L'intégrase (IN) est une protéine clé du cycle de réplication des rétrovirus et constitue une cible thérapeutique importante. Nous avons découvert par cristallographie aux rayons X, une nouvelle possibilité d'assemblage dimérique du domaine central catalytique de l'intégrase du Rous associated virus type I (RAV-1 IN). Dans le cadre de mon travail de thèse, un protocole de surproduction et de purification d'un mutant du domaine catalytique isolé (H103C) a été optimisé, afin de démontrer l'existence de cet assemblage en solution grâce à un pont disulfure inter-moléculaire. Différentes méthodes ont été mises au point, afin de tester la ca pacité de petites molécules d'intérêt à se lier et à stabiliser ce "nouvel" assemblage. Un protocole de surproduction et de purification de l'IN entière du RAV-1 a également été développé et mis au point. Des études structurales ont été réalisées. Un mutant H103C de la protéine entière a été produit, afin de vérifier la formation de la "nouvelle" interface sur la protéine entière. Le microorganisme Geobacillus stearothermophilus produit deux ɑ-galactosidases, AgaA et AgaB, qui appartiennent à la famille GH36 des glycosides hydrolases. Ces deux isoenzymes partagent 97 % d'identité de séquence, mais ont des activités catalytiques différentes. Les structures cristallines d'AgaA et AgaB ont été résolues ainsi que la structures du mutant AgaA et AgaB ont été résolues ainsi que la structure du mutant AgaA A355E, qui présente des caractéristiques enzymatiques similaires de AgaB. L'analyse de ces trois structures montre que la substitution A355E entraîne un déplacement significatif du tryptophane du sous-site catalytiques -1. Ce mouvement peut expliquer les spécificités catalytiques des deux isoenzymes. / Integrase (IN) is a key protein in the retrovirus life cycle and constitutes an important therapeutic target for the development of antiretroviral compounds. This enzyme is involved in the early phase of theretroviral replication cycle and catalyses the retrotranscribed viral DNA integration into the host cell genome.The teams of BioCrystallography and Retrovirology of Lyon Gerland demonstrated by X ray crystallography, the existence of a new dimeric assembly of the central catalytic domain (CCD) of Rous Associated Virus type 1integrase or RAV 1 IN. As part of my thesis work, a protocol of overproduction and purification of the H103Cisolated catalytic domain mutant was developed to demonstrate the existence of this dimeric assembly insolution stabilized by an inter molecular disulfide bond. Biochemical and biophysical methods were developed to test the ability of small molecules of interest to bind and stabilize this "new" assembly. A protocol ofoverproduction and purification of full length RAV1 integrase was developed. Crystallization trials and SAXSstudies were undertaken. The H103C mutant of the entire protein was produced to verify the formation of the"new" interface on the full length protein.The microorganism Geobacillus stearothermophilus produces two thermostable ɑ-galactosidases named AgaA and AgaB, which belong to theGH36 glycoside hydrolase family. These two isoenzymes share97% sequence identity, but have different catalytic properties. A collaborative study was initiated with theInstitute of Industrial Genetics, University of Stuttgart (Germany),to better understand the catalytic specificity of these two isoenzymes. The crystal structures of AgaA and AgaB were solved in two different crystal systems.The crystal structure of the mutant AgaA A355E, which has catalytic properties similar of those of AgaB, wasalso determined. These three structures show that the A355E substitution results in a signifiant displacement of the W336 tryptophan residue from the catalytic subsite -1. This could explain the catalytic specificities of the two isoenzymes

PhD. (Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / South Africa utilises more antiretroviral (ARV) compounds per capita than any other nation in the fight against Human Immune Deficiency Virus (HIV) or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Considering the main entrance pathways of antiviral drugs into the urban water cycle, excretions via urine or faeces from treated individuals play a dominant role. Due to the limited efficiency of conventional biological treatment (activated sludge), ARVs were detected in South African wastewater treatment plant effluents and surface waters. This poses a threat to aquatic environments due to the toxicity of ARVs and can be a potential contributor to ARV resistance due to persistent low level ARV exposure in the general population. This study investigated the efficacy of a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) for ctybtri8nthe elimination of five ARV compounds i.e., tenofovir, emtricitabine, nevirapine, ritonavir and efavirenz from synthetic wastewater. Furthermore, the study also looked at the shift in microbial community compositions of biofilms in the MBBR due to exposure to the ARV compounds. Lastly, the ecotoxicity of the MBBR’s influent and effluent along with the actual ARV compounds were examined. The capacity of ARV degradation by the MBBR was investigated by spiking synthetic wastewater influent with 10 μg/L of five ARV compounds. Actual removal during treatment was assessed by sampling the inlets and outlets of the reactor. A targeted solid phase extraction method with Ultra High Pressure Liquid Chromatography coupled to quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was used to quantify the five ARV compounds. Microbial diversity (alpha-diversity) of seeded sludge from a full-scale municipal WWTP and biofilm samples from a laboratory scale MBBR system during pre- and post-introduction of ARV compounds was investigated by Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Ecological toxicity of the MBBR’s influent and effluent along with the five ARV compounds was determined using the Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna and Selenastrum capricornutum toxicity test kits and measured as EC50. After MBBR treatment; Nevirapine, Tenofovir, Efavirenz, Ritonavir and Emtricitabine all showed marked reduction in concentration between the influent and effluent of the MBBR. On average, the percentage removed for Nevirapine, Tenofovir, Efavirenz, Ritonavir and Emtricitabine was 62.31%, 74.18%, 93.62%, 94.18% and 94.87% respectively. Microbial diversity results demonstrated that the introduction of antiretroviral drugs affects the bacterial community composition and diversity considerably. For instance, Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira and Alicycliphilus were found to be higher in post introduction of ARV compounds biofilm samples than in biofilm samples before the introduction of ARV compounds. The EC50 for Tenofovir, Emtricitabine, Nevirapine, Ritonavir and Efavirenz were 82.5, 41.7, 39.3, 60.3 and 0.21 mg/L respectively for S. capricornutum; 81.3, 50.7, 49, 87.1 and 0.43 mg/L respectively for D. magna; and 73.5, 55.1, 41.3, 83.6 and 0.55 mg/L respectively for V. fischeri. The EC50 of the influent and effluent were found to be above 100% concentration, therefore they could not be specifically determined. The ecotoxicity results show that ARV compounds are potentially toxic to the environment, with efavirenz being more toxic than the other four ARV compounds tested. Since there were no toxic effects observed from the effluent, it can be assumed that mineralisation has occurred, or the transformation products are of less or equal toxicity to the influent (because the influent did not show any toxic effects to the model organisms tested).