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La vigne a une importance économique majeure au niveau mondial. La plupart des vignobles sont greffés et comportent une variété (cépage, Vitis vinifera) greffée sur des porte-greffes de Vitis sauvages (hybrides de V. berlandieri, V. riparia et V. rupestris). Le potentiel qualitatif du raisin à la vendange dépend d’un équilibre subtil entre teneur en sucres, acidité, concentration en polyphénols et en précurseurs d’arômes. Les mécanismes contrôlant l’équilibre sucres/acides/polyphénols sont influencés par différentes contraintes abiotiques auxquelles la vigne est soumise, en particulier l’azote, en interaction avec le matériel végétal (cépage et porte-greffe). Des travaux antérieurs suggèrent par ailleurs qu’une partie des effets de la contrainte hydrique sont en fait liés à une carence azotée entraînée indirectement par la diminution d’absorption d’eau. Le système racinaire (porte-greffe) joue un rôle important dans l’absorption, la réduction, le transport et le stockage de l’azote, et dans l’équilibre hydrique de la plante. Dans ce contexte, nous avons étudié les mécanismes impliqués dans la régulation de la synthèse des flavonoïdes des baies en réponse à la nutrition azotée, à la nature du porte-greffe et du greffon. Des plants des cépages Cabernet Sauvignon et Pinot Noir cultivés soit en pots en conditions semi-contrôlées soit au vignoble ont été soumis à des niveaux d’alimentation azotée différents. Les analyses agronomiques ont permis de confirmer une augmentation des teneurs en azote des différents organes de la plante (limbes, pétioles et baies) ainsi qu’une augmentation de la surface foliaire et de la masse des bois de taille sous l’effet du traitement azoté. Les analyses métabolomiques des pellicules de baies révèlent une accumulation de métabolites secondaires dont la nature diffère en fonction des différentes combinaisons porte-greffe/greffon. De plus, une augmentation de la synthèse d’anthocyanes et des flavonols a été observée dans les pellicules de baies en réponse à la diminution de la nutrition azotée. L’apport azoté se traduit aussi par une augmentation du degré de polymérisation moyen des tannins, alors que les teneurs en flavan-3-ols et procyanidines des pépins et des pellicules ne sont pas affectées par les différents apports azotés. Les analyses transcriptomiques globales (génome complet) et ciblées (qPCR) ont mis en évidence des modifications des transcrits de gènes liés au métabolisme des flavonoïdes en réponse à la nutrition azotée. La variation de l’apport azoté influence également l’expression des gènes régulateurs positifs (facteurs de transcription de type MYB) et négatifs (protéine de type Lateral organ Boundary Domain (LBD)) des gènes de la biosynthèse des flavonoïdes chez la vigne. / Grapevine has a major economic importance worldwide. Most vineyards are grafted and include a variety (Vitis vinifera) grafted over a wild Vitis rootstock (hybrids of V. berlandieri, riparia and rupestris). Grape berry quality at harvest depends on a subtle balance between acidity and the concentrations of sugars, polyphenols and precursors of aroma compounds. The mechanisms controlling the balance of sugars/acids/polyphenols are influenced by the abiotic environment, in particular nitrogen supply, and interact with the genotypes of both the scion variety and the rootstock. Previous work suggests that some of the effects of water stress are in fact linked to a nitrogen deficiency driven indirectly by the reduction of water absorption. The root system (i.e rootstock) plays an important role in the uptake, reduction, transport and storage of nitrogen, and the water balance of the plant. In this context, we studied the mechanisms involved in the regulation of the synthesis of flavonoids in berries in response to nitrogen nutrition with different scion/rootstock combinations. Two varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir) were subjected to different nitrogen supplies in two experimental systems, in pots under semi-controlled conditions and in a vineyard. Agronomic analysis confirmed that high nitrogen supply increased the nitrogen content of different organs (leaf blades, petioles and berries) as well as leaf surface area and cane pruning weight. Metabolomic analyses of berry skins revealed an accumulation of secondary metabolites whose nature depended on the different rootstock/scion combinations studied. In addition, an increase in the synthesis of anthocyanins and flavonols was observed in the berry skins in response to the decrease in nitrogen nutrition. High nitrogen supply also increased the average degree of polymerization of tannins, while the contents of flavan-3-ols and procyanidins in the seeds and skins of the berries were not affected. Global transcriptome (using RNA sequencing) and targeted (qPCR) analyses showed changes in the abundance of transcripts of genes related to the metabolism of flavonoids in response to nitrogen status. Nitrogen supply also influenced the transcript amounts of positive (MYB) and negative (Lateral Boundary Organ Domain) transcription factors controlling of the biosynthesis of flavonoids.