The brain extracellular space (ECS) contains specified macromolecules forming the extracellular matrix (ECM), containing a high amount of negative charges that could bind water or other soluble ions and molecules diffusing within the ECS. In specific brain areas, the ECM molecules form a condensed, reticular-like structure of perineuronal nets (PNNs). It has been found that PNNs appear at the end of the critical period, when they stabilize the synapses and terminate their plasticity and may have also neuroprotective function. To study the role of brain link protein 2 (Bral2) in stabilizing the ECM complexes, we employed the real-time iontophoretic method and immunohistochemical analysis to show the difference in the ECS diffusion parameters and level of expression of the ECM molecules between the wild type and Bral2-deficient mice. We also compared changes in the ECS diffusion parameters induced by Bral2 deficiency with those appeared after enzymatic destruction of the ECM by the chondroitinase ABC (chABC). In the Bral2-deficient mice, we discovered significantly decreased values of tortuosity in the trapezoid body. This difference was age related and did not manifest itself in young mice. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that inferior colliculus does not contain Bral2-brevican based...

The behavior of cancer cells is strongly influenced by the properties of extracellular microenvironments, including topology, mechanics and composition. As topological and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix are hard to access and control for in-depth studies of underlying mechanisms in vivo, defined biomimetic in vitro models are needed. Herein we show, how pore size and fibril diameter of collagen I networks distinctively regulate cancer cell morphology and invasion. Three-dimensional collagen I matrices with a tight control of pore size, fibril diameter and stiffness were reconstituted by adjustment of concentration and pH value during matrix reconstitution. At first, a detailed analysis of topology and mechanics of matrices using confocal laser scanning microscopy, image analysis tools and force spectroscopy indicate pore size and not fibril diameter as the major determinant of matrix elasticity. Secondly, by using two different breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7), we demonstrate collagen fibril diameter - and not pore size - to primarily regulate cell morphology, cluster formation and invasion. Invasiveness increased and clustering decreased with increasing fibril diameter for both, the highly invasive MDA-MB-231 cells with mesenchymal migratory phenotype and the MCF-7 cells with amoeboid migratory phenotype. As this behavior was independent of overall pore size, matrix elasticity is shown to be not the major determinant of the cell characteristics. Our work emphasizes the complex relationship between structural-mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix and invasive behavior of cancer cells. It suggests a correlation of migratory and invasive phenotype of cancer cells in dependence on topological and mechanical features of the length scale of single fibrils and not on coarse-grained network properties.

The bone marrow (BM) niche provides hematopoietic stem (HSC) and progenitor cells with many exogenous cues that tightly regulate homeostasis. These cues orchestrate cellular decisions, which are difficult to dissect and analyze in vivo. This thesis introduces a novel in vitro platform that permits systematic studies of BM-relevant factors that regulate homeostasis. Specifically, the role of 3D patterned adhesion ligands and soluble cytokines were studied in a combinatorial fashion. Analysis of human HSC differentiation and proliferation at both population and single cell level showed synergistic and antagonistic effects of adhesion- and cytokine-related signals. Those effects were dependent on the cytokine concentration and the distribution and number of adhesion ligands. The aim of this thesis was to model the in vivo bone