Atualmente no Brasil mais da metade da população adulta tem excesso de peso e 21% estão obesos. A obesidade é uma doença que se encontra em evidente crescimento, sendo considerada a epidemia do século XXI. Como alternativa de tratamento e prevenção, o uso de ácidos graxos que possuem habilidade de induzir a expressão de genes com importante papel em modulações metabólicas e mitocondriais têm sido estudados. O ácido linoleico conjugado (CLA, 18:2) é da família ômega-6, descrito por sua propriedade antiobesidade relacionada à diminuição da adiposidade e ao aumento do metabolismo corporal. O óleo de peixe (OP) é uma mistura de ácidos graxos poli-insaturados eicosapentaenóico (EPA, 20:5) e docosahexaenóico (DHA, 22:6) da família ômega-3, conhecido por aumentar a sensibilidade à insulina, o colesterol-HDL, pelas suas propriedades antiinflamatórias e sua ação protetora sobre o sistema nervoso. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar os efeitos da suplementação da dieta de camundongos C57BL6 com CLA em conjunto com OP durante 60 dias sobre aspectos bioquímicos, moleculares e fisiológicos do metabolismo mitocondrial e corporal. Verificamos que a suplementação da dieta com CLA e OP in vivo: aumenta o metabolismo corporal, efeito atribuído à ambos os óleos; prejudica o metabolismo da glicose circulante, proporcionado exclusivamente pelo CLA; reduz o nível de movimentação, proporcionado exclusivamente pelo OP. No fígado: aumenta a expressão de UCP2, a atividade de proteínas desacopladoras e a ?- oxidação, efeito atribuído à ambos os óleos; aumenta o número de mitocôndrias, proporcionado exclusivamente pelo OP. CLA aumenta a produção de espécies reativas de O2 (EROs) a qual é revertida pelo OP em conjunto. No músculo sóleo: aumenta a biogênese mitocondrial via PGC- 1? e a expressão de UCP2, proporcionados pelo OP. Por fim, no hipocampo: aumenta o número de mitocôndrias, estimulo dado por ambos os óleos; aumenta a atividade desacopladora e reduz a produção de EROs, proporcionados exclusivamente pelo CLA. Concluímos que na suplementação conjunta os efeitos do OP são predominantes nos metabolismos corporal, hepático e muscular, e na movimentação corporal, enquanto que o efeito predominante do CLA é a diminuição na sensibilidade à insulina. Já no cérebro, o OP potencializa os efeitos do CLA. / Currently in Brazil more than a half of adult population has overweight, and 21% are obese. This evident growing disease is considered the 21th century\'s epidemy. Some fatty acids have been considered an alternative treatment and prevention strategy for obesity due to their ability to stimulate gene expression with important role in cellular and mitochondrial metabolisms. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA, 18:2) from omega-6 family, with anti-obesity properties related to diminution of adiposity and increments in body metabolism. The fish oil (FO) is a mixture of the poli-unsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic (EPA, 20:5) and docosahexaenoic (DHA, 22:6) from omega-3 family, known for improving insulin sensibility and HDL-cholesterol, anti-inflammatory properties and protective action over the central nervous system. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of dietary supplementation of CLA in conjunction with FO during 60 days over biochemical, molecular and physiological aspects of mitochondrial and body metabolism in C57BL6 mice. Diet supplementation with CLA and FO in vivo: raise body metabolism, an effect attributed to both oils; affect glucose metabolism, exclusively proportionate by CLA; diminish the level of mice movement, exclusively proportionate by FO. In liver: increase UCP2 expression, uncoupling proteins activity and ?-oxidation, stimulated by both oils; increase mitochondrial density, exclusively proportionate by FO. CLA also raises the reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which is reversed by FO in conjunction. In soleus muscle: increase mitochondrial biogenesis through PGC-1? and the UCP2 expression, exclusively proportionate by FO. Lastly, in hippocampus: increase mitochondrial density, stimulated by both oils; stimulate uncoupling activity and diminish ROS production, exclusively proportionate by CLA. In conclusion, in the dietary supplementation with CLA and FO in conjunction the FO effects are prevalent in metabolisms of body, liver and muscle, and in body movement, while the CLA effects are prevalent in decreasing insulin sensitivity. However in the brain, the FO potentiates the effects of CLA.