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study has successfully identified transcripts differentially expressed in the salivary gland and midgut and provides candidate genes that are critical to response to parasite invasion. Furthermore, an open-source Glossina resource (G-ESTMAP) was developed that provides interactive features and browsing of functional genomics data for researchers working in the field of Trypanosomiasis on the African continent. / South Africa

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In this dissertation three computational approaches are presented that enable optimization of reference-free transcriptome reconstruction. The first addresses the selection of bona fide reconstructed transcribed fragments (transfrags) from de novo transcriptome assemblies and annotation with a multiple domain co-occurrence framework. We showed that selected transfrags are functionally relevant and represented over 94% of the information derived from annotation by transference. The second approach relates to quality score based RNA-seq sub-sampling and the description of a novel sequence similarity-derived metric for quality assessment of de novo transcriptome assemblies. A detail systematic analysis of the side effects induced by quality score based trimming and or filtering on artefact removal and transcriptome quality is describe. Aggressive trimming produced incomplete reconstructed and missing transfrags. This approach was applied in generating an optimal transcriptome assembly for a South African isolate of V. inaequalis. The third approach deals with the computational partitioning of transfrags assembled from RNA-Seq of mixed host and pathogen reads. We used this strategy to correct a publicly available transcriptome assembly for V. inaequalis (Indian isolate). We binned 50% of the latter to Apple transfrags and identified putative immunity transcript models. Comparative transcriptomic analysis between fungi transfrags from the Indian and South African isolates reveal effectors or transcripts that may be expressed in planta upon morphogenic differentiation. These studies have successfully identified V. inaequalis specific transfrags that can facilitate gene discovery. The unique access to an in-house draft genome assembly allowed us to provide preliminary description of genes that are implicated in pathogenesis. Gene prediction with bona fide transfrags produced 11,692 protein-coding genes. We identified two hydrophobin-like genes and six accessory genes of the melanin biosynthetic pathway that are implicated in the invasive action of the appressorium. The cazyome reveals an impressive repertoire of carbohydrate degrading enzymes and carbohydrate-binding modules amongst which are six polysaccharide lyases, and the largest number of carbohydrate esterases (twenty-eight) known in any fungus sequenced to date

L'Athérosclérose est la principale cause de décès et d'invalidité dans le monde. L'implication du système rénine-angiotensine-aldostérone (RAAS) dans le développement de la maladie est expérimentalement et cliniquement bien documentée. Toutefois, en raison de la complexité du système, ces études ne donnent pas de vision claire sur l'association entre le système et la maladie. À cet égard, nous avons étudié l'organisation fonctionnelle d'un ensemble de 37 gènes codant pour les composants classiques et nouvellement découverts du RAAS, y compris les substrats, les enzymes et les récepteurs. Cet ensemble a été appelé RAAS étendu (extRAAS). En utilisant une analyse statistique des données du transcriptome de l'athérome carotidien humain, nous avons révélé des caractéristiques spéciales de l'expression de l'extRAAS associées au remodelage athéromateux. Une caractéristique importante de ce modèle est la coordination de 2 groupes de gènes qui sont connus pour favoriser la formation de l'athérome. Le premier groupe est constitué de gènes codant pour les peptidases de l'angiotensine, y compris ACE, CTSG, CTSD et RNPEP. Le deuxième groupe est constitué des gènes codant pour les récepteurs AGTR1, MR, GR et LNPEP / Atherosclerosis remains and continues to be the leading cause of death and disability in the world. The implication of Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) in the development of the disease is well experimentally and clinically documented. However, due to the complexity of the system, these studies remain dispersed and give no clear global view of the association between the system and the disease. In this regard, we studied the functional organization of a set of 37 genes encoding classical and newly discovered