Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) have been used as stem cell markers in a variety of tissues, including the breast. However, it is currently unknown whether ALDH family members participate in normal mammary development or breast cancer. In this study, we set out to elucidate a role for one such protein, ALDH1A3, in mammary luminal cell differentiation and tumorigenesis. We have identified three ALDH1A3 splice variants in breast cell lines, raising the question of whether alternative splicing contributes to cancer development by altering ALDH1A3 activity. We also observed impaired cell motility and defective differentiation in normal breast cell lines cultured in the presence of diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB), a general inhibitor of ALDH activity, suggesting that certain ALDH family members are important for these processes. Based on preliminary in vitro experiments monitoring morphology of breast cell line acini formation and differentiation, doxycyclin-inducible lentiviral TRIPZ-shALDH1A3 pools did not show any obvious defects in differentiation. In addition to this finding, ALDH1A3 mRNA expression levels in primary breast tumour samples (n=39) did not significantly correlate with age, histological grade or hormone receptor status (p-value>0.05). Overall, the results of this study suggest that while ALDH1A3 itself may not be directly involved in breast morphogenesis or cancer formation, other ALDH family members function to facilitate differentiation and cell motility, processes which are important both for normal mammary gland development as well as cancer progression and metastasis. / Thesis (Master, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-26 13:59:08.166

La carnitine, un acide aminé crucial pour le transfert intracellulaire des acides gras chez les animaux et les micro-organismes, est présente chez les plantes mais son mode d'implication dans le métabolisme lipidique et dans le développement reste à déterminer. Afin d'étudier le rôle biologique de la carnitine chez Arabidopsis nous avons initié une recherche bioinformatique d'enzymes susceptibles de participer à sa synthèse dans le but d'obtenir des mutants à teneur réduite en carnitine. Des serines hydroxyméthyl transférases (SHMT), des thréonines aldolases (THA) et des aldéhydes déshydrogénases (ALDH) candidates ont été identifiées. Une recherche de mutants, soit caractérisés, soit dans les collections disponibles, ainsi qu'une approche de mutagénèse par micro-ARN artificiel ont été initiées. Ces mutants ont été étudiés sur le plan de leur teneur en carnitine, en précurseur y-butyrobétaïne, et en esters de carnitine. Les enzymes THA ne semblent pas impliquées dans la synthèse de la carnitine et si un mutant faible de SHMT1 présente une réduction de sa teneur, et de la y-butyrobétaïne, l'implication de cette protéine reste à démontrer. L'étude d'un mutant perte de fonction du gène ALDH10A8, et de mutants baisse de fonction du gène ALDH10A9, et une complémentation fonctionnelle de mutants de levure, nous ont permis de montrer que les enzymes ALDH10 sont impliquées dans la voie de biosynthèse de la carnitine en permettant la synthèse de la y-butyrobétaïne. Les mutants des protéines ALDH10, présentant des teneurs réduites en carnitine et en acyl-carnitine, sont désormais disponibles comme outil du rôle de la carnitine chez Arabidopsis. / Carnitine, a crucial amino acid for the intacellular transfer of fatty acids in animals and microorganisms, is present in plants but its mode of implication in lipid metabolism and development remains to be determined. In order to investigate the biological function of carnitine in Arabidopsis, we initiated a bioinformatic search for enzymes that could be involved in its synthesis in order to obtain mutants with a reduced carnitine content. Serine hydroxymethyl transferases (SHMT), threonine aldolase (THA) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) were identified as candidates. A search for mutants, either characterized or in available collections ans an amiRNA mutagenesis approach were carried out. In these mutants, the y-butyrobetaine as carnitine precursor, the carnitine, and carnitine esters were quantified. The THA enzymes do not appear to be involved in the carnitine synthesis and even if a weak mutant of SHMT1 has reduced contents of carnitine and y-butyrobetaine, the involvement of this protein remains to be demonstrated. A study of a knock-out mutant of the ALDH10A8 gene, of knock-down mutants of ALDH10A9 and a functional complementation of a C. albicans ALDH mutant, has confirmed the implication of ALDH10A8 and ALDH10A9 enzymes in the synthesis of y-butyrobetaine within the cartinine biosynthesis pathway. Mutants of the ALDH10 proteins, having significantly reduced carnitine and acyl-carnitine amounts, are now available as tools for studying the role of carnitine in Arabidopsis.

