It has long been known that the efficiency of anticancer drugs is limited by the emergence of resistance due to the evolving repair of such DNA lesions in malignant cells. Therefore, development of pharmaceutical agents, which can interfere with the DNA repair pathways, may represent a novel approach to enhance the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy by reducing drug resistance. Abasic sites (AP sites) are the key intermediates in the BER pathway and promising targets for BER inhibition. In chapter 2, we report the synthesis of two small molecules specifically targeting at AP sites and the evaluation of their activity in terms of interstrand crosslinking formation. Our results show no covalent adduct is induced, which is due to the weak DNA binding affinity. In chapter 3, we try to use TFOs to deliver the interstrand crosslinking moiety to the AP site in a sequence specific manner. Two modified phosphoramidites were synthesized and incorporated into the 5' end of TFOs. The activity was evaluated by using various biophysical and biochemical experiments. The work reported in chapter 4 is focused on the G-quadruplex structure formed in the guanine rich telomeric sequence. Many studies have shown G4 ligands can induce and stabilize G-quadruplex within telomere region and inhibit the activity of telomerase that is overexpressed in 80-90% of cancer cells. Our results indicate that phenanthroline based metal complexes, Ni(Phen) 2 , have strong binding affinity and selectivity towards G-quadruplex over duplex DNA. The effect of Ni(Phen) 2 on telomerase activity and cytotoxicity towards cancer cells was also investigated. Calixarenes containing DNA building units such as nucleotides, nucleosides, and nucleobases have recently aroused much interest because of their versatile applications. In chapter 5, we report the synthesis of calix[4]arenes ( 5.11-5.14 ) functionalized with a single nucleobase (thymine, adenine, guanine, or cytosine) at the upper rim via click chemistry. Their complexation with alkali metal ions was examined using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and their molecular interactions were determined using 1 H NMR. All calix[4]arene derivatives show good complexation with alkali metal ions with apparent selectivity. The results also reveal that nucleobase-calix[4]arenes are capable of self-association in CDC1 3 and calix[4]arenes bearing complementary nucleobases can bind to each other via base pairing.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicide have been associated with elevated indices of oxidative damage in the brain, as well as white matter pathology including reduced myelination by oligodendrocytes. Oligodendrocytes highly populate white matter and are inherently susceptible to oxidative damage. Pathology of white matter oligodendrocytes has been reported to occur in brain regions that process behaviors that are disrupted in MDD and that may contribute to suicidal behavior. The present study was designed to determine whether oligodendrocyte pathology related to oxidative damage extends to brain areas outside of those that are traditionally considered to contribute to the psychopathology of MDD and suicide. Relative telomere lengths and the gene expression of five antioxidant-related genes, SOD1, SOD2, GPX1, CAT, and AGPS were measured in oligodendrocytes laser captured from two non-limbic brain areas: occipital cortical white matter and the brainstem locus coeruleus. Postmortem brain tissues were obtained from brain donors that died by suicide and had an active MDD at the time of death, and from psychiatrically normal control donors. Relative telomere lengths were significantly reduced in oligodendrocytes of both brain regions in MDD donors as compared to control donors. Three antioxidant-related genes (SOD1, SOD2, GPX1) were significantly reduced and one was significantly elevated (AGPS) in oligodendrocytes from both brain regions in MDD as compared to control donors. These findings suggest that oligodendrocyte pathology in MDD and suicide is widespread in the brain and not restricted to brain areas commonly associated with depression psychopathology.