RAAS participants, including substrate, enzymes and receptors. This set was called extended RAAS (extRAAS). Using statistical analysis of human carotid atheroma transcriptome involving gene clustering, we revealed special features of extRAAS expression associated with atheromatous remodeling. An important feature of this pattern was the coordination of 2 clusters of genes that are known to favor atheroma formation. The first cluster constitutes genes that encode for angiotensin peptidases, including ACE, CTSG, CTSD and RNPEP. Whereas the second encode for receptors (AGTR1, MR, GR and LNPEP). We hypothesized that the local pattern of extRAAS gene expression plays a key role in the development of atherosclerosis by orienting the metabolism of active peptides

Introduction: Dupuytren's disease (DD) is an ill-defined fibroproliferative disorder affecting the palms of the hands of certain patient groups. Whether changes in DD fibroblasts are due to genetic alterations alone or related to metabolic dysregulation has not yet been investigated. Hypotheses: 1. DD is a disease of several networks rather than of a single gene. 2. DD may be investigated more effectively by employing systems biology. 3. Strict definition of cell passage number is important for the revelation of any DD phenotype. 4. Some of the differences between DD and healthy tissues reside in a difference in their respiratory metabolism. 5. Any such differences are akin the Warburg effect noted for tumour cells in the literature. Methods: We induced hypoxia in healthy and disease cells to test whether the difference in disease cell types and healthy is the same as the difference in control fibroblasts cultured in normoxia and hypoxia. We investigated both at the metabolic level (intracellular and extracellular) and at the transcript level. This study also employed Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to permit profiling of cells: (1) DD cords and nodules against the unaffected transverse palmar fascia (internal control), (2) those (1) with carpal ligamentous fascia (external controls) (3) those in (1) against DD fat surrounding the nodule, and skin overlying the nodule. We then compared metabolic profiles of the above to determine the effect of serial passaging by assessment of reproducibility. Subsequently, a novel protocol was employed in carefully controlled culture conditions for the parallel extraction of the metabolome and transcriptome of DD-derived fibroblasts and control at normoxic and hypoxic conditions to investigate this hypothesis. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry combined with microarrays was employed to identify metabolites and transcript characteristic for DD tissue phenotypes. The extracellular metabolome was also studied for a selected subset. The metabolic and transcriptional changes were then integrated employing a network approach. Results: Carefully controlled culture conditions combined with multivariate statistical analyses demonstrated metabolic differences in DD and unaffected transverse palmar fascia, in addition to the external control. Differences between profiles of the four DD tissue phenotypes were also demonstrated. In addition early passage (0-3) metabolic differences were observed where a clear separation pattern in clusters was observed. Subsequent passages (4-6) displayed asynchrony, losing distinction between diseased and non-diseased sample phenotypes. A substantial number of dysregulated metabolites involved in amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and also metabolism of cofactors and vitamins including downregulated cysteine and aspartic acid have been identified from the integrative analyses. Metabolic and transcriptional differences were revealed between fibroblast cell samples (passage number 3) cultured in 1% and 21% oxygen. The hypothesis that the difference in disease and healthy cells maybe akin to the differences in healthy cells in normoxia and hypoxia was rejected as only a very small number of significant molecules from these studies coincided in perturbed fascia and disease samples. No lactic acid was observed and little difference in the pyruvate concentrations. Yet, upon perturbation several of these transcripts and metabolites involved in the afore-mentioned pathways were significantly dysregulated. Conclusion: Early, but not late, passage numbers of primary cells provide representative metabolic and transcript fingerprinting for investigating DD. A unique parallel analysis of transcript and metabolic profiles of DD fibroblasts and control, enabled a robust characterization of DD and correlation of parameters across the various levels of systemic description. The tools that should facilitate our understanding of these complex systems are immature, but the pleiotropy of the difference between healthy and DD tissue suggest the aetiology of a network-based disease.

