Les opines sont des molécules produites dans les cellules végétales transformées par l'ADN-T d'A. tumefaciens. Ces opines peuvent être utilisées comme nutriments par le phytopathogène et certaines d'entre elles agissent comme signaux moléculaires contrôlant la dissémination du plasmide de virulence Ti via la signalisation quorum-sensing. Le présent travail vise à une compréhension élargie du rôle des opines au cours des interactions A. tumefaciens-plantes hôtes. En se basant d'abord sur des analyses transcriptomiques, le régulon AccR d'A. tumefaciens C58, contrôlé par les opines agrocinopines, a été défini : celui-ci inclut des fonctions associées (i) à l'assimilation des agrocinopines, (ii) à l'assimilation de la nopaline, (iii) à la signalisation quorum-sensing et la conjugaison du plasmide Ti, (iv) à la conjugaison du plasmide At. La corrélation entre la co-régulation des conjugaisons des plasmides Ti et At et le co-transfert des deux réplicons a en outre été mise en évidence. Dans un second temps, associant des approches de génétique fonctionnelle à des travaux collaboratifs en biologie structurale, l'avantage sélectif conféré par les opines nopaline et octopine à A. tumefaciens au sein des tumeurs végétales a été quantifié. Les bases moléculaires sous-jacentes à cet avantage sélectif, notamment celles associées à la perception et l'importation des deux opines dans le cytoplasme bactérien, ont été décrites. Enfin, en combinant des approches de métabolomique et de génétique inverse avec des tests de conjugaison in planta, les effets opposés de la signalisation GABA d'une part et des signalisations opine et quorum-sensing d'autre part sur la dissémination du plasmide Ti ont été démontrés. En conclusion, nos résultats révèlent l'intrication des signalisations opine, quorum-sensing et GABA au cours de l'interaction A. tumefaciens-plantes hôtes. Ils soulignent en particulier les impacts de cette intrication sur la colonisation de l'hôte ainsi que sur la dissémination des gènes de virulence et d'adaptation à l'environnement tumeur portés par les plasmides Ti et At.

Candida albicans, le pathogène opportuniste le plus commun, peut subir des transitions morphologiques entre la forme levure et la forme hyphe, jouant un rôle dans la formation de biofilm. Le farnésol, un lipide endogène produit par C. albicans, est une molécule de quorum sensing qui inhibe cette transition morphologique. Certaines souches ne répondent pas au farnésol et nous avons vérifié les hypothèses que : 1) l’isolat clinique SC5314, la souche la mieux caractérisée, est un répondeur au farnésol; 2) la germination, la croissance et la formation de biofilm des non répondeurs diffèrent des répondeurs; 3) l’absence de la réponse au farnésol se manifeste en dehors de conditions de culture précises; 4) le farnésol agit via un récepteur nucléaire qui présente des altérations chez les non répondeurs; 5) la différence de la réponse au farnésol entre les souches s’explique par des variations au niveau transcriptionnel de certains gènes (CHK1, HST7, CPH1, GAP1, RAM2 et DPP3). Les non répondeurs produisent un plus grand nombre d’hyphes, forment 60% plus de biofilm et croissent 50% moins vite que les répondeurs. La souche SC5314 se comporte comme un répondeur. L’absence de la réponse au farnésol se manifeste indépendamment des conditions de culture. Cependant, elle ne s’explique pas par une différence dans le niveau d’expression des gènes proposés, excepté pour DPP3 qui est surexprimé chez le non répondeur ATTC® 36802, suggérant ainsi une surproduction de farnésol chez cette souche. De plus, si le farnésol agit via un récepteur nucléaire, il sera d’un type non décrit précédemment. / Candida albicans, the most common fungal pathogen, can undergo morphological transitions between yeast and hyphal forms, which are associated with biofilm formation. Farnesol, an endogenous lipid produced by C. albicans, is a quorum sensing molecule that inhibits this transition. Previous work identified two clinical isolates that didn’t respond to farnesol in colony morphology and biofilm assays. Our goal is to better understand C. albicans response to farnesol using these natural farnesol non responders. We have hypothesized that : 1) clinical isolate SC5314, the most characterized strain, is a farnesol responder; 2) non responders’ germination, growth and biofilm formation are different from those of responders; 3) lack of response to farnesol occurs even outside specific culture conditions; 4) farnesol acts through a nuclear receptor that is altered in non responders; 5) difference in farnesol response between strains is explained by transcriptional variations of specific genes (CHK1, HST7, CPH1, GAP1, RAM2 and DPP3), that were previously shown to be potentially involved in farnesol’s mechanism of action. Non responders produce more hyphae, form 60 % more biofilm and grow 50% slower than responders. The SC5314 strain acts like a responder. Lack of response to farnesol occurs regardless of culture conditions. However, the refractory response to farnesol is not explained by a difference in the proposed genes expression level, except for DPP3 that is upregulated in ATTC® 36802 non responder, suggesting an overproduction of farnesol by this strain. Furthermore, if farnesol acts trough a nuclear receptor, it will be a type not previously described.

Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry has become a powerful tool for investigating biological systems. Herein we describe the development of both isotope dilution mass spectrometry methods and targeted metabolomics methods for the study of metabolic and cell-cell signaling applications. A putative yeast enzyme was characterized by discovery metabolite profiling, kinetic flux profiling, transcriptomics and structural biology. These experiments demonstrated that the enzyme shb17 was a sedoheptulose bisphosphatase that provides a thermodynamically dedicated step towards riboneogenesis, leading to the redefinition of the canonical pentose phosphate pathway. An extension of metabolic profiling and kinetic flux profiling methods was developed for a set of symbiotic marine microorganisms. Carbon flux from the most abundant photosynthetic organism, Prochlorococcus, to a symbiotic Alteromonas was observed in liquid coculture. These methods enable a more biologically relevant assay for marine species and will lead to a better understanding of carbon flux in the oceans. Energy taxis refers to the active migration of bacteria in response to electron transport system related signals. The second messenger cyclic-di-GMP provides a link between the metabolic signals and motility. Quantitation of c-di-GMP helped characterize the nature of this regulation. Autoinducer-2 is a small sugar produced by a large variety of bacteria that is proposed to be a universal quorum sensing signal. The quorum sensing function of autoinducer-2 is disputed because it is produced by an enzyme of the activated methyl cycle, leading to an alternate hypothesis that it is simply a metabolic byproduct. Herein a method for the detection of autoinducer-2 is developed to enable studies of its signaling role and biosynthetic regulation. These studies demonstrated that autoinducer-2 does not function as a signal in all species. Further, metabolic experiments indicated that the metabolic impact of LuxS dysfunction was small and could be mitigated by recycling oxidized glutathione. Together, these data indicate that neither hypothesis is adequate. Evidence is provided that autoinducer-2 suppresses the immune system, by the interruption of cytokine signaling, implying that autoinducer play a protective role during host colonization.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a metabolically versatile environmental bacterium that grows in extremely diverse habitats—from sea water to jet fuel—and is able to infect a large variety of organisms. It is a significant cause of human disease and is one of the most frequent healthcare-associated infections. P. aeruginosa uses a sophisticated gene regulatory network to adapt its growth strategy to these diverse environmental niches and the fluctuating conditions it encounters therein. The las and rhl “quorum sensing” (QS) intercellular communication systems play integral roles in this regulatory network and control the expression of factors important to the bacterium’s ecological fitness, including many secreted factors involved in nutrient acquisition, microbial competition, and virulence. These QS systems use diffusible acyl-homoserine lactone (AHL) signalling molecules to infer environmental parameters, including bacterial population density, and to coordinate behaviour across bacterial communities. This dissertation describes an investigation into the relationship between QS and small molecule primary metabolism, using metabolomic methods based on nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Analysis of extracellular metabolic profiles (the bacteria’s “metabolic footprint”) established that QS can modulate the uptake and excretion of primary metabolites and that this effect was strongest during the transition from exponential to stationary phase cell growth. Analysis of the cellular metabolome and proteome demonstrated that QS affected most major branches of primary metabolism, notably central carbon metabolism, amino acid metabolism and fatty acid metabolism. These data indicate that QS repressed acetogenesis and the oxidative C02-evolving portion of the TCA cycle, while inducing the glyoxylate bypass and arginine fermentation. QS also induced changes to fatty acid pools associated with lower membrane fluidity and higher chemical stability. Elevated levels of stress-associated polyamines were detected in QS mutants, which may be a consequence of a lack of QS-dependent adaptations. These findings suggest that wild-type QS directs metabolic adaptations to stationary phase stressors, including oxidative stress. Previous work, including several transcriptomic studies, has suggested that QS can play a role in primary metabolism. However, there has been no previous study of the global impact of AHL QS on the metabolome of P. aeruginosa. Research presented here demonstrates that QS induces a global readjustment in the primary metabolism and provides insight into QS- dependent metabolic changes during stationary-phase adaptation.

