L’insuline est une hormone essentielle qui induit des réponses complexes dans l’organisme pour maintenir l’homéostasie du glucose et des lipides. La résistance à son action est un phénomène pathologique observé dans un large éventail de situations, allant de l’obésité et du syndrome métabolique à la stéatose hépatique et au diabète de type 2, qui aboutissent au développement de l’athérosclérose et de la mortalité. Des avancées remarquables ont été réalisées dans notre compréhension des mécanismes moléculaires responsables du développement de la résistance à l’action de l’insuline. En particulier, l’induction d’un stress cellulaire par des taux élevés d’acides gras libres (AGL) et des cytokines, via l’activation des protéines Ser/Thr kinases, qui augmente la phosphorylation sur des résidus sérine, des molécules critiques impliquées dans la signalisation insulinique (p. ex. IR, IRS et p85) et conduit à la diminution de la réponse cellulaire à l’insuline. Cependant, la plupart des chercheurs ont limité leur travail dans l’investigation du rôle des protéines kinases susceptibles de modifier la réponse cellulaire à l’insuline. Donc, peu de données sont disponibles sur le rôle des Protéines Ser/Thr phosphatases (PS/TPs), même si il est bien établi que la phosphorylation de ces protéines est étroitement régulée par un équilibre entre les activités antagonistes des Ser/Thr kinases et des PS/TPs. Parmi les PS/TPS, PPM1A (également connu sous le nom PP2Cα) est une phosphatase particulièrement intéressante puisqu’il a été suggéré qu’elle pourrait jouer un rôle dans la régulation du métabolisme lipidique et du stress cellulaire. Ainsi, en se basant sur des résultats préliminaires de notre laboratoire et des données de la littérature, nous avons émis l’hypothèse selon laquelle PPM1A pourrait améliorer la sensibilité à l’insuline en diminuant l’activité des protéines kinases qui seraient activées par le stress cellulaire induit par l’augmentation des AGL. Ces effets pourraient finalement améliorer le métabolisme glucidique et lipidique dans l’hépatocyte. Ainsi, pour révéler le rôle physiologique de PPM1A à l’échelle d’un animal entier, nous avons généré un modèle animal qui la surexprime spécifiquement dans le foie. Nous décrivons ici notre travail afin de générer ce modèle animal ainsi que les premières analyses pour caractériser le phénotype de celui-ci. Tout d’abord, nous avons remarqué que la surexpression de PPM1A chez les souris C57BL/6J n’a pas d’effets sur le gain de poids sur une longue période. Deuxièmement, nous avons observé que PPM1A a peu d’effets sur l’homéostasie du glucose. Par contre, nous avons montré que sa surexpression a des effets significatifs sur l’homéostasie du glycogène et des triglycérides. En effet, nous avons observé que le foie des souris transgéniques contient moins de glycogène et de triglycérides que le foie de celles de type sauvage. De plus, nos résultats suggèrent que les effets de la surexpression de PPM1A pourraient refléter son impact sur la synthèse et la sécrétion des lipides hépatiques puisque nous avons observé que sa surexpression conduit à l’augmentation la triglycéridémie chez les souris transgéniques. En conclusion, nos résultats prouvent l’importance de PPM1A comme modulateur de l’homéostasie hépatique du glucose et des lipides. Des analyses supplémentaires restent cependant nécessaires pour confirmer ceux-ci et éclaircir l’impact moléculaire de PPM1A et surtout pour identifier ses substrats. / Insulin is a key hormone that elicits complex responses in the body to maintain glucose and lipid homeostasis. Impaired sensitivity to insulin is present throughout a spectrum of inter-related disorders ranging from obesity and metabolic syndrome to hepatic steatosis and type 2 diabetes, which promotes atherogenesis and mortality. Remarkable strides have been achieved in the molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of insulin resistance that has been associated with a chronic inflammatory state and an activation of cellular stress responses. In particular, the activation of cellular stress by elevated levels of free fatty acids (FFA) and cytokines, via upstream protein Ser/Thr kinases, increase the serine phosphorylation of critical molecules involved in insulin signaling pathway (e.g. IR, IRS and p85) and leads to decreased insulin response. However, most of the investigators have limited their works to stress-activated kinases capable of altering the cellular insulin responsiveness. Conversely, limited data are available on upstream Protein Ser/Thr phosphatases (PS/TPs), even if it is well established that the activity of stress-activated kinases is tightly regulated by a delicate balance between the opposing activities of both Ser/Thr kinases and PS/TPs. Among the PS/TPs associated with insulin resistance conditions, PPM1A (also known as PP2Cα) is of particular interest in the regulation of lipid metabolism and cellular stress. Based on our recent findings and preliminary data, we postulate that PPM1A plays a significant role in insulin resistance via dephosphorylation and lessening of FFA-activated stress kinases, mainly in the liver, an important organ in glucose and lipid metabolism. More specifically, we hypothesize that increasing PPM1A activity might improve the insulin responsiveness by down regulating the activity of stress-activated kinases and by improving lipid metabolism in the hepatocyte. Thus, to reveal the physiological role of PPM1A in whole animal, we generated an animal model that overexpresses PPM1A specifically in the liver. In the present research report, we describe our work to generate this animal model as well as the initial analyses to characterize the phenotype of these mice. Accordingly, we first noticed that overexpression of PPM1A in C57BL/6J mice has no effects on weight gain over a long period. Secondly, we observed that PPM1A has subtle effects on glucose homeostasis. However and more importantly, we showed that overexpression of PPM1A has a significant effect on both glycogen and triglycerides homeostasis. Indeed, we observed that the liver of PPM1A transgenic mice had less glycogen and triglycerides than their littermates’ wild type mice. Our results suggest that these effects might reflect the impact of PPM1A on lipids synthesis and secretion since we observed that overexpression of PPM1A leads to increase the triglyceridemia in the transgenic mice. En conclusion, our results pinpoint PPM1A as an important modulator of hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism. However, further analyses are needed to confirm these results, to decipher the molecular impact of PPM1A and particularity to identify its substrates.

