No description available.

Un des acteurs essentiels de la réplication de l’ADN est le complexe MCM2-7. Ce complexe est composé de 6 protéines (MCM2 à MCM7) organisées en hexamères qui sont recrutés aux origines de réplication pendant la phase G1. Le complexe MCM2-7 possède une activité hélicase permettant la formation des fourches de réplication et le recrutement des ADN polymérases. L’arrimage à la chromatine et l’activité du complexe MCM2-7 doivent être finement contrôlés notamment par des interactions avec différents partenaires protéiques et par un ensemble de modifications post-traductionnelles (MPTs). Des travaux de l’équipe ont identifié la O-GlcNAcylation comme une nouvelle MPT sur certaines protéines MCM. C’est une glycosylation dynamique et réversible des protéines nucléocytoplasmiques et mitochondriales, gouvernée par la O-GlcNAc transférase (OGT) et la O-GlcNAcase (OGA). Lors de mes travaux de thèse j’ai cherché à comprendre le rôle de la O-GlcNAcylation sur le complexe MCM2-7 dans des lignées cellulaires humaines. J’ai démontré que toutes les MCM sont O-GlcNAcylées et que cette modification n’intervient que sur la fraction des MCM liées à l’ADN. Mes travaux montrent que l’OGT interagit avec certaines sous-unités MCM et que l’extinction de l’expression de l’OGT diminue la fixation à la chromatine des MCM2, 6 et 7. Enfin, la perturbation de la dynamique O-GlcNAc déstabilise les interactions entre les sous-unités MCM2/6, MCM4/7 et MCM4/6. L’ensemble de mes travaux montre que l’OGT est un nouveau partenaire du complexe MCM2-7 dans les cellules humaines, et suggère que l’homéostasie de O-GlcNAcylation pourrait réguler le maintien du complexe MCM2-7 à la chromatine. / The MCM2-7 complex is one of the major players for regulating the DNA replication. MCM2-7 contains six evolutionarily conserved subunits (MCM2 to MCM7) which bind together to form a hexameric complex. The MCM2-7 complex is progressively loaded onto chromatin to licence origins of replication during G1 phase, and forms the core of the replicative helicase necessary to fuel the unwinding of double-stranded DNA at the replication fork, allowing the loading of the DNA polymerases. The MCM2-7 helicase must be tightly regulated through interactions with specific protein partners and also by post-translational modifications (PTMs). In our team, O-GlcNAcylation has previously been identified as a new PTM of several MCM2-7 subunits. It is a dynamic and reversible glycosylation of nucleocytoplasmic and mitochondrial proteins, and is governed by O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) and O-GlcNAcase (OGA). The aim of my thesis was to decipher the role of O-GlcNAcylation on the MCM2-7 complex in human cells. I show that each MCM subunit is O-GlcNAcylated mainly in the chromatin-bound protein fraction of cells. Moreover, my results show that OGT stably interacts with several MCM proteins and OGT down-regulation induces a decrease in the chromatin loading of MCM2, 6 and 7. Finally, I show that perturbation of O-GlcNAc cycling destabilizes interactions between MCM2/6, MCM4/7 and MCM4/6 subunits. To conclude, my results show that OGT is a new partner of the MCM2-7 replicative helicase complex in human cells, and suggest that O-GlcNAc homeostasis might be essential to ensure the maintenance of the MCM2-7 complex onto chromatin during DNA replication.