abstract: Synthetic gene networks have evolved from simple proof-of-concept circuits to complex therapy-oriented networks over the past fifteen years. This advancement has greatly facilitated expansion of the emerging field of synthetic biology. Multistability is a mechanism that cells use to achieve a discrete number of mutually exclusive states in response to environmental inputs. However, complex contextual connections of gene regulatory networks in natural settings often impede the experimental establishment of the function and dynamics of each specific gene network. In this work, diverse synthetic gene networks are rationally designed and constructed using well-characterized biological components to approach the cell fate determination and state transition dynamics in multistable systems. Results show that unimodality and bimodality and trimodality can be achieved through manipulation of the signal and promoter crosstalk in quorum-sensing systems, which enables bacterial cells to communicate with each other. Moreover, a synthetic quadrastable circuit is also built and experimentally demonstrated to have four stable steady states. Experiments, guided by mathematical modeling predictions, reveal that sequential inductions generate distinct cell fates by changing the landscape in sequence and hence navigating cells to different final states. Circuit function depends on the specific protein expression levels in the circuit. We then establish a protein expression predictor taking into account adjacent transcriptional regions’ features through construction of ~120 synthetic gene circuits (operons) in Escherichia coli. The predictor’s utility is further demonstrated in evaluating genes’ relative expression levels in construction of logic gates and tuning gene expressions and nonlinear dynamics of bistable gene networks. These combined results illustrate applications of synthetic gene networks to understand the cell fate determination and state transition dynamics in multistable systems. A protein-expression predictor is also developed to evaluate and tune circuit dynamics. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biomedical Engineering 2017

This master thesis explores how blockchain technologies can be utilized within the financial sector with focus on how to store both private and public information on the blockchain. The capital market is looking into ways of cutting down administrative work through streamlining the financial process by using blockchain technologies. Public key encryption together with hash functions and a consensus mechanism make up the basis for creating a shared trustless database system. The thesis was conducted by extensive research concerning cryptographic topics, and a literature study was made to compare existing solutions. This was done in order to come up with a new design which suggests how to utilize blockchain technologies in order to create private transactions. The design solves issues regarding key management and how to handle both private and public information on the blockchain. The proposed design is an extension of Visigon's existing permissioned blockchain, and it introduces different roles within the peer to peer network as well as a concept of having regulating nodes that together with the involved bank's nodes handle the process of private transactions. Private transactions are encrypted by using symmetric keys and thereafter recorded on the blockchain. In conclusion blockchain technology might not be the most suitable database system for banks to keep transactions private. Future solutions should consider the best attributes of blockchain technologies and create a new system with the single purpose of being a tool for the financial market.

Le développement de salissures marines (ou biofouling) est à l’origine de nombreux problèmes économiques et écologiques. Ces salissures marines sont constituées de microorganismes (bactéries, microalgues…) formant le microfouling sur lequel va se développer le macrofouling constitué de macroorganismes tels que les algues, coquillages et éponges. La formation de ces salissures va induire un ralentissement des navires provoquant une surconsommation de carburant. De plus, l’utilisation de revêtements antisalissures ou peintures antifouling à base de métaux lourds et de biocides dans le passé a conduit à des problèmes environnementaux. L’objectif de la thèse est de rechercher une alternative aux composés actuellement utilisés (cuivre) en respectant le milieu marin. L’environnement est une source d’inspiration, une approche biomimétique pourrait être une stratégie de lutte efficace contre le biofouling. Dans une première partie, un criblage d’une centaine de composés est réalisé contre des souches bactériennes. Huit composés issus des deux familles : les batatasins et les hemibastadins sont étudiées en vue de comprendre leurs modes d’action. Parmi les composés sélectionnés, la famille des hemibastadins comprenant le DiBromoHemiBastadin-1 (DBHB) a montré des propriétés antifouling prometteuses. En effet, cette molécule est capable d’inhiber 50 % la formation du biofilm avec une IC50= 6,44 µg/mL pour la bactérie Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 et une IC50 = 12,8 µg/mL pour la bactérie marine Paracoccus sp. 4M6. Afin de comprendre le mode d’action de cette molécule, son impact sur la communication bactérienne, le quorum sensing est étudié et le composé DBHB est capable de l’inhiber. Dans une seconde partie, un autre groupe d’organismes participant au microfouling est étudié : les microalgues. Afin d’évaluer l’impact de