This thesis presents a new algorithm to predict the pre-microRNA secondary structure. An accurate prediction of the pre-microRNA secondary structure is important in miRNA informatics. Based on a recently proposed model, nucleotide cyclic motifs (NCM), to predict RNA secondary structure, we propose and implement a Modified NCM (MNCM) model with a physics-based scoring strategy to tackle the problem of pre-microRNA folding. Our microRNAfold is implemented using a global optimal algorithm based on the bottom-up local optimal solutions. It has been shown that studying the functions of multiple genes and predicting the secondary structure of multiple related microRNA is more important and meaningful since many polygenic traits in animals and plants can be controlled by more than a single gene. We propose a parallel algorithm based on the master-slave architecture to predict the secondary structure from an input sequence. The experimental results show that our algorithm is able to produce the optimal secondary structure of polycistronic microRNAs. The trend of speedups of our parallel algorithm matches that of theoretical speedups. Conserved secondary structures are likely to be functional, and secondary structural characteristics that are shared between endogenous pre-miRNAs may contribute toward efficient biogenesis. So identifying conserved secondary structure is very meaningful and identifying conserved characteristics in RNA is a very important research field. After the characteristics are extracted from the secondary structures of RNAs, corresponding patterns or rules could be dug out and used. We propose to use the conserved microRNA characteristics in two aspects: to improve prediction through knowledge base, and to classify the real specific microRNAs from pseudo microRNAs. Through statistical analysis of the performance of classification, we verify that the conserved characteristics extracted from microRNAs’ secondary structures are precise enough. Gene suppression is a powerful tool for functional genomics and elimination of specific gene products. However, current gene suppression vectors can only be used to silence a single gene at a time. So we design an efficient poly-cistronic microRNA vector and the web-based tool allows users to design their own microRNA vectors online.

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women worldwide, and the fourth leading cause of cancer mortality. Despite significant declines in the incidence and mortality rates of cervical cancer in Canada, it remains the 4th most common cancer in women aged 20-29 years. In order to gain novel insights into cervical cancer tumourigenesis and clinical outcome, we investigated and characterized the alterations in microRNA (miRNA) expression in this disease. Firstly, we performed global miRNA expression profiling of cervical cancer cell lines (n=3), and patient specimens (n=79). From this analysis, we identified miR-196b to be significantly down-regulated in cervical cancer, and characterized its role in regulating the HOXB7~VEGF axis. The global miRNA expression data also led to the development of a candidate 9-miRNA signature that was prognostic for disease-free survival in patients with cervical cancer, although we were unable to validate this signature in an independent cohort. This report describes important considerations concerning the development and validation of microRNA signatures for cervical cancer. Our investigations also led us to a comparison of three methods for measuring miRNA abundance: the TaqMan Low Density Array, the NanoString nCounter assay, and single-well quantitative real-time PCR. Our findings demonstrated limited concordance between the TLDA and NanoString platforms, although each platform correlated well with PCR, which is considered the gold standard for nucleic acid quantification. Furthermore, we examined biases created by amplification protocols for microarray studies. Our analysis demonstrated that performing a correction using the LTR-method (linear transformation of replicates) could help mitigate, but not completely eliminate such biases. Overall, this report presents insights into the role of miRNAs in cervical cancer, as well as an evaluation of technical considerations concerning miRNA and mRNA expression profiling studies.

Approximately 1 in 11 births in the United States are preterm (gestation). Within the United States, there are huge racial disparities for risk of preterm birth, an issue understudied and rarely addressed by research in the field. There is a wealth of biological knowledge surrounding pregnancy and labor, but causes for preterm birth are poorly understood. A genetic factor that has been shown to play a key role in many biological processes crucial to a healthy pregnancy and timely labor is microRNA (miRNA). MiRNA have an active role in the regulation of various tissues, especially developing tissues like those found in the placenta and uterus. Additionally, oxidative stress has been shown essential to placental development and the initiation of labor. Here, a study is proposed that aims to address the effect of oxidative stress on myometrial miRNA expression, specifically the miR-200 family and miR-199/214 cluster. This work also underscores the importance of addressing racial disparities with regards to preterm labor during research, while bringing up ethical considerations for conducting such research. The thesis will conclude with an outline of the many considerations vital for discussing the research and analysis of preterm birth disparities using a feminist, antiracist, queer self-reflexive analysis.

