A major challenge of platinum anticancer therapy lies in overcoming the severe side-effects associated with treatment. Photoactivatable PtIV azido complexes, which are stable in the dark and reduced to cytotoxic PtII species upon irradiation, have recently emerged as a potential site-specific treatment. This thesis is concerned with the investigation of PtII and PtIV azido complexes as potential cytotoxic and photochemotherapeutic agents. PtII azido complexes such as [Pt(en)(N3)2] were shown to bind to both 5'-guanosine monophosphate (5'-GMP) and glutathione, at a much reduced rate compared with their PtII chlorido analogues. Interestingly, and unexpectedly, these PtII azido complexes showed moderate cytotoxicity towards the A2780 cancer cell line (IC50 21–47 μM). Binding to 5'-GMP was observed to occur more rapidly upon irradiation with UVA light, although the extent of binding was low and the complexes did not demonstrate phototoxicity towards HaCaT keratinocytes. The pendant hydroxyl group of a PtII azido complex was functionalised with a fluorescent probe; conjugation to one axial hydroxyl ligand of a PtIV azido complex was also achieved. The latter conjugate showed a rapid increase in fluorescence intensity upon irradiation, resulting from loss of the axial ligands upon photoreduction. The functionalisation of quantum dots with PtII complexes was also investigated. Water soluble CdSe-ZnS quantum dots were synthesised and derivatised with an amine ligand to which platinum was bound. Conjugation of apo-transferrin to quantum dots was also achieved, with subsequent platinum binding yielding a conjugate with improved aqueous solubility and fluorescence properties. However, the conjugate was inactive towards the A2780 cancer cell line, likely due to surface modifications preventing cellular internalisation. PtII chlorido and azido conjugates with a porphyrin were synthesised and found to show differing behaviour upon irradiation with visible light; evidence of hydrogen peroxide generation from the chlorido complex was much reduced in the case of the azido complex; it is suggested this may result from quenching of reactive oxygen species by the azide anion released upon irradiation. PtII chlorido and azido complexes of highly coloured azo ligands were synthesised in an attempt to shift the wavelength of activation into the visible region. TD-DFT calculations allowed frontier orbital analysis and assignment of the transitions in the absorption spectra. Irradiation of the PtII azido complexes with UVA or broadband visible light led to their decomposition; one water-soluble complex was found to show moderate cytotoxicity and phototoxicity; in addition, its intense blue colour allowed for visual monitoring of this complex inside cells.

Neurodegeneration in selected brain areas, associated with abnormal behavior of cytoskeletal proteins or altered organization of the cytoskeletal filament network, exhibits a characteristic feature of many neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, focusing on analyzing the dynamics of cytoskeletal proteins under disease-relevant conditions using live cell imaging approaches could provide a better understanding of the cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration. Fluorescence photoactivation (FPA) provides a novel tool to label and track living cells, organelles, or even single molecules in living systems in a spatio-temporal manner with high sensitivity. Fusion of photoactivatable fluorescence proteins to cytoskeletal proteins allows analyzing cytoskeletal dynamics in neurons in real-time and provides the unique opportunity to determine the effect of disease-relevant conditions on cytoskeletal dynamics in living neurons. Aim of the thesis was to study the motion of different cytoskeletal proteins: the microtubule associated protein tau and the growth associated actin-binding protein GAP-43. Expression of both proteins is developmentally regulated and may play an important role in neuronal polarization. Furthermore, both proteins show enrichment at the distal part of the neurite, the growth cone. The mechanisms, how distal trapping of tau and trafficking and enrichment of GAP-43 at the tip are regulated, are unclear. To scrutinize the dissipation of both proteins in living neurons, we constructed a panel of PAGFP-tagged fusion constructs and expressed them in differentiated PC12 cells as a neuronal model system. Using FPA in combination with computer-assisted image processing, we could identify the dissipation and trapping mechanisms of both proteins. The data indicate that FPA provides a useful and versatile approach to determine protein distribution in living cells during development and disease-like conditions.

