La doxorubicine induit un stress oxydant, des dommages à l’ADN conduisant aussi bien à la mort des cellules cancéreuses que des cardiomyocytes. De nos jours, plusieurs hypothèses non reliées à la mort cellulaire et impliquant d’autres mécanismes ou l’altération des signalisations cardiaques telles que la signalisation β-adrénergique ont émergé. Cette thèse a donc pour objectif l’étude du rôle d’Epac, facteur d’échange directement activé par l’AMP cyclique, lui-même produit après stimulation β-adrénergique, dans la cardiotoxicité induite par la doxorubicine. En effet, la doxorubicine induit une cardiomyopathie dilatée 15 semaines après traitement associée à une altération de l’homéostasie calcique. Ces altérations sont corrélées à la modulation temps et dose-dépendantes de la signalisation d’Epac. Cette même altération globale de la signalisation d’Epac a également été observée in vitro après 24h de traitement à la dox. De plus, l’inhibition spécifique d’Epac 1 a permis la prévention des dommages à l’ADN et de façon subséquente de la mort des cardiomyocytes. L’invalidation du gène d’Epac1 chez la souris a également permis la prévention in vivo des altérations de l’homéostasie calcique ainsi que de la fonction cardiaque induite par la dox. Enfin, l’inhibition d’Epac n’interfère pas avec l’efficacité antitumorale de la doxorubicine sur différentes lignées cancéreuses. En conclusion, nous avons identifié Epac comme nouvelle cible thérapeutique de la cardiotoxicité induite par la dox permettant sa prévention sans réduire l’efficacité du traitement anticancéreux. / The mechanisms underlying doxorubicin (Dox)-induced cardiotoxicity involve reactive oxygen species generation, DNA intercalation and topoisomerase II (TopII) inhibition which trigger DNA damage, oxidative stress, alteration of calcium homeostasis and lead to cardiomyocyte death. Now, evidences have emerged that Dox may promote cardiotoxicity by alternative mechanisms or by signaling pathways modulation including β-adrenergic signaling unrelated directly to cell death. This study provides in vitro and in vivo evidence of the guanine exchange factor directly activated by Epac role, a guanine exchange factor directly activated by cyclic AMP produced after β-AR stimulation, in cardiotoxicity induced by doxorubicin. Indeed, Dox leads to the development of a dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) 15 weeks post treatment in mice associated with calcium homeostasis abnormalities. These alterations were associated with time- and dose-dependent alterations of Epac signaling. The same alterations of Epac signaling were observed in vitro after 24h of dox treatment. Furthermore, we first showed that the specific pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of Epac1 but not Epac2 prevents the deleterious effects of Dox in vitro. These cardioprotection were confirmed in vivo in transgenic Knock-out Epac1 mice. Epac 1 inhibition did not interfere with the attempted Dox antitumor efficiency on tumor cell lines. Altogether, these findings identify the cAMP-binding protein, Epac, as a potential therapeutic target of dox-induced cardiotoxicity.

