Despite the prevalent utilization of capillary electrophoresis (CE) in the analysis of short tandem repeats (STRs) to generate deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) profiles for forensic comparisons, the method is not without its inherent drawbacks. Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) is still a relatively novel technology in the forensics field, but contains the capacity to address current challenges faced by the traditional CE approach - such as degraded samples, low template DNA, and artifacts - while also providing additional information such as isoalleles, same-length alleles with sequence variation, and ancestry, mixture, and phenotyping-informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). One of the principal ongoing challenges faced by both technologies is the presence of artifacts such as stutter, a byproduct of slipped strand mispairing during amplification of STRs, which can further complicate interpretation of DNA profiles. Understanding and predicting the behavior of stutter is important in establishing appropriate thresholds to distinguish these artifacts from true alleles. With complex MPS data, new approaches in characterizing stutter have been established such as the BLMM and simplified sequence. In this study, twenty-one oral samples from individuals belonging to the same family were constructed into libraries containing 58 STR regions and 98 identity SNPs using Verogen’s Forenseq™ DNA Signature Prep Kit and sequenced on the MiSeq FGx™ Forensics Genomics System. Isoallele and stutter sequences were extracted from the data and simplified using the longest uninterrupted stretch (LUS), block length of missing motif (BLMM) and simplified sequence approaches. It was found that the stutter ratio for the 11 isoallele pairs at the D13S317 locus did not follow the linear correlation with increasing LUS. Instead, the isoallele with the higher LUS demonstrated equal or lower stutter ratios. Additionally, three different stutter patterns were identified for the same locus. Based on the provided pedigree, ten different relations were defined and the amount of allele sharing between the individuals in the pedigree was analyzed with and in the absence of isoallelic information to determine its impact on predicting relatedness. It was found that there was an average of 1.3% difference across the ten defined categories when isoalleles were taken into consideration. However, the difference in the percentage of shared alleles was not found to be significant for each of the relations category between the results before and after the consideration of isoallelelic data.

No description available.

Regeneration is a relatively widespread phenomenon in nature, although different organisms exhibit different abilities to reconstitute missing structures. Due to the diversity in the extent of damage the organisms can repair it has been debated for a long time whether those abilities are evolutionary traits that arose independently in multiple organisms or whether they represent a by-product of more basic processes. To date, due to constant increase in the amount of available genomic information this question can be approached by means of comparative genomics by comparing several taxa that have different regenerative capabilities. Two relatively closely related salamander species, newt, Notophthalmus viridescens, and the Mexican axolotl, Ambystoma mexicanum, offer a unique opportunity to compare two organisms with well-known regenerative capabilities. Despite their importance for regeneration research, relatively little sequence information was available until recently, owing mainly to the large sizes of the respective genomes. In this work I aimed to create a comprehensive transcriptome assembly of the axolotl by sequencing and then assembling the sequence data from a number of tissues and developmental stages. I also incorporated available sequence information that mostly comes from cDNA libraries sequenced previously. I assessed the completeness of the transcriptome by comparing it to a set of available axolotl sequences and found that 96% of those have homologs in the assembly. Additionally, I found that 7,568 of 7,695 protein families common to vertebrates are also represented in the transcriptome. In order to turn the assembly from a merely collection of sequences into a valuable and useful resource for the entire research community I first annotated the sequences, predicted the open reading frames and protein domains and additionally put together multiple bits of information available for each sequence including but not limited to time-course and tissue- specific expression data and in situ hybridization results. The assembly was thereafter made available for the entire axolotl research community through a web portal I developed. Not only does the web portal provide access to the transcriptome data, it is also equipped with an engine for automated data retrieval, which could facilitate automated cross-species bioinformatics analyses. The study crossed the boundary between pure bioinformatics and biology as the transcriptome allowed for computational comparison of the axolotl and the newt in order to identify salamander-specific genes possibly implicated in regeneration and subsequent functional analysis thereof in the lab. Since regeneration closely resembles embryonic development in terms of genes involved in both processes, I first identified approximately 200 homologous contigs in axolotl and newt, which had a predicted open reading frame, but did not have homologs in non-regenerating species. The expression profile of one of those candidate genes suggested that it had a role in regeneration. I studied the molecular function of that gene using CRISPR/Cas system to confirm that it was protein-coding and to create knock-out animals to study the effect of gene knock-down and knock-out. Knock-out animals exhibited significant delays in both, limb development and tail regeneration. The exact mechanism causing this delay is currently being investigated.