DNA replication is a highly complex part of cell metabolism that ensures safe propagation of the genome through tight regulation of the expression, localization, and activity of a large number of factors. Replication starts from distinct sites in the genome and initiation events are temporally ordered in a manner that is, on average, highly reproducible across cell populations. The specific order with which different parts of the genome are replicated has been proposed to be important to processes such as gene expression, cell differentiation, development, and genome evolution. Nevertheless, the fundamental mechanisms that are responsible for establishing these timing programs remain elusive. Unlike in higher eukaryotes, DNA replication in budding yeast initiates at sequence-specific loci called origins of replication. The timing of initiation at these loci is determined by the activation of the main replicative helicase Minichromosome Maintenance (MCM) complex. Recent results have placed MCM in a key role in establishing a replication timing program that is reproducible but arises from stochastic activation of origins, as has been observed in yeast and higher eukaryotes. One particular model posits that the loading of multiple MCMs at individual origins increases the chances that origins will be activated earlier in S phase by a limited amount of initiation factors. To further test this model, we set out to examine the consequences of modulating MCM levels in budding yeast in order to ascertain their effects on the dynamics of helicase loading during G1 and subsequent replication timing. Overexpression of MCM2-7 had no effects on cell viability, cell cycle progression, MCM abundance at origins, or replication timing. On the other hand, depletion of Mcm4, one of the six obligate components of the MCM helicase, caused reduced viability, slower progression through S phase, and increased sensitivity to replication stress. Importantly, Mcm4 depletion led to differential reduction in MCM loading at origins during G1, with low MCM origins being disproportionately affected by reduced MCM pools. Finally, reduced MCM loading at origins of replication led to delayed replication during S phase. Our data support a model where the loading activity of origins, controlled by their ability to recruit ORC and compete for MCMs, determines the number of helicases loaded, which in turn has strong implications for replication timing.

The MCM helicase plays an important role in eukaryotic DNA replication, unwinding double stranded DNA ahead of the replication fork. MCM is a hetero-hexamer consisting of the six related proteins, Mcm2-Mcm7. The distantly related MCM-binding protein (MCM-BP) was first identified in a screen for proteins interacting with MCM2-7 in human cells and was found to specifically interact with Mcm3-7 but not Mcm2. It is conserved in most eukaryotes and seems to play an important role in DNA replication but its exact function is not clear yet. This study contributes to the understanding of the fission yeast homologue of MCM-BP, named Mcb1, but also of MCM-BP in general. Results presented in this thesis document the initial biochemical characterisation of the complex Mcb1 forms with Mcm proteins, the MCMᴹᶜᵇ¹ complex. Interactions of Mcb1 with Mcm proteins, potential interaction sites between the proteins and the size of the complex were analysed using a variety of methods, including tandem affinity purification, co-immunoprecipitation, sucrose gradients and in vitro pull-down assays. Sequence analysis and structure prediction were utilised to gain some insight into Mcb1 and MCM-BP ancestry and structure. Results presented here indicate that fission yeast Mcb1 shares homology with Mcm proteins and forms a complex with Mcm3-Mcm7 but not Mcm2 and thus replaces the latter in an alternative high molecular weight complex that is likely to have an MCM-like appearance. Deletion of mcb1⁺ showed that Mcb1 is essential in fission yeast. To examine the cellular function of the protein, temperature-sensitive mutants were generated. Inactivation of Mcb1 leads to an increase in DNA damage and cell cycle arrest in G2-phase depending on the activation of the Chk1 dependent DNA damage checkpoint. Similar observations were made when Mcb1 was overexpressed, indicating that certain levels of the protein are important for accurate DNA replication. Construction of truncated versions of Mcb1 suggested that almost the full-length protein is needed for proper function.