Le stress oxydant est un acteur clé dans les réponses des plantes à des conditions contraignantes. En raison de la complexité de la régulation de l’état redox cellulaire, il reste beaucoup à élucider concernant les interactions entre différentes composantes dans ces conditions. Grâce à une approche de génétique inverse basée sur un mutant d’Arabidopsis déficient en catalase (cat2) qui présente des modifications d’état redox prévisibles et bien définies, cette étude a exploré les interactions entre le stress oxydant et (1) un gène spécifique impliqué dans la déphosphorylation des protéines, (2) des enzymes spécifiques impliquées dans les systèmes antioxydants réducteurs. Les résultats obtenus révèlent que la sous-unité B'γ de la protéine phosphatase de type 2A (PP2A-B'γ) est importante dans la détermination des phénotypes et des réponses de défense photopériode-dépendantes chez cat2. En conditions de jours courts (SD), un double cat2 pp2a-b'γ mutant montrait une gamme de réponses qui n’étaient pas observées chez cat2. Ces effets comprenaient l’apparition de lésions ainsi que l’accumulation de l’acide salicylique et d’autres composés de défense. Des analyses métabolomiques et protéomiques ont permis de démontrer que ces effets étaient accompagnés de modifications de l’abondance de métabolites et protéines spécifiques, ainsi que des changements dans le statut de phosphorylation de certains polypeptides. Dans un deuxième volet du travail, l’importance d’une enzyme productrice du NADPH a été évaluée en produisant des doubles cat2 nadp-me2 mutants chez lesquels l’isoforme majeure de l’enzyme malique cytosolique n’est plus exprimée. Malgré une induction de cette enzyme par le stress oxydant aux niveaux de transcrits et d’activité, et une diminution importante de l’activité foliaire associée aux mutations nadp-me2, peu de différence a été observée entre les lignées cat2 et cat2 nadp-me2. De même, la mutation nadp-me2 n’a pas affecté la réponse phénotypique de plantes exposées à l’ozone. Dans la troisième partie du travail, le couplage entre les pools ascorbate et glutathion lors du stress oxydant a été exploré par l’introduction de mutations pour la déshydroascorbate réductase (DHAR) dans le fond génétique cat2. L’activité extractible de cette enzyme a été diminuée à des niveaux très faibles chez des lignées portant à la fois les mutations dhar1 et dhar3. Cependant, peu de différence a été observée dans les phénotypes et les statuts d’ascorbate et de glutathion chez un triple mutant cat2 dhar1 dhar3 par rapport à cat2. Des analyses préliminaires d’un quadruple cat2 dhar1 dhar2 dhar3 mutant semblent pourtant indiquer que les trois DHARs jouent des rôles fonctionnellement redondants dans le stress oxydant. Dans son ensemble, ces travaux apportent des données nouvelles sur les enzymes qui régulent les réponses aux stress oxydants et ont généré des outils intéressants pour des études ultérieures. / Oxidative stress is a key player in plant responses to challenging environmental conditions. The intricate nature of the regulation of cellular redox state means that much remains to be elucidated on interactions between different components in these conditions. By using a genetic approach based on a catalase-deficient Arabidopsis mutant (cat2) that presents well-defined, predictable changes in redox state, this study explored interactions between oxidative stress and (1) a specific gene involved in protein dephosphorylation, and (2) specific enzymes involved in the antioxidative/reducing system. The results showed that protein phosphatase 2 subunit B'γ (PP2A-B'γ) is involved in determining day length-dependent phenotypes and related defense responses in cat2. A cat2 pp2A-B'γ double mutant showed a range of responses that were not observed in cat2 grown in short days, including lesion formation and accumulation of salicylic acid (SA) and related metabolites. Metabolomics and proteomics analyses showed that these effects were associated with altered abundance of specific metabolites and proteins, as well as changes in protein phosphorylation status. A second part of the study investigated the importance of NADP-generating enzymes in oxidative stress by production of cat2 nadp-me2 double mutants, in which the cytosolic isoform of NADP-malic enzyme is knocked out. Although NADP-ME2 was shown to be induced by oxidative stress, and mutants for this gene had much decreased leaf NADP-malic enzyme activity, no effects on cat2 phenotypes or redox profiles were apparent. Similarly, phenotypic responses to ozone were not affected in an nadp-me2 single mutant. In the third part, coupling between ascorbate and glutathione pools during oxidative stress was investigated by introduction of loss of function mutations for dehydroascorbate reductase (DHAR) into the cat2 background. In lines carrying a combination of dhar1 and dhar3 mutations, extractable leaf activity was decreased to very low levels. Despite this, cat2 dhar1 dhar3 and cat2 phenotypes and ascorbate and glutathione pools were similar. However, preliminary functional analysis of a cat2 dhar1 dhar2 dhar3 quadruple mutant suggested that the three DHARs play functionally redundant roles in oxidative stress. Overall, the work provides new data on enzymes that regulate responses to oxidative stress and has produced interesting genetic tools for further study.