Dans la première partie j'ai analysé des jeux de données de RNA-seq de transcriptome de petits ARNs disponibles dans les bases de données publiques. J'y ai observé 2 points intrigants : - une grande partie des lectures (bien que courtes) ne peux pas être alignée sur le génome de référence sans discordance et cette fraction non-alignable est parfois majoritaire. - de nombreuses lectures ont des tailles autours de 15-18nt qui ne correspondent à aucun type de petits ARNs connues, cette fraction est également majoritaires dans certains cas. Ces expériences sont souvent conçues pour la détection des miRNAs et l'analyse bioinformatique de ces données passent toujours par un alignement sur le génome de référence ou sur des séquences connues pour donner des petits ARNs. J'ai donc simplement éliminé la contrainte d'alignement dans l'analyse de ces données et effectué un regroupement des lectures par similarité (à la manière des ESTs). Ce regroupement donne une vision différente des données dans laquelle la notion de position génomique n'est plus centrale et ouvre la possibilité d'y découvrir des phénomènes non-standard. La deuxième partie est tirée d'une collaboration avec le laboratoire U675 INSERM. J'ai fait l'analyse bioinformatique des gènes dérégulés par la répression par RNAi du gène REST dans une lignée de neuroblastome de souris (N18). Ce gène est un facteur de transcription qui réprime les gènes neuronaux dans les cellules non neuronales. Ce répertoire de gènes dérégulés est potentiellement constitué de gènes clefs dans la biologie des neurones. / In first part of this thesis I have analysed small RNA-seq transcriptome data. I have noticed : - a large fraction of reads can't be aligned perfectly on reference genome - lot of reads are very short (15-18 nt) and don't match on previously known functionnal small RNAs. These experiments are designed for miRNA discovery and bioinformatics analysis of these data use alignments on genome or on known small RNA precursors sequences. I have eliminated the alignment and I have clustered these sequences. This clustering let me to observe these data with a new view in wich the genomic location is not central and open the gate to discover unconventional events. The second part is the analysis of deregulate genes by the silencing of the gene REST/NRSF in mouse N18 cell line. This gene is a transcription factor and it works as a repressor of neuronal genes in non neuronal cells. This deregulate genes repertoire potentially contains key genes in neuron biology. We found in this repertoire a network of genes centered on SWI/SNF complex including SMARCA2. This gene was associated to schizophrenia (SZ) in association studies and structural variation studies. In this network we found another genes associated to SZ. We show that these genes exhibit positive evolution in primate compare to rodents.

O número crescente de descobertas de substâncias bioativas produzidas pelo metabolismo secundário de cianobactérias tem despertado o interesse de grupos de pesquisa no mundo todo com o objetivo comum de descrever e explorar estas moléculas e entender a sua biossíntese. No Brasil, as pesquisas sobre moléculas bioativas produzidas por linhagens de cianobactérias nativas são escassas. Neste trabalho, utilizando iniciadores específicos da PCR e sequenciamento, a presença de genes envolvidos na biossíntese da neurotoxina saxitoxina (STX) foi confirmada em representantes dos gêneros Dolichospermum, Sphaerospermopsis, Cuspidothrix e Cylindrospermopsis, enquanto que genes da citotoxina cilindrospermopsina (CYN) foram detectados somente em representantes de Cylindrospermopsis. Genes envolvidos com a produção dos inibidores enzimáticos, microviridina (MDN) e a cianobactina microciclamida (MCA) foram sequenciados em isolados do gênero Microcystis. Os genomas das linhagens de Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii CENA302 e CENA303 foram sequenciados usando a plataforma HiScan SQ (Ilumina) com biblioteca pareada 2 x 100 pb. O genoma da Sphaerospermopsis torques-reginae ITEP-024 foi sequenciado utilizando a plataforma Ion Torrent (Life Technologies) com tamanhos de fragmentos de até 200 pb. As tentativas de montagem ab initio dos genomas foram realizadas e o agrupamento gênico da saxitoxina (28 kb) da linhagem C. raciborskii CENA302 foi identificado e caracterizado. As análises filogenéticas das sequências de aminoácidos envolvidos com a biossíntese das moléculas bioativas avaliadas demonstraram que os isolados brasileiros de cianobactérias formam clados com elevado valor de reamostragem com sequências homólogas de cianobactérias conhecidas como produtoras dessas moléculas. Neste estudo é relatada pela primeira vez a presença de genes cyr em linhagens da América do Sul de C. raciborskii e a presença simultânea de genes cyr e sxt em uma única linhagem de C. raciborskii. Além disso, este é o primeiro estudo que relata a presença de genes envolvidos na biossíntese de MDN e MCA nas espécies de cianobactérias M. protocystis, M. panniformis e M. wesenbergii. Análises por espectrometria de massas acoplada a cromatografia líquida (LC-MS) e imunoensaio enzimático (ELISA) foram utilizadas a fim de detectar e identificar variantes estruturais das moléculas bioativas das cianobactérias que tiveram os genes biossintéticos sequenciados. A análise de LC-MS mostrou a produção das variantes GTX2, GTX3, STX e dc-STX pela linhagem C. raciborskii CENA302, enquanto que a linhagem C. raciborskii CENA305 apresentou as variantes NEO, C1 e dcGTX3. As quatro novas variantes de MCY, [D-Val1]MC-RR, [D-Leu/Ile1]MC-RR, [D-Leu/Ile1]MC-YR e [D-Phe1]MC-LR, foram encontradas nas espécies M. panniformis SPC702 e M. protocystis SPC697. Este é o primeiro relato da produção de MCY por essas duas espécies de Microcystis. Dezesseis linhagens que ainda não possuíam as sequências do gene de RNAr 16S foram sequenciadas. O resultado da análise filogenética das sequências do gene de RNAr 16S foi coerente com as descrições morfológicas, sendo que todas as linhagens foram caracterizadas em nível de espécie. As informações geradas neste estudo contribuem para o aumento do conhecimento da diversidade metabólica dos isolados brasileiros de cianobactérias e trazem nova visão sobre a evolução dessas moléculas produzidas pelo metabolismo secundário / The growing numbers of discoveries of bioactive substances produced by cyanobacterial secondary metabolism has attracted the interest of research groups around the world with the common goal of describing and exploring these molecules and understanding their biosynthesis. In Brazil, researches on bioactive molecules produced by native cyanobacterial strains are scarce. In this work, using specific PCR primers and sequencing, the presence of genes involved in the biosynthesis of the neurotoxin saxitoxin (STX) was confirmed in representatives of the genera Dolichospermum, Sphaerospermopsis, Cuspidothrix and Cylindrospermopsis, while genes of the cytotoxin cylindrospermopsin (CYN) were detected only in representatives of Cylindrospermopsis. Genes involved in the production of protease inhibitors, microviridin (MDN) and the cianobactin microciclamide (MCA), were sequenced in isolates of the genus Microcystis. The genomes of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii strains CENA302 and CENA303 were sequenced using the high-throughput platform HiScan SQ (Illumina) as paired-ends 2 x 100 bp. The Sphaerospermopsis torques-reginae ITEP-024 genome was sequenced using the high-throughput platform Ion Torrent (Life Technologies) with fragment sizes up to 200 bp. Attempts of ab initio genomes assembly were performed and the 28 kb saxitoxin gene cluster of C. raciborskii strains CENA302 was identified and characterized. Phylogenetic analyses of amino acid sequences involved in the biosynthesis of the bioactive molecules evaluated showed that the Brazilian cyanobacterial isolates formed clades with high bootstrap values with homologous sequences of known cyanobacterial producers of these molecules. In this study is reported for the first time the presence of cyr genes in South America strains of C. raciborskii and the simultaneous presence of cyr and sxt genes in a single C. raciborskii strain. Furthermore, this is the first study reporting the presence of genes involved in the biosynthesis of MDN and MCA in the cyanobacterial species M. protocystis, M. panniformis e M. wesenbergii. Analyses by mass spectrometry coupled to liquid chromatography (LC-MS) and enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) were used to detect and identify structural variants of bioactive molecules of the cyanobacteria that had the biosynthetic genes sequenced. Analysis of LC-MS showed the production of the variants GTX2, GTX3, STX and dc-STX by the C. raciborskii strain CENA302, whereas the strain C. raciborskii CENA305 presented the variants NEO, C1 and dcGTX3. The new four MCY variants [D-Val1]MC-RR, [D-Leu/Ile1]MC-RR, [D-Leu/Ile1]MC-YR and [D-Phe1]MC-LR were found in the species M. panniformis SPC702 and M. protocystis SPC697. This is the first report of the MCY production by these two species of Microcystis. Sixteen strains that still lacked the 16S rRNA gene sequences were sequenced. The result of the phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences was consistent with the morphological descriptions, and all strains were characterized to species level. The informations generated in this study contribute to the increase of knowledge on metabolic diversity of Brazilian cyanobacterial strains and bring new insight into the evolution of these molecules produced by secondary metabolism

Estudos filogenômicos usando Sequenciamento de Próxima Geração (do inglês, Next Generation Sequencing - NGS) estão se tornando cada vez mais comuns. O uso de marcadores oriundos do sequenciamento de DNA de uma biblioteca genômica reduzida, neste caso ddRADSeq (do inglês, Double Digestion Restriction Site Associated DNA Sequencing), para este fim é promissor, pelo menos considerando sua relação custo-benefício em grandes conjuntos de dados de grupos não-modelo, bem como a representação genômica recuperada. Aqui usamos ddRADSeq para inferir a filogenia em nível de espécie do gênero Cereus (Cactaceae). Esse gênero compreende em cerca de 25 espécies reconhecidas predominantemente sul-americanas distribuídas em quatro subgêneros. Nossa amostra inclui representantes de Cereus, além de espécies dos gêneros próximos, Cipocereus e Praecereus, além de grupos externos. A biblioteca ddRADSeq foi preparada utilizando as enzimas EcoRI e HPAII. Após o controle de qualidade (tamanho e quantificação dos fragmentos), a biblioteca foi sequenciada no Illumina HiSeq 2500. O processamento de bioinformática a partir de arquivos FASTQ incluiu o controle da presença de adaptadores, filtragem por qualidade (softwares FastQC, MultiQC e SeqyClean) e chamada de SNPs (software iPyRAD). Três cenários de permissividade a dados faltantes foram realizados no iPyRAD, recuperando conjuntos de dados com 333 (até 40% de dados perdidos), 1440 (até 60% de dados perdidos) e 6141 (até 80% de dados faltantes) loci. Para cada conjunto de dados, árvores de Máxima Verossimilhança (MV) foram geradas usando duas supermatrizes: SNPs ligados e Loci. Em geral, observamos algumas inconsistências entre as árvores ML geradas em softwares distintos (IQTree e RaxML) ou baseadas no tipo de matriz distinta (SNPs ligados e Loci). Por outro lado, a precisão e a resolução, foram melhoradas usando o maior conjunto de dados (até 80% de dados perdidos). Em geral, apresentamos uma filogenia com resolução inédita para o gênero Cereus, que foi resolvido como um provável grupo monofilético, composto por quatro clados principais e com alto suporte em suas relações internas. Além disso, nossos dados contribuem para agregar informações sobre o debate sobre o aumento de dados faltantes para conduzir a análise filogenética com loci RAD. / Phylogenomics studies using Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) are becoming increasingly common. The use of Double Digest Restriction Site Associated DNA Sequencing (ddRADSeq) markers to this end is promising, at least considering its cost-effectiveness in large datasets of non-model groups as well as the genome-wide representation recovered in the data. Here we used ddRADSeq to infer the species level phylogeny of genus Cereus (Cactaceae). This genus comprises about 25 species recognized predominantly South American species distributed into four subgenera. Our sample includes representatives of Cereus, in addition to species from the closely allied genera Cipocereus and Praecereus, besides outgroups. The ddRADSeq library was prepared using EcoRI and HPAII enzymes. After the quality control (fragments size and quantification) the library was sequenced in Illumina HiSeq 2500. The bioinformatic processing on raw FASTQ files included adapter trimming, quality filtering (FastQC, MultiQC and SeqyClean softwares) and SNPs calling (iPyRAD software). Three scenarios of permissiveness to missing data were carry out in iPyRAD, recovering datasets with 333 (up tp 40% missing data), 1440 (up to 60% missing data) and 6141 (up to 80% missing data) loci. For each dataset, Maximum Likelihood (ML) trees were generated using two supermatrices: SNPs linked and Loci. In general, we observe few inconsistences between ML trees generated in distinct softwares (IQTree and RaxML) or based in distinctive matrix type (SNP linked and Loci). On the other hand, the accuracy and resolution were improved using the larger dataset (up to 80% missing data). Overall, we present a phylogeny with unprecedent resolution for genus Cereus, which was resolved as a likely monophyletic group, composed by four main clades and with high support in their internal relationships. Further, our data contributes to aggregate information on the debate about to increasing missing data to conduct phylogenetic analysis with RAD loci.