Une radiothérapie efficace nécessite un dépôt de dose localisé à la tumeur, et donc un contraste entre le tissu tumoral et les tissus sains environnants. Une irradiation de basse énergie monochromatique au synchrotron d'une tumeur chargée en éléments lourds permet de maximiser l'interaction photoélectrique dans la tumeur et d'épargner les tissus sains, car les photoélectrons et les électrons Auger produits ont un TEL très élevé et déposent leur énergie autour des éléments lourds, augmentant fortement le dépôt de dose. Ils peuvent induire des dommages à l'ADN (cassures double brin) fortement létaux. Un autre phénomène permet également de promouvoir l'émission d'électrons Auger et d'augmenter ainsi la dose, l'effet Mössbauer. Cette interaction résonante et sans recul spécifique à certains isotopes dont le 57Fe présente une section efficace 450 fois plus importante que celle de l'effet photoélectrique. Ce travail de doctorat a évalué l'utilisation in vitro de nanoparticules de magnétite combinées à ces deux effets physiques. Les nanoparticules présentent une internalisation et une distribution dans les cellules F98 qui sont très propices à la radiosensibilisation : de grandes concentrations proches du noyau des cellules, et peu de toxicité ont été obtenues. Ceci a permis d'obtenir par photoactivation des NPFe un facteur d'augmentation de 3 ce qui est considérable. Ce travail multidisciplinaire rassemble des expériences de physique, de biologie et de chimie, pour évaluer les applications de nanoparticules de fer à la radiothérapie. / An efficient radiotherapy needs a localized dose to the tumour, which means a high contrast between tumorous and healthy tissues. A synchrotron low energy monochromatic irradiation of a tumour charged in high-Z elements allows maximizing photoelectric interactions in the tumour and spare the healthy tissues. Photoelectrons and high LET Auger electrons thus produced deposit their energy locally, enhancing radiation dose to tumor cells. Another interaction allows to enhance the dose by Auger electrons: the Mössbauer effect. This resonant and recoilless interaction specific to some isotopes like 57Fe has a cross section 450 times bigger than photoelectric effect. This thesis evaluates the in vitro use of magnetite nanoparticles combined with those 2 types of interactions. The nanoparticles evaluated present a high internalisation and a perinuclear distribution inside F98 cells. A dose-enhancement factor of 3 was obtained by photo activation of the iron Nps, this represents a huge increase. This multidisciplinary work encompasses experiments in chemistry, physics and biology in order to evaluate the applications of magnetite nanoparticles to radiotherapy.

La chimie des cinnamates ortho-fonctionnalisés est particulièrement riche et variée, comme en témoigne le nombre important de méthodologies de synthèse reposant sur leur utilisation comme substrats précurseurs d'hétérocycles d'intérêt biologique. En effet, suivant la nature du groupe fonctionnel et les conditions opératoires, des substrats à base cinnamique ont déjà été exploités avec succès pour la construction d'un large panel de squelettes hétérocycliques, allant de systèmes cycliques à cinq chaînons (benzofurane, indole, ...) à des cycles à six chaînons (coumarine, quinolin(on)e, ...). Dans ce contexte, ma thèse avait pour objectif principal d'apporter une contribution à cette chimie propre aux cinnamates ortho-fonctionnalisés. Le premier objectif de mon travail a porté sur le développement de nouvelles méthodes de synthèse hétérocyclique employant des cinnamates ortho-fonctionnalisés comme précurseurs. D'une part, une méthode de synthèse de coumarines et de quinolones 3-trifluorométhylées a été mise au point à partir de d'ortho-hydroxy- et d'ortho-aminocinnamates. Une étude mécanistique a également été conduite et a permis de mettre évidence la nature radicalaire de la réaction de trifluorométhylation concernée. D'autre part, nous avons évalué avec succès le potentiel synthétique d'ortho-azidocinnamates pour la construction photoinduite d'indoles et de quinoléines. Le second objectif de mon travail a concerné la conception, la synthèse et