It has been known for a long time that the cytosine base can be modified to produce a new nucleotide, identified as 5-methylcytosine (mC). In normal cells, mC is correctly distributed into the genome, but in many diseases including life-threatening cancers, its pattern is profoundly perturbed. In 2009, Anjana Rao, published that certain proteins, known as the TET enzymes, are capable of removing mC by further oxidizing it to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (hmC). This original article, cited more than 1200 times, has led to a great expansion in our understanding of DNA methylation. Such recent publications expanded this knowledge by showing that the TETs successively oxidize hmC to 5-formylcytosine (fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (caC). <p>These oxidized methylcytosines have been implicated in several mechanisms of DNA demethylation, including “active” demethylation through base excision repair, and “passive” demethylation via successive rounds of DNA replication. In addition, DNA hydroxymethylation is thought to be involved in a wide range of diseases, and a marked decrease of hmC seems to be a “hallmark” of many cancers. <p>However, little is known about the regulation of their modes of action. It is tempting to speculate that these proteins interact with a plethora of factors to elicit coordinated biological functions. Likewise, they might be regulated by environment, which in certain situations, could alter the hydroxymethylome landscape, and lead to cellular malfunction and diseases.<p>In the first study, we pursued a large, unbiased screen of the TET interactome, and discovered that TET2 and TET3 interact with the O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) transferase (OGT). OGT is a glycosyltransferase that adds N-acetylglucose moieties on various proteins, including histone H2B, expanding therefore the “histone code”. We further discovered that the TET-OGT association seems to enhance OGT activity and to potentiate glycosylation and stabilization of SET1/COMPASS, a complex that is responsible for the global deposition of the H3K4me3 histone mark that “decorates” active promoters. Finally, we could confirm a decreased genome-wide H3K4me3 deposition in a model of acute myeloid leukemia mutated for TET2, suggesting that the TET-OGT link is implicated in Health and Disease.<p>In the second study, we looked at the impact of the environment on TET activity and on cellular hydroxymethylomes. We focused on oxidative stress assaults that are known to be involved in inflammation, a mediator of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. We observed a significant decrease of hmC in cell lines treated with various oxidant stressors, likely due to a direct inactivation of the TETs catalytic domain. Moreover, gene ontology analysis of differentially hydroxymethylated regions (dhMRs), profiled by deep-sequencing on treated vs non-treated cells, highlighted pathways involved in oxidative stress response. The implication of TETs in oxidative stress response was further emphasized by a decreased proliferation of TET1-depleted cells when they are treated with oxidant stressors. Importantly, those results were confirmed in mice knockout for the major antioxidant enzymes GPx1 and GPx2. <p>In conclusion, the work of this thesis contributed to better understand the modes of action of the TET proteins, through (1) direct interaction with OGT, and (2) via direct regulation by oxidative-stress-associated molecules, and we hope that these results will bring new insights to better understand these fascinating enzymes. <p> / Doctorat en Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

La CREB Binding Protein (CBP) a une activité lysine acétyltransférase intrinsèque et fonctionne aussi comme un co-activateur transcriptionnel. L'activité acétyltransférase et la fonction de coactivateur transcriptionel sont toutes deux essentielles pour la formation de mémoire à long terme. De plus, la dérégulation de CBP a été observée dans des maladies neurodégénératives comme la maladie d'Alzheimer et la maladie de Huntington. L'objectif de ma thèse était d'étudier le rôle de la CBP et de son activation pharmacologique dans le cadre de la formation de la mémoire spatiale, une forme de mémoire qui est démantelé très tôt dans la MA. Les données obtenues à partir de ma thèse montrent que l'activation de la fonction acétyltransférase CBP par l’activateur CSP-TTK21 améliore les processus mnésiques chez des souris adultes normales et aussi dans un modèle murin de MA (THY-Tau22). Ainsi, la stratégie d’activation pharmacologique de l'activité acétyltransférase de CBP a un énorme potentiel pour une utilisation en tant qu'agent thérapeutique pour le traitement des maladies liées à l'altération de la mémoire tel que la maladie d'Alzheimer. / CREB Binding Protein (CBP) has an intrinsic lysine acetyltransferase activity and alsofunctions as a transcriptional co-activator. Both the acetyltransferase activity and the transcriptional co-activator function are critical for long-term memory formation. Importantly, CBP dysregulation has been observed in neurodegenerative conditions like in Alzheimer’s disease and Huntington’s disease. The focus of my thesis was to study the role of CBP and its activation by a new pharmacological tool, in the context of spatial memory formation, a form of memory that is very early dismantled in AD. Data obtained from my thesis clearly suggests that activation of CBP acetyltransferase function by small molecule activator CSP-TTK21 can improve memory related processes in healthy adult mice and also in a mouse model of AD, (THY-Tau22). Therefore, the strategy of pharmacological activation of CBP acetyltransferase activity has tremendous potential for use as therapeutics for the treatment of diseases related to memory impairment such as Alzheimer’s disease.