L’identité des cellules souches et des progéniteurs neuraux, comme celle de tout type cellulaire, est caractérisée par des signatures moléculaires spécifiques qui dépendent de l’environnement dans lesquelles les cellules se trouvent. Ainsi, il est primordial d’étudier ces cellules dans un contexte in vivo. Le toit optique du poisson zèbre est un modèle idéal pour ce type d’étude. En effet, c’est une large partie du cerveau moyen localisée en position dorsale et qui présente la particularité de croitre de manière orientée tout au long de la vie de l’animal grâce aux cellules neuroépitheliales présentes à sa périphérie (dans la « peripheral midbrain layer », PML). De plus, les progéniteurs neuroépithéliaux, les progéniteurs lents et les cellules post-mitotiques sont localisées dans des domaines adjacents du toit, conséquence de sa croissance orientée. Chaque population cellulaire est marquée par des profils d’expression particuliers. Ainsi, une recherche dans la base de données ZFIN nous a permis d’identifier environ 50 gènes ayant une forte expression dans les cellules de la PML (progéniteurs neuroépithéliaux). De façon intéressante, beaucoup de « gènes PML » codent pour des facteurs de la biogenèse des ribosomes. L’accumulation de ce type de transcrits dans les progéniteurs lents était surprenante. Ainsi, au cours de mon doctorat, j’ai étudié le rôle spécifique des facteurs de la biogenèse des ribosomes dans le maintien des cellules neuroepithéliales de la PML. En effet, bien qu’il soit généralement admis que la biogenèse des ribosomes est un processus essentiel dans toutes les cellules, il a été récemment démontré que plusieurs facteurs nécessaires à la synthèse des ribosomes ont un rôle tissu-spécifique. Par exemple, Notchless est requis pour la survie de la masse cellulaire interne de l’embryon préimplantatoire de souris. Récemment, des expériences de knock-out conditionnel chez la souris ont montré que Notchless était nécessaire au maintien des cellules souches hématopoïétiques et intestinales, mais pas à celui des cellules différenciées. En effet, en absence de Notchless dans les cellules souches, la grosse sous-unité ribosomique (60S) ne peut pas être exportée hors du noyau et s’accumule. Au contraire, dans les cellules différenciées, où Notchless n’est pas indispensable, cette accumulation n’est pas observée. J’ai commencé une étude fonctionnelle basée sur la surexpression conditionnelle de la forme dominante-négative du gène notchless homolog 1 (nle1, homologue poisson zèbre du gène Notchless mammifère). Selon mon hypothèse, les progéniteurs lents de la PML (Slow amplifying progenitors, SAPs) pourraient avoir besoin de Notchless pour la maturation de la sous-unité 60S, contrairement aux cellules différenciées qui pourraient survivre après la délétion de ce gène. Des expériences sont encore en cours, mais nous avons déjà pu démontrer que nle1 joue un rôle crucial dans la survie des progénitéurs neuroépithéliaux de la PML. En parallèle, j’ai étudié des lignées de poisson-zèbre mutantes pour des gènes codants pour des composants du complexe de snoRNP (box C/D small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein : Fibrillarine, Nop56, Nop58). Les trois mutants présentent des phénotypes similaires, en particulier une apoptose massive et une dérégulation du cycle cellulaire dans l’ensemble du toit optique à 48 heures de développement. Étonnamment, ces résultats sont en faveur d’un arrêt du cycle cellulaire à la transition G2/M. Ainsi, cette étude pourrait permettre de mettre en évidence de nouveaux mécanismes d’arrêt du cycle cellulaire lors de défauts de biogenèse des ribosomes. L’ensemble de ces résultats montrent comment les facteurs de la biogenèse des ribosomes (tout comme le processus) contribue à la régulation fine de l’homéostasie cellulaire, et donc à la détermination de l’identité des cellules progénitrices. / In neural stem cells (NSCs) and neural progenitors (NPs), as in other cell types, cell identity is characterized by specific molecular signatures that depend on the environment provided by neighboring cells. Thus, it is important to study progenitor cells in vivo. The zebrafish optic tectum (OT) is a suitable model for that purpose. Indeed, this large structure of the dorsal midbrain displays life-long oriented growth supported by neuroepithelial cells present