Intrinsically safe (IS) active power supplies subjected to certain transient load conditions can deliver power to a circuit at significantly higher levels than indicated on their nameplate ratings. During a transient load such as an intermittent short-circuit, energy is transferred from the power supply to the short-circuit and an electrical arc may form when the short-circuit is applied or removed. This poses a spark ignition risk as energy is transferred from the arc to the surrounding atmosphere. Currently various International and Australian Standards define the performance requirements for IS electrical apparatus. A duly accredited laboratory is required to establish the intrinsic safety compliance of an apparatus with the Standards. It involves an assessment of the apparatus and may include testing. The assessment of the apparatus determines adequate segregation, separation, construction, and selection of components. The tests performed on the apparatus include a temperature rise test and in some cases, the sparking potential of the circuit is tested using the spark test apparatus (STA). Testing the sparking potential of active power supplies to establish compliance adds significantly to the time and costs involved in establishing compliance. A new alternative assessment method is proposed in this report to augment or replace the testing phase of the compliance certification process for active power supplies. The proposed alternative assessment method (PAAM) is derived from a determination of the steady-state and transient output characteristics of the active power supply under consideration. Parameters such as peak output current, time constant of peak current decay, and the output voltages at these times are measured from the circuit's output characteristics. These measurements can subsequently be used to derive the topology and component values of an equivalent circuit. The resulting equivalent circuit is then considered like a linear power supply and the sparking potential can be determined using existing assessment methods. This thesis investigates in detail the equivalent circuit of a number of direct current (DC) active power supplies whose transient output characteristics exhibit predominantly capacitive behaviour. The results of the PAAM using the equivalent circuit are then compared with results achieved using the current testing procedure with a STA. A small sample of active power supplies is used to generate data from which a relationship between the current testing procedure and the PAAM can be established. The PAAM developed in this research project can be used as a pre-compliance check by designers, manufacturers, or IS testing stations. A failure of this test would indicate that the active power supply's sparking energy is not low enough to be regarded as intrinsically safe. The PAAM requires fewer resources to establish a result than the STA. The benefits of a simplified spark ignition test would flow on from designers and manufacturers to end users.

O câncer cervical afeta milhões de mulheres em todo o mundo a cada ano. A maioria dos casos de câncer cervical é causada pelo vírus do papiloma humano (HPV) que é sexualmente transmissível. Cerca de 40 tipos de HPV infectam o colo do útero e estes são designados como sendo de alto ou de baixo risco com base no seu potencial para provocar lesões de alto grau e câncer. A oncoproteína E7 do HPV está diretamente envolvida no aparecimento de câncer de colo do útero. Esta se associada com a proteína pRb e outros alvos celulares que promovem a imortalização celular e carcinogênese. Apesar de muito progresso nos estudos sobre os HPVs de alto risco, ainda não existe uma terapêutica adequada para o tratamento das lesões e câncer causados por este vírus. Este trabalho teve como objetivo entender as diferenças estruturais entre E7 de alto e baixo risco e sugerir, através de análises de bioinformática, possíveis sítios de ligação e inibidores para a E7. Esta é a primeira descrição da modelagem e análise de dinâmica molecular de quatro estruturas tridimensionais completas da E7 dos tipos de alto risco (HPV tipos 16 e 18), de baixo risco (HPV tipo 11) e não relacionadas ao câncer cervical (HPV tipo 1A). Os modelos foram construídos por uma abordagem híbrida usando modelagem por homologia e ab initio. Os modelos foram usados em simulações de dinâmica molecular por 50 ns, sob condições normais de temperatura e pressão. A desordem intrínseca da sequência da proteína E7 foi avaliada com o uso de ferramentas in silico. Os domínios N-terminal de todas as E7 estudadas, mesmo as de alto risco, exibiram estruturas secundárias depois da modelagem. Nas análises da trajetória da dinâmica molecular, as E7s dos HPVs dos tipos 16 e 18 apresentaram maior instabilidade nos seus domínios N-terminais em relação aos do HPV dos tipos 11 e 01. No entanto, esta variação não afetou a conformação das estruturas secundárias durante a simulação. A análise com ANCHOR indicou que as regiões CR1 e CR2 regiões dos tipos de HPV 16 e 18 contêm possíveis alvos para a descoberta da droga. Já a região CR3 do domínio C-terminal indicou estabilidade