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No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Thallita Monteiro Teixeira - 2016.pdf: 2002902 bytes, checksum: 6b37cff3f40bb0248879b27757987f0d (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Alcoholism is a disease defined as a physical and / or mental condition, which characterized the need of the individual to ingest the substance constantly in order to experience its psychic effects or stop the withdrawal symptoms of the same. Heavy alcohol consumption brings many consequences for the health and quality of life by increasing the frequency of morbidity and mortality, causing several functional limitations. Worldwide, enormous resources are being invested in campaigns against alcohol abuse. WHO, for example, establishing a standard dose contains about 10 to 12 g of pure alcohol equivalent to a can of beer (350 mL) and draft (330 mL), a glass of wine (100ml), or distillate dose (30 mL). Some individuals metabolise alcohol better than others. The main ethanol elimination pathway occurs through oxidation of acetaldehyde to the same and then acid and water. These reactions are catalyzed by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). In this context, the scientific endeavor of this study to characterize the presence of polymorphisms of ADH and ALDH genes in alcohol users region of the state of Goiás, it is necessary to establish a possible correlation with alcoholism. This study was conducted in Goiás Alcoholics Recovery Center (GO CEREA) and Psychosocial Care Center Alcohol and Drugs (CAPS AD) both in Goiania. For the experiments, a sample of blood from each patient for DNA extraction was collected. Assays were performed by RT-PCR TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays system. Statistical analyzes were made through GENEPOP 4.5 and Haploview software. Significant differences were found for SNPs studied in the analysis “Case vs. Control” and “Female vs. Male”. Furthermore, binding was observed moderate linkage disequilibrium between the ADH1B*2 and ADH1C*2 SNPs and the presence of haplotype by segregation dependent thereof. These results therefore suggest that these genetic variants may be associated with protection or addiction to alcoholism in the population studied in the city of Goiania, GO, Brazil. / O alcoolismo é uma doença definida como um estado físico e/ou psíquico onde se caracteriza a necessidade do indivíduo de ingerir a substância constantemente, no intuito de sentir seus efeitos psíquicos ou fazer cessar os sintomas da abstinência da mesma. O consumo abusivo de álcool traz inúmeras consequências para a saúde e qualidade de vida, aumentando a frequência de morbimortalidade, causando diversas limitações funcionais.Em todo o mundo, enormes recursos estão sendo investidos em campanhas contra o abuso do álcool.A OMS, por exemplo, estabelece que uma dose padrão contenha aproximadamente de 10 a 12 g de álcool puro, o equivalente a uma lata de cerveja (350 mL), ou chope (330 mL), uma taça de vinho (100 mL), ou uma dose de destilado (30 mL). Alguns indivíduos metabolizam o álcool melhor que outros. A principal via de eliminação do etanol ocorre por meio de oxidação do mesmo à acetaldeído e posteriormente em ácido e água. Estas reações são catalisadas pelas enzimas Álcool desidrogenase (ADH) e Aldeído desidrogenase (ALDH). Neste contexto, o empenho científico deste estudo para caracterizar a presença de polimorfismos nos genes ADH e ALDH nos usuários de álcool da região do Estado de Goiás, faz-se necessário para se estabelecer uma possível correlação com o alcoolismo. Este estudo foi realizado no Centro de Recuperação de Alcoólatras de Goiás – regional Goiânia (CEREA GO) e no Centro de Atenção Psicossocial Álcool e Drogas (CAPS AD). Para a realização dos experimentos, foi coletado uma amostra de sangue de cada paciente para extração de DNA. Os ensaios foram realizados através da PCR em Tempo Real pelo sistema TaqMAn® SNP Genotyping Assays. As análises estatísticas foram feitas através dossoftware GENEPOP 4.5 e Haploview.Foram encontradas diferenças significativas para os SNPs estudados nas análises Caso versus Controle e Feminino versus Masculino. Além disso, foi observada ligação moderada de Linkage disequilibrium entre os SNPs ADH1B*2 e ADH1C*2 e a presença de haplótipos através da segregação dependente destes. Estes resultados sugerem, portanto, que estas variantes genéticas possam estar associadas à proteção ou dependência ao alcoolismo na população estudada na cidade de Goiânia, GO, Brasil.

The aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) superfamily is gaining momentum in regard to stem cell and cancer research. However, their regulation and expression in the cancer microenvironment is poorly understood. The aim of this work was to understand the role of selected ALDH isoforms (1A1, 1A2, 1A3, 1B1, 2, 3A1 and 7A1) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and explore the impact of hypoxia on their expression. CRC cell lines (HT29, DLD-1, SW480 and HCT116) were grown under normoxic or hypoxic conditions (0.1% O2) and HT29 and DLD-1 in spinner flasks to generate multicellular spheroids (MCS). Hypoxia was demonstrated to have an impact on the ALDH expression, which appeared cell-specific. Notably, ALDH7A1 was induced upon exposure to hypoxia in both HT29 and DLD-1 cells, shown to be expressed in the hypoxic region of the MCS variants and in 5/5 CRC xenografts (HT29, DLD-1, HCT116, SW620, and COLO205). ALDH7A1 siRNA knockdown studies in DLD-1 cells resulted in significant reduction of viable cells and significant increase in ROS levels, suggesting ALDH7A1 to possess antioxidant properties. These findings were further supported using isogenic H1299/RFP and H1299/ALDH7A1 lung cancer cell lines. ALDH7A1, however, was found not to be involved in inhibiting the pharmacological effect or causing resistance to different cytotoxic and molecularly targeted anticancer drugs. To unravel the functional role of ALDH7A1, 9 compounds obtained from a virtual screening of 24,000 compounds from the Maybridge collection of compounds were used to probe ALDH7A1 functional activity. One compound, HAN00316, was found to inhibit the antioxidant properties of ALDH7A1 and thus could be a good starting point for further chemical tool development. Although this study underpins a potential important role of ALDH7A1 in hypoxic CRC, further work is required to fully validate its potential as a biomarker and/or pharmacological target.

The aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) superfamily is gaining momentum in regard to stem cell and cancer research. However, their regulation and expression in the cancer microenvironment is poorly understood. The aim of this work was to understand the role of selected ALDH isoforms (1A1, 1A2, 1A3, 1B1, 2, 3A1 and 7A1) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and explore the impact of hypoxia on their expression. CRC cell lines (HT29, DLD-1, SW480 and HCT116) were grown under normoxic or hypoxic conditions (0.1% O2) and HT29 and DLD-1 in spinner flasks to generate multicellular spheroids (MCS). Hypoxia was demonstrated to have an impact on the ALDH expression, which appeared cell-specific. Notably, ALDH7A1 was induced upon exposure to hypoxia in both HT29 and DLD-1 cells, shown to be expressed in the hypoxic region of the MCS variants and in 5/5 CRC xenografts (HT29, DLD-1, HCT116, SW620, and COLO205). ALDH7A1 siRNA knockdown studies in DLD-1 cells resulted in significant reduction of viable cells and significant increase in ROS levels, suggesting ALDH7A1 to possess antioxidant properties. These findings were further supported using isogenic H1299/RFP and H1299/ALDH7A1 lung cancer cell lines. ALDH7A1, however, was found not to be involved in inhibiting the pharmacological effect or causing resistance to different cytotoxic and molecularly targeted anticancer drugs. To unravel the functional role of ALDH7A1, 9 compounds obtained from a virtual screening of 24,000 compounds from the Maybridge collection of compounds were used to probe ALDH7A1 functional activity. One compound, HAN00316, was found to inhibit the antioxidant properties of ALDH7A1 and thus could be a good starting point for further chemical tool development. Although this study underpins a potential important role of ALDH7A1 in hypoxic CRC, further work is required to fully validate its potential as a biomarker and/or pharmacological target. / Jordan University of Science and Technology