l'évaluation photophysique/photochimique de nouvelles sondes photoactivables luminescentes à base d'ions lanthanides. Dans ce cas, le motif cinnamique a été installé sur un complexe de lanthanide non luminescent afin de jouer le rôle d'antenne photoactivable. Après une première étude ayant permis de prouver le concept, toute une série de composés a été préparée afin d'établir des relations structures-propriétés, relations qui nous ont finalement permis d'optimiser la performance de cette nouvelle classe de sondes luminescentes photoactivables. / The chemistry of ortho-functionalized cinnamates is particularly rich and varied, as evidenced by the large number of methods using them as building blocks for the synthesis of biologically-relevant heterocycles. In fact, depending on the nature of the functional group and the reaction conditions, various cinnamic-based substrates have already been successfully employed for the synthesis of a wide range of heterocyclic skeletons, ranging from five-membered ring systems (benzofuran, indole, ...) to six-membered rings (coumarin, quinolin(on)e, ...). In this context, the main goal of my thesis was to make a significant contribution to the chemistry peculiar to ortho-functionalized cinnamates. The first objective of my work dealt with the development of new methods for heterocyclic synthesis using ortho-functionalized cinnamates as building blocks. On one hand, a method for the regioselective synthesis of 3-trifluoromethylated coumarins and quinolones was elaborated starting from ortho-hydroxy- and ortho-aminocinnamates. The reaction mechanism of this trifluoromethylation reaction was further investigated and was found to involve radical participation. On the other hand, ortho-azidocinnamates proved suitable building blocks to achieve the construction of indoles and quinolines via a solvent-dependent photochemical process. The second objective of my work was devoted to the design, synthesis and photophysical/photochemical evaluation of new photoactivatable luminescent probes based on lanthanide ions. In this case, a non-luminescent lanthanide complex was equipped with a cinnamoyl residue in order to act as a photoactivatable sensitizer. A preliminary study allowed us to validate the concept "OFF/ON", and then a series of probes was prepared in order to establish relevant structure-property relationships, hence enabling the optimization of this novel class of photoactivatable luminescent probes.

Ce travail concerne les mécanismes photoinduits d’une flavoprotéine appartenant à la famille des cryptochromes et photolyases (CPF) : la photolyase (6-4). En utilisant de la lumière bleue cette protéine répare un dommage de l’ADN induit par les UV, le photoproduit (6-4). Nous avons étudié cette photoreparation ainsi qu’une autre réaction photoactivée que la photolyase utilise pour réduire son cofacteur flavine, la photoactivation. Nous avons faits nos études en utilisant la photolyase (6-4) de Xenopus laevis. Nous avons étudié la photoréduction du chromophore FADox de l’enzyme par spectroscopie d’absorption transitoire femtoseconde polarisée. Nous avons observé un transfert d’électron ultrarapide (~400 fs) après excitation du chromophore FADox. Nous avons caractérisés un résidu tryptophane comme réducteur. Nous avons cherché de distinguer entre les différents tryptophanes présents dans le site de photoactivation par des mesures d’anisotropie. Les résultats obtenus suggèrent que le mécanisme de transfert d’électron dans la photolyase n’est pas compatible avec le mécanisme supposé chez les photolyases qui consiste des transferts d’électron de long d’une chaine de trois résidus tryptophane. Grâce à des trains d’impulsions courtes, nous avons démontré que la photolyase (6-4) répare l’ADN par un mécanisme à deux photons successif. Le premier photon sert à convertir le défaut (6-4) en un intermédiaire métastable, X, qui a une durée de vie de ~2 min. Un second photon absorbé pendant cette durée de vie permet d’achever le cycle de réparation. / We studied the light-induced reactions of the (6-4) photolyase, a flavoenzyme of the cryptochrome/photolyase family that repairs the UV-induced (6-4) photodamage