Les petites GTPases sont des régulateurs majeurs de nombreux processus cellulaires. La dérégulation de l’activation des petites GTPases est à l’origine de nombreuses maladies comme, entre autres, certains diabètes et cancers. In vivo, l’activation des petites GTPases se fait par des facteurs d’échange nucléotidiques (GEF), qui interagissent avec les GTPases à la périphérie des membranes cellulaires. Au delà d’un simple lieu de co-localisation, les membranes biologiques possèdent des propriétés physico-chimiques impactant directement l’activation des petites GTPases par les GEFs. Ce projet de thèse s’articule autour de trois axes, 1) proposer une stratégie expérimentale pour mesurer quantitativement les effets des membranes dans cette activation, 2) établir un modèle d’activation à la périphérie des membranes du GEF EPAC1, cible thérapeutique de maladies cardiaques 3) caractériser des petites molécules inhibitrices connues d’ArfGEF dans un contexte membranaire. Les résultats ont montré que les membranes modifiaient l’efficacité catalytique des GEFs, et questionnait leur spécificité vis à vis des petites GTPases. Les membranes apparaissent également comme de véritables actrices de l’activation d’EPAC1 en coopération avec l’AMPc. Ces effets pourraient être expliqués par une colocalisation entre GEFs et GTPases à la surface des membranes, l’induction d’un réarrangement conformationnel du GEF par les membranes, une modification de la diffusion latérale des GEF, ou encore une géométrie catalytiquement avantageuse du complexe GEF-GTPase-membrane. Enfin comprendre et expliciter l’implication des membranes dans cette activation amène à imaginer de nouvelles stratégies d’inhibition thérapeutique. / Small GTPases are major regulators of many cellular processes. Nucleotide exchange factors (GEF) activate small GTPases. Deregulation of the activation of small GTPases is at the origin of several diseases, such as certain diabetes and cancers. GTPases and GEFs interact together at the periphery of cell membranes. Beyond a simple place of co-localization, biological membranes have physicochemical properties directly impacting the activation of small GTPases by GEFs. This thesis project is based on three axes, 1) to propose an experimental strategy to quantitatively measure the effects of membranes in this activation 2) to establish a model of the activation at the periphery of membranes of the GEF EPAC1, a therapeutic target in heart diseases, 3) to characterize known ArfGEF inhibitory small molecules in a membrane context. The results showed that membranes modified GEF catalytic efficiency, and questioned their specificity towards small GTPases. The membranes also appear as partners for the activation of EPAC1 in cooperation with cAMP. These effects could be explained by a co-localization between GEF and GTPases on the membranes surfaces, a conformational rearrangement of the GEF induced by membranes, a modification of lateral diffusion of the GEF, or a catalytically advantageous geometry of the GEF-GTPase-membrane complex. Finally, understanding the involvement of membranes in this activation leads us to imagine new therapeutic inhibition strategies.

El objetivo general de este trabajo de Tesis fue profundizar el conocimiento de las proteínas Epac como reguladores de la función miocárdica. En particular, nos centramos en conocer la participación de Epac en la activación de CaMKII y la consiguiente fosforilación de sus sustratos en el RS, involucrados en el manejo del Ca⁺² intracelular asociado a la función contráctil. Los objetivos específicos fueron: 1) Estudiar los efectos de la activación de Epac sobre el manejo de Ca⁺² intracelular y la contractilidad en miocitos cardíacos en diferentes especies y bajo diferentes condiciones experimentales (variaciones de la [Ca⁺²]o). 2) Evaluar el efecto de la activación de Epac sobre el contenido y la pérdida espontánea de Ca+2 del RS en las distintas condiciones experimentales utilizadas. 3) Examinar el impacto de la estimulación de Epac sobre la función diastólica y la aparición de arritmias en dos modelos experimentales: miocitos aislados y corazón aislado y perfundido. 4) Estudiar las vías de señalización de Epac y la importancia de la activación de CaMKII como mecanismo mediador de los efectos de Epac en el miocardio. 5) Disecar la participación de la fosforilación dependiente de CaMKII de PLN y del RyR2 en los efectos de Epac sobre la respuesta contráctil y la generación de arritmias a través del uso de ratones TG. 6) Identificar y estudiar la distribución subcelular de las proteínas Epac1 y Epac2 en el miocardio no estimulado y luego de su estimulación con el activador específico 8-CPT.

No description available.

A novel partial agonist of the exchange protein activated by cAMP isoform 1 (EPAC1), I942, was recently discovered and shown to reduce the guanine exchange factor activity of cAMP-bound EPAC1 to approximately 10% relative to cAMP activation. However, the inhibition mechanism of I942 remains unknown. Here, we utilize NMR spectroscopy to probe the inhibitory I942 - EPAC1 interactions at atomic resolution. The EPAC1 - I942 interface was mapped through intermolecular NOEs measured by 15N and 13C filtered NOESY-HSQC experiment. Intermolecular NOE mapping combined with other protein NMR methods, such as saturation transfer difference, transfer Nuclear Overhauser Effect spectroscopy and chemical shift mapping, we revealed that I942 interacts with the phosphate binding cassette (PBC) and base binding region (BBR) of the EPAC1 cyclic nucleotide binding (CNB) domain, similar to cAMP. The PBC controls the conformation of the hinge region, and subsequently, allosterically shifts the hinge region between its active/inactive states. Molecular dynamics simulation based on the NMR spectroscopy data revealed that EPAC1-CNB adopts an intermediate conformation between its inactive and active states, which explains the partial agonist nature of I942. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / The exchange protein activated by cAMP (EPAC) is a receptor for the classical secondary messenger cAMP. EPAC is present in multiple human systems and plays a pivotal role in the development of a wide range of diseases. In this study, we aim to establish the inhibition mechanism of a novel small molecule EPAC inhibitor/partial agonist I942 using NMR spectroscopy with the goal of achieving a better understanding of EPAC inhibition and paving the way for new small molecule EPAC inhibitors that can potentially treat EPAC-related diseases such as heart failure and diabetes.