Les mécanismes moléculaires contrôlant les rythmes circadiens sont conservés parmi les organismes des différents règnes (plantes, animaux et champignons). Ils se composent de boucles de rétroaction où un complexe d’activation transcriptionnelle, l’hétérodimère CLK/CYC chez la drosophile, entraîne l'expression des répresseurs de son activité, les gènes et protéines PER et TIM chez la mouche. De manière importante, la période de l'oscillateur dépend en grande partie par des mécanismes post-transcriptionnels qui régulent l’accumulation et l'activité des composantes positifs et négatifs de la boucle. Bien que de nombreux partenaires d'interaction modifiant les composants d'horloge de base ont déjà pu être isolés, le schéma reste encore incomplet. Dans le cadre de la recherche de nouveaux composants de cette horloge, nous avons réalisé un crible comportemental basé sur l'expression ciblée de transgènes ARNi dirigés contre la moitié du génome de Drosophila melanogaster. Cinquante-quatre nouveaux gènes putatifs ont pu être identifiés. Au cours de ce travail, j'ai étudié le rôle de deux d’entre eux, sélectionnés pour les forts défauts comportementaux de l'expression de leur transgène ARNi. Le gène CG12082 de la drosophile est l’orthologue de l’Ubiquitin-specific protéase 5 (USP5) chez l’homme. La dérégulation d’Usp5 retarde les oscillations de la protéine PER dans les neurones d'horloge et allonge la période d'activité locomotrice des mouches. Chez les mouches ARNi Usp5, des formes à haut poids moléculaire des protéines PER et TIM s'accumulent pendant le matin, alors qu’elles sont normalement dégradées chez les contrôles. On a pu montrer que Usp5 participe directement à la dégradation de la protéine PER, indépendamment de TIM. En accord avec le rôle décrit pour l’orthologue humaine, Usp5 serait susceptible de contrôler la dégradation des protéines par son activité de démontage des chaînes libres de polyubiquitine présents dans la cellule, qui peuvent entrer en compétition avec les protéines ubiquitinylées pour la reconnaissance au niveau du protéasome, bloquant leur dégradation. La majorité des travaux ont porté sur un gène isolé au cours de notre crible, Strip, dont les fonctions étaient encore inconnues. Strip interagit avec Cka, une nouvelle sous-unité régulatrice de l’enzyme phosphatase PP2A. La dérégulation à la fois de Strip et/ou de Cka amène à des phénotypes comportementaux de période longue. D’un point de vue moléculaire, des formes hyper-phosphorylées de la protéine CLK s’accumulent dans la matinée quand Cka et/ou Strip sont perturbées. La dérégulation des activités générales de PP2A produit également une hyper-phosphorylation de CLK le matin, indiquant que, grâce à Cka/Strip, les complexes PP2A contrôlent la déphosphorylation de CLK à la fin du cycle. Il est connu que les formes hyper-phosphorylés de CLK sont transcriptionnellement inactives. En effet, la transcription des gènes tim et vrille, cibles de CLK, est fortement réduite dans les mouches ARNi Cka. En plus de PP2A/Cka, des complexes PP2A contenant une autre sous-unité régulatrice, Wdb, ont été montré pour déstabiliser CLK en culture des cellules (Kim et Edery, 2006). Nous montrons que la dérégulation de Wdb affecte la stabilité du CLK également dans la mouche adulte, sans toutefois induire aucun effet apparent sur sa phosphorylation. En conclusion, deux complexes PP2A différents agissent sur la protéine CLK : le complexe PP2A/Cka/Strip contrôle la déphosphorylation de CLK et sa réactivation, tandis que PP2A/Wdb affecte la stabilité de CLK indépendamment ou après PP2A/Cka. Ces résultats enrichissent l’étude de la régulation post-traductionnelle de la protéine CLK, qui était largement mal connue.Pour conclure, cette étude a permis de décrire deux nouveaux composants de la boucle moléculaire qui contrôle les rythmes circadiens chez la mouche du vinaigre, Drosophila melanogaster. / The molecular mechanism underlying circadian rhythms is conserved among organisms and consists of feedback loops where a transcriptional activating complex (the CLOCK (CLK)/CYCLE (CYC) heterodimer in Drosophila) drives the expression of the repressors of its activity (the period (per) and timeless (tim) genes and proteins in Drosophila). Importantly, the pace of the oscillator largely depends on post-transcriptional mechanisms that regulate the accumulation and activity of both the positive and negative components of the loop. A number of interacting partners that modify core clock components have already been isolated, but more are expected. Looking for new clock components, we set up a behavioral screen based on targeted expression of RNAi transgenes directed to half of the Drosophila genome. 54 putative new clock genes have been identified. Among them, some were independently reported to function within the fruit fly molecular clock, thus validating the screen. In this work, I investigated the circadian role of additional “positive” genes, selected for the strong behavioral defect induced by the expression of the corresponding RNAi. The CG12082 gene codes for the fruit fly ortholog of the human Ubiquitin-specific protease 5 (USP5). Downregulation of USP5 in clock cells lengthens the period of locomotor activity of flies as well as PER protein oscillations in clock neurons. High molecular weight forms of PER and TIM proteins accumulate during the morning after USP5 knockdown, while these forms are degraded in controls. In addition, TIM is not stabilized in the absence of PER, while PER still accumulate in the absence of TIM. Therefore, USP5 directly participates in the degradation of the PER protein and, later, of the TIM protein at the end of the cycle. Being a deubiquitinylase enzyme, USP5 may directly deubiquitinate PER. However, accordingly to the role described for the human ortholog, USP5 likely controls protein degradation through the disassembling of the unanchored polyubiquitin chains