composés de la famille des hemibastadins et notamment du DBHB, l’adhésion et la formation de biofilm de microalgues sont étudiées. Le DBHB montre des inhibitions de l’adhésion et de la formation du biofilm uniquement envers la diatomée Cylindrotheca closterium. Une dernière partie, s’est intéressée à l’évaluation de revêtements contenant six composés de la famille des batatasins et des hemibastadins sur le microfouling naturel. Une méthode d’immersion de revêtements en conditions contrôlées (photobioréacteur) est mise au point afin de pallier aux contraintes environnementales. L’ensemble de cette étude a permis de mettre en évidence les propriétés antifouling du DBHB et de caractériser son mode d’action. Ce composé offre d’intéressantes voies d’étude dans la lutte contre le biofouling. De plus, l’approfondissement des connaissances sur les procédés d’adhésion et de formation de biofilm de microalgues permet de définir de nouvelles stratégies de lutte. / Biofouling induces important economic and ecological problems. This phenomenon includes microorganisms (bacteria, microalgae…) giving the microfouling which allows the macrofouling development with algae, invertebrates and sponges. These organisms colonize every immersed surface as boat hull. The colonization induces reduced speed of ships and fuel overconsumption. In the past, the utilization of AF coatings with heavy metals or pesticides caused environmental problems. The purpose of the study is to find an alternative to AF compounds (copper) respecting the marine medium. The marine environment is an inspiration; a biomimetic approach could be an interesting strategy to inhibit biofouling. In a first part, a screening of one hundred compounds is realized against marine and terrestrial bacteria. Eight molecules from two families (batatasins and hemibastadins) are studied to understand the way of action. Among selected compounds, Dibromohemibastadin-1 (DBHB) from hemibastadin family shows promising AF activities. This molecule is able to inhibit the biofilm formation with an IC50 of 6,44 µg/mL against the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and 12,8 µg/mL for the marine bacterium Paracoccus sp. 4M6. To identify the way of action of DBHB, the impact on the bacterial communication named quorum sensing is investigated. The molecule shows an anti-quorum sensing property. In a second part, another group participating at microfouling is studied: microalgae. In order to evaluate the impact of hemibastadin family in particular DBHB, microalgae adhesion and biofilm formation are characterized. DBHB induces inhibition only on the adhesion and the biofilm formation of the diatom Cylindrotheca closterium. The last part presents the formulation of coatings containing six compounds from the batatasin and hemibastadin families. These coatings have been immersed in a harbor to evaluate the impact on natural microfouling. Furthermore, a new method for the evaluation of AF coatings is developed in controlled conditions, in a photobioreactor. This method allows the evaluation of coatings on the formation of a mixed biofilm (bacteria and microalgae). This method has been established to avoid environmental constraints by immersion in natural condition. This study allows the characterization of the AF property of DBHB. This compound provides promising research path to limit biofouling. Moreover, the development of a test allowing adhesion and microalgae biofilm formation in dynamic condition improves the characterization of compounds activities.

La résistance bactérienne induite par l’utilisation massive d’antibiotiques en aquaculture, conduit à la recherche de nouveaux modes de traitement, des traitements anti-virulents et non toxiques. Différentes stratégies sont étudiées parmi lesquelles l’inhibition d’un système de régulation : le quorum sensing. Vibrio harveyi est une bactérie pathogène en aquaculture qui régule sa bioluminescence et la production de protéines de virulence par l’intermédiaire du quorum sensing. L’étude des éponges Leucetta chagosensis, Dysidea sp. 2669 et Cacospongia sp. 2110 collectées en Polynésie française, a permis l’isolement de huit métabolites secondaires dont quatre nouveaux : l’isonaamine D, le bis-isonaamidine A-Zn, la leucettamine D et le tuamotuolol. Leurs effets et leurs modes d’action ont été évalués sur deux phénotypes contrôlés par le quorum sensing chez V. harveyi: la bioluminescence et la production de métalloprotéases. Trois molécules ont ainsi montré une activité inhibitrice du quorum sensing de V. harveyi : l’isonaamine D, l’isonaamidine A et l’ilimaquinone. / The bacterial resistance induced by the massive use of antibiotics in aquaculture, leads to the search for new treatment methods, anti-virulent and non-toxic treatments. Different strategies are studied among which the inhibition of a system of regulation: the quorum sensing. Vibrio harveyi is a pathogenic bacterium in aquaculture that regulates its bioluminescence and the production of virulence proteins through quorum sensing. The study of sponges Leucetta chagosensis, Dysidea sp. 2669 and Cacospongia sp. 2110 collected in French Polynesia, allowed the isolation of eight secondary metabolites including four new ones: isonaamine D, bis-isonaamidine A-Zn, leucettamine D and tuamotuolol. Their effects and their modes of action were evaluated on two phenotypes controlled by quorum sensing in V. harveyi: bioluminescence and production of metalloproteases. Three molecules have thus shown an inhibitory activity of the quorum sensing of V. harveyi: isonaamine D, isonaamidine A and ilimaquinone.