Secretion of appropriate amounts of insulin from pancreatic β-cells is crucial for glucose homeostasis. The β-cells release insulin in response to glucose and other nutrients, hormones and neurotransmitters, which trigger intracellular signaling cascades, that result in exocytotic fusion of insulin-containing vesicles with the plasma membrane. Increases of the intracellular concentration of calcium ions ([Ca2+]i) trigger exocytosis, whereas the messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) amplifies various steps of the secretion process. The protein Epac2 mediates some effects of cAMP, but little is known about its regulation in β-cells. In this study, the spatio-temporal dynamics of Epac2 was investigated in insulin-secreting MIN6-cells and primary β-cells using various cell signaling biosensors and live-cell fluorescence microscopy approaches. Increases in the cAMP concentration triggered translocation of Epac2 from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane. Oscillations of cAMP induced by glucose and the insulin-releasing hormone GLP-1 were associated with cyclic translocation of Epac2. Analyses of Epac2 mutants showed that the high-affinity cyclic nucleotide-binding domain and Ras-association domains were crucial for the translocation, whereas neither the DEP domain, nor the low-affinity cAMP-binding domain were required for membrane binding. However, the latter domain targeted Epac2 to insulin granules at the plasma membrane, which promoted their priming for exocytosis. Depolarization-induced elevations of [Ca2+]i also stimulated Epac2 translocation, but the effects were complex and in the presence of high cAMP concentrations, [Ca2+]i increases often reduced membrane binding. The stimulatory effect of Ca2+ was mediated by increased Ras activity, while the inhibitory effect reflected reduced concentrations of the membrane phospholipid PtdIns(4,5)P2. Anti-diabetic drugs of the sulfonylurea class, suggested to directly activate Epac2, induced translocation indirectly by depolarizing β-cells to increase [Ca2+]i. Epac2 is an activator of Rap GTPases, and its translocation increased Rap activity at the plasma membrane. It is concluded that the subcellular localization of Epac2 is controlled by a complex interplay between cAMP, Ca2+ and PtdIns(4,5)P2 and that the protein controls insulin release by binding to the exocytosis machinery. These results provide new insights into the regulation of β-cell function and may facilitate the development of new anti-diabetic drugs that amplify insulin secretion.