nas análises in silico e, por isso, foi usada como alvo de busca de modelos farmacofóricos e docking macromolecular. A proteína usada como modelo foi a E7 do HPV tipo 45 resultante de análises de ressonância magnética nuclear (RMN) e depositada no banco de dados de proteína (ID: 2F8B). Foram selecionados por análises sequenciais de busca farmacofórica, docking e re-docking, 19 compostos (extraídos de amplas bibliotecas de pequenos ligantes) com potencial para candidatos a inibidores da E7. Eles foram avaliados quanto a sua função de pontuação, mapas de interação receptor-ligante e toxicidade e os melhores foram indicados para estudos futuros. / Cervical cancer affects millions of women around the world each year. Most cases of cervical cancer are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) which is sexually transmitted. About 40 types of HPV infect the cervix and these are designated as being at high or low risk based on their potential to cause high-grade lesions and cancer. The E7 oncoprotein from HPV is directly involved in the onset of cervical cancer. It associates with the pRb protein and other cellular targets that promote cell immortalization and carcinogenesis. Although the progress in studies with high-risk HPVs there is still no adequate therapy for the treatment of lesions and cancers caused by this virus. This study aimed to understand the structural differences between E7 of high and low risk and suggest, with the aid of bioinformatics analyzes, possible binding sites and inhibitors for the E7. This is the first description of the modeling and molecular dynamics analysis of four complete three-dimensional structures of E7 from high-risk types (HPV types 16 and 18), low risk (HPV type 11) and that not related to cervical cancer (HPV 01). The models were constructed by a hybrid approach using homology modeling and ab initio. The models were used in molecular dynamics simulations for 50 ns, under normal temperature and pressure. The intrinsic disorder of the E7 protein sequence was assessed using in silico tools. The N-terminal domains of all E7s, even the high-risks, showed secondary structures after modeling. In the trajectory analyzes of molecular dynamics, the E7s of HPV types 16 and 18 showed high instability in their N-terminal domains than those of HPV types 11 and 01, however, this variation did not affect the conformation of secondary structures during the simulation. The analysis with ANCHOR indicated that regions CR1 and CR2 regions of types of HPV 16 and 18 contain possible targets for drug discovery. The CR3 region of the C-terminal domain indicated stability by in silico analyzes and was therefore used as target to search for pharmacophoric models and \"docking\". The protein used as a model was the E7, from HPV type 45, constructed by analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and deposited in the protein data bank (ID: 2F8B). It was selected 19 compounds as potential candidates for E7 inhibitors (extracted from large libraries of small ligands) using sequential pharmacophore search, docking and re-docking analyzes. They were evaluated for their scoring function, maps of receptor-ligand interactions and toxicity and the best suited were indicated for future studies.

En radiologie interventionnelle, l’assistance robotisée permet de limiter l’exposition du praticien aux rayons X et d’apporter plus de précision pour effectuer des opérations complexes. La présence de robots dans un environnement humain pose alors la question de la sécurité du patient et de l’équipe médicale, que ce soit lors d’interactions ou de manipulations. Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons dans un premier temps aux problématiques de sûreté. Une structure d’actionnement intrinsèquement sûre est proposée. Le prototype réalisé permet d’effectuer des tâches de positionnement en mode automatique. Parallèlement, une stratégie de guidage basée sur une approche passive est proposée. Un système à raideur variable permet d’imposer un effort résistif variable à l’utilisateur en vue de contraindre son geste. Dans une deuxième partie, nous étudions la possibilité d’intégrer de tels systèmes sur un dispositif à plusieurs degrés de liberté, répondant au problème de placement d’aiguille. / In the context of interventional radiology, robotic-assisted surgery limits practitioners’ exposure to radiations and brings more accuracy to perform complex interventions. However, the presence of robot in the environment is a potential danger for the patient and the medical staff in case of unexpected interactions and manipulations.In this PhD thesis, we first focus on safety problems. An intrinsically safe mechanism is proposed. The achieved prototype allows to follow both planned trajectories and moving environments.Secondly, a guidance mechanism based on a passive approach is suggested. With a variable stiffness system, using a compliant mechanism, a resistive force is applied to the user which allows him to be guided in his gesture.Based on medical needs, we then study the possibility to integrate and generalize such systems to multiple degrees of freedom.