marrow with its porous 3D structure and different sized niche compartments using a microcavity culture carrier. The developed culture system presented extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion ligands to the HSCs in various defined dimensions ranging from single- to multi-cell capacity. The 3D open well geometry of the microcavity carriers also allowed HSCs to freely explore different scenarios including homing, migration, adhesion, or suspension. Furthermore, the developed setup offered straightforward accessibility to analytical methods like cytometry and quantitative microscopy. Single cell analysis of adherent HSCs showed decreased DNA synthesis and higher levels of stem cell marker expression within single cell microcavities under low cytokine conditions . This effect was reflected in a decline of proliferation and differentiation with decreasing microcavity size. When the cytokine concentration was increased2 beyond physiological levels the inhibitory effect on proliferation and differentiation due to single-cell-microcavity adherence was diminished. This result highlighted the fine balance between adhesion related and soluble cues regulating HSC fate. Within small microcavities more adhesion related receptors were engaged due to the 3D character of the culture carrier compared to multi-cell wells or conventional 2D cell culture plates. This study demonstrated that adhesion-related signal activation leads to reduced proliferation and differentiation. This geometry-based effect could be reversed by increased cytokine supplementation in the culture media. For plane substrates, HSCs attachment to fibronectin or heparin initiated early cell cycle entry compared to non-adherent cells during the initial 24h. Cytokine supplemented media favored integrin activation that induced fast adhesion, ultimately leading to early cell cycle activation. However, after prolonged cell culture the system balanced itself with a lower cycling rate of adherent versus non-adherent HSCs. Furthermore, HSCs within the 3-dimensionality of the microcavities cycled less than 2D adherent cells. These findings additionally supported the above stated idea of limited HSC proliferation as a consequence of more adhesion-related signals overwriting cytokine driven expansion. To complement the various in vitro studies, an in vivo repopulation study was performed. Cultured HSCs derived from single cell microcavities outperformed freshly isolated HSCs in a competitive repopulation assay, indicating that carefully engineered substrates are capable of preserving stem cell potential. Overall the reported findings provide a promising in vitro culture strategy that allows the stem cell field to gain a better understanding of the impact of distinct exogenous signals on human HSCs, which discloses new concepts for the wide scientific community working towards tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.:Kurzbeschreibung 4 Abstract 6 1 Introduction 8 1.1 Motivation 8 1.2 Objective 8 2 Basics 10 2.1 Stem Cells and their Role in Life 10 Stem Cells and their Niches 12 2.1.1 Hematopoietic Stem Cells 12 2.1.2 Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche 14 2.1.3 The ECM Relevancy 16 2.1.4 HSC Relevant Cytokines 19 2.2 Cell Culture Scaffolds 21 2.2.1 General 2D, 3D 21 2.2.2 Substrate Engineering 22 2.2.3 Co-Culture versus the Artificial 3D Niche 23 3 Materials and Methods 25 3.1 Chemicals, Reagents and Equipment 25 3.2 Wafer Design and Surface Functionalization 29 3.3 Cell Culture and Analysis 31 3.3.1 HSC Culture in ECM-functionalized Microcavities 32 3.4 Surface Passivation 33 3.5 Mouse Bone Marrow Preparation 35 4 Results and Discussion 37 4.1 Scaffold Design and Preparation 37 4.1.1 Surface Characterization 37 4.1.2 Surface Passivation 39 Approaches for Surface Passivation 39 Efficiency of Surface Passivation 39 4.1.3 Redesigned Microcavities 43 4.2 Summarized Discussion of the Surface Passivation 44 4.3 HSC Culture inside Microcavities 45 4.3.1 HSC-ECM Interaction Reduces Proliferation 45 4.3.2 