present in the cell that could compete with ubiquitinated-PER for proteasome recognition and subsequent breakdown.The majority of the work has focused on an unknown gene isolated in the screen, that, accordingly to the human homolog, we named STRIP. We show that STRIP interacts with Connector of Kinase to AP-1 (CKA), a novel regulatory subunit for the PP2A phosphatase holoenzyme, both in insect S2 cells and in fly head extracts. Downregulation of both STRIP and/or CKA causes long-period behavioral phenotypes and high molecular weight forms of the CLK protein to accumulate in the morning. Perturbation of general PP2A activities also produces hyper-phosphorylated CLK in the morning indicating that, through CKA/STRIP, PP2A complexes controls CLK dephosphorylation at the end of the cycle. Hyper-phosphorylated CLK forms are transcriptionally inactive. Accordingly, transcription of the tim and vrille (vri) CLK targets is strongly reduced in Cka-RNAi fly head extracts. PP2A complexes containing the Widerborst (WDB) regulatory subunits were already shown to affect CLK stability in insect S2 cells (Kim and Edery, 2006). We show that WDB downregulation also affects the stability of CLK in fly head extracts, but has no apparent effects on CLK phosphorylation. Therefore, we could describe two different PP2A complexes acting on the CLK protein: PP2A/CKA/STRIP complex controls CLK dephosphorylation and reactivation, while PP2A/WDB affects CLK stability independently or after PP2A/CKA functions. Moreover, STRIP, but not CKA, downregulation affects the stability of PER, indicating that STRIP possesses some functions unrelated to CKA. In conclusion, this work has allowed the isolation of new components of the Drosophila molecular clock. In particular, we give evidence for a double role for the PP2A phosphatase in modulating the activity and stability of the CLK protein, the regulation of which is not well understood yet.

Die dynamische Regulation von Protein-Protein Interaktionen (PPIs) ist wichtig für den Ablauf von biologischen Prozessen. Die circadiane Uhr, die einen ~24 Stunden Rhythmus generiert und eine Vielzahl von physiologischen Parametern steuert kann auch die Dynamik von PPIs regulieren. Um neue Erkenntnisse über regulatorische Mechanismen innerhalb des molekularen Oszillators zu gewinnen, habe ich zunächst alle möglichen PPIs zwischen 46 circadianen Komponenten mittels eines systematischen yeast-two-hybid (Y2H) Screens bestimmt. Dabei habe ich 109 bis dahin noch unbekannte PPIs identifiziert und einen repräsentativen Anteil mittels Co-Immunopräzipitationsexperimenten in humanen Zellen validiert. Unter den neuen PPIs habe ich bis dahin unbekannte Modulatoren der CLOCK/BMAL1 Transaktivierung identifiziert und dabei die Rolle der Proteinphosphatase 1 (PP1) als dynamischen Regulator der BMAL1 Stabilität funktionell charakterisiert. Das experimentelle PPI Netzwerk wurde mit bereits aus der Literatur bekannten PPIs und Interaktionspartnern ergänzt. Eine systematische RNAi Studie belegte außerdem die Relevanz der aus der Literatur stammenden Interaktoren für die ~24 Stunden Periodizität. Um eine Aussage über die Dynamik der PPIs im Netzwerk treffen zu können, wurden circadiane mRNA Expressionsdaten in das PPI Netzwerk integriert. Systematische Perturbationsstudien, in denen alle Komponenten des experimentellen Netzwerkes mittels RNAi herunterreguliert oder überexprimiert wurden, zeigten eine essentielle Bedeutung für die dynamischen PPIs innerhalb des circadianen Oszillators auf. Desweiteren wurden im circadianen PPI Netzwerk funktionelle Module identifiziert, welche dynamisch organsiert sind. Durch eine systemweite Analyse des humanen Proteoms wurden viele dynamische PPIs identifiziert, die biologische Prozesse wie z.B. Signaltransduktion und Zellzyklus miteinander verbinden. Rhythmische PPIs sind daher von Bedeutung für die zeitliche Organisation zellulärer Physiologie. / Essentially all biological processes depend on protein-protein interactions (PPIs). Timing of such interactions is crucial for regulatory function. Although circadian (~24 hrs) clocks constitute fundamental cellular timing mechanisms regulating important physiological processes PPI dynamics on this timescale are largely unknown. To elucidate so far unknown regulatory mechanisms within the circadian clockwork, I have systematically mapped PPIs among 46 circadian components using high-throughput yeast-two-hybrid (Y2H) interaction experiments. I have identified 109 so far uncharacterized interactions and successfully validated a sub-fraction via co-immunoprecipitation experiments in human cells. Among the novel PPIs, I have identified modulators of CLOCK/BMAL1 function and further characterized the role of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) in the dynamic regulation of BMAL1 abundance. Furthermore, to generate a more comprehensive circadian PPI network, the experimental network was enriched and extended with additional interactions and interaction partners from literature, some of which turned out to be essential for normal circadian dynamics. The integration of circadian mRNA expression profiles allowed us to determine the interaction dynamics within our network. Systematic genetic perturbation studies (RNAi and overexpression in oscillating human cells) revealed a crucial role of dynamic regulation (via rhythmic PPIs) for the molecular clockwork. Furthermore, dynamic modular organization as a pervasive circadian network feature likely contributes to time-of-day dependent control of many cellular processes. Global analysis of the proteome regarding circadian regulation of biological processes via rhythmic PPIs revealed time-of-day dependent organization of the human interactome. Circadian PPIs dynamically connect many important cellular processes like signal transduction and cell cycle, which contribute to temporal organization of cellular physiology.