Zwischen Blutkompartiment und umliegenden Interstitium besteht eine Barriere, die durch eine einzelne Schicht aus Endothelzellen gebildet wird. Essentiell für diese Barriere, deren Funktion in der Begrenzung des Austausches von Flüssigkeit und gelösten Stoffen liegt, sind interzelluläre Junktionen, welche die Endothelzellen miteinander verbinden. Durch eine gestörte Funktion und Regulation der Endothelbarriere entstehen beim Menschen verschiedene Pathologien wie zum Beispiel Ödeme, hämorrhagischer Schlaganfall und vaskuläre Malformationen. Es ist bekannt, dass cAMP die Endothelbarriere zum Teil durch Aktivierung der kleinen GTPase Rac1 stabilisiert. Trotz der großen medizinischen Relevanz dieses Signalweges, sind die damit einhergehenden Effekte auf die interzellulären Kontakte auf ultrastruktureller Ebene weitgehend unbekannt. In mikrovaskulären Endothelzellkulturen kam es ähnlich wie in intakten Mikrogefäßen zur Stärkung der Barrierefunktion. So resultierte sowohl nach Behandlung mit Forskolin und Rolipram (F/R), welche zur Steigerung der intrazellulären cAMP-Spiegel führen, als auch nach Zugabe von 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2´-O-methyladenosin-3´,5´-cyclic monophosphorothioate (O-Me-cAMP), einem selektiven Aktivator des cAMP nachgeschalteten Epac/Rap1-Signalweges, ein Anstieg des TER; außerdem konnte durch beide Substanzen (F/R und O-Me-cAMP) die Aktivierung von Rac1 induziert werden. Desweiteren wurde eine verstärkte Intensität und Linearisierung des Immunfluoreszenzsignals der Zelljunktionsproteine VE-Cadherin und Claudin5 entlang der Zellgrenzen beobachtet. In der ultrastrukturellen Analyse der interzellulären Kontaktzonen-Architektur zeigte sich unter F/R- oder O-Me-cAMP-Exposition ein signifikanter Anstieg an komplexen Interdigitationen. Diese komplexen Strukturen waren dadurch charakterisiert, dass sich die Membranen benachbarter Zellen, die durch zahlreiche endotheliale Junktionen stabilisiert wurden, über vergleichsweise lange Distanzen eng aneinanderlegten, so dass ein deutlich verlängerter Interzellularspalt resultierte. Die Inhibition der Rac1-Aktivierung durch NSC-23766 verminderte die Barrierefunktion und blockierte effektiv die O-Me-cAMP-vermittelte Barrierestabilisierung und Reorganisation der Kontaktzone einschließlich der Junktionsproteine. Demgegenüber konnte die F/R-vermittelte Barrierestabilisierung durch NSC-23766 nicht beeinträchtigt werden. Parallel dazu durchgeführte Experimente mit makrovaskulären Endothelien zeigten, dass es in diesem Zelltyp unter Bedingungen erhöhter cAMP-Konzentrationen weder zur Rac1-Aktivierung noch zur Barrierestärkung oder Kontaktzonen-Reorganisation kam. Diese Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass in mikrovaskulären Endothelien Rac1-vermittelte Änderungen der Kontaktzonen-Morphologie zur cAMP-induzierten Barrierestabilisierung beitragen. / Evidence exists that cAMP stabilizes the endothelial barrier in part via activation of the small GTPase Rac1. However, despite the high medical relevance of this signaling pathway, the mechanistic effects on intercellular contacts on the ultrastructural level are largely unknown. In microvascular endothelial cell monolayers, in which increased cAMP strengthened barrier properties similar to intact microvessels in vivo, both forskolin and rolipram (F/R) to increase cAMP and 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-2´-O-methyladenosine-3´,5´-cyclic monophosphorothioate (O-Me-cAMP) to stimulate exchange protein directly activated by cAMP/Ras proximate-1 (Epac/Rap1) signaling enhanced transendothelial electrical resistance (TER) and induced activation of Rac1. Concurrently, augmented immunofluorescence intensity and linearization of signals at cell borders were observed for intercellular junction proteins VE-cadherin and claudin5. Ultrastructural analysis of the intercellular contact zone morphology documented that exposure to F/R or O-Me-cAMP led to a significant increase in the proportion of contacts displaying complex interdigitations of cell borders in which membranes of neighboring cells were closely apposed over comparatively long distances and which were stabilized by numerous intercellular junctions. Interference with Rac1 activation by NSC-23766 completely abolished both barrier stabilization and contact zone reorganization in response to O-Me-cAMP whereas F/R-mediated barrier enhancement was not affected by NSC-23766. In parallel experiments using macrovascular endothelium, increased cAMP failed to induce Rac1 activation, barrier enhancement and contact zone reorganization. These results indicate that in microvascular endothelium Rac1-mediated alterations in contact zone architecture contributes to cAMP-induced barrier stabilization.

Traumatic neuronal injury inevitably causes plasmalemmal damage, and sometimes leads to axonal severance. For any eukaryotic cell to survive following traumatic injury, the plasmalemma must be repaired (sealed). Plasmalemmal sealing occurs via a Ca²⁺-dependent accumulation of vesicles or other membranous structures that form a plug at the damage site. Using uniquely identified and damaged rat hippocampal B104 cells that extend neurites with axonal properties, or rat sciatic nerves, plasmalemmal sealing is assessed by exclusion of an extracellular dye from each damaged B104 cell, or sciatic nerves ex vivo. B104 cells with neurites transected nearer (<50 [micrometres]) to the soma seal at a lower frequency and slower rate compared to cells with neurites transected farther (>50 [micrometres]) from the soma. Sealing in B104 cells is enhanced by 1) increased [cAMP], 2) increased PKA activity, 3) increased Epac activity, 4) H₂O₂ and 5) Poly-ethylene glycol (PEG). Sealing is decreased by 1) PKA inhibition, 2), Botulinum toxins A, B, E, 3) Tetanus toxin 4), NEM, 5) Brefeldin A, 6) nPKC inhibition, 7) DTT, 8) Melatonin and 9) Methylene Blue. Substances (NEM, Bref A, PKI, db-cAMP, PEG) that affect plasmalemmal sealing in B104 cells in vitro have similar effects on plasmalemmal sealing in rat sciatic nerves ex vivo. Based on data from co-application of enhancers and inhibitors of sealing, I propose a plasmalemmal sealing model having four partly redundant, parallel pathways mediated by 1) PKA, 2) Epac, 3) cytosolic oxidation and 4) nPKCs. The identification and confirmation of these pathways may provide novel clinical targets for repairing and/or recovery from traumatic injury. The fusogenic compound PEG rapidly repairs axonal continuity of severed axons, potentially by rejoining severed proximal and distal axons. PEG-fusion is influenced by plasmalemmal sealing, since unsealed axons are easier to PEG fuse. I demonstrate that PEG restores morphological continuity, and improves behavioral recovery following crush-severance to sciatic nerves in rats in vivo. Co-application of Mel or MB prior to PEG application further improves PEG fusion (as measured by electrophysiology) and behavioral recovery following crush-severance in vivo. These PEG data may provide novel clinical techniques for rapidly repairing axonal severance. / text