in DNA with the aid of blue light. We studied this photorepair reaction as well as the light-induced cofactor reduction called photoactivation that the enzyme uses to bring itself to a repair-active state in the (6-4) photolyase from Xenopus laevis. We have studied the photoactivation of the FADox cofactor of the enzyme using femtosecond polarised transient absorption spectroscopy. We observed a sub-picosecond electron transfer (~400 fs) after excitation of the FADox cofactor. We were able to characterise a tryptophan residue as the electron donor. We sought to differentiate the spectroscopically identical but differently oriented tryptophan residues within the protein’s photoactivation site by transient anisotropy measurements. Our results suggest that the photoactivation mechanism is not fully compatible with the mechanism thought to be conserved among photolyases: an electron transfer mechanism via electron hopping along a chain of three highly conserved tryptophan residues.Using series of single turnover flashes, we have found that the repair reaction proceeds by a successive two-photon mechanism. The first photon converts the (6-4) lesion into a metastable intermediate X, the lifetime of which is ~2 min. Absorption of a second photon within the lifetime of X results to the restoration of intact nucleobases. In light of our findings, the reaction was also studied by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Chemistry / Sundeep Rayat / Sundeep Rayat / This dissertation focused on the synthesis of 1-(2-ethynylphenyl)-4-phenyl tetrazole-5-thione derivatives 1 and evaluating their potential as a new class of photoactivated DNA cleaving prodrugs. We hypothesized that light activation of 1 would cause the decomposition of the tetrazolethione ring system to enyne-carbodiimide 2 with simultaneous loss of dinitrogen and sulfur via 1,3-triplet biradicals 1′, which would be spontaneously followed by Schmittel cyclization to indoloquinolines 3 via benzofulvene type biradicals 2′. The biradicals 1′ and 2′ would have the potential to cause DNA cleavage by abstracting hydrogens from its sugar phosphate backbone, analogous to the mechanism of action of naturally occurring enediyne antitumor antibiotics. Note that our proposed prodrugs contained a 1,4-diaryl tetrazolethione functionality and a direct synthetic route for their construction was lacking in the literature despite their wide spread applications. Therefore, our initial efforts were directed towards developing a general strategy to obtain these ring systems. We employed a highly versatile and efficient copper mediated N-arylation to first obtain a series of 1,4-diaryl tetrazol-5-ones which were thionated with Lawesson’s reagent to afford the corresponding 1,4-diaryl tetrazole-5-thiones in moderate yields. Specifically, the synthesis of 1 involved Sonogashira coupling of the obtained 1-(2-bromophenyl)-4-phenyl-1H-tetrazole-5(4H)-thione with the appropriate ethynyl compounds (Chapter 2). Since the tetrazole ring is an important structural component in many biologically and medicinally relevant compounds, we were interested in evaluating the anticancer activity of these compounds in the absence of photochemical activation. The moderate IC50 values against leukemia and breast cancer cell lines showed that the anticancer activity of these compounds prior to photoirradiation was minimal (Chapter 3). Independent studies have shown that the photodecomposition of tetrazolethiones gives carbodiimides via biradicals, and photocyclization of enyne-carbodiimide forms indoloquinoline also via biradicals. However, it was not known whether these two photoreactions could happen sequentially in one pot with one light source from a substrate like 1, generating biradicals 1′ and 2′ which could later be employed for DNA photocleavage as hypothesized. Therefere, we photolysed 1 in acetonitrile, and our results show clean formation of a mixture of enyne-carbodiimides and indoloquinolines via biradicals 1′ and 2′ (Chapter 4). Finally, we investigated DNA photocleavage by 1 at 350 nm and our results showed significant DNA cleavage in concentrations as low as 100 μM (Chapter 5).