A hipertensão arterial essencial é caracterizada pela elevação crônica da pressão arterial e representa o principal fator de risco para doenças cardiovasculares e renais. O rim participa do controle da pressão arterial e alterações intrínsecas no manuseio renal de sódio desempenham papel importante na patogênese da hipertensão essencial. Os túbulos proximais renais são responsáveis pela reabsorção da maior parte do sódio filtrado nos glomérulos e a maior parte da reabsorção de sódio neste segmento faz-se através da troca de Na+ por H+ em membrana apical, mediada pela isoforma 3 do trocador Na+/H+ (NHE3). Entretanto, os dados existentes referentes à modulação renal do NHE3 em modelos de hipertensão são ainda conflitantes. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as possíveis alterações funcionais do trocador Na+/H+ NHE3 em túbulo proximal renal na linhagem SHR no estágio de préhipertensão (5 semanas) e de hipertensão (14 semanas) e investigar se estas alterações são acompanhadas de alterações na atividade e na expressão da proteína cinase A (PKA) e de proteínas fosfatase-1 (PP1). Por meio de microperfusão estacionária in vivo mediu-se a atividade do NHE3 em túbulo proximal e verificou-se que a reabsorção de bicarbonato foi reduzida em 62 ± 6 % (P < 0,001) na transição do J-SHR para o A-SHR enquanto foi aumentada em 113 ± 10 % (P < 0,001) na transição entre o J-WKY e o A-WKY. A atividade estimulada do NHE3 em J-SHR é decorrente da redistribuição do NHE3 do domínio intermicrovilar (IMV) para o domínio das microvilosidades (MMV) e do baixo nível de fosforilação da serina 552, sítio consenso para a PKA. Por outro lado, durante a fase de hipertensão, a atividade diminuída do NHE3 deve-se à sua redistribuição para o IMV e ao aumento da fosforilação na serina 552. Para testar a hipótese de que os níveis de fosforilação do NHE3 estariam aumentados em túbulo proximal de SHR adulto devido ao aumento da atividade da PKA e/ou à diminuição na atividade da PP1, foram avaliados tanto os níveis de fosforilação quanto a atividade do NHE3 em SHR jovens e adultos em resposta ao 6MB-cAMP (análogo ao cAMP que ativa especificamente a PKA). O JSHR apresentou um aumento tanto nos níveis de fosforilação da serina 552 (179 ± 14 %, P < 0,001) quanto nos de inibição da atividade (65 ± 10 %, P < 0,001) do NHE3 em relação ao J-SHR em resposta ao 6MB-cAMP. Já no A-SHR, a fosforilação da serina 552 aumentou moderadamente (36 ± 4 %, P < 0,01), assim como inibiu moderadamente (23 ± 9 %, P < 0,05) a atividade do NHE3 em resposta ao 6MBcAMP. Adicionalmente, verificou-se que não houve alteração da atividade da PKA entre os animais nem ao longo da idade e nem entre as linhagens. Por sua vez, o JSHR apresentou maior atividade da PP1 que o A-SHR (1640 ± 107 vs. 940 ± 119 pM/?g, P < 0,01). Além disso, houve uma diminuição na expressão da PP1? no ASHR (32 ± 8 %, P < 0,01) quando comparado ao J-SHR. Os dados sugerem que o NHE3 é diferencialmente regulado antes e após o desenvolvimento da hipertensão em SHR por mecanismos que envolvem modificações pós-transcricionais e distribuição subcelular. Além do mais, a regulação diferencial dos níveis de fosforilação do NHE3 tubular proximal antes e após o desenvolvimento da hipertensão em SHR é devida, provavelmente, a alterações na atividade e na expressão da PP1 / Essential hypertension is characterized by chronic elevation of blood pressure and represents the major risk factor for cardiovascular and renal diseases. The kidney participates in the blood pressure control and intrinsic changes in renal sodium handling play an important role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. The renal proximal tubule is responsible for reabsorption of the great majority of sodium that is filtered by the glomerulus and the principal apical membrane mechanism for sodium reabsorption in this nephron is Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3)- mediated Na+/H+ exchange. However, conflicting data have been reported with regard to NHE3 modulation in experimental models of hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the possible functional changes of the Na+/H+ exchanger NHE3 in the renal proximal tubule of SHR both at the pre-hypertensive (5 weeks) and at hypertensive (14 weeks) stages and to investigate whether these changes were accompanied by changes in the activity and/or expression of protein kinase A (PKA) and protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). Proximal tubule NHE3 activity was measured by means of stationary microperfusion. Bicarbonate reabsorption was found to be decreased by 62 ± 6 % (P < 0.001) in the transition from youth to adulthood in SHR (Y-SHR to A-SHR), whereas in the transition from Y-WKY to A-WKY it increased by 113 ± 10 % (P < 0.001). Stimulated NHE3 activity in Y-SHR was due to redistribution of NHE3 from intermicrovilar domain (IMV) to microvilar domain (MMV) and to a lower level of serine 552 phosphorylation, a consensus site for PKA. Conversely, during the hypertensive stage, decreased NHE3 activity was due to increased redistribution of NHE3 to the IMV domain and increased phosphorylation at serine 552. To test the hypothesis that the increased levels of NHE3 phosphorylation in the proximal tubule of adult SHR were due to increased PKA activity and/or decreased PP1 activity, it was evaluated both phosphorylation levels and activity of NHE3 in young and adult SHR in response to 6MB-cAMP (an cAMP analog that specifically activates PKA). Y-SHR showed an increase both in the phosphorylation levels at serine 552 (179 ± 14 %, P < 0.001) and in the inhibition of NHE3 transport activity (65 ± 10 %, P < 0.001) compared to Y-SHR in response to 6MB-cAMP. With respect to A-SHR, the phosphorylation of serine 552 was slightly increased (36 ± 4 %, P < 0.01) and NHE3 activity was mildly inhibited (23 ± 9 %, P < 0.05) in response to 6MB-cAMP. Additionally, PKA activity remained unchanged with both age and strain. Nevertheless, Y-SHR exhibited higher PP1 activity than A-SHR (1640 ± 107 vs. 940 ± 119 pM/?g, P < 0.01). Furthermore, PP1? expression was decreased in the renal cortex of A-SHR (32 ± 8 %, P < 0.01) compared to Y-SHR. Taken together, these data suggest that NHE3 is differentially regulated before and after development of hypertension in SHR by mechanisms involving post-translational modifications and subcellular distribution. Moreover, the differential regulation of proximal tubule NHE3 phosphorylation levels before and after development of hypertension in SHR is most likely due to changes on the activity and expression of PP1