Vascular endothelial cells (VECs) play an essential role in regulating the passage of macromolecules and cells between the blood stream and underlying tissues. The second messenger 3’, 5’ cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) regulates numerous events in VECs, including permeability. Since human VECs express several distinct cAMP-hydrolyzing phosphodiesterases (PDEs), and these are the only enzymes that catalyze the inactivation of cAMP, we investigated if selective pharmacological inhibition of PDEs could impact VEC permeability. Interestingly, we found that PDE4 inhibitors decreased human aortic VEC (HAEC) permeability and PDE4 and PDE3 inhibitors decreased human microvascular VEC (HMVEC) permeability. Consistent with a role for both protein kinase A (PKA) and exchange protein activated by cAMP (EPAC) in regulating VEC permeability, selective activators of these enzymes significantly decreased permeability. Since neither PDE4 nor PDE3 inhibitors significantly increased cAMP in these cells, our data are consistent with the idea that PDE inhibition causes small localized increases in “pools” of cAMP that regulate permeability. In order to test if PDE4 enzymes could act locally on pools of cAMP that regulated permeability, we selectively isolated the adherens junctional protein VE-cadherin from confluent monolayers of HAECs or HMVECs, and immunoblotted these isolates for cAMPeffectors and PDEs. Briefly, we found that each PKA-II, EPAC1, and a PDE4D variant, but not PDE3 enzymes, each could be isolated in VE-cadherin-based complexes from these cells. These novel findings identify PKA-II, EPAC1, and PDE4D as members of VE-cadherin-based signaling complexes in human VECs and are consistent with the idea that localized cAMP-signaling regulates permeability in these cells. / Thesis (Master, Pathology & Molecular Medicine) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-14 15:52:20.216

No / Vascular relaxation induced by 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) is both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent, although the underlying signaling pathways are not fully understood. Aiming to uncover potential mechanisms, we performed contraction–relaxation experiments on endothelium-denuded and intact rat aorta rings and measured NO levels in isolated human endothelial cells using single cell fluorescence imaging. The vasorelaxant effect of forskolin, an adenylyl cyclase activator, was decreased after selective inhibitor of protein kinase A (PKA), a cAMP-activated kinase, or L-NAME, an endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) inhibitor, only in intact aortic rings. Both selective activation of PKA with 6-Bnz-cAMP and exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac) with 8-pCPT-2′–O-Me-cAMP significantly relaxed phenylephrine-induced contractions. The vasorelaxant effect of the Epac activator, but not that of the PKA activator, was reduced by endothelium removal. Forskolin, dibutyryl cAMP (a cAMP analogue), 6-Bnz-cAMP and 8-pCPT-2′–O-Me-cAMP increased NO levels in endothelial cells and the forskolin effect was significantly inhibited by inactivation of both Epac and PKA, and eNOS inhibition. Our results indicate that the endothelium-dependent component of forskolin/cAMP-induced vasorelaxation is partially mediated by an increase in endothelial NO release due to an enhanced eNOS activity through PKA and Epac activation in endothelial cells. / This work was supported by grants from the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain (SAF2010-22051) and Xunta de Galicia, Spain (INCITE08PXIB203092PR)