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2015-07-21T15:07:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Maria de Souza.pdf: 717565 bytes, checksum: 0b6ad0f4adba71695d0147808fdc405c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-21T15:07:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Maria de Souza.pdf: 717565 bytes, checksum: 0b6ad0f4adba71695d0147808fdc405c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-10 / The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of different doses of energy and uni- or multi-wave LED units on mechanical properties of composite resins. Thereunto, six experimental groups were established for each assessed resin (IPS Empress Direct - Ivoclar Vivadent , Venus - Heraeus - Kulzer , SDR - Dentsply) according to the different different amounts of energy (5J , 10J and 20J) and LED unit (bluephase 16i and bluephase G2 - Ivoclar Vivadent) . Thirty six specimens were prepared (7mm long x 2mm wide x 1mm height) from silicon matrices and were used for evaluation of mechanical properties (flexural strength and modulus of elasticity) using the three points bending test, in a universal testing machine at a speed of 0.5 mm/min until the specimens fracture. Data were tested for normality and then the two-way analysis of variance was applied and Tukey's test was used to point out differences among means, with significance level set at 5%. Thus, the results showed that the resins presented different performance by energy amounts and by the difference of the spectra of light emitted by different sources. It appears from the data presented that the factors studied in this work are directly related to the mechanical properties of resin composites. / O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a influência de diferentes doses de energia e unidades LED fotoativadoras de banda estreita e com amplo espectro nas propriedades mecânicas de resinas compostas. Para isso, 6 grupos experimentais foram estabelecidos para cada resina avaliada (IPS Empress Direct – Ivoclar Vivadent, Venus – Heraeus-Kulzer, SDR - Dentsply), de acordo com as diferentes doses de energia (5J; 10J e 20J) e unidades fotoativadoras (Bluephase 16i e Bluephase G2 – Ivoclar Vivadent). Trinta e seis corpos-de-prova foram confeccionados (7mm comprimento X 2mm largura X 1mm de altura) a partir de matrizes de silicone e foram utilizados para avaliação das propriedades mecânicas (resistência à flexão e módulo de elasticidade) utilizando o teste de flexão de três pontos, em máquina de ensaio universal a uma velocidade de 0,5 mm/min até que ocorresse a fratura do corpo-de-prova. Os dados foram avaliados quanto à sua normalidade e então, aplicado a Análise de Variância a dois critérios e teste de Tukey, com nível de significância fixado em 5%. Os resultados mostraram que as resinas apresentaram comportamentos diferentes entre si tanto pelas doses de energia utilizadas quanto pela diferença dos espectros de luz emitidos pelas diferentes fontes. Conclui-se dos dados apresentados que os fatores estudados neste trabalho têm relação direta com as propriedades mecânicas dos compósitos resinosos.

Le traitement des gliomes de haut grade constitue aujourd'hui encore un réel enjeu médical. Les techniques actuellement disponibles sont principalement palliatives et permettent d'augmenter la survie des patients de quelques mois seulement. Une technique innovante de radiothérapie consiste à renforcer la dose déposée dans la tumeur grâce à l'injection d'atomes lourds de manière spécifique dans celle-ci au préalable d'une irradiation de photons de basse énergie (50-100 keV). Cette technique a fait l'objet d'essais précliniques et maintenant d'essais cliniques de phases I et II sur la ligne médicale du synchrotron Européen dont le rayonnement monochromatique et intense est particulièrement adapté pour l'application. L'utilisation d'un agent de contraste (AC) iodé (Z=53) injecté par voie veineuse permet d'améliorer le bénéfice de la radiothérapie mais n'est cependant pas suffisante pour l'élimination complète de la tumeur. En effet, l'accumulation passive d'atomes lourds dans la tumeur n'est pas assez importante et le caractère extracellulaire d'un AC ne maximise pas l'efficacité biologique de l'irradiation. Les nanoparticules (NPs) métalliques apparaissent comme un moyen efficace pour repousser ces limites. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, des études ont été conduites sur la lignée cellulaire de gliome F98 afin de caractériser la toxicité et l'internalisation de trois types de nanoparticules différents : nanoparticules de gadolinium (GdNPs 3 nm), d'or (AuNPs 13 nm) et de platine (PtNPs 6 nm). La survie cellulaire a également été évaluée après différentes conditions d'irradiation de photons monochromatiques en présence de ces nano-objets. La dépendance de la réponse cellulaire à l'énergie du rayonnement incident ainsi qu'à la distribution subcellulaire des NPs a permis de mettre en évidence plusieurs mécanismes mis en jeu dans ce traitement. A concentration identique, les NPs diminuent la survie cellulaire de manière plus importante qu'un AC, validant ainsi l'intérêt microdosimétrique des NPs. L'effet est préférentiel à basse énergie (keV) indiquant que la photoactivation des atomes lourds est en partie responsable la réponse cellulaire. Par ailleurs, les GdNPs et les PtNPs se sont aussi montrées efficaces pour diminuer la survie cellulaire en combinaison à une irradiation à haute énergie (1.25 MeV) indiquant qu'un mécanisme de radiosensibilisation différent de la photoactivation intervient également. Les études précliniques, ont montré que le recouvrement complet de la tumeur par les NPs constitue un point clé pour garantir le bénéfice thérapeutique du traitement. Dans cette optique, une méthode de tomographie à deux énergies développée au synchrotron, a été caractérisée dans le cadre de ce travail. L'étude a permis d'imager de manière quantitative et simultanée la tumeur (mise en évidence par un AC iodé) et son recouvrement par des GdNPs (injectées par voie directe) chez le rongeur porteur d'un gliome. La correspondance entre la distribution de l'AC et la tumeur a également été étudiée à l'aide de techniques d'imagerie à haute résolution (IRM, tomographie X par contraste de phase et histologie). / Gliomas treatment is still a serious challenge in medicine. Available treatments are mainly palliative and patients' survival is increased by a few months only. An original radiotherapy technique consists in increasing the dose delivered to the tumor by loading it with high Z atoms before an irradiation with low energy X-rays (50-100 keV). Preclinical studies have been conducted using iodine contrast agent (CA) (Z=53) and 50 keV X-rays. The increase of the animals' survival leads today to the beginning of clinical trials (phases I and II) at the medical beamline of the European synchrotron, where the available monochromatic and intense photons beam is well suited for this treatment. The use of intravenously injected CA is however insufficient for curing rat's bearing glioma. Indeed, the contrast agent's accumulation is limited by the presence of the BBB and it remains extracellular. Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) appear interesting for improving the treatment efficacy. During this work, three different types of NPs have been studied: GdNPs (3 nm), AuNPs (13 nm) and PtNPs (6 nm). Their toxicity and internalization have been evaluated in vitro on F98 rodent glioma cells. Cells' survival has also been measured after different irradiation conditions in presence of these NPs and with monochromatic photons beams. Several mechanisms implicated in the treatment have been highlighted by the study of the cells' response dependence to the incident particles energy and to the sub cellular NPs distribution during irradiation. For identical concentrations, NPs were more efficient in cells killing than CA, illustrating their microdosimetric potential. The effect was also preferential for low energy X-rays, indicating that photoactivation of heavy atoms plays a role in the cells' death. GdNPs and PtNPs have also lead to an effect in combination to high energy photons (1.25 MeV), indicating that another mechanism may also increase the cell sensitivity to radiations with such NPs. Preclinical trials, performed on rats bearing F98 glioma, have shown that the complete tumor's overlap with NPs is a key point for the success of this treatment. Dual energy computed tomography (CT) has been developed at the synchrotron medical beamline and evaluated during this PhD thesis. The study has allowed quantitatively and simultaneously imaging the tumor (highlighted by iodinated CA) and the GdNPs distribution injected intracerebrally in rodents bearing glioma. The comparison between the CA distribution and the tumor's volume has also been performed using high spatial resolutions imaging methods (MRI, X-rays phase contrast tomography and histology).