Population-wide Proliferation and Differentiation of Spatially Constrained HSCs . … 46 HSCs within Redesigned Microcavities 48 4.3.3 Colony-forming Ability of Microcavity Cultures 50 4.4 Single Cell Analysis of Differentiation 52 4.5 Cell Cycling Dependency on Cytokine Level 53 4.5.1 Plane Surfaces 54 4.5.2 Microcavities Reduce Cycling Frequency 57 4.6 Mice Repopulation of Microcavity Cultured HSCs 58 4.7 Summarized Discussion of the HSC–ECM Relation 60 4.8 Future Prospects 62 5 Summary 63 References 64 Figure Legend 73 Tables 73 Theses 74 6 Appendices I 6.1 FACS Principle I 6.1.1 HSC Staining for CD Marker and Cell Cycle Kinetics I 6.1.2 Apoptosis Test II 6.2 Differentiation and Proliferation on Redesigned Microcavities III 6.3 Colony-forming Capability of Microcavity Cultured Cells IV 6.4 Effect of Trypsin on HSC Properties in Long Term Culture IV 6.5 Surface Functionalization with SCF V 6.5.1 Analysis of the HSCs Grown on Immobilized SCF VI 6.5.2 SCF Immobilization and its Kinetics VII 6.5.3 c-kit Expression Kinetics and HSC Differentiation VIII Short Discussion on the Growth Factor Immobilization IX Publications X Posters X Proceedings XI Talks XI Patents XI Papers XI Awards XI 7 Danksagung: XII Selbstständigkeitserklärung: XIII / Die Homöostase der Hämatopoietischen Stamm- und Vorläuferzellen (HSC) in der Knochenmark Nische wird von einer Vielzahl exogener Faktoren gezielt reguliert. Diese Faktoren orchestrieren intrazelluläre Vorgänge, deren in vivo Analyse kompliziert ist. Die vorliegende These widmet sich einem neuen biotechnologischen Ansatz, der systematische Studien von Knochenmark-relevanten Faktoren ermöglicht. Im Speziellen wurde die Rolle 3D-präsentierter Zell Adhäsionsliganden in Kombination mit verschiedenen Konzentrationen löslicher Zytokine untersucht. Die Auswertung der Proliferation und Differenzierung von humanen HSC auf Einzelzell- und Populationsebene offenbarte die synergistischen und antagonistischen Effekte von Adhäsions- und Zytokinsignalen in ihrer Abhängigkeit von der Verteilung und der Anzahl von Adhäsionsliganden sowie der Zytokinkonzentration. Um die poröse Struktur des Knochenmarks in vivo-ähnlich darzustellen, wurde eine Zellkultur Plattform mit Mikrokavitäten verschiedenster Dimensionen von Multi- bis Einzelzellgröße entwickelt und mit Molekülen der extrazellulären Matrix beschichtet. Die Vorteile dieser Plattform liegen in der offenen 3D-Geometrie dieses mikrokavitäten Kultursystems, die den Zellen ermöglichte verschiedene Wachstumsbedingungen bezüglich Homing, Migration, Adhäsion oder Suspension frei zu erkunden. Das leicht zugängliche Setup eignete sich zudem hervorragend für die zytometrische Analyse der Zellen oder die quantitative Mikroskopie. Die Einzelzellanalyse adhärenter HSC ergab eine Reduktion von DNA Synthese und eine höhere Expression von Stammzelloberflächenfaktoren innerhalb der Einzelzell-Mikrokavitäten bei niedrigen Zytokinkonzentrationen . Dieser Effekt spiegelte sich auch auf Populationsebene in verminderter Proliferation und Differenzierung mit abnehmender Größe der Mikrokavitäten wider. Wurde die Zytokinkonzentration jedoch weit über physiologische Bedingungen erhöht, verminderte sich der Effekt (reduzierte DNA Synthese und höhere Stammzellfaktorexpression) beschrieben für die Einzelzellmikrokavitäten. Dieses Ergebnis verdeutlicht die empfindliche intrazelluläre Balance, vermittelt durch Adhäsionsignale und löslichen Faktoren, die das Verhalten von HSCs regulieren. Aufgrund des 3D-Charakters des Zellkulturträgers wurden innerhalb kleiner Mikrokavitäten mehr Adhäsionsrezeptoren ringsum die Zelle aktiviert. Dieser Vorteil gegenüber den Multizellkavitäten oder der herkömmlichen 2D–Zellkultur ermöglichte eine hohe Anzahl adhäsionsvermittelter Signale mit entsprechend höherer Proliferations-inhibitorischer Wirkung. Je höher die Konzentration der Zytokine war, desto stärker erfolgte die Stimulation der Proliferation und Differenzierung. Auf 2D Substraten, initiierte Adhäsion zu Fibronektin und Heparin innerhalb der ersten 24h einen frühen