at its periphery (in the peripheral midbrain layer, PML). Moreover, neuroepithelial progenitors, fast-amplifying progenitors and post-mitotic cells are found in adjacent domains of the OT, as a consequence of its oriented growth. Each cell population is marked by concentric gene expression patterns. Interestingly, a datamining of the ZFIN gene expression database allowed us to identify around 50 genes displaying biased expression in PML cells (neuroepithelial progenitors). Interestingly, many “PML genes” code for ribosome biogenesis factors. The accumulation of transcripts for such ubiquitously expressed genes in SAPs was very surprising so during my thesis I examined whether ribosome biogenesis may have specific roles in these neuroepithelial cells, while improving our knowledge. Indeed, although it is generally admitted that ribosome biogenesis is essential in all cells, it has been shown quite recently that several components of the ribosome biogenesis have tissue restricted roles. For example, Notchless is required for the survival of the inner cell mass in the preimplantation mouse embryo. More recently, conditional knock-out experiments in mice showed that Notchless is necessary for the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells and intestinal stem cells, but not for committed progenitors and differentiated cells. Indeed in the absence of Notchless in stem cells, the immature 60S subunit cannot be exported from the nucleus and accumulates. This does not happen in differentiated cells where Notchless is dispensable. I started a functional study based on the conditional overexpression of a dominant-negative form of the gene notchless homolog 1 (nle1, the zebrafish homolog of the mammalian gene Notchless). My hypothesis was that the PML slow-amplifying progenitors (SAPs) may require Notchless for the maturation of the 60S subunit, but not the differentiated cells which could survive also after the deletion of this gene. Experiments are still underway. So far we could demonstrate that nle1 has a crucial role in SAPs. I studied zebrafish mutants for genes coding for the components of the box C/D small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein (snoRNP) complex (Fibrillarin, Nop56, Nop58). Mutants displayed a similar phenotype with massive apoptosis and a deregulation of the cell cycle in the whole tectum at 48hpf. Our data suggest a cell cycle arrest at the G2/M transition, highlighting novel possible mechanisms of cell cycle arrest upon impaired ribosome biogenesis. All together, these data highlight how ribosome biogenesis factors and the whole ribosome biogenesis contribute to the fine regulation of cell homeostasis thereby contributing to the determination of progenitor cell identity.

La maladie de Parkinson (MP) est caractérisée par une dégénérescence des neurones dopaminergiques de la substance noire. Elle est le plus souvent sporadique mais des formes familiales monogéniques existent, notamment dues à des mutations de PARK2 et de PINK1. Ces gènes codent pour l'ubiquitine-protéine ligase cytosolique Parkine et la sérine/thréonine kinase mitochondriale PINK1, deux acteurs majeurs du contrôle de qualité mitochondrial. Ce travail étudie le rôle de leur interaction au niveau de la membrane mitochondriale externe dans la régulation de l'homéostasie mitochondriale.Nous avons montré que l'association de PINK1 et Parkine au complexe d'import mitochondrial TOM lors d'un stress mitochondrial permet l'import de la grande majorité des protéines adressées à la mitochondrie ; que déstabiliser ce complexe suffit à initier la mitophagie ; et que l'activation de Parkine par PINK1 facilite l'import de son substrat HSD17?10. Nous avons développé un biosenseur moléculaire inductible, permettant d'étudier la voie d'import classique des protéines à pré-séquence. Nous avons également montré, dans un modèle neuronal, qu'un stress mitochondrial, en présence de Parkine, induit une forte augmentation de l'expression de gènes clés de la biogenèse mitochondriale ; et que ces gènes sont up-régulés de façon basale dans les neurones PARK2-/-, indiquant une possible altération de la réponse aigüe au stress.Ces résultats approfondissent notre connaissance de la physiopathologie des formes autosomiques récessives de MP en soulignant l'importance de la voie PINK1/Parkine dans l'import