Le syndrome de Usher (USH) est une maladie transmise selon le mode autosomique récessif caractérisée par l’association d’une surdité congénitale (HL) et d’une rétinite pigmentaire (RP), et dans certains cas, d’une aréflexie vestibulaire. Une hétérogénéité clinique et génétique est reconnue. Environ 10 % des cas USH restent non résolus après analyse moléculaire exhaustive des différents gènes. Ces cas incluent les patients qui ne portent aucune mutation dans un des gènes USH connus ainsi que les patients porteurs d’une seule mutation dans un gène USH. Au cours de cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’étude des patients porteurs d’une seule mutation dans les gènes USH2A et PCDH15.Dans la première partie de la thèse, nous avons analysé une cohorte de patients avec un phénotype USH2A bien défini : 5 patients pour lesquels une seule mutation à l’état hétérozygote avait été identifiée dans le gène USH2A et un patient porteur d’un variant silencieux en trans d’une mutation non-sens.Pour les 5 patients, nous avons émis l’hypothèse que la seconde mutation, restant à être identifiée, pourrait se trouver dans des régions introniques profondes. Pour cela, nous avons développé une approche de séquençage à haut débit (NGS) de l’ADN pour identifier les variants introniques profonds dans le gène USH2A et évaluer leurs conséquences sur l’épissage. Comme preuve de concept et pour valider l’approche, y compris le pipeline bio-informatique et l’évaluation des outils de prédiction de l’épissage, nous avons analysé un patient porteur d’un pseudoexon (PE) connu dans le gène USH2A. Ensuite, les 5 patients ont été étudiés en utilisant le pipeline défini, ce qui a conduit à l’identification de 3 nouveaux variants introniques profonds chez 4 d’entre eux. Tous les variants ont été prédits comme pouvant avoir un impact sur l’épissage et aboutir à l’insertion de PE. Ces prédictions ont été validées par les essais minigènes. Grâce à cette étude, nous présentons une stratégie innovante pour identifier les mutations introniques profondes, lorsque l’analyse des transcrits n’est pas possible. Par ailleurs, le pipeline bio-informatique développé fonctionne indépendamment de la taille du gène analysé, ce qui permet l’application possible de cette approche à n’importe quel gène. Par ailleurs, un oligonucléotide antisens de type morpholino (AMO) a été évalué in vitro afin de rétablir l’altération d’épissage induite par une des mutations identifiées. Les résultats ont montré un taux d’exclusion élevé du transcrit aberrant et suggèrent une application possible en thérapie moléculaire. Nous avons ensuite effectué des études sur le variant USH2A c.1377T>A, un variant silencieux afin d’évaluer son effet sur l’épissage. L’analyse de l’ARN issu de cellules nasales du patient a montré que ce variant conduit au saut de l’exon 8 dans les transcrits USH2A. Ceci a été confirmé par un essai minigène. En outre, des études préliminaires ont été réalisées en utilisant des outils de prédictions et des essais minigènes pour évaluer l’implication des éléments cis-régulateurs dans le défaut d’épissage observé chez le patient. Dans la deuxième partie de la thèse, nous avons analysé une patiente USH1, pour laquelle une seule mutation avait été identifiée dans le gène PCDH15. Dans ce cas, nous avons combiné la culture des cellules épithéliales nasales avec l’analyse des transcrits PCDH15. Celle-ci a été réalisée par séquençage de cinq RT-PCR chevauchantes. Grâce à cette analyse, nous avons réussi à délimiter une région d’intérêt dans le transcrit, dont l’amplification a échoué exclusivement pour l’allèle porteur de la mutation non identifiée. D’autres analyses ont été effectuées dans la région génomique correspondante par capture ciblée couplée au séquençage NGS et LongRange PCR suivi de séquençage Sanger. Cependant, aucun variant candidat n’a été identifié à ce jour. Nous suggérons l’implication de mécanismes moléculaires complexes qui restent à être caractérisés. / Usher syndrome (USH) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by the association of sensorineural hearing loss (HL) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and in some cases, vestibular areflexia. Clinical and genetic heterogeneity are recognised. Indeed, three clinical types can be caused by mutations in one of the 10 known genes and USH2A represents the most frequently involved gene.Approximately 10 % of the USH cases remain genetically unsolved after extensive molecular analysis of the different genes, which includes sequencing of the exons and their intronic boundaries, combined to large rearrangements screening by array CGH. These unsolved cases include patients who do not carry any mutation in any of the known USH genes and patients who carry a single USH mutation. During this thesis we focalised on the study of patients carrying a single mutation in USH2A and PCDH15 gene.First, we have analysed a cohort of well-defined USH2A patients: five patients, for whom a single USH2A heterozygous mutation had been identified and one patient carrying a silent variant in trans to a nonsense mutation. For the 5 patients, we supposed that the second mutation remaining to be found could be localised deep in the introns. Indeed, a deep intronic mutation resulting in the inclusion of a pseudoexon (PE 40) in USH2A transcripts had been identified, following RNA analysis from nasal cells. Unfortunately, analysing USH2A transcripts still represent a challenging approach in a diagnostic settings and it is not always possible. To circumvent this issue, we have developed a DNA-Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) approach to identify deep intronic variants in USH2A and evaluate their consequences on splicing. As a proof of concept and to validate this approach, including the bioinformatics pipeline and the assessment of splicing