L’insuline est une hormone essentielle qui induit des réponses complexes dans l’organisme pour maintenir l’homéostasie du glucose et des lipides. La résistance à son action est un phénomène pathologique observé dans un large éventail de situations, allant de l’obésité et du syndrome métabolique à la stéatose hépatique et au diabète de type 2, qui aboutissent au développement de l’athérosclérose et de la mortalité. Des avancées remarquables ont été réalisées dans notre compréhension des mécanismes moléculaires responsables du développement de la résistance à l’action de l’insuline. En particulier, l’induction d’un stress cellulaire par des taux élevés d’acides gras libres (AGL) et des cytokines, via l’activation des protéines Ser/Thr kinases, qui augmente la phosphorylation sur des résidus sérine, des molécules critiques impliquées dans la signalisation insulinique (p. ex. IR, IRS et p85) et conduit à la diminution de la réponse cellulaire à l’insuline. Cependant, la plupart des chercheurs ont limité leur travail dans l’investigation du rôle des protéines kinases susceptibles de modifier la réponse cellulaire à l’insuline. Donc, peu de données sont disponibles sur le rôle des Protéines Ser/Thr phosphatases (PS/TPs), même si il est bien établi que la phosphorylation de ces protéines est étroitement régulée par un équilibre entre les activités antagonistes des Ser/Thr kinases et des PS/TPs. Parmi les PS/TPS, PPM1A (également connu sous le nom PP2Cα) est une phosphatase particulièrement intéressante puisqu’il a été suggéré qu’elle pourrait jouer un rôle dans la régulation du métabolisme lipidique et du stress cellulaire. Ainsi, en se basant sur des résultats préliminaires de notre laboratoire et des données de la littérature, nous avons émis l’hypothèse selon laquelle PPM1A pourrait améliorer la sensibilité à l’insuline en diminuant l’activité des protéines kinases qui seraient activées par le stress cellulaire induit par l’augmentation des AGL. Ces effets pourraient finalement améliorer le métabolisme glucidique et lipidique dans l’hépatocyte. Ainsi, pour révéler le rôle physiologique de PPM1A à l’échelle d’un animal entier, nous avons généré un modèle animal qui la surexprime spécifiquement dans le foie. Nous décrivons ici notre travail afin de générer ce modèle animal ainsi que les premières analyses pour caractériser le phénotype de celui-ci. Tout d’abord, nous avons remarqué que la surexpression de PPM1A chez les souris C57BL/6J n’a pas d’effets sur le gain de poids sur une longue période. Deuxièmement, nous avons observé que PPM1A a peu d’effets sur l’homéostasie du glucose. Par contre, nous avons montré que sa surexpression a des effets significatifs sur l’homéostasie du glycogène et des triglycérides. En effet, nous avons observé que le foie des souris transgéniques contient moins de glycogène et de triglycérides que le foie de celles de type sauvage. De plus, nos résultats suggèrent que les effets de la surexpression de PPM1A pourraient refléter son impact sur la synthèse et la sécrétion des lipides hépatiques puisque nous avons observé que sa surexpression conduit à l’augmentation la triglycéridémie chez les souris transgéniques. En conclusion, nos résultats prouvent l’importance de PPM1A comme modulateur de l’homéostasie hépatique du glucose et des lipides. Des analyses supplémentaires restent cependant nécessaires pour confirmer ceux-ci et éclaircir l’impact moléculaire de PPM1A et surtout pour identifier ses substrats. / Insulin is a key hormone that elicits complex responses in the body to maintain glucose and lipid homeostasis. Impaired sensitivity to insulin is present throughout a spectrum of inter-related disorders ranging from obesity and metabolic syndrome to hepatic steatosis and type 2 diabetes, which promotes atherogenesis and mortality. Remarkable strides have been achieved in the molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of insulin resistance that has been associated with a chronic inflammatory state and an activation of cellular stress responses. In particular, the activation of cellular stress by elevated levels of free fatty acids (FFA) and cytokines, via upstream protein Ser/Thr kinases, increase the serine phosphorylation of critical molecules involved in insulin signaling pathway (e.g. IR, IRS and p85) and leads to decreased insulin response. However, most of the investigators have limited their works to stress-activated kinases capable of altering the cellular insulin responsiveness. Conversely, limited data are available on upstream Protein Ser/Thr phosphatases (PS/TPs), even if it is well established that the activity of stress-activated kinases is tightly regulated by a delicate balance between the opposing activities of both Ser/Thr kinases and PS/TPs. Among the PS/TPs associated with insulin resistance conditions, PPM1A (also known as PP2Cα) is of particular interest in the regulation of lipid metabolism and cellular