Les domaines thymosineβ/WH2 sont une famille de protéines intrinsèquement désordonnées impliqués dans le remodelage du cytosquelette d’actine. Ces domaines de 20 à 50 acides aminés existent seuls ou au sein de protéines modulaires, isolés ou répétés. Ils exercent de nombreuses fonctions : ils séquestrent des monomères d’actine, promeuvent l’assemblage du filament, nucléent, fragmentent et coiffent les filaments. Tous les domaines WH2 interagissent de manière similaire avec l’actine via une hélice amphipathique N-terminale suivie d’un brin central et d’une région C-terminal plus ou moins longue et dynamique. Une étude antérieure a montré que la fonction des domaines βT/WH2 isolés était liée à la dynamique du complexe avec l’actine déterminée par une combinaison d’interactions intermoleculaires le long de l’ensemble de la séquence. Les mécanismes expliquant la multifonctionnalité des domaines WH2 répétés restent vagues. Ce travail de thèse présente tout d’abord la production d’actine recombinante, sauvage et mutée dans le système baculovirus/Sf9 pour la biologie structurale ainsi que le développement de stratégies de marquage isotopique en cellules d’insectes. La deuxième partie s’intéresse à la caractérisation structurale et dynamique de domaines WH2 seules en solution : deux domaines isolés et deux protéines contenant deux domaines WH2. Les hélices amphipathiques N-terminales sont partiellement repliées avec des populations variant selon les protéines. La préstructuration des régions C-terminales est plus variable, complètement désordonnée ou partiellement hélicoïdale selon les protéines. La dernière partie présente l’étude de l’interaction de ces protéines avec l’actine. / WH2 domains are a family of intrinsically disordered proteins involved in actin cytoskeleton remodeling. These short domains, isolated or repeated in various actin binding proteins display a low sequence identity and a large panel of functions such as sequestration of actin monomers, promotion of unidirectional assembly, nucleation, fragmentation, filament capping. All WH2 domains fold similarly upon actin binding. They form an extended interface along actin, with an amphipathic N-terminal helix followed by an extended central strand and a more dynamic C-terminal region. Previous work on single βT/WH2 domains showed that function was linked to the dynamics of the complex with actin which is determined by a combination of intermolecular interactions throughout the sequence. The multifunctionality of WH2 tandem repeats is still elusive. The present work first describes production of recombinant wild-type and mutant actin in insect cells and isotopic 15N-labeling for NMR spectroscopy. As a first step to gain insight into the folding upon binding mechanism of functionally different WH2 repeats, we investigated the conformational behavior of two single domains and two tandem repeats free in solution by NMR. The N-terminal amphipatic helix is partially formed but with various propensities depending on the proteins while the C-terminal region that may form an helix in the complex may be either completely disordered or partially formed in absence of actin. Investigation of WH2:actin interaction for the same four proteins is described in the last chapter.