Estudos prévios demonstraram que as atividades biológicas do veneno da serpente Bothrops jararaca sofrem significantes modificações ontogenéticas. Neste estudo é apresentada uma análise comparativa do proteoma, peptidoma e transcriptoma da glândula de veneno de filhotes e adultos de B. jararaca, correlacionando os resultados obtidos com algumas características funcionais dos venenos. Venenos de 694 filhotes de até duas semanas de idade e 110 adultos, provenientes do Estado de São Paulo foram extraídos e liofilizados para as análises proteômicas/peptidômicas e funcionais. O mRNA de glândulas de veneno de 20 filhotes e 10 adultos foi obtido para a contrução de bibliotecas de cDNA e a análise de Expressed Sequence Tag (ESTs). Demonstramos que a atividade hemorrágica é similar para os venenos de filhotes e adultos, enquanto que o veneno de adultos é discretamente mais letal para camundongos; entretanto, o veneno de filhotes mostrou-se extremamente mais letal para aves, uma característica que pode garantir proteção contra potenciais predadores nas fases iniciais de vida da espécie. A atividade coagulante do veneno de filhotes é cerca de 10 vezes mais alta que aquela verificada para o veneno de adultos e é atribuída sobretudo à atividade de metaloproteinases. Essas diferenças nas atividades funcionais se refletiram nos diferentes perfis verificados por eletroforese bidimensional e identificação de spots de proteínas por digestão tripsínica in-gel seguida de análise por cromatografia líquida acoplada à espectrometria de massas em tandem, zimografia com gelatina, imunocoloração utilizando anticorpos específicos anti-proteinases, e glicoproteínas com afinidade pela concanavalina -A. A comparação dos venenos por derivatização com tags isóbaros (iTRAQ) e a análise das ESTs revelaram diferenças claras entre os níveis de toxinas presentes nos venenos e as metaloproteinases foram a classe de toxinas mais expressa, além de serem as toxinas cujos perfis estruturais apresentaram maior mudança, como ilustrado pelo quociente PIII/PI, que é maior nos venenos de filhotes. Dimorfismo sexual foi detectado em diversas classes de toxinas no veneno de adultos por análises proteômicas e transcriptômicas e, surpreendentemente, o fator de crescimento de nervo foi detectado apenas no veneno/glândula de veneno de machos. A análise glicoproteômica mostrou que N-glicosilações parecem ser as modificações pós-traducionais mais proeminentes nas toxinas de B. jararaca, e os perfis de N-glicosilação apresentaram-se distintos para as proteínas dos venenos de filhotes e adultos. Entretanto, a composição de N-glicanos não variou entre as amostras, indicando que diferenças na utilização de motivos de N-glicosilação poderiam explicar as diferenças nos níveis de glicosilação observados pelos diferentes perfis eletroforéticos dos venenos. A análise da fração peptídica dos venenos de filhotes e adultos por espectrometria de massas resultou num perfil similar de Peptídeos Potenciadores de Bradicinina (BPPs), que foram detectados em suas formas canônicas e também com novas seqüências, cujas estruturas primárias sugerem um processamento da proteína precursora em sítios até então não descritos. Acreditamos que este seja o estudo mais abrangente sobre a variabilidade do veneno de uma serpente já realizado e os resultados demonstram que há uma relação clara entre as alterações ontogenéticas na dieta e tamanho corporal e o proteoma/peptidoma do veneno desta espécie. / Previous studies have demonstrated that the biological activities displayed by the venom of the snake Bothrops jararaca undergo a significant ontogenetic shift. In this investigation, we performed comparative proteomic, peptidomic and transcriptomic analyses of venoms and venom glands from newborn and adult specimens of B. jararaca and correlated the results with the evaluation of functional venom features. Venoms from 694 two-week old newborns and 110 adults from São Paulo state were milked and lyophilized for functional and proteomic/peptidomic analyses. Additionally, mRNA was obtained from the venom glands of 20 newborns and 10 adults and used for the construction of cDNA libraries and Expressed Sequence Tag (ESTs). We demonstrate that newborn and adult venoms have similar hemorrhagic activities, while the adult venom has a slightly higher lethal activity upon mice; however, the newborn venom is extremely more potent to kill chicks, a feature that might ensure protection against potential predators in early stages of B. jararaca life. Interestingly, the coagulant activity of the newborn venom upon human plasma is ten times higher than that of the adult venom and is contributed mainly by metalloproteinases. Differences in functional activities were clearly reflected in the venom different profiles of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and protein spot identification by in-gel trypsin digestion followed