Les microARNs sont des petits ARNs non codants d'environ 22 nucléotides qui régulent négativement la traduction de l'ARN messager cible (ARNm) et ont donc des fonctions cellulaires. Le microARN-16 (miR-16) est connu pour ses effets antiprolifératifs. Nous avons observé que l’expression de miR-16 est diminuée dans les cellules endothéliales humaines sénescentes et quiescentes en comparaison à des cellules prolifératives. Une analyse informatique des sites potentiels de liaison de miR-16 prévoit que GLUT-4, un transporteur du glucose insulinodépendant, pourrait être une cible potentielle du miR-16. Nous avons donc testé l'hypothèse que miR-16 régule négativement le métabolisme du glucose cellulaire. Dans des HUVEC, l'inhibition de miR-16 endogène avec des anti-miRNA oligonucléotides (AMO) augmente les niveaux protéiques de GLUT-4 de 1,7 ± 0,4 fois (p=0,0037 ; n=9). Dans des souris nourries avec un régime alimentaire normal ou riche en graisse et en sucre, l’expression de GLUT-4 dans le muscle squelettique a tendance à corréler négativement avec les niveaux de miR-16 (p=0,0998, r2=0,3866, n=4). Ces résultats suggèrent que miR-16 est un régulateur négatif de GLUT-4 et qu’il pourrait être impliqué dans la régulation du métabolisme cellulaire du glucose. / MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNAs of approximately 22 nucleotides that negatively regulate translation of the target messenger RNA (mRNA) and therefore have cellular functions. MicroRNA-16 (miR-16) is known to display anti-proliferative effects. We observed that miR-16 was down-regulated in non-proliferative human senescent endothelial cells. Computational analysis of the potential binding sites of miR-16 predicted that GLUT-4, an insulin-dependent glucose transporter, is a potential target of miR- 16. We therefore tested the hypothesis that miR-16 down-regulates cellular glucose metabolism. In HUVEC, inhibition of using anti-miRNA oligonucleotides (AMO) endogenous miR-16 up-regulated GLUT-4 protein levels 1,7 ± 0,39 folds (p=0,0037; n=9). In mice fed a regular or high fat diet, skeletal muscle expression of GLUT-4 tended to negatively correlate with miR- 16 levels (p=0,0998, r2=0,3866, n=4). These results suggest that miR-16 is a negative regulator of GLUT-4 and may be involved in the regulation of cellular glucose metabolism.

Background: The colonial ascidian Didemnum vexillum, sea carpet squirt, is not only a key marine organism to study morphological ancestral patterns of chordates evolution but it is also of great ecological importance due to its status as a major invasive species. Non-coding RNAs, in particular microRNAs (miRNAs), are important regulatory genes that impact development and environmental adaptation. Beyond miRNAs, not much in known about tunicate ncRNAs. Results: We provide here a comprehensive homology-based annotation of non-coding RNAs in the recently sequenced genome of D. vexillum. To this end we employed a combination of several computational approaches, including blast searches with a wide range of parameters, and secondary structured centered survey with infernal. The resulting candidate set was curated extensively to produce a high-quality ncRNA annotation of the first draft of the D. vexillum genome. It comprises 57 miRNA families, 4 families of ribosomal RNAs, 22 isoacceptor classes of tRNAs (of which more than 72% of loci are pseudogenes), 13 snRNAs, 12 snoRNAs, and 1 other RNA family. Additionally, 21 families of mitochondrial tRNAs and 2 of mitochondrial ribosomal RNAs and 1 long non-coding RNA. Conclusions: The comprehensive annotation of the D. vexillum non-coding RNAs provides a starting point towards a better understanding of the restructuring of the small RNA system in ascidians. Furthermore it provides a valuable research for efforts to establish detailed non-coding RNA annotations for other recently published and recently sequences in tunicate genomes.