L'épigénomique pourrait nous aider à mieux comprendre pourquoi différents types cellulaires montrent différents comportements. Puisque, dans le cadre d'études épigénétiques, il peut êtrenécessaire de comparer plusieurs profils de séquençage, il y a un besoin urgent en nouvelles approches et nouveaux outils pour pallier aux variabilités techniques sous-jacentes. Nous avons développé NGS-QC, un système de contrôle qualité qui détermine la qualité de données et Epimetheus, un outil de normalisation d'expériences de modifications d'histones basé sur les quartiles afin de corriger les variations techniques entre les expériences. Enfin, nous avons intégré ces outils dans un pipeline d'analyse allèle-spécifique afin de comprendre le statut épigénétique de XCI dans le cancer du sein où la perte du Xi est fréquent. Notre analyse a dévoilé des perturbations dans le paysage épigénétique du X et des réactivations géniques aberrantes dans le Xi, dont celles associées au développement du cancer. / Epigenomics would help us understand why various cells types exhibit different behaviours. Aberrant changes in reversible epigenetic modifications observed in cancer raised focus towards epigenetic targeted therapy. As epigenetic studies may involve comparing multi-profile sequencing data, thereis an imminent need for novel approaches and tools to address underlying technical variabilities. Wehave developed NGS-QC, a QC system to infer the experimental quality of the data and Epimetheus, a quantile-based multi-profile normalization tool for histone modification datasets to correct technical variation among samples. Further, we have employed these developed tools in an allele-specific analysis to understand the epigenetic status of X chromosome inactivation in breast cancer cells where disappearance of Xi is frequent. Our analysis has revealed perturbation in epigenetic landscape of X and aberrant gene reactivation in Xi including the ones that are associated with cancer promotion.

HNF1beta est un facteur de transcription homeobox, dont les mutations sont fréquemment rencontrées chez des patients atteints d’anomalies congénitales du rein et du tractus urinaire (Congenital Abnomalities of the Kidney and the Urogenital Tract, CAKUT). HNF1beta est également impliqué dans le diabète de type Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young 5 (MODY5). Le laboratoire d’accueil a démontré que HNF1beta était impliqué dans un mécanisme épigénétique, le Bookmarking, nécessaire à la réexpression post-mitotique de ses gènes cibles. En particulier, des expériences de vidéo-microscopie ont montré que la partie N-terminale de HNF1beta, contenant le domaine de liaison à l’ADN, en fusion avec la GFP (HNF1beta -GFP) est liée à la chromatine pendant la mitose. L’objectif de ma thèse était de caractériser les modalités biochimiques d’interaction de HNF1beta avec la chromatine mitotique. Nous avons mis en évidence le fait que la capacité de liaison à l’ADN est indispensable à la localisation mitotique de HNF1beta. En effet, la délétion de la troisième hélice alpha de l’homéo-domaine, responsable de l’interaction avec le grand sillon de l’ADN, entraîne la dissociation de la chromatine de HNF1beta pendant la mitose. Nous avons ensuite étudié l’effet de plusieurs mutations identifiées chez des patients MODY sur la localisation mitotique de HNF1beta. Nos résultats ont montré que certaines mutations faux-sens sont capables d’empêcher la fixation de la chromatine mitotique. Parmi ces mutations, certaines manifestent un phénotype dépendant de la température. Par exemple, à une température permissive, inférieure à 30°C, les mutations P256S et C273Y présentent une localisation mitotique normale. En revanche, à 37°C pour P256S et à 39°C pour le mutant C273Y, les protéines sont complètement dissociées, alors que dans toutes ces conditions de température, l’association de la protéine sauvage avec la chromatine mitotique n’est pas affectée. A température permissive (4°C), nous avons montré par retard sur gel (Electophoresis Mobility Shift Assay EMSA) que les mutants lient l’ADN avec un Kd apparent similaire à celui de la protéine sauvage. Par contre, à température restrictive, les mutants présentent des comportements différents. En effet, P256S perd sa capacité de liaison à l’ADN (de façon réversible), tandis que C273Y continue à lier l’ADN avec une affinité similaire à celui de la protéine sauvage. Le caractère thermosensible des mutants de HNF1beta nous a permis d’étudier les modalités de son recrutement sur la chromatine mitotique. Nos résultats ont montré que l’association des protéines à la chromatine mitotique présente une nature très dynamique. En effet, nous avons observé qu’une diminution rapide de température détermine la relocalisation mitotique réversible de la protéine, dans un délai de quelques secondes. Nous avons pu montrer que la relocalisation mitotique de HNF1beta induit par la température était affectée par une déplétion d’énergie, ainsi que par l’action d’un inhibiteur spécifique de l’importine-β (importazole). Nous avons enfin mis en évidence par immuno-précipitation de chromatine (ChIP) que la liaison de HNF1beta à la chromatine mitotique est séquence-spécifique. Nos résultats suggèrent que le recrutement de HNF1beta à la chromatine mitotique est énergie-dépendante, et nécessite le bon fonctionnement du système de transport lié à l’importine-beta. Mes résultats suggèrent que des mutations trouvées chez des patients MODY3 et MODY5 inactivent ou affaiblissent la capacité de HNF1beta de remplir son activité de Bookmarking. / HNF1beta is a POU transcription factor that is frequently