La phosphoribulokinase (PRK) et la glycéraldéhyde 3-phosphate déshydrogénase (GAPDH) sont deux enzymes-clés du cycle de Calvin-Benson. Leurs activités sont régulées par l’intermédiaire de la CP12, une protéine intrinsèquement désordonnée. Au cours de la transition lumière-obscurité, la GAPDH, la CP12 et la PRK forment un complexe supramoléculaire au sein duquel l’activité des enzymes est inhibée. Dans les travaux présentés ici, nous nous sommes intéressés à la formation de ce complexe et à la dynamique de ses composants. Nous avons montré pour la première fois que les résidus cystéine Cys243 et Cys249 de la PRK sont essentiels à la formation du complexe GAPDH-CP12-PRK et qu’ils peuvent former un pont disulfure en présence de CP12. Nous avons également étudié la dynamique de la CP12 en présence de ses partenaires, et observé que la CP12 adopte une conformation beaucoup plus compacte en présence de GAPDH et de PRK. La glutathionylation (formation d’un pont disulfure mixte entre une molécule de glutathion et un résidu cystéine appartenant à une protéine) est une modification post-traductionnelle associée au stress oxydant qui affecte dix enzymes du cycle de Calvin-Benson, y compris la GAPDH et la PRK. Nous avons étudié l’impact de la glutathionylation sur ces enzymes, et montré que l’inactivation de la PRK naît de l’encombrement du site de fixation de l’ATP.Enfin, la dernière partie de ces travaux est centrée sur l’adénylate kinase 3 de C. reinhardtii, une enzyme impliquée dans le métabolisme de l’ATP et qui possède une extension similaire à la CP12. Cette première étude montre que cette extension augmente la stabilité de l’ADK 3 et intervient dans sa glutathionylation. / Phosphoribulokinase (PRK) and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) are two key enzymes of the Calvin-Benson and their activities are redox-regulated through the intervention of CP12, a intrinsically disordered protein. During the light-to-dark transitions, GAPDH, CP12 and PRK form a supramolecular complex in which the enzymes are strongly inhibited; this complex is dissociated during the dark-to-light transition and the active enzymes are released.In the work presented here, we studied the formation of the complex and the dynamics of its components. For the first time, we showed that two cysteine residues of PRK, Cys243 and Cys249, are essential to the assembly of the GAPDH-CP12-PRK complex, and can form a disulfide bridge in presence of CP12.Glutathionylation (the formation of a mixed disulfide bridge linking one glutathione molecule and a cysteine residue from a protein) is a post-translational modification associated with oxidative stress that affects ten of the Calvin-Benson enzymes, including GAPDH and PRK, and we show that the inactivation of PRK by glutathionylation is caused by the blockage of the ATP binding site by glutathione.The last part of this work is centered around adenylate kinase 3 from C. reinhardtii, an enzyme tied to the energetic metabolism of the cells that presents a CP12-like C-terminal extension. Our results suggest that this CP12-like “tail” improve the stability of ADK 3 and participates in tis glutathionylation.

Protein palmitoylation refers to the process of adding a 16-carbon saturated fatty acid to the cysteine of a substrate protein, and this can in turn affect the substrate’s localization, stability, folding, and several other processes. This process is catalyzed by a family of 23 mammalian protein acyltransferases (PATs), a family of transmembrane enzymes that modify an estimated 10% of the proteome. At this point in time, no structure of a protein in this family has been solved, and therefore there is poor understanding about the regulation of the enzymes and their substrates. Most proteins, including palmitoylation enzymes and substrates, have some level of intrinsic disorder, and this flexibility can be important for signaling processes such as protein- protein interactions and post-translational modifications. Therefore, we assumed that examining intrinsic disorder in palmitoylation enzymes and substrates would yield insight into their regulatory mechanisms. First, we found that among other factors, utilizing intrinsic disorder predictions led to a palmitoylation predictor that significantly outperformed existing predictors. Next, we discovered a conserved region of predicted disorder-to-order transition in the disordered C-termini of the PAT family. In Erf2, the yeast Ras PAT, we developed a model where this region reversibly interacts with membranes, and we found that this region mediates interaction with Acc1, an enzyme involved in fatty acid metabolism processes. Finally, we found that an XLID-associated nonsense mutation in zDHHC9, the mammalian Ras PAT, removed a disordered region that was critical for enzyme localization. Future studies of palmitoylation utilizing the framework of intrinsic disorder may lead to additional insights about this important regulatory process.