predictor tools, the patient carrying the PE 40 was analysed at first. Then, the 5 patients were studied using the defined pipeline, which led to the identification of 3 distinct novel deep intronic variants in 4 of them. All were predicted to affect splicing and resulted in the insertion of PEs, as shown by minigene assays. Through this study, we present a new and attractive strategy to identify deep intronic mutations, when RNA analyses are not possible. In addition, the bioinformatics pipeline developed is independent of the gene size, implying the possible application of this approach to any disease-linked gene. Moreover, an antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (AMO) tested in vitro for its ability to restore the splicing alterations caused by one of the identified mutation provided high inhibition rates. These results are indicative of a potential application for molecular therapy.In the second case, we have performed studies on the USH2A c.1377T>A silent variant to investigate its effect on splicing. Analysis of RNA from nasal cells of patients showed that this variant led to the skipping of exon 8 in USH2A transcripts. This was confirmed by minigene assay. Moreover, preliminary studies have been performed using prediction tools and minigene assays to assess the involvement of cis-acting elements in causing the aberrant splicing.In the second part of the thesis, we have analysed an USH1 patient, for whom only one mutation had been identified in the PCDH15 gene. In this case, we combined nasal epithelial cells culture with the analysis of the PCDH15 transcripts. This was performed by sequencing five overlapping RT-PCRs. Through this analysis, we were able to delimit a region within the transcript, which failed to be amplified exclusively in the allele carrying the unidentified mutation. Further analyses have been performed in the corresponding genomic region by NGS-target capture and LongRange PCR associated with Sanger sequencing. However, no evident mutation has been identified so far. Therefore, we suggest the involvement of complex molecular mechanisms that remain to be characterised.

Currently, we observe a growing number of researches that seek to unravel the causes, effects and possible biotechnological uses of the rhizosphere microbiota communities modulation in the complex interactions between plants and soil. We also know that the attack of herbivorous insects is a factor of considerable damage to agriculture and that has well established evolutionary relationships in natural systems. The present work tried to test some hypotheses about the direct connection between the rhizosphere microbiota and the insect pest attack. Beginning from the point that plants have well- established defense mechanisms against insects, it was verified that the rhizosphere microbiota seems to contribute actively to this system and thus to establish holobionte relationships. We had broad access to communities of the fungi and bacterial domain, through the new generation sequencing for rRNA 16S gene, region V3, and intergenic region ITS amplicons on soil, semi-soil and, insect gut samples from pest insects with general behavior (Order: Lepidoptera). Our results from the data analysis to Illumina Miseq sequencing outputs and, additional experiments, resulted in three articles presented here in chapters. In the first chapter, we discuss the modulating effect from the pest insect attack (Spodoptera frugiperda), on the Arabidopsis thaliana microbiota rhizosphere, for different physiological plant\'s stages. As a result, it was possible to discuss the differences between the modulation in the structure of bacterial communities and the modulation in the structure of the fungal communities after the attack of herbivorous insects. In the second chapter, we highlight the difference in the modulation of the bacterial community structure for different plant families. We used seedlings of Arabidopsis thaliana, Zea mays Sh2, Faseolus vulgaris, Solano lycopersicum and, Beta vulgaris exposed to the attack of Trichoplusia ni for one week. The rhizosphere microbiota analysis for each host plant groups, suggests that the influence of the plant species should be considered on the bacteria rhizosphere communities modulation after the insect attack. Besides, specific plant species may be less susceptible to rhizosphere modulation by insect attack. Another highlight was the microbiota rhizosphere effect in the biomass loss for plants sown on transplanted semi-soil. Based on the phenotypic data, we suggest the rhizosphere microbiota modulation after the herbivore may be involved in the plant biomass inhibition on the next seedlings generation. Finally, in the third chapter, we explore the Trichoplusia ni gut microbiota modulation through the microbial load obtained in the restricted feeding. The T. ni larvae from the same original population were divided into three populations. Each population was fed individually and restrictively with leaves of A. thaliana, S. lycopersicum or artificial caloric diet. We accessed the gut microbiota in T. ni after three generations of restricted feeding, and we verified that the gut microbiota in caterpillars of general behavior, could be altered due the obtaining of microbial load through alimentary diet. This modulation may be related to the degradation of metabolites that may be harmful to insect homeostasis. The gut microbiota of each population can also directly influence the food preferences of successive generations. In summary, all our results presented in each one of the chapters are important points that can help to clarify the complex relationships between plants/insects/microorganisms and, contributing to a better understanding of this holobiont system. / Atualmente observamos um crescente número de pesquisas que buscam desvendar as causas, os