mutated in patients that suffer from diabetes and renal cystic dysplasia. This protein has the peculiar ability to bind mitotic chromosomes and behave as a gene bookmarking. Here we show that the capacity of HNF1beta to bind to DNA plays an essential role for mitotic binding. A close homologue, HNF1alpha, shares the ability of HNF1beta to bind to mitotic chromosomes, and several MODY mutations (e.g P256S, V265L and C273Y) affect the ability of the protein to localize to mitotic chromatin. Interestingly, the phenotype induced by these mutations is very rapidly rescued by sudden temperature shifts. Temperature-sensitivity is probably linked to a conformational change that prevents DNA binding ability of P256S and V265L mutants at 37°C. Interestingly, the mitotic relocalization of these mutants induced by temperature shift was sensitive to energy depletion and importazole, suggesting an active mechanism involving the importin-beta system. Interestingly, C273Y mutant exhibited a significantly mitotic dispersion that is not correlated with any DNA or interphase chromatin binding defect, indicating that DNA binding function is necessary but not sufficient to accomplish bookmarking.

The discovery of epigenetic mechanisms has ignited speculation into their role in ecological and evolutionary processes. In particular, the contribution of epigenetic variation to adaptation or phenotypic plasticity that is distinct from genetic variation would be an important addition to existing evolutionary mechanisms. Although the research of epigenetic mechanisms from an ecological and evolutionary (or eco-evolutionary) perspective has been growing, it is still unclear how epigenetic variation might function in natural populations and settings and to what extent it might serve to mediate population response to changing environmental conditions over time. Over the course of my dissertation, I explored the importance of DNA methylation in population response to a variety of environmental conditions. In the first chapter of my dissertation, I reviewed existing literature on the relationship between DNA methylation and environmental response. I argued that given the weight of current evidence, DNA methylation, in addition to other epigenetic mechanisms, needs to be included the evolutionary synthesis. Additionally, I identified a number of outstanding questions and outlined research directions that would help elucidate the role of epigenetic mechanisms in evolution. In my second chapter, I studied the genetic and epigenetic composition of populations of Spartina alterniflora that were impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. Current evolutionary theory predicts that following a severe environmental stressor, populations may experience a bottleneck effect, in which one or only a few genotypes survive to reproduce in subsequent generations. However, it is unclear whether these patterns are reflected in epigenetic variation as well, because novel environmental perturbations may serve to induce epigenetic variation rather than diminish it. We found a significant genetic signature of oil exposure in exposed populations, but did not see a similar effect in the epigenetic composition of exposed populations. These data suggest that epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, may not always increase in number during stressful episodes, but may instead follow genetic variation. These results provide valuable information for the development of nascent population epigenetic theory, and may help parameterize expectations about conditions that provoke epigenetic variation, particularly when genetic variation may be limited. In addition to strong, unpredictable stressors, populations also respond via phenotypic changes over time through developmental stages and life histories that coincide with seasonal, regular environmental cues. Epigenetic mechanisms influence these regulatory and developmental changes that occur within an individual over time. In my third chapter, I examined the epigenetic response to seasonality in multiple coastal plant species. We found a weak signature of single methylation polymorphisms that was associated with seasonal environmental change within the studied species, as well as global patterns of methylation that were consistent across species. The results of this study indicate the possibility of conservation of methylation patterns across phylogenetic histories. In my fourth chapter, I explored in detail how the ability to maintain methylation might affect stress response. We compared individuals of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana that were deficient in maintenance methylation machinery to control genotypes under both abiotic and biotic stresses, and then studied the growth of their offspring in the absence of stress. We found inherited phenotypic signatures of parental stress in the offspring generation and interactive effects of parental stress and genotype. This study not only reinforces the correlations that we observed in our field studies, but adds to the growing body of literature highlighting the importance of DNA methylation both in immediate environmental response and as a mechanism for heritability. Overall, this dissertation demonstrates that DNA methylation is highly abundant in natural populations and may be part of the response to various stressors at a number of time scales. The integration of DNA methylation in the evolutionary synthesis will aid in the explanation of phenomena such as phenotypic plasticity or adaptation, and will be an important contribution to the existing body of evolutionary mechanisms.

