Francisella tularensis is capable of infecting numerous cell types, including professional phagocytes. Upon phagocytosis, F. tularensis resides within the phagosome before escaping into the cytosol to replicate. Phagocytes constitute a hostile environment rich in ROS, which are employed as a means of killing pathogens. ROS interact with and disrupt the function of vital molecules such as DNA, proteins and bacterial structures. Iron potentiates the danger of ROS through the Fenton reaction where ferrous iron reduces H2O2 causing the formation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals and anions. Low levels of ROS are formed during normal aerobic metabolism and pathogens thus have a need for defense mechanisms to handle the ever present levels of ROS but even more so to combat the onslaught of ROS experienced within a host. This thesis was focused on the investigation of the iron status and oxidative stress response of F. tularensis; thereby identifying key players controlling the bacterial iron content, its adaptation to oxygen-rich environments and defense against ROS. We identified subspecies-specific differences in iron content, where F. tularensis subsp. tularensis was found to contain significantly less iron than strains of subsp. holarctica. The reduced iron content resulted in an increased tolerance to H2O2, despite simultaneously causing a decrease in the activity of catalase - the iron-dependent enzyme responsible for degrading H2O2 in F. tularensis. This strongly suggests that the restricted iron uptake and storage by subsp. tularensis strains is beneficial by rendering the bacteria less susceptible to H2O2, thereby evading the toxic effects of the iron-driven Fenton reaction. This evasion is likely to be an important part of the higher virulence displayed by subsp. tularensis as compared to subsp. holarctica. We further identified that the global regulator, MglA, is important for the adaptation of LVS to oxygen-rich environments. Deletion of mglA from LVS resulted in a mutant, ΔmglA, with impaired defense to oxidative stress, as manifested by an inability to grow to wild-type levels under aerobic conditions, an accumulation of proteins with oxidative damage, a suppressed expression of iron-uptake related genes, an increased catalase activity, and an increased tolerance to H2O2. This phenotype was reversed in a microaerobic environment. We therefore conclude that MglA is an important factor for the defense of LVS to oxidative damage under aerobic conditions and speculate that MglA is of greatest importance in oxygen-rich foci. We also studied the role of OxyR in LVS by creating a ΔoxyR mutant as well as a double mutant, ΔoxyR/ΔkatG. The in vitro response of these mutants, as well as of ΔkatG, to defined ROS was assessed using H2O2, the O2- generating agent paraquat, and the ONOO- generator SIN-1. ΔoxyR was more susceptible to all ROS than LVS as was ΔkatG, with the exception of O2- Strikingly, ΔoxyR/ΔkatG was significantly more susceptible to all ROS tested compared to either single deletion mutant. LVS, ΔoxyR and ΔkatG replicated efficiently in bone marrow-derived macrophages whereas ΔoxyR/ΔkatG showed no replication. In mice, the ΔoxyR mutant displayed impaired replication in liver, but intact replication vs. LVS in spleen. Collectively, our results demonstrate an important role of OxyR in the oxidative stress response and virulence of F. tularensis, and further reveal overlapping roles of OxyR and catalase in the defense against ROS. The results thus shed new light on the complexity of ROS defense in F. tularensis.

Francisella tularensis is a gram-negative, highly virulent, intracellular bacterium which causes the zoonotic disease tularemia. The subspecies tularensis and holarctica are clinically important, and the former is the more virulent. The intracellular lifestyle of F. tularensis is not completely understood, but after uptake in monocytes, the bacterium escapes from the phagosome within hours and replicates massively in the cytosol. The escape is dependent on factors encoded by the Intracellular Growth Locus (igl) operon, located in the Francisella Pathogenicity Island, FPI. The thesis was aimed to clarify and understand the interaction of F. tularensis strains with the endosomal pathway of monocytic cells in general and the roles of the Igl proteins and the global regulator MglA for this interaction in particular. A focus has also been to elucidate the roles of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species for the intracellular host-parasite interaction. We show that mutants in the IglB, IglC, or IglD proteins or their regulator MglA of the live vaccine strain, LVS (subspecies holarctica), all demonstrated reduced replication rates and lowered cytopathogenicity compared to the wild type in a J774 mouse macrophage cell model. Colocalization with LAMP-1 was significantly increased for the IglC, IglD and MglA mutants compared to LVS. This indicated an impaired ability to escape into the cytoplasm, while at the same time they, like LVS, partly prevented fusion with lysosomes. IFN-γ activation of the J774 host cells prior to