et la biogenèse mitochondriaux. / Parkinson’s disease (PD) is linked to a specific loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substancia nigra. The disease is most often sporadic but familial monogenic forms exist, for example due to mutations in PARK2 or PINK1. Those genes encore the cytosolic ubiquitin-protein ligase Parkin and the mitochondrial serine/threonine kinase PINK1, both essential for mitochondrial quality control. This work studies the role of their interaction at the outer mitochondrial membrane in the regulation of mitochondrial homeostasis. We found that the association of PINK1 and Parkin to the mitochondrial import TOM complex during mitochondrial stress induces the import of most proteins targeted to mitochondria; that destabilizing this complex is sufficient to initiate mitophagy; and that Parkin activation by PINK1 facilitates the import of its substrate, HSD17β10. We developed an inducible BRET-based molecular biosensor to study the classical pre-sequence import pathway. We also found, in a neuronal model, that mitochondrial stress induced a strong increase in the expression of mitochondrial biogenesis key genes, in the presence of Parkin; and that these genes are basally up-regulated in PARK2-/- neurons, possibly reflecting an alteration of acute stress response. These results increase our understanding of the pathophysiology of autosomal recessive forms of PD, underlining the importance of the PINK1/Parkin pathway in mitochondrial import and biogenesis.

Adult skeletal muscle is highly plastic and responds readily to environmental stimuli. One of the most commonly utilized methods to study skeletal muscle adaptations is immunofluorescence microscopy. By analyzing images of adult muscle cells, also known as myofibers, one can quantify changes in skeletal muscle structure and function (e.g. hypertrophy and fiber type). Skeletal muscle samples are typically cut in transverse or cross sections, and antibodies against sarcolemmal or basal lamina proteins are used to label the myofiber boundaries. The quantification of hundreds to thousands of myofibers per sample is accomplished either manually or semi-automatically using generalized pathology software, and such approaches become exceedingly tedious. In the first study, I developed MyoVision, a robust, fully automated software that is dedicated to skeletal muscle immunohistological image analysis. The software has been made freely available to muscle biologists to alleviate the burden of routine image analyses. To date, more than 60 technicians, students, postdoctoral fellows, faculty members, and others have requested this software. Using MyoVision, I was able to accurately quantify the effects of β-catenin knockout on myofiber hypertrophy. In the second study, I tested the hypothesis that myofiber hypertrophy requires β-catenin to activate c-myc transcription and promote ribosome biogenesis. Recent evidence in both mice and human suggests a close association between ribosome biogenesis and skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Using an inducible mouse model of skeletal myofiber-specific genetic knockout, I obtained evidence that β-catenin is important for myofiber hypertrophy, although its role in ribosome biogenesis appears to be dispensable for mechanical overload induced muscle growth. Instead, β-catenin may be necessary for promoting the translation of growth related genes through activation of ribosomal protein S6. Unexpectedly, we detected a novel, enhancing effect of myofiber β-catenin knockout on the resident muscle stem cells, or satellite cells. In the absence of myofiber β-catenin, satellite cells activate and proliferate earlier in response to mechanical overload. Consistent with the role of satellite cells in muscle repair, the enhanced recruitment of satellite cells led to a significantly improved regeneration response after chemical injury. The novelty of these findings resides in the fact that the genetic perturbation was extrinsic to the satellite cells, and this is even more surprising because the current literature focuses heavily on intrinsic mechanisms within satellite cells. As such, this model of myofiber β-catenin knockout may significantly contribute to better understanding of the mechanisms of satellite cell priming, with implications for regenerative medicine.