Introduction: HLA class II system presents one of the most important mechanism in immune system, which is able to recognise pathogens and damaged cells. Some HLA class II alleles are associated with autoimmune diseases, for example celiac disease, which is typical by chronic inflammation of small intestine and other following symptoms. The risk HLA class II variants are DQ2 and DQ8. Epigenetic mechanisms that regulates gene expression, especially methylation of cytosine in promoter region of DQ2 and/or DQ8 alleles, could have influence on development of T lymphocytes in the thymus, where T-lymphocytes develop and pass a few stages in, and only the survival clones can be part of function immune system. Aim: The aim of this study is to compare methylation level of promoter regions of HLA DQ2 and DQ8 alleles between celiac patients and healthy controls. Another goal is to compare expression level of DQ2 and DQ8 variants between these two groups. Methods: DNA and RNA were isolated from full blood of two sets of donors. DNA was converted by bisulphite conversion and then amplified by Nested PCR. The PCR product was cloned to bacteria. Than positive colonies were selected. Subsequent methylation analysis was performed. RNA was converted to cDNA by Reverse transcription. Relative expression was analyzed...

Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) emerged as important regulators of many cellular functions. Many nuclear lncRNAs regulate the expression of geomically proximal or overlapping protein coding genes. Less clear is whether intergenic lncRNAs can regulate transcription by modulating chromatin at genomically distant loci in an RNA-dependent manner. This thesis investigated molecular functions of Dali, an intergenic central nervous system expressed lncRNA conserved in therian mammals. Dali is transcribed from a locus 50 kb downstream of the Pou3f3 transcription factor gene and performs both genomically local and distal RNA-dependent roles. Its depletion disrupts the differentiation of neuroblastoma cells. Locally, Dali regulates transcription of the Pou3f3 locus. Distally, it preferentially binds near to and regulates active promoters across the genome, including by physically associating with the POU3F3 transcription factor. Dali also interacts with the DNMT1 DNA methyltransferase in mouse and human and regulates CpG island-associated promoters by modulating their DNA methylation levels in trans. This work is the first to demonstrate that a lncRNA can regulate the DNA methylation of CpG island-associated promoters in trans and one of the first large scale studies to identify direct transcriptional targets of a lncRNA genome-wide. It also provides a more detailed molecular dissection of the extended Pou3f3 locus and a framework for the prioritisation and comprehensive functional characterisation of nuclear lncRNAs.