<p>Dysregulated inflammation underlies the pathogenesis of a myriad of human diseases ranging from cancer to autoimmunity. As coordinators, executers and sentinels of host immunity, T cells represent a compelling target population for immune-modulation. In fact, the antigen-specificity, cytotoxicity and promise of long-lived of immune-protection make T cells ideal vehicles for cancer immunotherapy. Interventions for autoimmune disorders, on the other hand, aim to dampen T cell-mediated inflammation and promote their regulatory functions. Although significant strides have been made in targeting T cells for immune-modulation, current approaches remain less than ideal and leave room for improvement. In this dissertation, I seek to improve on current T cell-targeted immunotherapies, by identifying and preclinically characterizing their mechanisms of action and in vivo therapeutic efficacy.</p><p>CD8+ cytotoxic T cells have potent antitumor activity and therefore are leading candidates for use in cancer immunotherapy. The application of CD8+ T cells for clinical use has been limited by the susceptibility of ex vivo-expanded CD8+ T cells to become dysfunctional in response to immunosuppressive microenvironments. To enhance the efficacy of adoptive cell transfer therapy (ACT), we established a novel microRNA-targeting approach that augments CTL cytotoxicity and preserves immunocompetence. Specifically, we screened for miRNAs that modulate cytotoxicity and identified miR-23a as a strong functional repressor of the transcription factor Blimp-1, which promotes CTL cytotoxicity and effector cell differentiation. In a cohort of advanced lung cancer patients, miR-23a was upregulated in tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, and its expression correlated with impaired antitumor potential of patient CD8+ T cells. We determined that tumor-derived TGF-&#946; directly suppresses CD8+ T cell immune function by elevating miR-23a and downregulating Blimp-1. Functional blockade of miR-23a in human CD8+ T cells enhanced granzyme B expression; and in mice with established tumors, immunotherapy with just a small number of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells in which miR-23a was inhibited robustly hindered tumor progression. Together, our findings provide a miRNA-based strategy that subverts the immunosuppression of CD8+ T cells that is often observed during adoptive cell transfer tumor immunotherapy and identify a TGF&#946;-mediated tumor immune-evasion pathway.</p><p>Having established that miR-23a-inhibition can enhance the quality and functional-resilience of anti-tumor CD8+ T cells, especially within the immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment, we went on to interrogate the translational applicability of this strategy in the context of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-modified CD8+ T cells. Although CAR T cells hold immense promise for ACT, CAR T cells are not completely curative due to their in vivo functional suppression by immune barriers &#8210; such as TGF&#946; &#8210; within the tumor microenvironment. Since TGF&#946; poses a substantial immune barrier in the tumor microenvironment, we sought to investigate whether inhibiting miR-23a in CAR T cells can confer immune-competence to afford enhanced tumor clearance. To this end, we retrovirally transduced wildtype and miR-23a-deficient CD8+ T cells with the EGFRvIII-CAR, which targets the PepvIII tumor-specific epitope expressed by glioblastomas (GBM). Our in vitro studies demonstrated that while wildtype EGFRvIII-CAR T cells were vulnerable to functional suppression by TGF&#946;, miR-23a abrogation rendered EGFRvIII-CAR T cells immune-resistant to TGF&#946;. Rigorous preclinical studies are currently underway to evaluate the efficacy of miR-23a-deficient EGFRvIII-CAR T cells for GBM immunotherapy. </p><p>Lastly, we explored novel immune-suppressive therapies by the biological characterization of pharmacological agents that could target T cells. Although immune-suppressive drugs are classical therapies for a wide range of autoimmune diseases, they are accompanied by severe adverse effects. This motivated our search for novel immune-suppressive agents that are efficacious and lack undesirable side effects. To this end, we explored the potential utility of subglutinol A, a natural product isolated from the endophytic fungus Fusarium subglutinans. We showed that subglutinol A exerts multimodal immune-suppressive effects on activated T cells in vitro: subglutinol A effectively blocked T cell proliferation and survival, while profoundly inhibiting pro-inflammatory IFN&#947; and IL-17 production by fully-differentiated effector Th1 and Th17 cells. Our data further revealed that subglutinol A might exert its anti-inflammatory effects by exacerbating mitochondrial damage in T cells, but not in innate immune cells or fibroblasts. Additionally, we demonstrated that subglutinol A significantly reduced lymphocytic infiltration into the footpad and ameliorated footpad swelling in the mouse model of Th1-driven delayed-type hypersensitivity. These results suggest the potential of subglutinol A as a novel therapeutic for inflammatory diseases.</p> / Dissertation