Proteins are essential parts of living organisms that initiate and control almost all cellular processes. Despite the widely accepted belief that all functional proteins fold into stable and well-defined three-dimensional (3D) structures mandatory for protein activity, the existence of biologically functional disordered proteins has been increasingly recognized during past two decades. Proteins with inherent structural disorder, commonly known as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), play many roles in a biological context. However, in contrast to their folded counterparts, they are dynamically unstructured and typically fluctuate among many conformations even while performing biological functions. In fact, it is this dynamical structural heterogeneity that that allows for IDPs to interact with other biological macromolecules in unique ways. Moreover, while a majority of proteins in eukaryotic proteomes have been found to have intrinsically disordered regions (IDR), the mechanisms by which protein disorder fives rise to biological functionality is still not well understood. Through a series of simulation studies on specific systems, this thesis probes several aspects of the emerging structure-function paradygm of IDPs, namely the mechanics, intermolecular assembly, and structural transitions occurring in these proteins. The lack of well-defined 3D structure in IDPs gives rise to distinct mechanical properties, the subject of the first study in the thesis on the elasticity of a elastomeric gluten-mimetic polypeptide with an intrinsically disordered character. This disordered polypeptide was shown to exhibit distinctively variable elastic response to a wide range of tensions, which a classical worm-like chain model failed to accurately describe, thus requiring a molecular-level analysis. IDPs frequently are frequently involved in protein-protein interactions, the focus of the second study on the propensity of an IDR, the B domain in dynamin-related protein 1 (Dpr1), to self-assemble into dimer structures while remaining disordered in all solution conditions. Despite a hypothesized auto-inhibitory role for this domain in Dpr1 that was assumed to be triggered by an disordered-to-order transition, the B domains in solution showed no tendency to form ordered structures even in the presence of order promoting osmolytes. Instead, self-association in the presence of osmolyte was found to occur by favorable intermolecular intereactions between specific region on the surface of the B-domains. Other IDPs do undergo a disorder-to-order transition in response to environmental cues, in ways that are unique disordered proteins, the focus of the last study on intermolecular ordering transitions in silk-like proteins. Factors such as protein sequence and physical tension were investigated, and results suggested that tyrosine residues in the key silk sequence motifs promote templating of beta structure from disordered precursors and that elongational stresses preferentialy stabilize antiparallel beta-sheet order. Together, these three computational studies provide insight into the nature of the structure-function mechanisms of IDPs.

La protéine Hsp12 est une protéine de choc thermique (12 kDa) exprimée par la levure Saccharomyces cerevisiae et associée à la réponse au stress. En effet, il a été montré que les transcrits du gène HSP12 sont exprimés en réponse à différents stress. De plus, la protéine Hsp12 serait responsable de la sucrosité du vin observée au cours de l’autolyse des levures lors de la vinification. Cependant, le goût sucré pourrait provenir de la protéine Hsp12 entière, ou, d’un ou plusieurs peptides issus de la protéine Hsp12. L’objectif de cette étude était d’obtenir la protéine Hsp12 native pure à partir de culture de Saccharomyces cerevisiae afin de comprendre son rôle, d’une part dans la réponse au stress chez la levure et, d’autre part dans la sucrosité du vin.Des cultures de la souche œnologique Fx10 de Saccharomyces cerevisiae ont été réalisées afin d’étudier la protéine Hsp12 native. La production de la protéine Hsp12 en réponse à différents stress a été étudiée au cours des cultures, grâce à un dosage ELISA développé lors de cette étude. Il a ainsi été mis en évidence que la protéine Hsp12 est produite en quantités significativement supérieures en réponse à des stress thermiques et osmotiques. Le stress éthanolique quant à lui entraine une diminution de la quantité de protéine Hsp12. La protéine Hsp12 native extraite à partir des cultures a été purifiée. Un procédé de purification en 3 étapes a été développé. Plusieurs résines et conditions chromatographiques ont été criblées en microplaques. La résine en mode mixte PPA HyperCel a permis d’éliminer des contaminants majeurs grâce à sa sélectivité. La chromatographie d’exclusion stérique a permis d’éliminer les contaminants restants et ainsi d’obtenir la protéine Hsp12 native avec une pureté de 99%. Différentes