La sénescence réplicative est le phénomène associé à un arrêt de croissance permanent causé par le raccourcissement progressif des télomères à chaque division. Lorsqu’ils atteignent une longueur critique, les télomères perdent leur structure terminale protectrice en t-loop, ce qui révèle l’extrémité du chromosome et déclenche une Réponse aux dommages à l’ADN (RDA) p53-dépendante. Le nombre de télomères ouverts nécessaire à la mise en place de la sénescence n’est pas connu, mais plusieurs évidences suggèrent que la cellule pourrait en tolérer un certain nombre avant de s’arrêter définitivement. Dans ce projet, nous utilisons un dominant négatif de Tin2 (Tin2DN), un membre du complexe nucléo-protéique nommé le télosome qui stabilise la t-loop, pour démontrer que la dysfonction chromatinienne télomérique seule ne suffit pas à déclencher un arrêt de croissance permanent. Lorsqu’il est exprimé, Tin2DN induit la formation de foyers de dommages de 53BP1, la RDA ainsi qu’un arrêt de croissance transitoire. De façon surprenante, nous observons que les cellules qui ont subi ce premier arrêt de croissance ré-entrent dans le cycle cellulaire et se divisent, et ce malgré la présence de foci télomériques. Cette réentrée cause l’apparition de cassures secondaires ainsi qu’une accumulation d’instabilités génomiques, telles que des ponts chromosomiques ou des micro-noyaux. Cet échappement des points de blocages du cycle cellulaire pourrait être expliqué par notre observation que la dysfonction télomérique induite par Tin2DN n’active que très faiblement p53 et p21, et pratiquement pas la kinase chkChk2. Néanmoins, en inhibant directement l’activité de p53, nous n’observons plus aucun arrêt de croissance mais une accumulation de foci et d’instabilités génomiques, avec une forte occurrence de catastrophes mitotiques. L’ensemble de ces résultats propose un nouveau modèle d’entrée en sénescence réplicative : l’ouverture des télomères induits une faible RDA menant à un premier arrêt de prolifération transitoire p53-dépendant. Les cellules échappent à cet arrêt et se divisent, mais l’ouverture des télomères ayant causé des fusions chromosomiques, la division crée alors de nouvelles cassures doubles brins dans le génome qui déclencheront une forte RDA et un nouvel arrêt de croissance permanent, la sénescence réplicative. / Replicative senescence is the physiological permanent growth arrest caused by telomeres shortening, at each round of replication. Once they have reach a critical length, the telomeres lose their t-loop structure, revealing the chromosome extremity that triggers a p53-dependant DNA damage response (DDR) and leads to proliferation arrest. The number of shortened telomeres that are necessary to onset senescence is not known, but accumulating evidences suggest that the cell is able to tolerate a certain level of telomere uncapping before stopping its divisions. Here, we used an inducible dominant negative form of Tin2 (Tin2DN), a member of the shelterin complex that stabilizes the t-loop, to show that telomeres uncapping alone is not sufficient to induce a stable growth arrest. When expressed, Tin2DN leads to the openingverture of the t-loop, creating a DDR with the formation of 53BP1 DNA damage foci (DDF) and a transient growth arrest. Indeed, we observed that the cells were re-entering the cell cycle and dividing, despite their uncapped DDF harbouring telomeres. As telomere uncapping creates chromosome fusions, such division leads to the apparition of secondary DNA breaks, with an accumulation of genomic instabilities, such as chromosomes bridges or micronuclei. We observed that Tin2 DN-induced telomere uncapping leads to a very weak activation of p53 and p21, with almost no phosphorylation of chkChk2. Nevertheless, when we infected our cells with a shp53, the primary growth arrest did not occur, leading to an amplification of the damages, with strong signs of instability and mitotic catastrophe. Altogether, these results propose a new model for replicative senescence: telomere uncapping induces a weak DDR that leads to a transitory growth arrest. The cells divide with fused chromosomes, creating new randomly distributed double strand breaks that trigger a stronger DDR and a permanent growth arrest. In that model, replicative senescence is not directly induced by telomere uncapping, but by an amplification of DNA damages through mitotic catastrophe.