The full text will be available at the end of the extended embargo: 21st Feb 2026

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) remains an aggressive incurable disease in men mainly due to treatment resistance. Current treatments do not effectively eradicate cancer stem cells (CSCs), which play a pivotal role in tumour maintenance, progression and drug resistance. Aldehyde dehydrogenases (ALDHs) have been used in some tumour types as CSC markers. Their high expression and high functional activity found in CSCs is also associated with drug resistance. Emerging evidence suggests deregulation of certain ALDH isoforms have implications in cancer. The role of ALDHs in prostate cancer as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets has not been fully explored yet. Accordingly, this study investigated the expression, regulation and function of selected ALDH isoforms in prostate cancer. This study showed that ALDH1A3, ALDH1B1, ALDH2 and ALDH7A1 are highly expressed in primary prostate cancer cells (n=9) compared to benign (n=9) prostate cells. The expression of ALDH1A3 was high in the stem cells (SCs) (n=3) as well as the more differentiated counterparts (n=16). Treatment of both benign and malignant primary prostate cancer cells with all-trans retinoic acid (atRA) also resulted in increased expression of ALDH1A3 and ALDH3A1, supporting a feedback loop between atRA and ALDHs. Furthermore, SerBob, Bob and LNCaP cells were sensitive to treatment with epigenetic drugs and led to significantly higher expression of ALDH1A2, ALDH3A1 and ALDH7A1 respectively. Importantly, siRNA suppression of ALDH1A3 and ALDH7A1 led to reduced SC properties of primary prostate cultures including reduced cell viability, migration and colony formation, and increased differentiation of transit amplifying (TA) cells to committed basal (CB) cells. Novel ALDH-affinic probes showed reduced cell viability of primary prostate epithelial cultures as a single agent and also when used in combination with docetaxel. The results indicate the potential of using ALDH-affinic compounds as single agents for therapeutic intervention or in combination with docetaxel to sensitise resistant cells to this anticancer drug. The data in this thesis provides novel findings, which supports ALDH1A2, -1A3 and -7A1 as potential biomarkers and/or therapeutic targets for drug intervention. Although, a study analysing a larger number of samples is necessary to fully understand ALDH isoform expression in CSC, TA and CB cells it is envisaged that an ALDH-targeted therapy have potential in future treatment strategies for prostate cancer. / Prostate Cancer UK

A utilização das células progenitoras hematopoéticas (CPH) obtidas do sangue de cordão umbilical e placentário (SCUP) apresenta vários benefícios para o transplante de CPH em comparação às células provenientes de outras fontes. Dentre eles, a maior disponibilidade e a maior imaturidade imunológica das CPH, o que permite certa flexibilidade nos critérios de compatibilidade entre doador e receptor e uma menor taxa de reação do enxerto-versus-hospedeiro. A legislação brasileira e órgãos internacionais exigem a realização de vários testes para garantir a qualidade do produto hemoterápico contendo CPH a ser transplantado. O objetivo deste estudo foi confirmar que o teste para quantificação de CPH com elevada atividade da enzima ALDH1(ALDHbr) pode ser considerado um