Les techniques optogénétiques ont laissé entrevoir un potentiel exceptionnel dans l’étude des mécanismes gouvernant l’intégration de l’information dans le système nerveux. Afin d’établir les relations existant entre des séquences d’activité neuronale définies et le comportement, les techniques optiques doivent permettre d’appréhender des groupes de neurones avec une résolution cellulaire chez l’animal éveillé et mobile. Jusqu’alors, l’activité neuronale chez l’animal vigile non contraint n’a été contrôlée que via l’illumination en champs large. Dans ce travail, nous démontrons une résolution proche de la cellule unique pour la photoactivation, chez l’animal éveillé et mobile, à l’aide d’un fibroscope. Les motifs de photoactivation, produits par holographie, sont transmis jusqu’à la souris par un guide d’image couplé à un micro-objectif. Une imagerie de fluorescence permet de localiser les cellules d’intérêt et d’enregistrer l’activité neuronale, par épifluorescence, illumination structurée, ou encore microscopie confocale multi-point sans balayage. Le fibroscope est testé chez l’animal anesthésié et chez l’animal éveillé et mobile, dont les interneurones de la couche moléculaire du cervelet expriment les protéines ChR2-tdTomato et GCaMP. Nous avons généré des signaux calciques somatiques en ciblant les corps cellulaires avec des spots de photoactivation de 5µm de diamètre. Chez l’animal anesthésié, nous avons démontré que la photoactivation pouvait être réalisée avec une résolution latérale de 10µm et une résolution axiale de 40µm, en considérant la demi-largeur à mi-hauteur de la courbe de résolution. Nous avons montré qu’un ou plusieurs soma pouvaient être ciblés sélectivement. Chez l’animal éveillé et mobile, le champs de vue est resté stable au cours des acquisitions. Nous avons trouvé une résolution latérale pour la photoactivation égale à 10µm, démontrant une résolution de photoactivation proche de la cellule unique chez l’animal vigile non contraint. / Optogenetics has shown great potential to study the mechanisms governing information integration in the brain. To link specific spatiotemporal activity patterns and behaviours, optical methods should provide simultaneous access to a group of neurons with single cell resolution in freely behaving animals. So far, however, optogenetic control of neural activity in freely behaving rodents has been performed with widefield illumination only. Here, we demonstrate photoactivation with near-cellular resolution in freely behaving mice using a fiberscope. Photoactivation patterns, produced with computer-generated holography, were transmitted to the mouse using a fiber bundle coupled to a micro-objective. Fluorescence imaging allowed locating cells and recording neuronal activity, via either epifluorescence, structured illumination, or scanless multi-point confocal microscopy. The fiberscope was tested both in anesthetized and freely-behaving mice co-expressing ChR2-tdTomato and GCaMP proteins in cerebellar molecular layer interneurons. By targeting an interneuron soma with a 5µm diameter photoactivation spot, we could elicit a calcium transient. In anesthetized animals, we demonstrated that photoactivation could be performed with 10µm and 40µm lateral and axial resolution, half-width at half maximum, respectively. We showed that either a single or multiple somata could be selectively targeted. In awake unrestrained animals, the field of view remained stable during our acquisitions. We found that photoactivation lateral resolution remained equal to 10µm, demonstrating photoactivation with near-cellular resolution in freely behaving mice.