Prostate cancer (PCa) cells predominantly metastasize to bone and the complex crosstalk between PCa cells and osteoblasts (bone-forming cells) and osteoclasts (bone-destroying cells) leads to increased tumour growth and worsening of bone disease. Understanding the mechanisms of PCa bone metastasis can identify the aggressive fraction of PCa resulting in earlier intervention. The ability of PCa cells to express bone cell-specific features, termed osteomimicry, could potentially explain the osteotropic nature of PCa cells. The aim of this study was to determine the role of osteomimicry in the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in bone metastatic prostate cancer cells. It was demonstrated that the osteoblast-specific marker alkaline phosphatase (bone/liver/kidney) (ALPL) was overexpressed in bone metastatic (ARCaPM), compared to non-metastatic (ARCaPE), human PCa cells. Knockdown of ALPL resulted in decreased cell viability, increased cell death and a change from mesenchymal to epithelial morphology in ARCaPM and PC3 cells, and increased CDH1 expression along with decreased migration in ARCaPM cells. Treatment with extracellular ATP also resulted in decreased viability, increased expression of epithelial markers (CDH1, KRT14) and decreased expression of mesenchymal markers (VIM, ZEB1), and reduced expression of ALPL in ARCaPM cells. Small RNA-sequencing identified microRNAs differentially expressed between ARCaPE and ARCaPM PCa cell lines: miR-373 expression was lower in ARCaPM compared to ARCaPE cells and its overexpression in ARCaPM cells resulted in a change to epithelial morphology, increased expression of the epithelial marker CDH1 and decreased expression of the mesenchymal markers VIM and ZEB1. Finally, the development of a high-throughput screening method to identify novel microRNA regulators of osteomimicry was described, which identified two microRNAs miR-199a-5p and miR-212 as positive regulators of ALP activity. Taken together, this thesis describes the identification of ALPL and ATP as novel regulators of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in PCa cells and high-throughput ALP-activity screening as a powerful tool to identify novel microRNA regulators of ALP expression.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) causes several tumours and hyperproliferative disorders. Hypoxia plays an important role in KSHV lifecycle, as hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are involved in the latent/lytic switch and affect other KSHV genes, and as KSHV infection can in turn enhance cellular levels of HIFs. Two KSHV-associated tumours tend to develop in settings of relative hypoxia; Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) often occurs in the lower extremities and primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) exists in pleural effusions. A better knowledge of the pathways that regulate KSHV infection in hypoxia is therefore essential for an improved understanding of viral infection and pathogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in regulating the expression of genes in oncogenesis, and herpesviruses, including KSHV, encode for miRNAs. This thesis describes a multidisciplinary approach toward understanding the mechanisms behind the hypoxia-regulated miRNA-mRNA networks in the context of KSHV infection. The question of miRNA and mRNA regulation through hypoxia, KSHV or both is addressed in this thesis by deep sequencing and gene expression assays as well as various transfection and functional assays. In chronically infected cells compared to uninfected controls, it is demonstrated that the majority of cellular miRNAs whose expression is affected are substantially down-regulated. A third of this down-regulation can be attributed to a single genomic region, 14q32 cluster, where miRNAs are lowly expressed in infected cells. In hypoxia, hsa-miR-210 is the only miRNA to be consistently up-regulated in the KSHVinfected cell lines subjected to deep sequencing in this study. Computational approaches additionally allowed for the investigation of mRNA targets. Inversely correlated miRNAmRNA target pairs were identified and distributed into canonical pathways and biological networks. Taken together, these results suggest that miRNAs affected by hypoxic stress and/or viral infection are implicated in the pathogenesis of KSHV-related diseases. It is expected that the outcomes of these studies will change our understanding of how KSHV uses the host RNA silencing machinery to its advantage and how this intersects with the use of the cell's response to hypoxia.