by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), gelatin zimography, immunostaining using specific anti-proteinase antibodies, and concanavalin A-binding proteins. The venom comparison by isobaric tag peptide labeling (iTRAQ) and ESTs analysis revealed clear differences in toxin levels. The metalloproteinases were detected as the toxin class most expressed in the venoms in addition to being the toxins whose structural profile most changed, as illustrated by the ratio P-III/P-I class being higher in newborn venoms. Sexual dimorphism has been detected in various adult venom toxin classes by proteomic and transcriptomic analyses and, interestingly, the nerve growth factor was detected only in the male venom gland/venom. The glycoproteomic analysis showed that N-glycosylation seems to be the most prominent post-translational modification in B. jararaca toxins and the N-glycosylation profiles differed for newborn and adult venom toxins. Nevertheless, the N-glycan composition between the samples did not vary indicating that differences in the utilization of the N-glycosylation motif could be the explanation for the differences in the glycosylation levels indicated by the differential electrophoretic profiles of venom proteins. The analysis of the peptide fraction of newborn and adult venoms by mass spectrometry revealed a similar profile of Bradykinin Potentiating peptides (BPPs), however these were detected in the venoms showing their canonical sequences and also novel sequences corresponding to BPPs processed from their precursor protein at sites so far not described. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive study on a snake venom variation and the results clearly demonstrate a relationship between the ontogenetic shift in diet and animal size, and the venom proteome/peptidome in B. jararaca species

La symbiose entre les légumineuses et les Rhizobiacées est la source d’azote fixé la plus importante pour le bon fonctionnement des écosystèmes naturels et agricoles. Très étudiée chez des légumineuses modèles, certains aspects de cette interaction restent peu connus ; c’est le cas des mécanismes génétiques et fonctionnels qui contrôlent la spécificité hôte-symbiote. Il n’y a que peu d’études globales consacrées à ce phénomène, et les gènes symbiotiques sont très peu connus chez les espèces non-modèles. Dans ce contexte, nous avons étudié un cas de changement de spécificité symbiotique remarquable chez des espèces phylogénétiquement proches du genre Lupinus (Fabacées). Tout d’abord, la reconstruction et l’analyse de génomes chloroplastiques complets a permis de camper le cadre évolutif de la symbiose en générant de nouveaux marqueurs d’intérêt pour clarifier la phylogénie et l’évolution des lupins. A partir d’une expérimentation d’inoculation croisée impliquant trois espèces de lupins méditerranéens et deux souches compatibles et incompatibles de Bradyrhizobium, une approche RNA-Seq a permis de produire les premiers nodulomes de lupin et d’identifier les gènes symbiotiques. L’analyse des gènes différentiellement exprimés a montré que la spécificité symbiotique affecte non seulement la voie de signalisation et de régulation de la symbiose, mais également une diversité de voies métaboliques associées. Enfin, l’étude de la dynamique évolutive et fonctionnelle de quelques gènes a mis en évidence l’impact et l’importance des phénomènes de duplication aux différents niveaux de la cascade génétique symbiotique. / Legumes-Rhizobia symbiosis is the most important fixing nitrogen source for the good functioning of both natural and agricultural ecosystems. Although, it is extensively studied in model legumes, some aspects of this interaction remain unclear, such as the genetic and functional mechanisms controlling the host-symbiont specificity. Large scale studies of this process are scarce and symbiotic genes are not well described in non-model species. In this context, the effect of symbiotic specificity was investigated in phylogenetically close relative species belonging to the Lupinus genus (Fabaceae). First, the reconstruction and analysis of complete chloroplast genomes allowed us to generate new and useful markers for clarifying the Lupinus phylogeny in order to lighten the evolutionary context of the symbiosis. Following a cross-inoculation experiment of three Mediterranean lupine species with two compatible or incompatible Bradyrhizobium strains, a RNA-Seq approach allowed the reconstruction of the first lupine nodulomes and the identification of lupine symbiotic genes. The analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed that the symbiotic specificity affects not only the signalling and regulatory symbiotic pathways, but also diverse associated metabolic pathways. Finally, evaluating the evolutionary and functional dynamics of genes highlighted the importance of gene and genome duplication events at different steps of the symbiotic genetic pathway.