teste de adequado ou seja, é capaz de predizer quais produtos tem melhor capacidade de repopular a medula óssea do recipiente após o transplante. Para isso, foram utilizadas 40 unidades de SCUP coletadas e processadas pelo Banco de Sangue de Cordão Umbilical e Placentário do Cetebio / Fundação Hemominas. As unidades foram processadas por método automatizado e amostras do creme leucocitário (buffy coat) foram coletadas para a realização da quantificação de células ALDHbr, quantificação de células CD34+, ensaio clonogênico (CFU), hemograma e cálculo do total de células nucleadas (TCN). A citometria de fluxo foi utilizada para a quantificação das CPH ALDHbr e CD34+ e das subpopulações CD45dim e CD38+. Outras informações como idade materna, idade gestacional e sexo do recém-nascido também foram coletadas para descrição das unidades. Para verificar a viabilidade da utilização do teste de ALDH pelos BSCUP foi realizado o levantamento do seu custo. A capacidade funcional das CPH em proliferar e se diferenciar em tecido hematopoético foi avaliada por meio do ensaio clonogênico. Detectou-se correlação entre a quantidade de células ALDHbr e o número de colônias no ensaio clonogênico (p<0,001), entre o número de células ALDHbr e de células CD34+ (p=0,001) e entre o número de colônias no ensaio clonogênico e o número de células CD34+ (p<0,001). A imunofenotipagem mostrou que 46,25% das células ALDHbr eram CD45dimCD38+CD34+. Os dados sugerem que a quantificação de células ALDHbr em unidades de SCUP pode ser considerada teste adequado, de baixo custo, de execução simples, rápida e menos dependente do operador em relação ao ensaio clonogênico. / The use of the umbilical cord blood cells presents numberless benefits when compared to the cells from different sources. Among them, the ease of availability, the bigger immunological immaturity, which allows some flexibility in the compatibility between donor and receptor and less induction of reaction of graft-versus-host. The Brazilian legislation and international organizations demand the practice of various tests to guarantee the quality of the product to be transplanted. The aim of this research was to confirm that the test used to quantify ALDHbr cells can be considered a power test, meaning that it tests the ability to repopulate the bone marrow after transplant. For this study, it has been used 40 units of SCUP collected and processed by the Cetebio Umbilical Cord Blood Bank - Fundação Hemominas. The units were processed by the automatized method and the samples of the final product (buffy coat) were collected for the quantification of ALDHbr cells, quantification of CD34+ cells, clonogenic essay (CFU), hemogram and the total number of nucleated cells (TNC). It was used the flow cytometry to perform ALDH and CD34+ tests. Besides that, it was also performed the association of antibodies anti-CD34, anti-CD45 and anti-CD38 for the immunophenotyping of the units. Other information such as maternal age, fertilization age and the newborn gender were also collected for description of the units. In order to verify the viability of the use of the ALDH test by BSCUP its costs were calculated, as well as of the clonogenic essay. The results showed a significant correlation between ALDHbr cells and the clonogenic essay (p<0.001), between ALDHbr and CD34+ cells (p=0,001) and between the clonogenic essay and the quantification of CD34+ cells (p<0,001). The immunophenotyping revealed that 46,25% of ALDHbr cells were CD45dimCD38+CD34+. The data indicated that the quantification of ALDHbr cells in the SCUP units can be considered a powerful and low cost procedure, of easier and quicker execution and less operator dependent.