stress. Based on our recent findings and preliminary data, we postulate that PPM1A plays a significant role in insulin resistance via dephosphorylation and lessening of FFA-activated stress kinases, mainly in the liver, an important organ in glucose and lipid metabolism. More specifically, we hypothesize that increasing PPM1A activity might improve the insulin responsiveness by down regulating the activity of stress-activated kinases and by improving lipid metabolism in the hepatocyte. Thus, to reveal the physiological role of PPM1A in whole animal, we generated an animal model that overexpresses PPM1A specifically in the liver. In the present research report, we describe our work to generate this animal model as well as the initial analyses to characterize the phenotype of these mice. Accordingly, we first noticed that overexpression of PPM1A in C57BL/6J mice has no effects on weight gain over a long period. Secondly, we observed that PPM1A has subtle effects on glucose homeostasis. However and more importantly, we showed that overexpression of PPM1A has a significant effect on both glycogen and triglycerides homeostasis. Indeed, we observed that the liver of PPM1A transgenic mice had less glycogen and triglycerides than their littermates’ wild type mice. Our results suggest that these effects might reflect the impact of PPM1A on lipids synthesis and secretion since we observed that overexpression of PPM1A leads to increase the triglyceridemia in the transgenic mice. En conclusion, our results pinpoint PPM1A as an important modulator of hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism. However, further analyses are needed to confirm these results, to decipher the molecular impact of PPM1A and particularity to identify its substrates.

Cancer progression is a multi-step process requiring cells to acquire specific properties that aid the neoplastic growth. One such property is the ability to survive in the absence of matrix-attachment, a critical necessity for cells to traverse in circulation and seed metastases. Therefore, understanding the signalling mechanisms that protect cells from undergoing death in matrix-deprived condition, termed as anoikis, is important. We have used two systems to study this, one involving experimental transformation model, and another involving cancer cell lines. In the in vitro transformation model system involving the serial introduction of oncogenes, the ability to survive in anchorage-independent condition and generate spheres/colonies was dependent on the presence of the Simian Virus Small T antigen, SV40 ST. We identified that the viral antigen mediates its effects, at least in part, by activating the master metabolic regulator and cellular stress kinase AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) leading to maintenance of energy homeostasis. Consistent with this, our lab has previously identified both activation of AMPK upon matrix-deprivation in breast cells, as well as its requirement for survival under these conditions. However, a pathway often associated with survival under matrix-deprivation is the PI3K/Akt pathway. Surprisingly, we observed an AMPK-dependent decrease in Akt activity under conditions of matrix-detachment. Since this was contrary to the general notion, we probed deeper into a possible crosstalk between these two kinases. Our work revealed that AMPK activation in suspension inhibits Akt via upregulation of a known Akt phosphatase, pleckstrin homology domain leucinrich repeat protein phosphatise (PHLPP). We further show that the AMPK-PHLPP-Akt signalling axis is important for anoikis-resistance and metastasis. In addition, our results point to a yet unidentified protumorigenic role of PHLPP in breast cancer progression. With an aim to identify cellular proteins differentially regulated upon AMPK activation in breast cancer cells, we undertook a proteomics approach. Using 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis followed by mass spectrometric analysis, we identified some candidate proteins. We have validated the increase in levels of one of these proteins, annexin A2, in cancer cells upon AMPK activation. In summary, the present study unveils novel oncogenic functions of AMPK in cancer cells under the stress of matrix-deprivation. Furthermore, our results elucidate a double-negative feedback loop between two critical cellular kinases AMPK and Akt, and also identify a novel pro-tumorigenic role of PHLPP in breast cancer. In addition, we identify PHLPP and annexin A2 as novel proteins upregulated by AMPK in cancer cells. Thus, our results begin to identify pathways utilised by cancer cells to aid anchorage-independent growth, a critical step for cancer metastasis. Based on our results, inhibition of AMPK or perturbation of signalling axes involving AMPK, and PHLPP or annexin A2 might be considered as novel therapeutic approaches to combat cancer progression