infection had a bactericidal effect on LVS and all of the mutants, though the cidal effect was significantly more pronounced for the mutants. Following IFN-γ activation, a majority of the mutant-containing phagosomesfused with lysosomeswhile LVS remained localized in the cytosol without significantly increased interactions with the endosomal pathway. Previous studies have revealed that IFN-γ activation of F. tularensis-infected macrophages leads to control of infection but conclusions about the importance of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species on bacterial killing are inconsistent. We found that the growth inhibition resulting from IFN-γ activation could not be attributed to an increased oxidative burst since PMA-induced superoxide production was still inhibited by LVS to the same extent as in non-activated macrophages. On the other hand, reactive nitrogen species may in part have contributed to the cidal effect. To further assess the role of reactive nitrogen species to the killing of F. tularensis, nitric oxide was administrated exogenously to J774 cells infected with LVS. This led to significant killing of intracellular LVS with a concomitant increased phagosomal localization and downregulation of the virulence gene regulator mglA. These effects were reversed by addition of a peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst. A spontaneous avirulent mutant of subspecies tularensis, strain FSC043, was previously demonstrated to provide protective immunity in mice. Here, microscopic analyses of the strain revealed an unusual intracellular localization with a delayed phagosomal escape. This may account for the low virulence, while at the same time FSC043 remains immunogenic and thereby confers protection. The igl operon is intact in strain FCS043 and we hypothesize that a defect in the FPI gene pdpC contributed to the observed phenotype. Altogether, this thesis work demonstrates the importance of the mglA and igl genes for the virulence of F. tularensis and specifically their important roles for a functional phagosomal escape and inhibition of the host cell oxidative burst. Also, addition of exogenous nitric oxide likely leads to formation of peroxynitrite intracellularly, a reactive molecule which confines the bacterium to the phagosome and confers a significant bactericidal effect on intracellular F. tularensis.

La formation de cristaux dans la phase dispersée d'une émulsion huile-dans-eau fait apparaître des irrégularités ou aspérités aux interfaces pouvant entraîner des modifications rhéologiques spectaculaires comme le passage d'un état fluide à un état solide. Nous montrons que la gélification des émulsions par voie thermique peut être attribuée à deux mécanismes : la coalescence partielle, qui permet grâce aux cristaux interfaciaux deformer des liens irréversibles entre gouttes, et le «jamming » qui est un phénomène de blocage dû aux aspérités empêchant le mouvement relatif des surfaces au contact. Sur des systèmes modèles, nous établissons que les mécanismes et les cinétiques de gélification sont contrôlés par la proportion d'huile cristallisée, le diamètre moyen des gouttes et la composition de l'interface. Nous montrons en particulier que la coalescence partielle peut être décrite comme un processus de percolation nécessitant des contacts de type « solide contre liquide » entre les gouttes. Nous montrons ensuite que la mise en écoulement des émulsions ou des gels peut conduire à deux situations limites : la séparation macroscopique des phases (ou barattage) ou bien la persistance d'un gel de plus faible connectivité. Nous étudions l'influence des paramètres qui sont à l'origine de cette évolution topologique. La variété des états accessibles rend ces matériaux très attractifs pour les secteurs de la cosmétique et l'agroalimentaire.

La malnutrition liée au vieillissement est souvent accompagnée de nombreux dérèglements et dysfonctionnements métaboliques, notamment la perturbation de l'homéostasie énergétique (installation de l’insulinorésistance), la fragilité, la diminution de la masse musculaire et les troubles de la réponse immunitaire. Ainsi, la manipulation nutritionnelle, au cours du vieillissement, est considérée comme l'une des solutions possible pour prévenir et traiter ces troubles. Parmi les substances nutritives qui ont été largement étudiées, la composition en protéines (acides aminés), la qualité des lipides (AGPI n-3) et les micronutriments (vitamine D).L’objectif de cette thèse consiste à déterminer l’impact de la dénutrition et d’évaluer le potentiel d'une des formules de réalimentation contenant un mélange à haute teneur en protéines solubles du lait, associées à de la matière grasse laitière, enrichie en acides gras polyinsaturés de la famille omega 3 (précurseur ALA et DHA) et en vitamine D sur la composition en acides gras (AG) du plasma, des globules rouges et du cerveau ainsi que ses conséquences sur les marqueurs du statut inflammatoire, la réponse hépatique à l’insuline, l'expression de gènes impliqués dans la régulation de l'homéostasie énergétique et l’inflammation hypothalamique, chez des rats âgés