Zell-Zyklus-Start im Gegensatz zu nicht adhärenten Zellen. Die Zytokine im Zellmedium förderten die Integrin Aktivierung, was zu einer schnellen Zelladhäsion führte. Die Adhäsionsrezeptoren wiederum kooperieren mit Zytokinrezeptoren im Zellinneren und begünstigten damit einen zeitigeren Zell-Zyklus- Start. Allerdings stellte sich danach ein Gleichgewicht im Kultursystem ein, wobei weniger adhärente Zellen als nicht-adhärente Zellen den Zellzyklus durchliefen. Des Weiteren war die Zellzyklusrate innerhalb von 3D Mikrokavitäten niedriger verglichen mit herkömmlichen 2D Substraten. Diese Ergebnisse bestätigen ferner obenstehende These, dass Zytokin-induzierte Zellexpansion durch erhöhte Zelladhäsions-vermittelte Signale überschrieben wird. Um die in vitro Studien zu komplettieren wurde ein in vivo Repopulationsversuch durchgeführt. HSC kultiviert auf Einzel-Zell-Mikrokavitäten übertrafen frisch isolierte Konkurrenz-Zellen in einem kompetitiven Repopulationsversuch. Dieses erste Ergebnis zeigt, dass sich der Zellgröße entsprechende Biomaterialien für die erfolgreiche Stammzell-Kultur eignen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit bieten eine vielversprechende in vitro Zellkulturstrategie, die ein besseres Verständnis der Einflüsse von exogenen Signalen auf HSC erlaubt und damit eine Grundlage für neue Erkenntnisse in Richtung erfolgreicheres Tissue Engineering und klinische Anwendungen im Bereich der regenerativen Medizin bildet.:Kurzbeschreibung 4 Abstract 6 1 Introduction 8 1.1 Motivation 8 1.2 Objective 8 2 Basics 10 2.1 Stem Cells and their Role in Life 10 Stem Cells and their Niches 12 2.1.1 Hematopoietic Stem Cells 12 2.1.2 Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche 14 2.1.3 The ECM Relevancy 16 2.1.4 HSC Relevant Cytokines 19 2.2 Cell Culture Scaffolds 21 2.2.1 General 2D, 3D 21 2.2.2 Substrate Engineering 22 2.2.3 Co-Culture versus the Artificial 3D Niche 23 3 Materials and Methods 25 3.1 Chemicals, Reagents and Equipment 25 3.2 Wafer Design and Surface Functionalization 29 3.3 Cell Culture and Analysis 31 3.3.1 HSC Culture in ECM-functionalized Microcavities 32 3.4 Surface Passivation 33 3.5 Mouse Bone Marrow Preparation 35 4 Results and Discussion 37 4.1 Scaffold Design and Preparation 37 4.1.1 Surface Characterization 37 4.1.2 Surface Passivation 39 Approaches for Surface Passivation 39 Efficiency of Surface Passivation 39 4.1.3 Redesigned Microcavities 43 4.2 Summarized Discussion of the Surface Passivation 44 4.3 HSC Culture inside Microcavities 45 4.3.1 HSC-ECM Interaction Reduces Proliferation 45 4.3.2 Population-wide Proliferation and Differentiation of Spatially Constrained HSCs . … 46 HSCs within Redesigned Microcavities 48 4.3.3 Colony-forming Ability of Microcavity Cultures 50 4.4 Single Cell Analysis of Differentiation 52 4.5 Cell Cycling Dependency on Cytokine Level 53 4.5.1 Plane Surfaces 54 4.5.2 Microcavities Reduce Cycling Frequency 57 4.6 Mice Repopulation of Microcavity Cultured HSCs 58 4.7 Summarized Discussion of the HSC–ECM Relation 60 4.8 Future Prospects 62 5 Summary 63 References 64 Figure Legend 73 Tables 73 Theses 74 6 Appendices I 6.1 FACS Principle I 6.1.1 HSC Staining for CD Marker and Cell Cycle Kinetics I 6.1.2 Apoptosis Test II 6.2 Differentiation and Proliferation on Redesigned Microcavities III 6.3 Colony-forming Capability of Microcavity Cultured Cells IV 6.4 Effect of Trypsin on HSC Properties in Long Term Culture IV 6.5 Surface Functionalization with SCF V 6.5.1 Analysis of the HSCs Grown on Immobilized SCF VI 6.5.2 SCF Immobilization and its Kinetics VII 6.5.3 c-kit Expression Kinetics and HSC Differentiation VIII Short Discussion on the Growth Factor Immobilization IX Publications X Posters X Proceedings XI Talks XI Patents XI Papers XI Awards XI 7 Danksagung: XII Selbstständigkeitserklärung: XIII