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2015-05-12T13:22:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Manuela Torres Andion Vidal Estudo...2015.pdf: 4528048 bytes, checksum: dbdb598bed619445f96ad9d571f8324e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2015-05-12T13:23:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Manuela Torres Andion Vidal Estudo...2015.pdf: 4528048 bytes, checksum: dbdb598bed619445f96ad9d571f8324e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-12T13:23:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Manuela Torres Andion Vidal Estudo...2015.pdf: 4528048 bytes, checksum: dbdb598bed619445f96ad9d571f8324e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / O adenoma pleomórfico (AP), o carcinoma mucoepidermóide (CME) e o carcinoma adenóide cístico (CAC) representam tumores frequentes em glândula salivar. A via de sinalização Sonic Hedgehog (Hh) e o Transdutor de sinal e ativador da transcrição 3 (STAT3) desempenham funções importantes na proliferação celular, favorecendo o desenvolvimento tumoral e a proteína MCM3 tem sido considerada uma nova classe de marcadores de proliferação celular. Portanto, o presente trabalho propõe-se a estudar componentes da via Hh, bem como o STAT3 e o MCM3 em neoplasias de glândula salivar, na tentativa de adicionar informações sobre as características biológicas dessas neoplasias. Foram utilizados 9 casos de AP, 17 casos de CAC e 20 casos de CME e, por meio da técnica imunoistoquímica, realizou-se a detecção das seguintes proteínas: SHH, GLI1, SUFU, HHIP, STAT3 e MCM3. No AP, observou-se alta expressão citoplasmática de SHH e SUFU, e baixa expressão de STAT3 e MCM3. No CAC, observou-se alta expressão de GLI1, HHIP e STAT3 e baixa expressão de SHH, SUFU e MCM3. No CME, observou-se alta expressão de SHH, GLI1, SUFU e HHIP e baixa expressão de STAT3 e MCM3. Quando comparado entre os tipos tumorais, observou-se diferença estatisticamente significante para expressão de SHH (p=0.0064), STAT3 (p=0.0003) e MCM3 (p=0.0257). Ao comparar a marcação parenquimal e estromal, observou-se maior expressão em parênquima para todos os tumores (p<0.05). Em glândula salivar normal, observou-se marcação citoplasmática das células ductais para SHH, GLI1, SUFU e HHIP, uma discreta marcação citoplasmática para STAT3 e ausência de marcação para MCM3. Não foi observada correlação entre a via Hh e STAT3 nos tumores de glândula salivar (p>0.05). Os resultados desse trabalho apontam para uma possível participação da via Hh na morfogênese e no desenvolvimento do AP, CAC e CME, assim como a participação do STAT3 no desenvolvimento do CAC. Em adição, o MCM3 não parece ser um bom marcador de proliferação para tumores de glândula salivar. Sugerimos que novos estudos sejam realizados visando compreender o mecanismo pelo qual a via Hh e o STAT3 promovem o crescimento e progressão desses tumores e identificar inibidores dessas vias. / The pleomorphic adenoma (PA), mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and the adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) are common tumors arising from salivary glands. The Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway (Hh) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) play important roles in cell proliferation, favoring tumor growth. The MCM3 protein has been considered as a novel class of cell proliferation markers. The aim of this investigation was to study components of the Hh pathway, as well as STAT3 and MCM3 in salivary gland neoplasms in an attempt to add information about the biological characteristics of these neoplasms. We used 9 cases of PA, 17 cases of ACC and 20 cases of MEC. Using immunohistochemistry, were investigated: SHH, GLI1, Sufu, HHIP, STAT3 and MCM3. In PA, there was high expression of cytoplasmic SHH and Sufu, and low expression of STAT3 and MCM3. In the ACC, there was high expression of GLI1, HHIP and STAT3 and low expression of SHH, SUFU and MCM3. In the MEC, we observed high expression of SHH, GLI1, SUFU and HHIP and low expression of STAT3 and MCM3. There was a statistically significant difference between SHH (p=0.0064), STAT3 (p=0.0003) and MCM3 (p=0.0257) when all tumors were compared. And a higher expression in parenchyma for all tumors when stroma and parenchyma were compared (p<0.05). In normal salivary gland, ductal segment showed imunolabeling for SHH, GLI1, SUFU and HHIP, a discrete cytoplasmic labeling for STAT3 and MCM3 was negative. No correlation was observed between the Hh pathway and STAT3 in salivary gland tumors (p>0.05). The findings suggest a possible role of Hh pathway in the morphogenesis and development of AP, CAC and CME, as well as the participation of STAT3 in the development of ACC. In addition, the MCM3 did not seem to be a good marker of proliferation for salivary gland tumors. It is important that further studies be conducted to understand the mechanism by which the Hh pathway and the STAT3 promote the growth and progression of these tumors and inhibitors of these pathways might be identified.