A utilização das células progenitoras hematopoéticas (CPH) obtidas do sangue de cordão umbilical e placentário (SCUP) apresenta vários benefícios para o transplante de CPH em comparação às células provenientes de outras fontes. Dentre eles, a maior disponibilidade e a maior imaturidade imunológica das CPH, o que permite certa flexibilidade nos critérios de compatibilidade entre doador e receptor e uma menor taxa de reação do enxerto-versus-hospedeiro. A legislação brasileira e órgãos internacionais exigem a realização de vários testes para garantir a qualidade do produto hemoterápico contendo CPH a ser transplantado. O objetivo deste estudo foi confirmar que o teste para quantificação de CPH com elevada atividade da enzima ALDH1(ALDHbr) pode ser considerado um teste de adequado ou seja, é capaz de predizer quais produtos tem melhor capacidade de repopular a medula óssea do recipiente após o transplante. Para isso, foram utilizadas 40 unidades de SCUP coletadas e processadas pelo Banco de Sangue de Cordão Umbilical e Placentário do Cetebio / Fundação Hemominas. As unidades foram processadas por método automatizado e amostras do creme leucocitário (buffy coat) foram coletadas para a realização da quantificação de células ALDHbr, quantificação de células CD34+, ensaio clonogênico (CFU), hemograma e cálculo do total de células nucleadas (TCN). A citometria de fluxo foi utilizada para a quantificação das CPH ALDHbr e CD34+ e das subpopulações CD45dim e CD38+. Outras informações como idade materna, idade gestacional e sexo do recém-nascido também foram coletadas para descrição das unidades. Para verificar a viabilidade da utilização do teste de ALDH pelos BSCUP foi realizado o levantamento do seu custo. A capacidade funcional das CPH em proliferar e se diferenciar em tecido hematopoético foi avaliada por meio do ensaio clonogênico. Detectou-se correlação entre a quantidade de células ALDHbr e o número de colônias no ensaio clonogênico (p<0,001), entre o número de células ALDHbr e de células CD34+ (p=0,001) e entre o número de colônias no ensaio clonogênico e o número de células CD34+ (p<0,001). A imunofenotipagem mostrou que 46,25% das células ALDHbr eram CD45dimCD38+CD34+. Os dados sugerem que a quantificação de células ALDHbr em unidades de SCUP pode ser considerada teste adequado, de baixo custo, de execução simples, rápida e menos dependente do operador em relação ao ensaio clonogênico. / The use of the umbilical cord blood cells presents numberless benefits when compared to the cells from different sources. Among them, the ease of availability, the bigger immunological immaturity, which allows some flexibility in the compatibility between donor and receptor and less induction of reaction of graft-versus-host. The Brazilian legislation and international organizations demand the practice of various tests to guarantee the quality of the product to be transplanted. The aim of this research was to confirm that the test used to quantify ALDHbr cells can be considered a power test, meaning that it tests the ability to repopulate the bone marrow after transplant. For this study, it has been used 40 units of SCUP collected and processed by the Cetebio Umbilical Cord Blood Bank - Fundação Hemominas. The units were processed by the automatized method and the samples of the final product (buffy coat) were collected for the quantification of ALDHbr cells, quantification of CD34+ cells, clonogenic essay (CFU), hemogram and the total number of nucleated cells (TNC). It was used the flow cytometry to perform ALDH and CD34+ tests. Besides that, it was also performed the association of antibodies anti-CD34, anti-CD45 and anti-CD38 for the immunophenotyping of the units. Other information such as maternal age, fertilization age and the newborn gender were also collected for description of the units. In order to verify the viability of the use of the ALDH test by BSCUP its costs were calculated, as well as of the clonogenic essay. The results showed a significant correlation between ALDHbr cells and the clonogenic essay (p<0.001), between ALDHbr and CD34+ cells (p=0,001) and between the clonogenic essay and the quantification of CD34+ cells (p<0,001). The immunophenotyping revealed that 46,25% of ALDHbr cells were CD45dimCD38+CD34+. The data indicated that the quantification of ALDHbr cells in the SCUP units can be considered a powerful and low cost procedure, of easier and quicker execution and less operator dependent.