efeitos e as possíveis utilizações biotecnológicas da modulação de comunidades da microbiota de rizosfera nas interações complexas entre plantas e solo. Sabemos também que o ataque de insetos herbívoros é um fator de considerável prejuízo para a agricultura e que tem relações evolutivas bem estabelecidas em sistemas naturais. O presente trabalho procurou testar algumas hipóteses a cerca da relação direta entre a microbiota de rizosfera e o ataque de insetos praga. Partindo do ponto de que plantas possuem mecanismos de defesa contra insetos, bem conhecidos, foi verificado que a microbiota de rizosfera parece contribuir ativamente para esse sistema, e assim estabelecer relações holobiontes. Tivemos um profundo acesso á comunidades do domínio bactéria e fungi, através da tecnologia de sequenciamento de nova geração para amplicons do gene RNAr 16S, região V3 e região intergênica ITS em amostras de solo, semi- solo e intestino de insetos praga (Ordem: Lepidoptera) de comportamento generalista. Nossos resultados, resultaram em três artigos aqui apresentados em capítulos. No primeiro capítulo é discutido o efeito modulador da herbívora da praga agrícola Spodoptera frugiperda na microbiota de rizosfera de Arabidopsis thaliana em diferentes estágios fisiológicos da planta. Como resultados foi possível perceber que o efeito na modulação da estrutura de comunidades de bactérias é diferente do efeito na modulação de comunidades de fungos após o ataque de insetos herbívoros. Os efeitos são diferentes tanto em abundância relativa quando na diversidade para cada um dos domínios de microrganismos estudados. No segundo capítulo destacamos a diferença na modulação da estrutura de comunidades de bactérias para diferentes famílias de plantas. Utilizamos mudas de A. thaliana, Zea mays Sh2, Phaseolus vulgaris, Solanum lycopersicum e Beta vulgaris, expostas ao ataque de Trichoplusia ni durante uma semana. As análises da microbiota de rizosfera de cada um dos grupos de plantas hospedeiras, sugere que a influência da espécie vegetal deve ser considerada na modulação das comunidades de bactérias da rizosfera após a herbívora. Adicionalmente, determinadas espécies de plantas podem ser menos susceptíveis a modulação da rizosfera pela herbívora. Outro destaque foi o efeito da modulação da microbiota de rizosfera, na perda de biomassa de plantas semeadas em semi-solo transplantado. Com base nos dados fenotípicos das diferentes espécies de plantas avaliadas, sugerimos que a modulação da microbiota de rizosfera após a herbívora, pode estar envolvida na inibição da produção de biomassa vegetal na geração seguinte de plântulas. Por fim, no terceiro capítulo exploramos a modulação na microbiota no intestino de larvas de Trichoplusia ni através da carga microbiana obtida na alimentação restrita. Larvas T. ni de mesma origem foram divididas em três populações. Cada população foi alimentada de forma específica e restrita com folhas de A. thaliana ou S. lycopersicum ou dieta artificial calórica. Acessamos a microbiota do intestino das larvas, após três gerações de alimentação restrita e verificamos que a microbiota intestinal em lagartas de comportamento generalista, pode ser alterada devido à obtenção de carga microbiana por via alimentar. Essa modulação pode estar relacionada a degradação de metabólitos que podem ser prejudiciais à homeostase dos insetos. A microbiota intestinal de cada população também pode influenciar diretamente as preferências alimentares de gerações sucessivas. Em resumo, todos os nossos resultados, apresentados em cada um dos capítulos a seguir, são chaves no conhecimento e podem ajudar a clarificar as complexas relações entre plantas, insetos e microrganismos. Contribuindo assim para um maior entendimento desse tipo de sistema holobionte.

Les études préexistantes identifient quatre taxons de base (C. reticulata les mandariniers, C. maxima les pamplemoussiers, C. medica les cédratiers et C. micrantha) à l'origine de l'ensemble des formes cultivées suite à des événements de réticulations. Il en résulte des structures génotypiques complexes, généralement fixées par l'apomixie, fortement hétérozygotes et formées d'une mosaïque de grands fragments chromosomiques d'origines phylogénétiques différentes. La structuration de la variabilité phénotypique suggère que la différenciation initiale des taxons ancestraux est à l'origine d'une part importante de la variabilité utile des agrumes. La connaissance de l'origine des formes cultivées et de leurs structures phylogénomiques est donc indispensable à la bonne gestion des collections et à l'optimisation des programmes d'amélioration génétique. A cette fin, cette thèse explore différentes approches d'analyse de la diversité des génomes. Elle a bénéficié de l'évolution rapide des NGS et propose une utilisation raisonnée des outils disponibles en fonction des questions de recherches. Une analyse plus poussée a été conduite sur les limettiers et citronniers. Le pyroséquençage 454 (Roche) d'amplicons a été utilisé pour décrypter la structure en mosaïque interspécifique du chromosome 2 de 50 variétés à partir d'une information haplotypique multiloci et pour identifier des marqueurs diagnostiques des taxons ancestraux. Ces marqueurs ont permis, en association avec des SSR et indels, d'apporter un nouvel éclairage sur l'origine des limettiers et citronniers, par un génotypage exhaustif des collections Inra/Cirad et Ivia. Enfin, les données de re-séquençage complet Illumina de sept variétés de limettiers et de citronniers comparées à celles de représentants des taxons ancestraux nous ont permis de reconstituer la structure interspécifique de leurs génomes et de schématiser leurs caryotypes phylogénomiques. Les différentes approches ont conduit à des conclusions convergentes. Nos résultats confirment les hypothèses concernant la séquence évolutive à