Les maladies cardiovasculaires (MCV) représentent la première cause de mortalité dans le Monde et en Europe. Le diagnostic et la prédiction de l’évolution des MCV reposent actuellement sur l’utilisation de biomarqueurs protéiques, mais doivent être améliorés pour optimiser la prise en charge des patients. Le transcriptome sanguin comprend l’ensemble des molécules ARN circulantes, qui sont présentes dans les cellules sanguines et libres dans le sang. Parmi elles, les ARN messagers (ARNm) codent pour des protéines alors que de petits ARN non codants, les microARNs (miARNs), répriment l’expression de leurs gènes cibles. Nous avons émis l’hypothèse que le transcriptome sanguin, et en particulier les ARNm et les miARNs, avaient un potentiel de biomarqueur, diagnostique ou pronostique, dans les MCV. En premier lieu, nous avons montré que l’héparine endogène pouvait induire une inhibition de la transcription inverse couplée à la PCR quantitative lors de la mesure des miARNs circulants et que ce paramètre devait être pris en compte lors de l’étude du transcriptome sanguin. Nous avons ensuite montré que 3 transcrits (codants pour les gènes LMNB1, LTBP4, TGFBR1) exprimés dans le sang total, étaient des prédicteurs indépendants de l’altération de la fonction cardiaque à 4 mois post-IM. De plus, l’ajout de ces 3 transcrits dans un modèle de prédiction contenant des variables cliniques augmente la valeur prédictive de ce modèle. Dans une troisième étude, nous avons montré que les niveaux circulants de miR-574-5p étaient capables de discriminer les patients porteurs d’un AAT des personnes saines. De plus, le miR-574-5p est encapsulé dans des vésicules extracellulaires dans le sang, suggérant un rôle paracrine. Au cours des quatrième et cinquième études, nous avons montré que les niveaux circulants de miR-122-5p étaient des prédicteurs indépendants de l’évolution neurologique et de la survie à moyen terme post-AC, et capable d’améliorer les modèles de prédiction existants. Nous avons également identifié le miR-574-5p comme prédicteur indépendant de l’évolution neurologique post-AC, spécifiquement chez les femmes. En conclusion, ce travail de thèse a permis la découverte ou la confirmation de la valeur de biomarqueurs potentiels de transcrits et miARNs dans différentes MCV. Cependant, leur capacité de biomarqueur devra être validée dans d’autres études à grande échelle et à l’aide d’autres techniques avant d’envisager leur utilisation en clinique / Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of mortality in the World and in Europe. Diagnosis and prediction of outcome of CVD currently rely on the use of protein biomarkers, but should be improved to optimize patient healthcare. Blood transcriptome contains all RNA molecules present in blood cells and in the acellular compartment. Among them, messenger RNA (mRNA) code for proteins whereas small non coding RNA, microRNA (miRNA), have a regulatory function by repressing the expression of their target genes. We hypothesized that blood transcriptome, mRNA and miRNA in particular, had a potential as biomarker, diagnostic or prognostic, in CVD. In a first study, we showed that endogenous heparin could lead to an inhibition of reverse transcription and quantitative PCR reaction used to measure miRNAs expressed in the blood, and that this parameter should be considered for studies on blood transcriptome. Secondly, we showed that 3 transcripts (coding for genes LMNB1, LTBP4, TGFBR1) expressed in whole blood, were independent predictors of cardiac function alteration at 4 months post-MI. Furthermore, the inclusion of these 3 transcripts in a prediction model containing clinical variables had an incremental predictive value. In a third study, we showed that circulating levels of miR-574-5p were able to discriminate patients with TAA from healthy controls. Furthermore, miR-574-5p was encapsulated in extracellular vesicles in the blood, suggesting a paracrine role. In the fourth and fifth studies, we showed that circulating levels of miR-122-5p were independent predictors of neurological outcome and survival at middle term post-CA, and were able to increase the prediction value of existing models. We also identified miR-574-5p as an independent predictor of neurological outcome post-CA, specifically in women. To conclude, this work allowed the discovery or the confirmation of the potential biomarker value of transcripts and miRNAs in different CVD. However, their biomarker value should be validated in other large scale studies and with other methods of measurement before foreseeing their clinical utilization

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Background: Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide and as a result is one of the most studied topics in public health. Breast cancer and prostate cancer are the most common cancers among women and men respectively. Gene expression and image features are independently prognostic of patient survival. However, it is sometimes difficult to discern how the molecular profile, e.g., gene expression, of given cells relate to their spatial layout, i.e., topology, in the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, with the advent of spatial transcriptomics (ST) and integrative bioinformatics analysis techniques, we are now able to better understand the TME of common cancers. Method: In this paper, we aim to determine the genes that are correlated with image topology features (ITFs) in common cancers which we denote topology associated genes (TAGs). To achieve this objective, we generate the correlation coefficient between genes and image features after identifying the optimal number of clusters for each of them. Applying this correlation matrix to heatmap using R package pheatmap to visualize the correlation between the two sets. The objective of this study is to identify common themes for the genes correlated with ITFs and we can pursue this using functional enrichment analysis. Moreover, we also find the similarity between gene clusters and some image features clusters using the ranking of correlation coefficient in order to identify, compare and contrast the TAGs across breast and prostate cancer ST slides. Result: The analysis shows that there are groups of gene ontology terms that are common within breast cancer, prostate cancer, and across both cancers. Notably, extracellular matrix (ECM) related terms appeared regularly in all ST slides. Conclusion: We identified TAGs in every ST slide regardless of cancer type. These TAGs were enriched for ontology terms that add context to the ITFs generated from ST cancer slides.