préalablement soumis à une restriction alimentaire. Dans un premier temps, nous avons montré que la restriction alimentaire de trois mois, non carencée en ALA, induit une perte importante en omega3 (ALA et dérivés LCn-3) alors que le dérivé ARA de la série n-6 est peu modifié, conduisant ainsi à une élévation du statut pro-inflammatoire exprimé sous forme d’une augmentation du ratio ARA/LCn-3.Toutefois, les quatre semaines de réalimentation, notamment avec la formule contenant le mélange matière grasse laitière, colza et DHA, associé à de la caséine ou des protéines solubles du lait, restaure 1/ les valeurs de DHA du cerveau non restaurées par un régime contrôle de renutrition, 2/ augmente les valeurs des dérivés LCn-3 (EPA, DHA) à des niveaux supérieurs à ceux d’un régime contrôle non dénutris et de renutrition. Cette augmentation s’accompagne d’une réduction des valeurs d’ARA, induisant une baisse drastique dans le plasma et les globules rouges du ratio ARA/EPA. Ces formules montrent pour la première fois qu’elles peuvent induire une réduction très importante du statut inflammatoire par rapport à celui observé généralement chez les vieux rats et pourrait présenter un intérêt beaucoup plus général en prévention des pathologies associées au vieillissement, liées ou non à la dénutrition.Dans un second temps, nous avons montré que la restriction alimentaire de trois mois entraîne 1/ une augmentation de l’expression du récepteur à l'insuline dans l'hypothalamus, le foie et le tissu adipeux, accompagnée d'une augmentation du facteur pro-inflammatoire TNFα dans l’hypothalamus. Cependant, la réalimentation de quatre semaines entraîne 2/ un gain de poids similaire et maintient l’insulinosensibilité hépatique. En effet, nous avons montré, pour la première fois, qu’une réalimentation avec les régimes comportant le mélange MGLA/colza/DHA, permettrait 3/ d’augmenter la prise alimentaire et de diminuer l’inflammation hypothalamique, notamment, avec la formule complète contenant un mélange de haute teneur en protéines solubles de lait, associée à la matière grasse laitière /colza/DHA et enrichie en vitamine D. / Malnutrition related to aging is often accompanied by many metabolic disorders, including the disruption of energy homeostasis (installation of insulin resistance), fragility, decreased muscle mass and immune response deficiency. Thus, the nutritional manipulation, during aging, is considered to be a solution to prevent these disorders or to treat and limit damages. Amongst the nutrients that have been widely studied, we find the quality of proteins (or amino acids), of lipids (n-3 PUFA) and micronutrients (vitamin D).The aim of this thesis is to determine the impact of undernutrition and assess the potential of the refeeding formulas containing a high content of soluble protein of milk, associated with milk fat enriched with omega3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ALA precursor and DHA) and vitamin D, on the fatty acid (FA) of the plasma, red blood cells and brain and its consequences on markers of inflammatory status, the hepatic response to insulin, the expression of genes involved in the regulation of energy homeostasis as well as hypothalamic inflammation, in old rats previously submitted for food restrictionAs a first step, our results showed that the dietary restriction of three months, despite being only moderately ALA deficient, induced a drastic loss omega3 (ALA and derivatives LCn-3), whereas a weak increase of ARA derived from n-6 series is observed, leading to a rise of the pro-inflammatory state expressed as an increase in the ratio ARA/LCn-3.However, we have shown that the four-week-refeeding formulas containing a blend of dairy-fat, rapeseed and DHA associated with casein or milk soluble proteins, restored 1 / DHA values of the brain not previously restored by the refeeding control diet, 2 /increases the values of LCn-3 derivatives (EPA, DHA) to levels above those obtained with the control non-malnourished and refeeding diets. This increase was accompanied by a reduction in ARA values, leading to a drastic drop in plasma and red blood cells ratio ARA / EPA. These formulas show for the first time that they can induce a very significant reduction of inflammatory status compared to that usually seen in old rats and could therefore present a more general interest in prevention of ageing diseases associated or not to undernutrition.In a second step, our results showed that dietary restriction of three months resulted 1/increased expression of the insulin receptor in the hypothalamus, liver and adipose tissue, accompanied by an increase of the proinflammatory factor TNF in the hypothalamus. However, the four-weeks-refeeding produces 2/ a similar weight gain and maintains hepatic insulin sensitivity. Indeed, we showed, for the first time, that refeeding, with diets containing the blend of dairy-fat / rapeseed / DHA, would 3/ increase food intake and decrease the hypothalamic inflammation, especially with the full formula containing a mixture of high content of soluble milk proteins, associated with dairy-fat / rapeseed / DHA fortified with vitamin D.