In oxygenic phototrophs, the photosynthetic machinery is located in thylakoid membrane (TM), a specialized endogenous membrane system. How TM are synthesized remains however mostly unknown. The aim of this thesis was to clarify a link between the synthesis of chlorophyll (Chl)-binding proteins, the main protein component of TM, and the formation of TM system in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803. During the project, the analysis of TM under various growth conditions and in Chl-deficient mutants has demonstrated that a sufficient amount of de novo produced Chl molecules is crucial for the TM biogenesis. Particularly, the synthesis of the photosystem II subunit CP47 and trimeric photosystem I appeared to be sensitive to a shortage in de novo made Chl molecules. Interestingly, a specialized ribosome-binding protein (Pam68) has been identified to facilitate the insertion of Chl molecules into CP47. The synthesis of Chl-proteins and the biogenesis of TM have been further explored in cells recovering from long-term nitrogen depletion. Using this approach, it was possible to identify a large structure in the cell cytosol, which is very likely the site of TM biogenesis, and to correlate the appearance of this structure with the restored biogenesis of Chl-binding proteins.

La dynamique mitochondriale est impliquée dans la maintenance et la fonction des mitochondries. Dans les graines sèches tout les processus cellulaires sont arrêtés du fait de la faible teneur en eau des tissues, et la transition développementale que représente la germination requiert la réactivation de la dynamique cellulaire. Une approche de bio-imagerie sur la plante modèle Arabidopsis a été utilisée afin d’étudier la réactivation des mitochondries nécessaire à la germination. La réactivation bioénergétique des mitochondries, mesurée par la présence du potentiel membranaire, intervient dès le début de l’hydratation des tissus. Cependant les mitochondries restent statiques et la dynamique mitochondriale ne reprend que plus tardivement. La réactivation des mitochondries provoque une réorganisation du chondriome impliquant la biogenèse de membranes et une fusion massive menant à la formation de structures réticulaires et périnucléaires, qui permet le mélange des nucléoïdes d’ADNmt précédemment isolés en unités discrètes. La mitophagie, un indicateur de la qualité mitochondriale, est réactivée de manière concomitante à la dynamique, alors qu’elle est réprimée durant la biogenèse des mitochondries. La fin de la germination coïncide avec la fragmentation du chondriome tubulaire, menant au doublement du nombre de mitochondrie et à une redistribution hétérogène des nucléoïdes dans le chondriome, générant une population de mitochondrie adaptée à la croissance des plantules. Cette thèse met en évidence l’imbrication des processus de dynamique mitochondriale, de biogenèse et de contrôle qualité des mitochondries requis pour la germination et pour la transition vers l’autotrophie. / Mitochondrial dynamics underpin their function and maintenance. In dry seeds, all cellular processes are in stasis due to a low water content. Thus, the developmental switch leading to germination necessarily involves a reactivation of cellular dynamics. In order tobetter understand the role played by mitochondrial dynamics during germination we used Arabidopsis as a model for a bioimaging approach to investigate the rapid reactivation of mitochondria that is required in order to provide ATP to support germination. Bioenergetic reactivation, visualised as the presence of a mitochondrial membrane potential, is almost immediate upon rehydration. However, the reactivation of mitochondrial dynamics only occurs after several hours of rehydration. The reactivation of mitochondrialbioenergetics and dynamics lead to a dramatic reorganisation of the chondriome involving massive fusion and membrane biogenesis to form a perinuclear tubuloreticular structure enabling mixing of previously discrete mtDNA nucleoids. Mitophagy, an indicator of mitochondrial quality, is reactivated concomitant with a reactivation of mitochondrial dynamics, but is repressed at time of mitochondrial biogenesis. The end of germination coincides with fragmentation of the tubular chondriome leading to a doubling of mitochondrialnumber and heterogeneous redistribution of the nucleoids amongst the mitochondria, generating a population of mitochondria tailored to seedling growth. This thesis provides strong evidence for the tight interweaving of mitochondrial dynamics, mitochondrialbiogenesis and mitochondrial quality control that is required to ensure effective germination and the transition to autotrophy.

