose nanocarrier. In our efforts to discover a novel class of tripeptidyl anti-norovirus compounds that can strongly inhibit NV3CLpro, a set of tripeptidyl molecules were synthesized by modifying the P1 - P3 of the substrate peptide including a warhead. It was found that the replacement of P1 glutamine surrogate with triazole functionality does not improve the inhibitory activities of the compounds. In addition, the synthesis of a known dipeptidyl compound (GC376) was carried out for evaluating its efficacy on feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in cats.