Les douleurs neuropathiques ayant une origine à la suite de blessures traumatiques du SNC ou du SNP sont particulièrement difficiles à traiter en utilisant les moyens thérapeutiques actuellement disponibles. Il est donc nécessaire d'identifier de nouvelles stratégies thérapeutiques. Notre objectif était donc de définir les mécanismes impliqués dans ces douleurs neuropathiques. LIMK1 est l'un des acteurs possibles de la réorganisation épinière qui caractérise les lésions nerveuses. Une fonction très caractérisé de cette protéine, est la phosphorylation d'une famille de protéines appelées « cofilines ». Sa phosphorylation, ce qui induit la réorganisation du cytosquelette d'actine. Récemment, il a été montré qu’un microARN (miARNs) nomé miR-134 régule l'expression de LIMK1 en se liant au messager de LIMK1 (ARNm), inhibant sa traduction en protéine physiologiquement active. Notre hypothèse était que la régulation de LIMK1 par miR-134 pourrait jouer un rôle essentiel dans la sensibilisation à la douleur. Cette régulation pourrait ainsi être liée non seulement à la modulation neurochimique neuronale mais aussi à la plasticité fonctionnelle associée. Au cours de cette thèse, l’HIS a montré une diminution de miR-134 chez des rats SNL (neuropathique), cette sous-expression était concomitante à une augmentation de LIMK1 illustrée par l’IHC. Il est important de noter ici que l'ISH est une méthode de détection connue récemment et qui a été identifiée pour visualiser les miARNs. Des différents protocoles de l’HIS ont également été discutés dans le cadre de cette thèse. Ce résultat a été confirmé par Le qRT-PCR . Par la suite, afin de vérifier les changements comportementaux douloureux induits par miR-134 et LIMK1. Nous avons effectués des injections intrathécales de siRNA anti-LIMK1 pour inhiber l'expression endogène de LIMK1 chez les SNL. C’était intéressant de ne pas avoir trouvé aucun changement comportemenal chez les SNL après ce type d’injection. Une surexpression artificielle de miR-134 en utilisant un précurseur de miR-134 (premiR-134) chez les SNL a montré le même effet. Ensuite, nous avons essayé d'effectuer les mêmes injections chez les Sham (control), et c’était plus intéressant de trouver que ces injections (siRNA LIMK1 et premiR-134) ont provoqué une hypersensibilité douleureuse chez les sham. Cela a été illustré au moyen de deux tests de comportement; le Von Frey (VF) et la distribution pondérale dynamique (DWB). Pour etudier l'effet inverse, nous avons inhibé miR-134 en utilisant une sonde spécifique KD (Knock-Down); une diminution significative inattendue dans le seuil de retrait a été observée avec VF et DWB. qRT-PCR dans la plupart de ces cas, a confirmé la corrélation in vivo entre miR-134 et LIMK1. Enfin, nous avons cherché un mécanisme d'action possible qui pourrait réguler cette modulation. Des données récentes publiées ont montré une implication de l'ADF/cofiline sur le trafic des récepteurs AMPA (AMPAR). En accord avec les résultats mentionnés ci-dessus, la transfection du KD de miR-134 a montré une diminution dans AMPAR adressés à la membrane plasmique. Tout ensemble ces données suggèrent que l'effet antinociceptif de KD de miR-134 et la surexpression de LIMK1 sont indirectement régulé par l'insertion des AMPAR à la membrane plasmique.Il semble que miR-134 exerce un effet différent sur la douleur neuropathique que miR-103, discuté aussi dans le cadre de cette thèse. Il était demontré comme un régulateur de plusieurs cibles, les trois sous-unités formant les canaux calciques de type-L « Cav1.2 LTC ». MiR-103 a été trouvé également réprimés chez les SNL. La surexpression de miR-103 soulage la douleur neuropathique. Contrairement au miR-134, miR-103 exerce un rôle pronociceptive pendant la douleur neuropathique. / Pains having a neuropathic origin following CNS or PNS traumatic injury are particularly difficult to treat using the actually available therapeutic means. It is thus necessary to identify new therapeutic strategies. Hence, our aim was to define the mechanisms implicated in these neuropathic pains. Nervous lesions are characterised by an anatomical reorganization of the neuronal network of the dorsal horn. Neurochemical alterations are also involved. Some of the molecular mechanisms underlying the neuronal plasticity (a main feature of neuropathic pain) have been emphasized here by a variety of complementary technical approaches. LIMK1 is one of the possible actors of this reorganization. Among this protein’s known functions, and the most characterized is the phosphorylation of a family of proteins known as cofilins. Their phosphorylation induces the reorganization of actin cytoskeleton. Recently, it has been shown that a miR-134 miRNA regulates LIMK1 expression by binding to the LIMK1 messenger, inhibiting its translation into physiologically active protein. Our hypothesis is that LIMK1 regulation by miR-134 might play an essential role in pain sensitization by modulating