Le photosystème II (PSII) est un complexe multi-protéique qui utilise l'énergie solaire pour oxyder l'eau et réduire des quinones. Le site catalytique d'oxydation de l'eau est localisé coté lumen du complexe, alors, que le site de réduction comprenant deux quinones (QA et QB) et un fer non-hémique est localisé sur le coté stromal du complexe membranaire. Dans cette thèse j'ai étudié les deux cotés accepteur et donneur d'électrons du PSII.QA•- et QB•- sont couplés magnétiquement au fer non-hémique donnant de faibles signaux RPE. Le fer non-hémique possède quatre ligands histidines et un ligand (bi)carbonate échangeable. Le formate peut échanger le ligand (bi)carbonate induisant un ralentissement dans le transfert d'électrons. Ici, je décris une modification du signal RPE de QB•- Fe2+ lorsque le formate est substitué au (bi)carbonate. J'ai aussi découvert un second signal RPE dû à la présence du formate à la place du (bi)carbonate lorsque QB est doublement réduit. De plus, j'ai trouvé que les signaux RPE natifs de QA•- Fe2+ et QB•- Fe2+ possèdent une signature intense encore jamais détectée. Tous les signaux RPE rapportés dans cette thèse devraient faciliter le titrage redox de QB par RPE. J'ai aussi observé que QB•- peut oxyder le fer non-hémique à l'obscurité en anaérobie. Cette observation implique qu'au moins dans une fraction des centres, le couple QB•-/QBH2 possède un potentiel redox plus haut que supposé. La quantification du nombre de centres où cette oxydation du fer se produit par le couple QB•-/QBH2 reste à faire. La réduction du PSII par le dithionite génère un signal modifié de QA•-Fe2+, un changement structural du PSII observé par électrophorèse. Cela peut indiquer la réduction d'un pont disulfure à l'intérieur du PSII. Concernant le site d’oxydation de l'eau, j'ai étudié la première étape de l'assemblage du site catalytique (Mn4Ca), en suivant l'oxydation du Mn2+ par RPE en bande X et haut champ. J'ai mis au point des conditions expérimentales permettant le piégeage du premier intermédiaire et j'ai aussi trouvé une incohérence avec des travaux publiés dans la littérature. J'ai aussi trouvé que le dithionite pouvait réduire le site catalytique Mn4Ca, en formant des états sur-réduits qui peuvent correspondre aux intermédiaires de l'assemblage du cluster Mn4Ca. / Photosystem II (PSII) uses light energy to oxidise water and reduce quinone. The water oxidation site is a Mn4Ca cluster located on the luminal side of the membrane protein complex, while the quinone reduction site is made up of two quinones (QA and QB) and a non-heme Fe2+ located on the stromal side of the membrane protein. In this thesis I worked on both oxidation and reduction functions of the enzyme. QA•- and QB•- are magnetically couple to the Fe2+ giving weak and complex EPR signals. The distorted octahedral Fe2+ has four histidines ligands and an exchangeable (bi)carbonate ligand. Formate can displace the exchangeable (bi)carbonate ligand, slowing electron transfer out of the PSII reaction centre. Here I report the formate-modified QB•- Fe2+ EPR signal, and this shows marked spectral changes and has a greatly enhanced intensity. I also discovered a second new EPR signal from formate-treated PSII that is attributed to formate-modified QA•- Fe2+ in the presence of a 2-electron reduced form of QB. In addition, I found that the native QA•- Fe2+ and QB•- Fe2+ EPR signals have a strong feature that had been previously missed because of overlapping signals (mainly the stable tyrosyl radical TyrD•). These previously unreported EPR signals should allow for the redox potential of this cofactor to be directly determined for the first time. I also observed that when QB•-Fe was formed; it was able to oxidise the iron slowly in the dark. This occurred in samples pumped to remove O2. This observation implies that at least in some centres, the QB•-/QBH2 couple has a higher potential then is often assumed and thus that the protein-bound semiquinone is thermodynamically less stable expected. It has yet to be determined if this represents a situation occurring in the majority of centres. Treatment of the system with dithionite generated a modified form of QA•-Fe2+ state and a change in the association of the proteins on gels. This indicates a redox induced modification of the protein, possibly structurally important cysteine bridge in PSII.On the water oxidation side of the enzyme, I studied the first step in the assembly of the Mn4Ca cluster looking at Mn2+ oxidation using kinetic EPR and high field EPR. Conditions were found for stabilising the first oxidised state and some discrepancies with the literature were observed. I also found that dithionite could be used to reduce the Mn4Ca, forming states that are formally equivalent to those that exist during the assembly of the enzyme.