Nous avons découvert que TRF2 est aussi sur-exprimée au niveau des cellules endothéliales de nombreux types de cancers humains alors qu’elle n’est pas détectable dans les vaisseaux des tissus sains adjacents. Des cellules endothéliales extraites de tumeurs ex-vivo manifestent une expression supérieure de TRF2, une migration et une prolifération accrues et une aptitude à former des tubules élevée, comparées aux endotheliums isolées de tissus sains. La sur-expression de cette protéine in vitro dans des cellules endothéliales primaires et ex-vivo entraine l’augmentation de la prolifération, de la migration et de la capacité de ces dernières à former des tubules. La diminution de l’expression de TRF2 conduit à l’effet inverse. Par ailleurs, la modulation de l’expression de TRF2 n’affecte pas la proportion de cellules apoptotiques. De même, les variations des niveaux d’expression de TRF2 n’induisent aucune réponse aux dommages à l’ADN et les modifications des facultés angiogéniques sont indépendantes d’ATM. Les effets angiogéniques de TRF2 semblent donc distincts des fonctions télomériques. Etant donné que le facteur de transcription WT1 (Wilms’ tumour suppressor 1) est fortement exprimé dans les vaisseaux de tumeurs humaines et régule les propriétés angiogéniques des cellules endothéliales, nous nous sommes penché sur la régulation potentielle de TRF2 par WT1. WT1 se lie en effet sur le promoteur de TRF2 pour activer sa transcription. Enfin, nous avons démontré que l’activité angiogénique de TRF2 réside en partie dans sa capacité à se fixer sur le promoteur du gène codant pour le récepteur angiogénique à activité tyrosine kinase PDGFRβ et à activer sa transcription. / We discovered that TRF2 is expressed in endothelial cells of many human cancer types but not in the vessels of healthy adjacent tissues. Endothelial cells derived from tumours ex vivo exhibited a significantly increased TRF2 expression, and a higher migration, proliferation and tube formation potential as endothelium obtained from healthy tissues. In vitro TRF2 over-expression in primary or ex vivo endothelial cells resulted in an increased proliferation, migration and tube formation, while silencing of TRF2 led to the opposite results. No changes in apoptosis could be observed. Interestingly, modulation of TRF2 in endothelium does not induce DNA damage responses and the observed changes in the angiogenic behaviour are ATM –independent. The angiogenic effects of TRF2 seem therefore to be uncoupled from its telomeric function. Since the transcription factor WT1 (Wilms’ tumour suppressor 1) is highly expressed in human tumour vessels and mediates angiogenic properties of endothelial cells, we investigated whether TRF2 expression could be regulated by WT1. Indeed, WT1 binds the TRF2 promoter and activates its transcription. Finally, we demonstrated that TRF2 promotes angiogenesis by binding to the promoter of the gene encoding for the angiogenic tyrosine kinase receptor PDGFRβ and activating its transcription.

Les organismes font face à des compromis entre leur reproduction, leur maintenance et leur survie, dont découlent des stratégies adaptatives énergétiques, comportementales et écologiques.Ce travail de thèse propose de préciser les stratégies de reproduction chez la tortue luth Dermochelys coriacea nidifiant en Guyane. Nous avons étudié les caractéristiques maternelles, les performances de reproduction et les potentiels liens existants entre la migration et la reproduction chez une population d’individus d’identité connue, suivis grâce à un suivi longitudinal original combinant biométrie, physiologie et biologie moléculaire.Premièrement nous montrons que les tortues luth opèrent comme des reproducteurs sur capital, i.e., leur reproduction repose sur les ressources stockées sous forme de réserves corporelles pendant la migration précédant la saison de ponte. D’autre part, nous suggérons que les femelles ajustent la durée de leur migration en fonction des conditions océanographiques rencontrées pendant la migration. Ceci leur permettrait, à l’échelle de la vie, de répondre au compromis entre la reproduction en cours et les reproductions futures. Enfin, notre démarche souligne l’importance de prendre en compte les caractéristiques individuelles dans la compréhension des stratégies de reproduction, et de manière ultime pour l’établissement de modèles réalistes de la dynamique des populations, notamment dans le cas d’espèces emblématiques telles que les tortues marines. / Organisms face trade-offs between their reproduction, maintenance and survival, from which result adaptative strategies at the energetics, behavioural and ecological levels.This PhD work investigates the reproductive strategies used by leatherback turtles, Dermochelys coriacea, nesting in French Guiana. We investigated maternal characteristics, reproductive output, and the possible links between migration and reproduction in a population of known identity, studied through a unique longitudinal monitoring, based on complementary approaches combining biometry, physiology and molecular biology.First, we found that leatherback turtles are capital breeders, i.e. females’ reproductive output displayed during their nesting season relies on body reserves previously stored during their migration. Second, we suggested that leatherback females adjust the duration of the migration according to the oceanographic conditions they experienced during migration. At a lifetime scale, this may allow females to face the trade-off between current and future reproductions. Finally, our approach highlights the importance to take into account individual characteristics in order to better understand reproductive strategies, and further assess realistic models of population dynamics, particularly when considering emblematic species such as sea turtles.