The regenerative potential of adult stem cell populations within the human body bears great promises for their use in regenerative medicine. The bone marrow (BM) harbours two different types of adult stem cells, haematopoietic stem and progneitor cells (HSPCs) and multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), which are tightly regulated in their distinct anatomically defined niches by multiple cues such as cytokines, cell-cell contacts, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the physical microenvironment. The ex vivo expansion of these cells for applications in regenerative therapies is of great interest and several biomaterial approaches attempt to mimic the natural BM niche and its components to control stem cell maintenance and differentiation. However, as of now the complexity of such stem cell niches is hard to recapitulate. Towards this goal, this work was focussing on the ECM environment of BM stem cells and was set out to engineer improved in vitro culture systems. MSC themselves are one of the most important cell types within the BM that secrete and construct ECM-networks and thereby shape the microenvironment of the residing cells. The potential of primary human BM-MSC to secrete ECM in vitro has been exploited to generate niche-like ECM surrogates in a robust and versatile format. Application of decellularisation regimes allowed the fabrication of complex matrices which demonstrated suprastructural, compositional and physicochemical properties compareable to those of the native BM-ECM environment. Reliable stability and reproduciblity was achieved by a dedicated procedure of maleic anhydride co-polymer-mediated covalent binding of fibronectin and subsequent anchorage of cell-secreted ECM molecules. As a result of the high reproducibility, a complete proteomic register of ECM molecules was obtained in combination with determining the complex fibrillar and soft gel-like characteristics of MSC-derived matrices. Based on the established BM niche-like substrate, the impact of extracellular matrices on MSC and HSPC ex vivo behavior has been explored. Both cell types demonstrated strong adhesion to ECM substrates and depicted a changed cellular morphology upon contact with native ECM structures compared to standard culture substrates or simple ECM protein coatings, indicating an intense interplay between the cell and the microenvironment. MSC that re-grew into their own matrices have shown advantageous proliferation and cytokine secretion levels as well as enhanced differentiation intensity (upon differentiation induction) compared to MSC that were cultured on less complex substrates. Similarly, HSPC were also instructed for enhanced expansion on MSC-derived matrices without exhaustion of stem cell-marker expressing progenitor cells. The efficiency of these matrices was related to their ability to mimic the native composite suprastructure, ligand nano-topography, molecular composition and physical properties of natural BM ECM environments. The data obtained within this thesis set the ground for a more rational design of artificial stem cell niches with defined and distinct properties, offering exciting options for the in-depth analysis and understanding of stem cell regulation by exogenous cues.

Abstract Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is an important cause of cancer-associated deaths. About 30–50% of CRCs show KRAS or BRAF mutation. In many cancers, anoikis, i.e. apoptosis induced by loss of extracellular matrix (ECM) contact, is disturbed. Anoikis resistance is essential for the formation of metastases, and since anoikis resistance assessment is based on in vitro cell cultures, the prognostic value of anoikis resistance is largely unknown. We aimed to identify the histopathological features indicating anoikis resistance in CRC and analyze their prognostic value. The roles of BRAF and KRAS mutations and survivin in anoikis resistance were analyzed and 3-D cell culture was used to model the histopathology of anoikis resistant (AR) structures. The two cohorts of CRC cases used in the study consisted of 62 (series 1) and 137 patients (series 2). Immunohistochemistry for ECM proteins enabled identification of tumor cells with and without ECM contact, and in