techniques biophysiques et calorimétriques ont permis de caractériser la protéine Hsp12 native purifiée, en présence de membranes modèles. Il a ainsi été démontré que la protéine Hsp12 est une protéine intrinsèquement non ordonnée (intrinsically disordered protein - IDP). Elle est caractérisée par l’absence de structures secondaires en solution aqueuse et par la formation d’hélices α en présence de SDS et du phospholipide PiP2. La liaison avec le PiP2 suggère un rôle dans la stabilisation de la membrane plasmique des levures. La protéine Hsp12 pourrait ainsi avoir un rôle de chaperonne de membrane. Une caractérisation organoleptique de la protéine Hsp12 native purifiée a également été réalisée. Il apparait que la protéine Hsp12 entière n’est pas responsable de la sucrosité mais plutôt un ou des peptides issus sa digestion enzymatique. / Hsp12 is a heat shock protein (12 kDa) expressed by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and associated with the stress response. Indeed, it has been shown that transcripts of the HSP12 gene are expressed in response to different stresses. In addition, the protein Hsp12 would be responsible for the sweetness of wine observed during the autolysis of yeasts during vinification. However, the sweet taste could come from the entire Hsp12, or from one or more peptides derived from Hsp12. The objective of this study was to obtain the pure native Hsp12 protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae culture in order to understand its role, on the one hand in the stress response in yeast and on the other hand in the sweetness of wine.Cultures of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Fx10 enological strain were made to study the native Hsp12 protein. The production of the Hsp12 protein in response to different stresses was studied during the cultures, thanks to an ELISA assay developed during this study. It has thus been demonstrated that the Hsp12 protein is produced in significantly greater quantities in response to thermal and osmotic stress. Ethanol stress causes a decrease in the amount of Hsp12 protein. The native Hsp12 protein extracted from the cultures was purified. A 3-step purification process has been developed. Several resins and chromatographic conditions were screened in microplates. PPA HyperCel mixed-mode resin has eliminated major contaminants due to its selectivity. Steric exclusion chromatography allowed the removal of remaining contaminants and thus obtain the native Hsp12 protein with a purity of 99%. Various biophysical and calorimetric techniques were used to characterize the purified native Hsp12 protein in the presence of model membranes. It has thus been demonstrated that the Hsp12 protein is an intrinsically disordered protein (IDP). It is characterized by the absence of secondary structures in aqueous solution and by the formation of α helices in the presence of SDS and phospholipid PiP2. The binding with PiP2 suggests a role in the stabilization of the plasma membrane of yeasts. The Hsp12 protein could thus act as a membrane chaperone. Organoleptic characterization of the purified native Hsp12 protein was also performed. It appears that the entire Hsp12 protein is not responsible for the sweetness but rather one or more peptides resulting from its enzymatic digestion.

MYC is a family of three regulator genes that codes for transcription factors. Expression of Myc proteins from MYC genes is found to be deregulated in 70 % of all cancer forms. The three human homologs C-Myc, N-Myc and L-Myc are mainly associated with cancer in the lymphatic system, nerve tissues and lung cancer, respectively. Even though N-Myc is associated with Neuroblastoma, the cancer variant that is most common among children, the field is focused towards C-Myc. The activation of C-Myc begins with phosphorylation of Serine 62, followed by trans-to-cis isomerisation of Proline 63. Then Threonine 58 becomes phosphorylated leading to that Serine 62 is dephosphorylated and subsequent cis-to-trans isomerisation of Proline 63, and C-Myc is marked for degradation. Cis-trans isomerisation is necessary for regulation of gene expression, and is therefore important to understand. Since N-Myc and C-Myc have identical sequences between residues 47 to residue 69, the hypothesis is that N-Myc is activated in the same manner, but this has not been confirmed. In this project the first 69 amino acids of N-Myc were analysed with NMR spectroscopy. This resulted in a near complete assignment of the major conformation, and of the alternative minor conformations as well. The traditional assignment experiments HNCACB, HN(CO)CACB, HNCO, HN(CA)CO in combination with CCH-TOCSY and HN(CCO)C revealed that the majority of the minor configurations can be explained by cis/trans isomerisation of prolines. In addition, the protein was analysed with direct carbon detected NMR spectroscopy to be able to detect the prolines.

No description available.