<b>Français : </b> La mitochondrie est un organite dont les fonctions dépassent largement le rôle bioénergétique. De ce fait, il apparaît de plus en plus clairement qu’un grand nombre de pathologies sont liées à un dysfonctionnement mitochondrial. Au cours de ces dernières années l’existence d’une communication moléculaire rétrograde entre la mitochondrie non fonctionnelle et le noyau a été mise en évidence dans les cellules eucaryotes de mammifères. Les voies de signalisation moléculaire menant à l’expression différentielle de gènes nucléaires en réponse à un dysfonctionnement mitochondrial sont néanmoins encore peu connues. Dans ce domaine, l’utilisation de lignées cellulaire totalement (r0) ou partiellement (r-) déplétées en ADN mitochondrial (ADNmt) s’est révélée essentielle dans l’étude de la réponse cellulaire induite par un dysfonctionnement mitochondrial. L’objectif de ce travail était de mieux comprendre les mécanismes moléculaires impliqués dans la réponse cellulaire à un dysfonctionnement mitochondrial 1) en recherchant comment les cellules déplétées en ADNmt maintiennent un potentiel de membrane mitochondrial en étudiant les mécanismes impliqués dans le maintien de la biogenèse mitochondriale et 3) en caractérisant la sensibilité des cellules déplétées en ADNmt à l’apoptose. Au cours de la première partie de ce travail, nous avons mis en évidence le rôle de la protéine mtCLIC dans le maintien du Dym des cellules déplétées en ADNmt. Nous avons ainsi démontré que le gène codant cette protéine est surexprimé dans les cellules présentant un dysfonctionnement mitochondrial, et que l’activité de canal à chlore pouvait rendre compte du maintien du Dym dans ces cellules. Dans la deuxième partie de ce travail, nous avons caractérisé et comparé les populations mitochondriales des cellules parentales et déplétées en ADNmt (143B r0, ostéosarcome humain). L’activité de certains facteurs de transcription décrits pour jouer un rôle dans le processus de biogenèse mitochondriale a été recherchée ainsi que le niveau d’expression de certaines protéines marqueurs de la biogenèse mitochondriale. Le rôle de la voie calcium-CaMKIV-CREB dans le maintien de la biogenèse mitochondriale des cellules r0 a ainsi pu être mis en évidence. Nous avons également mis en évidence une diminution de l’activité d’importation de protéines chimériques matricielles dans les mitochondries des cellules déplétées en ADNmt. Cette diminution peut s’expliquer par la réduction du Dym et de la charge en ATP dans ces cellules mais n’est pas généralisable à l’ensemble des protéines mitochondriales. En effet, l’importation du cytochrome c est augmentée et celle de la sous-unité ß de la F1-ATPase est inchangée dans des cellules 143B r0. La dernière partie de ce travail a été consacrée à la caractérisation et à la comparaison de la réponse des cellules 143B et 143B r0 à un stimulus pro-apoptotique. Après avoir clairement établi que les cellules r0 présentent une sensibilité accrue à la staurosporine, nous avons recherché les mécanismes moléculaires pouvant expliquer cette réponse différentielle. Nous proposons que la sensibilité accrue des cellules r0 peut s’expliquer par la sous-expression constitutive des protéines anti-apoptotiques Bcl-2 et Bcl-XL. De plus, nous montrons également que les mécanismes impliqués pourraient faire intervenir la cathepsine B, libérée du lysosome par un mécanisme non encore élucidé. Nous montrons également que l’activation spécifique de l’autophagie dans les cellules 143B r0 en réponse à la staurosporine pourrait également contribuer à la plus grande sensibilité à l’apoptose des cellules présentant un dysfonctionnement mitochondrial. Les résultats obtenus au cours de ce travail ont permis d’identifier certains mécanismes d’adaptation mis en place dans des cellules de mammifères soumises à un stress énergétique chronique, et donc de mieux comprendre les implications d’un dysfonctionnement mitochondrial, une situation associée à ou responsable de nombreuses pathologies mitochondriales. <b>English : </b> Mitochondria are involved in numerous cell processes, such as ATP production, calcium homeostasis, fatty acid metabolism, heme