l'origine des bigaradiers (C. aurantium), des orangers (C. sinensis) et des pomelos (C. paradisi) à partir des pools géniques de C. maxima et C. reticulata. Ils mettent en évidence de fréquentes introgressions de C. maxima dans le génome de mandariniers considérées comme représentatifs de C. reticulata. Les contributions relatives de ces deux taxons ancestraux aux génomes de nombreuses variétés de petits agrumes (mandariniers, tangors et tangelos) ont pu être estimées. Les limettiers et citronniers résultent de multiples évènements de réticulation et C. medica est identifié comme parent mâle de la majorité des variétés diploïdes. Deux grands groupes de citronniers, sont différenciés, ceux issus d'hybridations directes C. reticulata × C. medica et ceux impliquant trois taxons ancestraux (C. maxima, C. reticulata et C. medica). Le bigaradier serait le parent femelle à l'origine des citronniers type Lisbonne (C. limon). Les limettiers de type Mexicain (C. aurantifolia) seraient issus d'une hybridation directe C. micrantha × C. medica. Enfin, les limes à gros fruits, triploïdes, ont deux origines. Les types Tahiti résulteraient probablement de la fécondation d'un ovule de citronnier type Lisbonne par un gamète diploïde de limettier type Mexicain. L'autre grand type serait issu d'un backcross entre C. aurantifolia (gamète diploïde) et C. medica. Ces connaissances sur la structure génomique des espèces secondaires permettent d'envisager une reconstruction d'idéotypes à partir du germplasm des taxons ancestraux. Elles ouvrent également la voie à des études de génétique d'association s'appuyant sur la phylogénomique des gènes impliqués dans l'élaboration des caractères de qualité, de résistance et d'adaptation. Enfin, les marqueurs diagnostiques d'espèces développés trouveront de nombreuses applications pour la caractérisation des collections et diverses études de génétiques. / Citrus fruit, the most important fruit crop in the world, show a wide phenotypic diversity. Previous studies (molecular markers) identified four ancestral taxa (Citrus reticulata Blanco, mandarins; C. maxima (Burm.) Merr., pummelos; C. medica L., citrons; C. micrantha Wester, papedas) as the ancestors of all cultivated Citrus after reticulate evolutions. As a result, modern citrus varieties have complex and highly heterozygous genotypic structures, generally fixed by apomixis, and formed by a mosaic of large chromosomal fragments of different phylogenetic origins. Furthermore, the structuration of the phenotypic variability suggests that the initial differentiation of the basic taxa is the main source of most of the variability of the useful citrus phenotypic diversity. A thorough knowledge of the origin of cultivated citrus and their phylogenomic structure are essential for the management of biological resources and breeding program optimization. This thesis explores different approaches for analyzing genome diversity in order to identify the phylogenetic origins of the various horticultural citrus groups and to decipher their phylogenomic genome's structures. We focused on limes and lemons. This thesis takes advantage of the rapid evolution of NGS and proposes a rational use of available tools, based on research questions. Roche 454 parallel sequencing of amplicons provides multi-loci haplotype information on 500 base fragments. It was used to decipher the interspecific mosaic structure of chromosome 2 for fifty varieties and to identify ancestral taxa diagnostic SNP markers. The genotyping of all limes and lemons of the Inra/Cirad and Ivia germplasms with these markers, in association with SSR and indel markers, allowed to propose new hypothesis on the origins of limes and lemons. Data from Illumina whole genome re-sequencing of 7 varieties of limes and lemons, compared to those of representatives of the ancestral taxa, allowed to infer the interspecific structure of their genomes and to map out, for the first time, their phylogenomic karyotypes. The different approaches led to similar conclusions. Our results confirm previous hypothesis about the evolutionary steps at the origin of sour orange (C. aurantium), sweet orange (C. sinensis) and grapefruit (C. paradisi) involving C. maxima and C. reticulata gene pools. They highlight frequent introgressions of C. maxima in the genome of mandarin varieties despite the fact they were considered as representative of C. reticulata. We were also able to quantify the relative proportions of these two ancestral taxa in the genome of many varieties of small citrus fruit (mandarin hybrids, tangors and tangelos). Our work on limes and lemons demonstrate that C. medica is the male parent of this varietal group at the diploid level. Two groups of lemons are clearly differentiated: one from direct hybridizations between C. reticulata and C. medica, and one from crosses between hybrids (C. maxima × C. reticulata) and C. medica. Sour orange seems to be the female parent of ‘Eureka' type lemons (C. limon). The ‘Mexican' limes (C. aurantifolia) seems to come from a direct hybridization C. micrantha × C. medica. Finally, triploid big fruit limes have two major origins. The ‘Tahiti' type probably results from an ‘Eureka' type lemon (C. limon) ovule fecundated by a diploid gamete of a ‘Mexican' type lime (C. aurantifolia), while the other type would come from a back-cross between C. aurantifolia (diploid gamete) and C. medica. This new insights in genomic structure of secondary species makes to consider possible a reconstruction of these ideotypes from ancestral taxa germplasm. They also open new ways for association genetic studies based on phylogenomics of genes involved in the development of quality, resistance and adaptation traits. Finally, developed specific taxa diagnostic markers will find many applications for the characterization of collections and further genetic studies.