both populations, apoptosis was determined with staining for caspase-cleaved keratin 18. Based on absence of ECM contact and decreased apoptosis rate, we identified micropapillary (MIP), cribriform and solid structures to represent the putative AR populations. High areal density of AR structures associated independently with short survival and was an independent prognostic factor. MIPs showed lower survivin expression, proliferation and apoptosis rates than non-MIP cells, and low apoptosis rate was associated with poor prognosis in stage I and II cases. For 3-D in vitro model of AR structures, we transfected Caco-2 cells with mutated KRAS or BRAF genes; both induced anoikis resistance as measured with Annexin V test in suspension culture. In 3-D cultures, native Caco-2 cells formed polarized cysts. In contrast, mutated cell lines formed partially filled cysts or solid structures, and inverted polarity in KRAS mutant cells. In conclusion, it is possible to identify putative AR structures by conventional histopathology and their number is associated with poor prognosis. MIPs represent a distinct subpopulation of CRC cells with features of quiescence. KRAS and BRAF mutations induce anoikis resistance in Caco-2 cells. In 3-D cultures, oncogenes KRAS and BRAF induce solid structures and cell piling, with structural resemblance to putative AR structures observed by histopathology. The mutated Caco-2 cells thus serve as a model to study the manifestation of anoikis resistance as a distinct histological feature with oncological significance. / Tiivistelmä Paksu- ja peräsuolisyöpä on yleinen syöpäkuoleman aiheuttaja. KRAS- tai BRAF-geenien mutaatio todetaan 30–50 prosentissa suolisyövistä. Anoikis tarkoittaa apoptoosia, jonka käynnistää solun irtoaminen soluväliaineesta. Anoikisresistenssi on etäpesäkkeen synnyn edellytys. Anoikisresistenssiä voidaan todeta vain soluviljelyssä, joten sen merkitystä syövässä in vivo ei ole aiemmin arvioitu. Tässä työssä pyrittiin tunnistamaan anoikisresistenssiin viittaavat muutokset histopatologisista suolisyöpänäytteistä ja selvittämään niiden vaikutusta potilaan ennusteeseen. Lisäksi tutkittiin BRAF- ja KRAS-mutaatioiden yhteyttä anoikisresistenssiin ja mallinnettiin anoikisresistenttejä (AR) rakenteita kolmiulotteisessa soluviljelmässä. Potilasaineisto koostui 199 suolisyöpäpotilaasta. Kudosleikkeistä värjättiin soluväliaineen komponentteja sekä määritettiin apoptoottiset ja jakautuvat solut (M30- ja Ki-67-värjäykset). AR-solupopulaatioiden tunnistamisessa käytettiin kriteereinä soluväliainekontaktin puuttumista ja vähentynyttä apoptoositiheyttä. AR-populaatioiksi osoittautuivat mikropapillaariset (MIP), seulamaiset ja solidit rakenteet. Näiden rakenteiden korkea kokonaisesiintyvyys osoittautui itsenäiseksi huonon ennusteen tekijäksi. MIP-rakenteissa surviviinin ilmentyminen ja apoptoosi- ja proliferaatiotiheys olivat vähentyneet muihin kasvainsoluihin verrattuna. Lisäksi apoptoottisten solujen pieni määrä MIP-rakenteissa liittyi huonoon ennusteeseen paikallisessa syövässä. Mallinnusta varten Caco-2 solut transfektoitiin mutatoiduilla KRAS- tai BRAF-geeneillä. Onkogeenien transfektion todettiin indusoivan anoikisresistenssiä. Kolmiulotteisessa soluviljelyssä polarisoituneet Caco-2 solut muodostivat säännöllisiä rauhasmaisia rakenteita. Onkogeeneillä transfektoidut solut muodostivat puolestaan osittain tai kokonaan täyttyneitä rakenteita ja KRAS-transfektio aiheutti solujen polariteetin kääntymistä. Havainnot osoittavat, että anoikisresistenssiä edustavat rakenteet voidaan tunnistaa kudosleikkeestä ja niiden runsas määrä viittaa huonoon ennusteeseen. MIP-rakenteissa todettiin lepotilan (quiescence) piirteitä. KRAS- ja BRAF-mutaatiot aiheuttavat Caco-2 soluissa anoikisresistenssiä. Kolmiulotteisissa soluviljelmissä onkogeenien vaikutus näkyy solujen pinoutumisena, mikä muistuttaa syöpäkudosnäytteissä todettuja AR-rakenteita. Tulosten perusteella modifioituja Caco-2 soluja voidaan hyödyntää anoikisresistenssin mallintamiseen ja tarkempien mekanismien tutkimiseen.