Il est généralement admis que le cancer du sein représente un ensemble de plusieurs maladies, définies comme des sous-types ayant des caractéristiques moléculaires et cliniques qui leurs sont propres. Une meilleure compréhension des mécanismes qui sous-tendent l'hétérogénéité du cancer du sein est essentielle au développement de thérapies mieux ajustées. Le concept de cellules souches cancéreuses (CSC) pourrait être un des clés de cette compréhension. A ce jour, un certain nombre de marqueurs ont été proposés pour isoler et caractériser les cellules souches dans le cancer du sein, mais aucun ne semble totalement satisfaisant.Le but de mon travail était de déterminer un marqueur ou une combinaison de marqueurs avec lesquels les fractions enrichies en CSC pourraient être isolées de manière reproductible dans le cancer du sein de sous-types basal (BLBC). En effet, les tumeurs basales représentent 15% de toutes les tumeurs mammaires, mais constituent le sous-type le plus agressif. À cet effet, j'ai analysé un certain nombre de marqueurs par analyse FACS et tri cellulaire et utilisé la capacité de formation de mammosphères (MS) comme critère de validation pour la présence de CSC. Les lignées cellulaires utilisées comme modèles étaient les SUM 159, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-436, HCC1143, MDA-MB-468, Hs578T et BT-549 correspondant aux modèles basal-A et B. J'ai également testé trois lignées luminales les MCF7, T47D et BT474.De tous les marqueurs testés, seules, la combinaison des protéines de surface cellulaire CD44/CD24/EpCAM et l’activité enzymatique ALDH élevée ont permis d’obtenir un enrichissement significatif en CSC. Toutefois, le niveau de l'activité ALDH est apparu inconstant d’une lignée cellulaire à une autre et selon le type de tumeurs. D'autres marqueurs membranaires ont donné des résultats mitigés dans le cancer du sein ER-. En effet, la plupart des lignées basales ont montré des profils FACS assez homogènes avec des proportions élevées de cellules CD44+. Cependant, l'association de la positivité de CD44 avec l'EMT et la souchitude, ainsi que la bonne corrélation observée dans les modèles luminaux de la population de cellules CD44+/CD24- avec l’enrichissement en CSC, nous a incité à déterminer si le niveau d'expression en CD44 faisait une différence dans les tumeurs basales. Sur cette base, j’ai montré que les cellules CD44 high présentent une forte capacité à former des MS dans toutes les lignées cellulaires testées. Cette constatation nous a incités à utiliser CD44high vs. CD44low comme critère de tri cellulaire et à utiliser ces fractions pour effectuer une analyse du transcriptome afin d'identifier d'autres marqueurs non encore déterminés, pouvant isoler des fractions cellulaires plus faibles avec un enrichissement plus élevé en CSC. / It is now accepted that breast cancer is a compendium of several diseases defined as subtypesthat are associated with different clinical outcomes and molecular characteristics. A betterunderstanding of the mechanisms underlying breast cancer heterogeneity is critical to the development of better adjusted therapies. One of the keys to breast cancer heterogeneity may be explained by cancer stem cells (CSC). A number of markers have been proposed to isolate and characterize breast cancer stem cells, but none appears totally satisfactory.The purpose of my work was determine a marker or combination of markers with which CSC enriched fractions could be reproducibly isolated in basal like breast cancer (BLBC). BLBC represent 15% of all breast tumors, but are the most aggressive subtype. To this aim, I have analyzed a number of markers by FACS analysis and cell sorting and used the capacity to form mammospheres (MS) as a validation criterion for the presence of CSCs. The cell lines used as models were SUM 159, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-436, HCC1143, MDA-MB-468, Hs578T and BT-549 comprising both Basal A and Basal B models. I also tested three luminal models MCF7, T47D and BT474.Of all the markers tested those that most consistently allowed enrichment of CSCs were the combination of cell surface proteins CD44/CD24/EpCAM and elevated ALDH enzyme activity. However, ALDH activity appeared irregular, ranging from good to inconsistent according to the cell line. Other cell surface markers gave mixed results in ER- breast cancer because the elevated fraction of CD44+ cells found in most of basal breast cancer cell lines and their propensity to show rather homogenous FACS labeling patterns. However, the association of CD44 positivity with EMT and stemness, as well as the good correlation, we observed in luminal models, of CD44+/CD24- cell population with CSC enrichment incited us to determine whether the level of expression of CD44 could make a difference in basal like models. I show that CD44high cells present higher capacity to form MS in all cell line models tested. This prompted us to use CD44high vs. CD44low as a cell sorting criterion and use these fractions to perform transcriptome analysis in order to identify other markers yet not determined, that may point to smaller cell fractions with a higher CSC enrichment.