Les mutations de TET2, IDH2 et DNMT3A, 3 gènes impliqués dans la régulation de la méthylation de l'ADN, sont fréquentes dans les lymphomes T périphériques (PTCL), mais leurs conséquences sont mal connues. Nous avons montré que les mutations d'IDH2 dans les lymphomes angioimmunoblastiques (AITL) sont restreintes aux cellules T tumorales et que l'enzyme mutée, exprimée dans des lymphocytes T, produit bien l'oncometabolite D-2 hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG). Utilisant des modèles de souris transgéniques, nous avons montré que, dans un lymphocyte T, seule la mutation IDH2R172K produit suffisamment de D-2HG pour inhiber les protéines TET et altérer la différentiation lymphoïde. Ceci peut expliquer qu'IDH2R172 soit la seule mutation d'IDH retrouvée dans les AITL. Les mutations d'IDH2 inhibant les protéines TET, ce qui conduit à une baisse de la 5 hydroxyméthylcytosine (5hmC), nous avons évalué le niveau de 5hmC dans des PTCL mutés ou non pour TET2, IDH2 et/ou DNMT3A. Par rapport aux lymphocytes T normaux, nous avons vu une perte de 5hmC dans les cellules tumorales des PTCL, qui de façon intéressante était présente dans toutes les entités étudiées, quel que soit le statut mutationnel, à l'exception des lymphomes T hépatospléniques. Dans une démarche plus transversale, nous avons montré que la fréquence élevée de mutations de TET2, IDH2 et DNMT3A dans des PTCL présentant des caractéristiques TFH permet d'apporter un argument moléculaire, qui s'ajoute aux similitudes histologiques et phénotypiques pour regrouper ces lymphomes avec les AITL. Enfin, la description de l'efficacité d'un traitement par 5 azacytidine chez une patiente atteinte de AITL mutée pour TET2, suggère que les traitements ciblant l'épigénétique pourraient être efficaces dans ces maladies. / TET2, IDH2 and DNMT3A, 3 genes involved in the regulation of DNA methylation, are frequently mutated in Peripheral T Cell Lymphomas (PTCL). However, the consequences of these mutations are poorly understood. Focusing on IDH2 mutation, we demonstrated that this mutation is restricted to tumor T cells within angioimmunoblastic lymphoma (AITL) tumor tissue. We also demonstrated that, in AITL, IDH2 mutated T cells had the ability to produce D-2 hydroxyglutarate (D-2HG), a metabolite that has oncogenic effect. Using transgenic mouse models, we showed that IDH2R172K was the only IDH mutation that, when expressed in T cells, produced enough D-2HG to inhibit TET proteins and impairing lymphoid differentiation. This likely explains why IDH2R172 is the only IDH mutation found in AITL. As IDH2 mutation results in TET2 inhibition, which impairs 5hmC formation, we assessed the level of 5hmC in AITL, and described 5hmC loss, compared to normal TFH, in all AITL, regardless of the TET2, IDH2 and DNMT3A mutational status. We extended these finding to main nodal and extranodal PTCL entities, showing that 5hmC loss was a general mechanism present in all PTCL, with the exception of hepatosplenic T cell lymphoma. In a translational approach, we saw that the high frequency of TET2, DNMT3A and RHOA mutations in TFH like PTCL suggest a common molecular basis shared with AITL that could argue, in addition to phenotypic and histological similarities, to group these 2 entities into a single category. Finally, we described the first complete remission of a patient with a TET2 mutated AITL with 5 azacytidine, suggesting that hypomethylating agents could be active in PTCL.

Un poids corporel élevé est la résultante de l'interaction entre des variants génétiques à risque et un environnement obésogène, et des processus épigénétiques sont probablement impliqués. Dans cette thèse, nous avons exploré des associations entre le méthylome sanguin humain et des polymorphismes nucléotidiques (SNPs) liés à l'obésité, ainsi que des mesures qualitatives et quantitatives de l'apport journalier en acides gras. Nous avons trouvé des associations entre des SNPs liés à l'obésité et la méthylation de promoteurs et enhancers proximaux. Nous avons également constaté que la qualité de l'apport journalier en acides gras est associée à une méthylation différentielle de promoteurs de gènes impliqués dans des voies métaboliques. Puis, nous avons examiné l'impact d'une nuit blanche sur la méthylation et la transcription de gènes du rythme circadien dans le muscle squelettique et le tissu adipeux. Nous avons constaté qu'une seule nuit blanche peut modifier le profil épigénétique et transcriptionnel de gènes clés du rythme circadien, et ce de manière tissu-spécifique. Enfin, nous avons examiné les effets de l'obésité maternelle chronique et de la perte de poids sur la transcription de gènes de la machinerie épigénétique dans le foetus et le placenta de souris. Nous avons constaté que la transcription de ces gènes est sensible aux trajectoires pondérales maternelles, et en particulier ceux de la voie d'acétylation des histones. Dans l'ensemble, cette thèse a démontré que la génétique, des stimuli environnementaux obésogènes et l'environnement maternel agissent sur les