neuron neurochemical reorganization and the associated functional neuronal plasticity. Firstly, by means of IHC and ISH, we studied miR-134/LIMK1 distribution within the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in sham animal (control group) and in neuropathic pain model (SNL model). Important to note here that ISH is a known detection method recently identified to visualize miRNA. Different protocols of ISH were discussed in a part of this thesis. ISH showed a decrease in miR-134 expression in SNL rats concomitantly with an increase in LIMK1 illustrated by IHC. This finding has been confirmed by qRT-PCR techniques. Afterward, in order to check for the possible behavioural-induced changes of miR-134 and LIMK1. We intrathecally injected an anti-LIMK1 siRNA to inhibit endogenous LIMK1 expression in SNL rats. Interestingly no significant changes in pain behaviour have been observed. Artificial overexpression of miR-134 using a PremiR-134, showed the same effect. Then we tried to perform the same injections on sham rats, and more interestingly, siRNA LIMK1 and premiR-134 evoked pain hypersensitivity in shams rats. This was illustrated by means of two behaviour tests; Von Frey (VF) and the Dynamic Weight bearing (DWB). To explore the reverse effect, we inhibited miR-134 using a specific KD probe in SNL rats; unexpectedly a significant decrease in pain withdrawal threshold was observed with VF and DWB. qRT-PCR in most cases confirmed the in vivo correlation between miR-134 and LIMK1. Finally, we searched for the possible mechanism of action that could regulate this modulation. Recent published data showed an involvement of ADF/cofilin on AMPAR trafficking. In line with the above mentioned findings, miR-134 KD transfection showed a decrease in AMPAR addressed to the plasma membrane. Altogether suggest that the antinociceptive effect of miR-134 KD and LIMK1 overexpression are mediated by AMPAR insertion at the plasma membrane. It seems that miR-134 exerts a different effect on neuropathic pain than miR-103 another miRNA discussed within the frame of this thesis. MiR-103 has been proved to regulate multiple targets, the three subunits forming Cav1.2 LTC. Pain sensitization involves Cav1.2 activation which consequently alters gene expression during this form of plasticity. MiR-103 was found downregulated also in the SNL model. Conversely to miR-134, overexpression of miR-103 partially alleviates pain. It decreases pain withdrawal threshold of the Von Frey test. Unlike miR-134, miR-103 exerts a pronociceptive role during neuropathic pain.

De nombreuses études ont montré l'intérêt thérapeutique de molécules dérivant des microARN (inhibiteurs ou analogues) en cancérologie. Cependant avant d'espérer en faire de futurs médicaments, il est indispensable d'élaborer des systèmes permettant leur délivrance préférentielle dans les cellules cancéreuses. Dans ce travail, nous avons développé deux plateformes innovantes basées sur les microARN : la première utilise les propriétés optiques des quantum dots (QD) et est destinée à l'imagerie des microARN ; la seconde repose sur la sérum albumine humaine (SAH) et a une finalité de délivrance ciblée de microARN. La mise en place de ces plateformes a nécessité la synthèse d'une petite chimiothèque de bioconjugués lipidiques dérivés des microARN (inhibiteurs ou analogues), le but étant d'exploiter l'effet hydrophobe pour les fixer à la surface des QD (ancrage hydrophobe dans la paroi lipidique des QD) et de la SAH (interaction avec les sites de liaison aux acides gras). Dans les deux cas, différentes études incluant des caractérisations physico-chimiques (MET, DLS), des expériences in vitro (SPR) et in cellulo (microscopie de fluorescence, criblage fonctionnel, RTqPCR) ont montré la potentialité de ces nouvelles plateformes. / Exploitation of gene-silencing is a very promising strategy in human therapeutics. Several engineered small non coding RNAs (inhibitors or mimics) are already in preclinical and clinical trials. However a key impediment to the wider success of these approaches remains the specific delivery of RNA-derived molecules into cancerous cells. This work aimed at developing two innovative microRNA-based plateforms : the first one relying on quantum dots (QD) is dedicated to microRNA imaging and the second one based on human serum albumin (HSA) represents a new targeted delivery system. The implementation of both plateforms required the synthesis of a small library of microRNA derived lipidic bioconjugates (inhibitors or mimics), the aim being to exploit the hydrophobic effect for their loading on QD (hydrophobic anchoring in the hydrophobic QD surface) and on HSA (interaction with fatty acid binding sites). In both cases, different studies including physico-chemical caracterizations (TEM, DLS), in vitro (SPR) and in cellulo experiments (fluorescence microscopy, functional screening, RTqPCR) demonstrated the great promises held by these new plateforms.