synthesis, urea cycle, redox cell status, autophagy and apoptosis. Impairment of its bioenergetic activity is thus obviously associated with numerous pathologies. However, while various origins and symptoms have been described for mitochondrial diseases over the past 10 years, only very few retrograde signalling pathways (that could be defined as communication between impaired mitochondria and nucleus) have been identified. In addition, little is still known about the molecular mechanisms leading to differential gene expression in response to chronic or acute mitochondrial dysfunction. In that research field, the generation of cells totally (r0) or partially (r-) depleted in mtDNA has been very useful to study the response of cells to a chronic energetic stress. The major aim of this work was to get a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved in the retrograde communication between impaired mitochondria and the nucleus that participate to the maintenance of 1) the mitochondrial membrane potential (Dym), 2) the mitochondrial biogenesis and 3) the apoptotic response to staurosporine, an alkaloïd that inhibits numerous kinases. In the first part of this work, we highlighted the role of the protein mtCLIC/CLIC4 in the maintenance of the Dym in mtDNA-depleted cells. Using a “mRNA RT-PCR differential display” approach, we first identified that the gene was over-expressed in mtDNA-depleted cells. We also show that modifications of its abundance (over expresion and silencing by siRNA) were able to modify the Dym. Finally, we evidenced that mtCLIC allows the importation of chlorine into mitochondria of r-L929 (murine fibrosarcoma cells). In the second part of this work, we characterized and compared mitochondrial populations between 143B (osteosarcoma cell line) and 143B r0 cells. We monitored the activity status of several key transcription factors known to be involved in the control of mitochondrial biogenesis and we determined the expression level of several mitochondrial proteins used as common markers of mitochondrial biogenesis. We also clearly demonstrated the role for calcium-CaMKIV-CREB pathway in the maintenance of mitochondrial biogenesis in mtDNA-depleted cells. Indeed, we show that the over-expression of cytochrome c and the higher mitochondrial NAO (Nonyl Acridine Orange) staining (two indicators for a higher abundance of mitochondrial mass) observed in mtDNA-depleted cells could be reduced in r0 cells that over-express either a dominant negative forms of CREB or CaMKIV. Moreover, we show that the importation of matrix-targeted proteins is reduced in mtDNAdepleted cells, a feature that can be explained by the lower Dym and reduced ATP content in these cells. As several evidence were reported to link mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in vivo, the last part of this work has been dedicated to the characterization of the apoptotic response of mtDNAdepleted cells to staurosporine. Indeed, the higher or lower sensitivity of mtDNA-depleted cells to apoptotic stimuli is still a debated question in the literature. We first show that r0 143B cells are hypersensitive to staurosporine-induced apoptosis, a phenomenon that could most likely be explained by the constitutive down-regulation of anti-apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2 an Bcl-XL in r0 cells. Moreover, we show that the mechanisms of r0 cells response to staurosporine seems to be different from those triggered in parental cells. Indeed, we show that cathepsin B might play a role in staurosporine-induced mtDNA-depleted cell apoptosis, despite the activation of many caspases. Finally, we show that autopahgy is also triggered by staurosporine in r0 143B cells, an upstream event of caspase activation as 3-methyladenine (3-MA) strongly reduces caspase activation. In conclusion, our results bring new information in the understanding of mechanisms and cell signalling activated in mammalian cells facing a chronic energetic stress, and thus bring new insights into the cellular consequences of mitochondrial impairment, a feature found in numerous mitochondrial diseases and pathologies associated with aging.