A hipertensão arterial essencial é caracterizada pela elevação crônica da pressão arterial e representa o principal fator de risco para doenças cardiovasculares e renais. O rim participa do controle da pressão arterial e alterações intrínsecas no manuseio renal de sódio desempenham papel importante na patogênese da hipertensão essencial. Os túbulos proximais renais são responsáveis pela reabsorção da maior parte do sódio filtrado nos glomérulos e a maior parte da reabsorção de sódio neste segmento faz-se através da troca de Na+ por H+ em membrana apical, mediada pela isoforma 3 do trocador Na+/H+ (NHE3). Entretanto, os dados existentes referentes à modulação renal do NHE3 em modelos de hipertensão são ainda conflitantes. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as possíveis alterações funcionais do trocador Na+/H+ NHE3 em túbulo proximal renal na linhagem SHR no estágio de préhipertensão (5 semanas) e de hipertensão (14 semanas) e investigar se estas alterações são acompanhadas de alterações na atividade e na expressão da proteína cinase A (PKA) e de proteínas fosfatase-1 (PP1). Por meio de microperfusão estacionária in vivo mediu-se a atividade do NHE3 em túbulo proximal e verificou-se que a reabsorção de bicarbonato foi reduzida em 62 ± 6 % (P < 0,001) na transição do J-SHR para o A-SHR enquanto foi aumentada em 113 ± 10 % (P < 0,001) na transição entre o J-WKY e o A-WKY. A atividade estimulada do NHE3 em J-SHR é decorrente da redistribuição do NHE3 do domínio intermicrovilar (IMV) para o domínio das microvilosidades (MMV) e do baixo nível de fosforilação da serina 552, sítio consenso para a PKA. Por outro lado, durante a fase de hipertensão, a atividade diminuída do NHE3 deve-se à sua redistribuição para o IMV e ao aumento da fosforilação na serina 552. Para testar a hipótese de que os níveis de fosforilação do NHE3 estariam aumentados em túbulo proximal de SHR adulto devido ao aumento da atividade da PKA e/ou à diminuição na atividade da PP1, foram avaliados tanto os níveis de fosforilação quanto a atividade do NHE3 em SHR jovens e adultos em resposta ao 6MB-cAMP (análogo ao cAMP que ativa especificamente a PKA). O JSHR apresentou um aumento tanto nos níveis de fosforilação da serina 552 (179 ± 14 %, P < 0,001) quanto nos de inibição da atividade (65 ± 10 %, P < 0,001) do NHE3 em relação ao J-SHR em resposta ao 6MB-cAMP. Já no A-SHR, a fosforilação da serina 552 aumentou moderadamente (36 ± 4 %, P < 0,01), assim como inibiu moderadamente (23 ± 9 %, P < 0,05) a atividade do NHE3 em resposta ao 6MBcAMP. Adicionalmente, verificou-se que não houve alteração da atividade da PKA entre os animais nem ao longo da idade e nem entre as linhagens. Por sua vez, o JSHR apresentou maior atividade da PP1 que o A-SHR (1640 ± 107 vs. 940 ± 119 pM/?g, P < 0,01). Além disso, houve uma diminuição na expressão da PP1? no ASHR (32 ± 8 %, P < 0,01) quando comparado ao J-SHR. Os dados sugerem que o NHE3 é diferencialmente regulado antes e após o desenvolvimento da hipertensão em SHR por mecanismos que envolvem modificações pós-transcricionais e distribuição subcelular. Além do mais, a regulação diferencial dos níveis de fosforilação do NHE3 tubular proximal antes e após o desenvolvimento da hipertensão em SHR é devida, provavelmente, a alterações na atividade e na expressão da PP1 / Essential hypertension is characterized by chronic elevation of blood pressure and represents the major risk factor for cardiovascular and renal diseases. The kidney participates in the blood pressure control and intrinsic changes in renal sodium handling play an important role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. The renal proximal tubule is responsible for reabsorption of the great majority of sodium that is filtered by the glomerulus and the principal apical membrane mechanism for sodium reabsorption in this nephron is Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 3 (NHE3)- mediated Na+/H+ exchange. However, conflicting data have been reported with regard to NHE3 modulation in experimental models of hypertension. This study aimed to evaluate the possible functional changes of the Na+/H+ exchanger NHE3 in the renal proximal tubule of SHR both at the pre-hypertensive (5 weeks) and at hypertensive (14 weeks) stages and to investigate whether these changes were accompanied by changes in the activity and/or expression of protein kinase A (PKA) and protein phosphatase 1 (PP1). Proximal tubule NHE3 activity was measured by means of stationary microperfusion. Bicarbonate reabsorption was found to be decreased by 62 ± 6 % (P < 0.001) in the transition from youth to adulthood in SHR (Y-SHR to A-SHR), whereas in the transition from Y-WKY to A-WKY it increased by 113 ± 10 % (P < 0.001). Stimulated NHE3 activity in Y-SHR was due to redistribution of NHE3 from intermicrovilar domain (IMV) to microvilar domain (MMV) and to a lower level of serine 552 phosphorylation, a consensus site for PKA. Conversely, during the hypertensive stage, decreased NHE3 activity was due to increased redistribution of NHE3 to the IMV domain and increased phosphorylation at serine 552. To test the hypothesis that the increased levels of NHE3 phosphorylation in the proximal tubule of adult SHR were due to increased PKA activity and/or decreased PP1 activity, it was evaluated both phosphorylation levels and activity of NHE3 in young and adult SHR in response to 6MB-cAMP (an cAMP analog that specifically activates PKA). Y-SHR showed an increase both in the phosphorylation levels at serine 552 (179 ± 14 %, P < 0.001) and in the inhibition of NHE3 transport activity (65 ± 10 %, P < 0.001) compared to Y-SHR in response to 6MB-cAMP. With respect to A-SHR, the phosphorylation of serine 552 was slightly increased (36 ± 4 %, P < 0.01) and NHE3 activity was mildly inhibited (23 ± 9 %, P < 0.05) in response to 6MB-cAMP. Additionally, PKA activity remained unchanged with both age and strain. Nevertheless, Y-SHR exhibited higher PP1 activity than A-SHR (1640 ± 107 vs. 940 ± 119 pM/?g, P < 0.01). Furthermore, PP1? expression was decreased in the renal cortex of A-SHR (32 ± 8 %, P < 0.01) compared to Y-SHR. Taken together, these data suggest that NHE3 is differentially regulated before and after development of hypertension in SHR by mechanisms involving post-translational modifications and subcellular distribution. Moreover, the differential regulation of proximal tubule NHE3 phosphorylation levels before and after development of hypertension in SHR is most likely due to changes on the activity and expression of PP1

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