L’AVC représente la première cause d’handicap acquis chez l’adulte. L’AVC ischémique, représentant 87% des AVCs, est une pathologie complexe dont le premier facteur de risque aggravant est l’hypertension artérielle. À l’heure actuelle les seuls traitements disponibles sont la thrombolyse et la thrombectomie. Cependant, ces traitements présentent de nombreuses contre-indications et effets secondaires limitant leurs applications chez les patients. L’objectif des travaux menés dans cette thèse est l’évaluation d’un traitement pharmacologique, le RGTA (ReGeneraTing Agent), combiné ou non à un traitement cellulaire utilisant les cellules souches mésenchymateuses (CSMs), chez des rats normo- et hyper-tendus. Les résultats obtenus dans cette thèse montrent qu’à la suite d’une ischémie cérébrale, les traitements évalués offrent une neuroprotection et une récupération fonctionnelle persistantes, chez les animaux noromo- et hyper-tendus. Cette récupération est expliquée par la réduction du volume lésionnel, par une meilleure plasticité cérébrale (angiogenèse, neurogenèse), ainsi par la potentialisation de l’effet des CSMs par le RGTA. En conclusion, nos études démontrent l’efficacité d’une thérapie robuste de neurorprotection chez le rongeur à la suite d’une ischémie cérébrale. / Stroke is the leading cause worldwide of adult severe disability. The limited available treatments for ischemic stroke, which accounts for 87% of strokes, makes it necessary to develop new therapeutical approaches. Stroke is a complex pathology and chronic hypertension (CAH) represents the first aggravating risk factor for ischemic stroke. At the present time, the only two available treatments for ischemic stroke, thrombolysis and thrombectomy, present several side effects limiting their clinical use. Here we evaluate the effect of a molecular RGTA (ReGeneraTing Agent) based therapy combined or not to a cellular therapy based on the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of ischemic stroke in normo- and hyper-tensive rats. The results demonstrate that the evaluated therapies confer a long lasting neuroprotection accompanied by animals’ functional recovery. Further analysis suggest that RGTA enhances brain plasticity (angiogenesis, and neurogenesis), protects the extracellular matrix structure, and potentiates MSCs’ beneficial effects. In conclusion, our studies demonstrate the efficacy of a molecular and cellular combined therapy conferring a persistent neuroprotection and functional recovery for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Le micro-environnement tumoral joue un rôle dans la croissance, l'invasion tumorale et la résistance aux traitements. Il est essentiel de comprendre les mécanismes qui régulent la communication entre les cellules tumorales et ce micro-environnement pour développer des thérapies efficaces. Dans ce contexte, les protéases extracellulaires de la famille des Adamalysines sont des acteurs importants dans la progression tumorale en agissant sur le remodelage de la matrice extracellulaire (MEC) et la biodisponibilité des médiateurs de communication cellulaire tels que les cytokines, les chimiokines et les facteurs de croissance. Mes travaux ont mis en évidence une nouvelle interaction entre ADAM12, un marqueur mésenchymateux induit au cours de la transition épithélio-mésenchymateuse (EMT) dépendante du TGF-β et ZO-1, une protéine d’échafaudage exprimée dans des jonctions serrées de cellules épithéliales. Ces deux protéines sont redistribuées, dans des structures de type invadopodes pour promouvoir la dégradation de la MEC. Nous avons par ailleurs réalisé un criblage in silico qui nous a permis d’identifier un cluster d’adamalysines dont les gènes sont co-exprimés chez des patients atteints d’un carcinome hépatocellulaire. Parmi ces adamalysines, nous avons mis en évidence la protéine ADAMTS12, qui joue un rôle clé dans le développement de la fibrose hépatique en lien avec une réponse inflammatoire aigüe ou chronique. / Tumor microenvironment plays a major role in tumor growth, invasion and resistance to treatments. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate communication between tumor cells and their microenvironment is essential to develop effective therapies. In this context, Adamalysin extracellular proteases play major role in tumor progression, by modulating the extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and the bioavailability of cell communication mediators such as cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. My work revealed a new interaction between ADAM12, a mesenchymal marker induced during the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) dependent on TGF-β and ZO-1, a scaffolding protein expressed in tight junctions of epithelial cells. Both proteins are redistributed in invadopodia-like structures to promote ECM degradation. In a second study, we carried out an in silico screening that allowed us to identify a cluster of Adamalysin genes co-expressed in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma. Among these Adamalysins we have studied the protein ADAMTS12 in more details, and shown that this protein plays a key role in the development of liver fibrosis involving an acute or chronic inflammatory response.