It is well-established that the organization of nuclear components influences gene expression processes, yet little is known about the mechanisms that contribute to the spatial co-ordination of nuclear activities. The salivary gland cells of Chironomus tentans provide a suitable model system for studying gene expression in situ, as they allow for direct visualization of the synthesis, processing and export of a specific protein-coding transcript, the Balbiani ring (BR) pre-mRNA, in a nuclear environment in which chromatin and non-chromatin structures can easily be distinguished. The RNAbinding protein Hrp65 has been identified in this model system as a protein associated with non-chromatin nucleoplasmic fibers, referred to as connecting fibers (CFs). The CFs associate with BR RNP particles in the nucleoplasm, suggesting that Hrp65 is involved in mRNA biogenesis at the post-transcriptional level. However, the function of Hrp65 is not known, nor is the function or the composition of CFs. In the work described in this thesis, we have identified by yeast two-hybrid screening and characterized different proteins that bind to Hrp65. These proteins include a novel hnRNP protein in C. tentans named Hrp59, various isoforms of Hrp65, the splicing- and mRNA export factor HEL/UAP56, and a RING-domain protein of unknown function. Immuno-electron microscopy experiments showed that Hrp59 and HEL are present in CFs, and in larger structures in the nucleoplasm of C. tentans salivary gland cells. Hrp59 is a C. tentans homologue of human hnRNP M, and it associates cotranscriptionally with a subset of pre-mRNAs, including its own transcript, in a manner that does not depend quantitatively on the amount of synthesized RNA. Hrp59 accompanies the BR pre-mRNA from the gene to the nuclear envelope, and is released from the BR mRNA at the nuclear pore complex. We have identified the preferred RNA targets of Hrp59 in Drosophila cells, and we have shown that Hrp59 binds preferentially to exonic splicing enhancer sequences. Hrp65 self-associates through an evolutionarily conserved domain that can also mediate heterodimerization of Hrp65 homologues. Different isoforms of Hrp65 interact with each other in all possible combinations, and Hrp65 can oligomerize into complexes of at least six molecules. The interaction between different Hrp65 isoforms is crucial for their intracellular localization, and we have discovered a mechanism by which Hrp65-2 is imported into the nucleus through binding to Hrp65-1. Hrp65 binds to HEL/UAP56 in C. tentans cells. We have analyzed the distribution of the two proteins on polytene chromosomes and in the nucleoplasm of salivary gland cells, and our results suggest that Hrp65 and HEL become associated during posttranscriptional gene expression events. HEL binds to the BR pre-mRNP cotranscriptionally, and incorporation of HEL into the pre-mRNP does not depend on the location of introns along the BR pre-mRNA. HEL accompanies the BR mRNP to the nuclear pore and is released from the BR mRNP during translocation into the cytoplasm.

alpha-Helical membrane proteins are important for many biological functions. Due to physicochemical constraints, the structures of membrane proteins differ from the structure of soluble proteins. Historically, membrane protein structures were assumed to be more or less two-dimensional, consisting of long, straight, membrane-spanning parallel helices packed against each other. However, during the past decade, a number of the new membrane protein structures cast doubt on this notion. Today, it is evident that the structures of many membrane proteins are equally complex as for many soluble proteins. Here, we review this development and discuss the consequences for our understanding of membrane protein biogenesis, folding, evolution, and bioinformatics. / <p>authorCount :3</p>

Protein disulfide isomerases (PDIs) catalyze the oxidation and isomerization of disulfide bonds in proteins passing through the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Although as many as 20 enzymes are classified as PDI family members, their relative contributions to protein folding have remained an open question. Additionally, Ero1 has been characterized as the ER oxidase that transfers oxidizing equivalents from oxygen to PDI enzymes. However, knockout mice lacking the mammalian Ero1 isoforms, Ero1Lα and Ero1Lβ, are viable, and the role of other potential ER oxidases in maintaining an oxidative ER environment is now an important issue. By systematic depletion of ER PDI family members and potential ER oxidases and assessment of disulfide bond formation of secreted endogenous substrates, I have outlined the functional relationships among some of these enzymes. PDI family member depletion revealed that PDI, although not essential for complete disulfide bond formation in client proteins, is the most significant catalyst of oxidative folding. In comparison, ERp57 acts preferentially on glycosylated substrates, ERp72 functions in a more supplementary capacity, and P5 has no detectable role in formation of disulfide bonds for the substrates assayed. Initially, no impact of depletion of Ero1 was observed under steady state conditions, suggesting that other oxidase systems are working in parallel to support normal disulfide bond formation. Subsequent experiments incorporating a reductive challenge revealed that Ero1 depletion produces the strongest delay in re-oxidation of the ER and oxidation of substrate. Depletion of two other potential ER oxidases, peroxiredoxin 4 (PRDX4) and Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR), showed more modest effects. Upon co-depletion of Ero1 and other oxidases, additive effects were observed, culminating in cell death following combined removal of Ero1, PRDX4, and VKOR activities. These studies affirm the predominant roles of Ero1 in ER oxidation processes and, for the first time, establish VKOR as a significant contributor to disulfide bond formation.