Le virus de l'hépatite C (VHC) est une menace majeure avec plus de 130 millions de personnes infectées chaque année. Il constitue la principale cause de cancer du foie. Le VHC est un virus transmis par le sang soit au cours de consommation de drogue par voie intraveineuse soit lors de transfusions sanguines. Il s'adapte à l'environnement de l'hôte grâce à un taux de mutation élevé qui amoindrit l’efficacité des traitements. Le virus se multiplie rapidement dans l'hôte et crée ainsi une population de virus génétiquement hétérogènes, appelée quasi-espèces, qui peut ainsi répondre aux pressions sélectives liées au traitement. Les traitement antiviraux existants sont des tri-thérapies contenant des peg-interféron, de la ribavirine et des inhibiteurs de la protéine (PI). Les inhibiteurs comme la telaprevir ou la bocéprévir ciblent la région NS3 du génome en bloquant le mécanisme de réplication. Cependant, en raison de la nature dynamique des quasi-espèces, les séquences cibles sont variables et les inhibiteurs conçus pour se lier à une région génomique particulière sont rendus inefficaces.Nous analysons ces populations virales en utilisant les techniques modernes de séquençage et le pyroséquencage profond qui permet l’analyse à grande échelle des données génétiques. La technique “Amplicon Sequencing” permet de cibler des régions particulières du génome viral, comme les régions NS3 ou NS5B qui participent au mécanisme de réplication et qui sont des cibles pour les thérapies antivirales. Par rapport au séquençage Sanger, notre pipeline NGS permet d’appréhender l’hétérogénéité de la population virale au sein d’un hôte. Pour analyser les données NGS, nous avons implémenté un pipeline d’analyse bioinformatique qui a été automatisé avec eHive.Nous étudions des échantillons de VHC de 40 patients traités par trithérapie. Deux sources de cellules virales sont utilisées pour le séquençage: les cellules du plasma et les cellules mononuclées du sang périphérique. L'objectif est de vérifier si une analyse des mutations de la région génomique NS3 peut aider à prédire le résultat du traitement. Nous constatons que des mutations de résistance aux antiviraux se trouvent à la fois chez les individus qui ont répondu et qui n’ont pas répondu au traitement. Nous avons donc recherché d'autres signatures génétiques de l'échec du traitement. Nous constatons que l'hétérogénéité génétique est plus faible chez les individus qui répondent de manière favorable au traitement. Notre conclusion est que l'hétérogénéité virale est un facteur indépendant pour prédire la réponse à un traitement, en plus de la présence de mutations spécifiques dans les régions ciblées par le traitement.Les techniques NGS permettent également d’étudier l'évolution virale au sein d'un seul hôte. En utilisant de multiples temps d'échantillonnage, nous pouvons mesurer les caractéristiques de l'évolution de la population virale. Pour trois patients avec des échantillons viraux couvrant une période de 13 ans, nous avons utilisé la technique “Amplicon Sequencing“ pour les régions NS3 et NS5B. Des infections mixtes comprenant de multiples génotypes sont retrouvées chez deux patients. Nous avons montré qu’il existe de la structure de populations et des lignées divergentes de VHC au sein de chaque patient. Au cours du traitement, l'hétérogénéité génétique et la taille efficace de la population dans la région NS5B augmente fortement après le début du traitement. Ces résultats mettent en évidence un processus de sélection diversifiante suite au traitement qui augmente l'hétérogénéité génétique virale. Nous mettons ainsi en évidence un processus dit de balayage sélectif doux qui est observé pour la première fois chez des patients infectées par des génotypes multiples du virus VHC.Notre analyse NGS montre que l'hétérogénéité génétique du VHC est liée à l'échec ou à la réussite du traitement et que son évolution permet de mieux comprendre la façon dont les virus s'adaptent au traitement. / Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major threat to global health, with over 130 million annual infections. HCV is a blood borne virus transmitted primarily via intravenous drug use or hospital transfusions. It infects the liver cells and is the leading cause of liver cancer. It adapts to the host environment with a high mutation rate and can make efficient treatment very difficult. Due to poor replication proofreading, the virus multiplies rapidly in the host and creates a population of viruses which is genetically heterogeneous enough to escape selective pressures. This HCV population called quasispecies is found within and between infected hosts. Current antiviral treatment consists of a triple therapy of peg-Interferon, ribavirin and protein inhibitors (PI). PIs such as telaprevir, boceprevir target the NS3 region of the genome, blocking the replication mechanism. However due to the highly dynamic nature of the quasispecies, the target sequences are variable and PIs designed to bind to a particular genomic region are therefore rendered ineffective.We analyse viral populations of HCV using Next generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies and ultradeep pyrosequencing, which allow for rapid and large scale analysis of genetic data. Amplicon sequencing allows for targeting particular regions of the viral genome, such as the NS3 or NS5B which form a part of the replication mechanism and hence are targets for antiviral therapy. Compared to Sanger sequencing, our NGS pipeline ascertains viral population heterogeneity within a host. We implemented the bioinformatics workflow manually and in eHive as an automated pipeline.We study HCV samples from 40 patients treated with triple therapy. Two sources of the virus, plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cells are used for sequencing. The main aim is to check if a baseline analysis of the NS3 genomic region can help to predict the outcome of the treatment. We find that antiviral resistance mutations are found in both responders and non-responders to the treatment. Since no correlation exists between observed mutations and failure of tri-therapy, we look for other genetic signatures of treatment failure. We find that genetic heterogeneity, calculated using Shannon’s entropy, is lower in responders. We conclude that the viral heterogeneity can be used as an independent factor to predict response to treatment, more than presence of specific mutations at baseline.NGS also enables large-scale studies of viral evolution within a single host. Using multiple sampling time points, we gain insights about viral evolutionary characteristics of HCV and responses to selective pressures during infection. For three patients with viral samples covering a period of 13 years, we perform amplicon sequencing on the NS3 and NS5B regions. Mixed infections comprising of multiple genotypes are found in two patients. We find considerable population structure and diverging HCV lineages within each patient. Over the course of treatment, genetic heterogeneity and effective population size in the NS5B regions increases sharply after treatment initiation compared to baseline. These results provide evidence of diversifying selection occurring post-treatment, acting on standing genetic variation resulting in high genetic heterogeneity. These are characteristics of a soft selective sweep, which is observed for the first time in chronic HCV patients infected with multiple genotypes.Our NGS analysis show that genetic heterogeneity in HCV is related to treatment failure and that its evolution provides insights about how viruses adapt to treatment.