Pathological angiogenesis, or new blood vessel formation, is involved in many pathologies, including cancer and serious eye diseases. While traditional anti-angiogenic therapies target vascular endothelial growth factor receptors to reduce or inhibit new vessel formation, this approach has several downsides, including unpleasant side effects and low efficacy over time. Therefore, identifying new targets to treat pathological angiogenesis is still needed. CMG2, one of the two identified anthrax toxin receptors, has been proposed as an alternative target to treat pathological angiogenesis. CMG2’s role as a cell surface receptor that mediates anthrax toxin internalization is very well documented. One physiological function for CMG2, not related to anthrax intoxication, is suggested by the observation that loss-of-function mutations in CMG2 cause hyaline fibromatosis syndrome (HFS), a genetic disease that results in accumulations of extra-cellular matrix (ECM) protein in different parts of the body. While the complete molecular mechanism for CMG2’s role in regulating angiogenesis has not been determined, this dissertation addresses multiple ways CMG2 regulates pathological angiogenesis. We have discovered that CMG2 plays a role in mediating ECM homeostasis via endocytosis of ECM proteins and protein fragments as a way to generate angiogenic signals from the cell. We have also demonstrated that a fragment from Col IV, S16, is endocytosed into the cells by interacting with CMG2, and S16 treatment to endothelial cells leads to a significant reduction in cell migration. Also, an endothelial cell migration assay with CMG2 knockout cells results in abolished directional migration, indicating that CMG2 is required for endothelial cell chemotaxis. Notably, we have identified that bFGF, VEGF, and PDGF are involved in CMG2 mediated chemotaxis but not insulin and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). While recent literature reports show that CMG2 works closely with RhoA GTPase, which is commonly known to regulate cell migration, we have also observed that inhibition of RhoA also reduced cell chemotaxis towards VEGF but not S1P. These results could be leveraged to develop new classes of therapeutic molecules to treat pathological angiogenesis induced by multiple various growth factors via targeting CMG2.

Dynamic alterations of composition and mechanics of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are suggested to modulate cellular behavior including plasticity of macrophages (MPhs) during wound healing. In this study, engineered 3D fibrillar matrices based on naturally occurring biopolymers (collagen I, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs)) were used to mimic matrix stiffening as well as modification by sulfated and non-sulfated GAGs at different stages of wound healing. Human MPhs were found to sensitively respond to these microenvironmental cues in terms of polarization towards pro-inflammatory or wound healing phenotypes over 6 days in vitro. MPhs exhibited a wound healing phenotype in stiffer matrices as determined by protein and gene expression of relevant cytokines (IL10, IL12, TNF). Presence of sulfated and non-sulfated GAGs inhibited this polarization effect. Furthermore, control experiments on 2D matrices stressed the relevance of using stiffness-controlled 3D matrices, as MPhs showed a reciprocal polarization behavior depending on GAG presence. Hence, the results indicate a strong influence of dimensionality, stiffness, and GAG presence of the biomaterial scaffold on MPh polarization and emphasize the need for matrices closely mimicking the 3D in vivo context with a variable stiffness and GAG composition in in vitro studies.

Extracellular matrix stiffening of breast tissues has been clinically correlated with malignant transformation and poor prognosis. An increase of collagen fibril diameter and lysyl-oxidase mediated crosslinking has been observed in advanced tumor stages. Many current reports suggest that the local mechanical properties of single fibrillar components dominantly regulate cancer cell behavior. Here, we demonstrate by an independent control of fibril diameter and intrafibrillar crosslinking of threedimensional (3D) collagen matrices that fibril bending stiffness instructs cell behavior of invasive and non-invasive breast cancer cells. Two types of collagen matrices with fibril diameter of either 650 nm or 800 nm at a similar pore size of 10 µm were reconstituted and further modified with the zero-length crosslinker 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethyl aminopropyl)-carbodiimide at concentrations of 0, 20, 100 and 500 mM. This approach yields a set of collagen matrices with overlapping variation of matrix elasticity. Within this set of matrices we could prove the common assumption that matrix elasticity of collagen networks is bending dominated with a linear dependence on fibril bending stiffness. We derive that the measured variation of matrix elasticity is directly correlated to the variation of fibril bending stiffness, being independently controlled either by fibril diameter or by intrafibrillar crosslinking. We use these defined matrices to demonstrate that the adjustment of fibril bending stiffness allows to instruct the behavior of two different breast cancer cell lines, invasive MDA-MB-231 (human breast carcinoma) and non-invasive MCF-7 cells (human breast adenocarcinoma). Invasiveness and spreading of invasive MDA-MB-231 cells as well as clustering of non-invasive MCF-7 cells is thereby investigated over a broad parameter range. Our results demonstrate and quantify the direct dependence of cancer cell phenotypes on the matrix mechanical properties on the scale of single fibrils.