marques épigénétiques à des endroits génomiques pertinents dans la pathogenèse de l'obésité. / An elevated body weight is the result of the interplay between susceptibility gene variants and an obesogenic environment, and recent evidence shows that epigenetic processes are likely involved. In this doctoral thesis, we explored associations between the human blood methylome and obesity-associated gene variants as well as dietary fat quality and quantity. We found associations between obesity-associated SNPs and methylation levels at proximal promoters and enhancers, and some of these associations were replicated in multiple tissues. We also found that contrary to dietary fat quantity, dietary fat quality associates with methylation levels in the promoter of genes involved in metabolic pathways. Then, using a gene-targeted approach, we looked at the impact of an acute environmental stress (sleep loss) on the methylation and transcription levels of circadian clock genes in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of healthy men. We found that a single night of wakefulness can alter the epigenetic and transcriptional profile of core circadian clock genes in a tissue-specific manner. Finally, we looked at the effects of chronic maternal obesity and subsequent weight loss on the transcription of epigenetic machinery genes in the fetus and placenta of mice. We found that the transcription of epigenetic machinery genes is highly sensitive to maternal weight trajectories, and particularly those of the histone acetylation pathway. Overall, this thesis demonstrated that genetics, obesogenic environment stimuli and maternal programming impact epigenetic marks at genomic locations relevant in the pathogenesis of obesity.

En 3ème position de fréquence parmi les myopathies, la dystrophie facio-scapulo humérale (FSHD) reste encore très énigmatique malgré l’association génétique avec la contraction d’une région du locus 4q35 contenant le macrosatellite D4Z4. Au cours de ce projet, l’étude de la régulation de la méthylation de l’ADN par séquençage après traitement au bisulfite de sodium ou par MeDIP chez les patients FSHD a montré des profils de méthylation similaires entre porteurs asymptomatiques et contrôles d’une part et patients FSHD1 et FSHD2 d’autre part. Ces deux groupes de malades présentent une hypométhylation principalement au niveau de la région proximale de D4Z4. Des mutations d’un nouveau gène candidat, SMCHD1, ont été décrites dans la plupart des cas de FSHD2, pour lesquels nous retrouvons fréquemment mais non systématiquement une baisse de la méthylation. D4Z4 joue également un rôle clé dans la régulation des extrémités chromosomiques et leur dynamique d’organisation tri-dimensionnelle dans l’espace nucléaire. Afin d’étudier la dynamique du locus 4q35 au cours de la différenciation cellulaire, nous avons mesuré les interactions spécifiques de différentes régions géniques au sein du locus et suivi l’évolution de la conformation de la chromatine dans différents contextes biologiques grâce à une méthode de FISH en trois dimensions couplée à une analyse in sillico des images (3D-FISH). Le retour à un état de pluripotence par la production d'hIPSCs montre un comportement nucléaire de ces régions proche de celui observé chez les contrôles. Enfin nous avons suivi la conformation du locus jusqu’à la formation de fibres musculaires matures multinuclées. / In the third position in term of frequency among the myopathies, facio-scapulo humeral dystrophy (FSHD) remains enigmatic despite the genetic correlation with the contraction of the 4q35 locus containing the macro satellite, D4Z4. In this project, the involvement of DNA methylation has been investigated in FSHD patients using bisulfite sequencing or MeDIP. These analyses revealed similar DNA methylation patterns between asymptomatic carriers and controls and between FSHD1 and FSHD2 patients. These two groups of patients show a marked hypomethylation mostly in the proximal region of D4Z4. Moreover, the recent discovery of mutations of a new candidate gene, SMCHD1 have been observed in most FSHD2 cases. In these patients, we observed frequent but not systematical association between decreased methylation and SMCHD1 mutation. This gene might be associated with D4Z4 DNA methylation maintenance; however its function remains unknown. D4Z4 plays a crucial role in chromosomal ends regulation and three-dimensional dynamics of the locus within the nuclear space. In order to study the dynamics and topology of the 4q35 locus during the skeletal muscle differentiation, we measured specific interactions between different regions within the locus and followed this chromatin conformation in different biological situations thanks to FISH in three-dimensions followed by in sillico analysis of the images (3D-FISH). Upon pluripotency in induced pluripotent stem cells derived from human fibroblasts (hIPSCs) display the same nuclear organization as in controls. Finally, we have followed the configuration of the locus during skeletal muscle commitment.