Genregulation beeinflusst Phänotypen im Kontext von Gesundheit und Krankheit. In Krebszellen regulieren genetische und epigenetische Faktoren die Genexpression in cis. Das Neuroblastom ist eine Krebserkrankung, die häufig im Kindesalter auftritt. Es ist gekennzeichnet durch eine geringe Anzahl exonischer Mutationen und durch häufige Veränderungen der somatischen Kopienzahl, einschließlich Genamplifikationen auf extrachromosomaler zirkulärer DNA. Bisher ist wenig darüber bekannt, wie lokale genetische und epigenetische Faktoren Gene im Neuroblastom regulieren. In dieser Arbeit kombiniere ich die allelspezifische Analyse ganzer Genome (WGS), Transkriptome und zirkulärer DNA von Neuroblastom-Patienten, um genetische und cis-regulatorische Effekte zu charakterisieren. Ich zeige, dass somatische Dosis-Effekte der Kopienzahl andere lokale genetische Effekte dominieren und wichtige Signalwege regulieren. Genamplifikationen zeigen starke Dosis-Effekte und befinden sich häufig auf großen extrachromosomalen zirkulären DNAs. Die vorgestellte Analyse zeigt, dass der Verlust von 11q zu einer Hochregulation von Histonvarianten H3.3 und H2A in Tumoren mit alternativer Verlängerung der Telomere (ALT) führt, und dass erhöhte somatische Kopienzahl die Expression der TERT Gens verstärken können. Weitere Erkenntnisse sind, dass 17p-Ungleichgewichte und die damit verbundene Herunterregulierung neuronaler Gene sowie die Hochregulierung des genomisch geprägten Gens RTL1 durch Kopienzahl-unabhängige allelische Dosis-Effekte mit einer ungünstigen Prognose verbunden sind. Die cis-QTL-Analyse bestätigt eine zuvor beschriebene Regulation des LMO1 Gens durch einen Enhancer-Polymorphismus und charakterisiert das regulatorische Potenzial weiterer GWAS-Risiko-Loci. Die Arbeit unterstreicht die Bedeutung von Dosis-Effekten im Neuroblastom und liefert eine detaillierte Übersicht regulatorischer Varianten, die in dieser Krankheit aktiv sind. / Gene regulation controls phenotypes in health and disease. In cancer, the interplay between germline variation, genetic aberrations and epigenetic factors modulate gene expression in cis. The childhood cancer neuroblastoma originates from progenitor cells of the sympathetic nervous system. It is characterized by a sparsity of recurrent exonic mutations but frequent somatic copy-number alterations, including gene amplifications on extrachromosomal circular DNA. So far, little is known on how local genetic and epigenetic factors regulate genes in neuroblastoma to establish disease phenotypes. I here combine allele-specific analysis of whole genomes, transcriptomes and circular DNA from neuroblastoma patients to characterize genetic and cis-regulatory effects, and prioritize germline regulatory variants by cis-QTLs mapping and chromatin profiles. The results show that somatic copy-number dosage dominates local genetic effects and regulates pathways involved in telomere maintenance, genomic stability and neuronal processes. Gene amplifications show strong dosage effects and are frequently located on large but not small extrachromosomal circular DNAs. My analysis implicates 11q loss in the upregulation of histone variants H3.3 and H2A in tumors with alternative lengthening of telomeres and cooperative effects of somatic rearrangements and somatic copy-number gains in the upregulation of TERT. Both 17p copy-number imbalances and associated downregulation of neuronal genes as well as upregulation of the imprinted gene RTL1 by copy-number-independent allelic dosage effects is associated with an unfavorable prognosis. cis-QTL analysis confirms the previously reported regulation of the LMO1 gene by a super-enhancer risk polymorphism and characterizes the regulatory potential of additional GWAS risk loci. My work highlights the importance of dosage effects in neuroblastoma and provides a detailed map of regulatory variation active in this disease.