A major factor in the success of Staphylococcus aureus as a pathogen is its vast arsenal of virulence determinants and, more importantly, the tight and precisely- timed regulation of these factors. Here we investigate the product of the S. aureus gene, SAUSA300_1984, encoding a putative transmembrane protein. This as yet uncharacterized protein belongs to the Abi (abortive infection) family, which are commonly annotated as CAAX-proteases, and are significantly understudied in prokaryotes. In S. aureus the disruption of SAUSA300_1984 results in a drastic reduction of proteolytic and hemolytic activity, as well as diminished pigmentation. This phenotype appears to be mediated through reduced agr expression, as determined by qPCR analysis. Importantly, known regulators of agr, such as CodY, MgrA, and ArlR, demonstrate no significant changes in transcription upon 1984 disruption, whilst major alterations were observed for downstream effectors of agr, such as sarS, RNAIII, rot and hla. Complementation and site-directed mutagenesis of 1984 demonstrated that proteolytic activity (via conserved EE residues) was not required for this phenotype, suggesting a potential protein-protein interaction mechanism of interaction. Proteome analysis of the 1984 mutant confirmed a number of our transcriptional observations, such as an increased abundance of Rot and surface associated proteins, as well as a marked decrease in Agr-system proteins levels, with the most striking being AgrB. Virulence profiling revealed a decreased ability of the 1984 mutant to evade constituents of the innate immune response, and impaired survival during murine models of infection. Given that SAUSA300_1984 is encoded 3 genes downstream of RNAIII, our current working hypothesis is that this Abi protein functions to control agr activity through communication with membrane components of this system, potentially via interaction with AgrB. Confirming this, and determining the upstream effectors of this regulatory system are studies currently ongoing in our laboratory.

L'environnement marin est constitué d'écosystèmes nombreux et variés, qui sont habités par des organismes appartenant aux trois domaines du vivant dont celui des bactéries. La coopération bactérienne est basée sur un mécanisme moléculaire appelé quorum sensing (QS). Ce système est dépendant de la densité cellulaire de la communauté, ce qui permet aux bactéries de synchroniser leur expression génétique, pour coordonner certaines de leurs activités physiologiques. Les bactéries produisent plusieurs types de molécules signal dont les acyl-homosérines lactones (AHLs ou AI-1) et le furanosyl diester borate (AI-2). La majorité des recherches dans le domaine du QS s'est portée sur des modèles bactériens d'intérêt biomédical ou agronomique. Cependant, l'importance du QS chez les bactéries marines reste mal connu. Ce travail de thèse a pour question: Quelle est la prévalence des AI chez les bactéries marines ? Pour aborder cette problématique : trois axes : Le criblage de la collection de bactéries marines MOLA, qui est basé sur des techniques de chimie des substances naturelles, et a permis de mettre en exergue des souches bactériennes originales comme Maribius sp MOLA 401, qui produisent un très grand nombre d'AHLs avec de nouvelles structures. Le second axe s'appuie sur des méthodes de bio-informatique pour réaliser le criblage du métagénome marin du Global Ocean Sampling pour la recherche de gènes luxI, ainS, hdtS et luxS. L'ensemble de ces données sur la diversité, l'abondance et la répartition biogéographique des AI-1 dans l'écosystème marin suggère une forte importance des mécanismes du QS à l'¿uvre dans les communautés bactériennes marines naturelles. / The marine environment is composed of many and varied ecosystems, which are inhabited by organisms belonging to the three domains of life including the bacteria. Bacterial cooperation is based on a molecular mechanism called quorum sensing (QS). This system is dependent on the cell density of the community, which allows bacteria to synchronize their gene expression, to coordinate some of their physiological activities. Bacteria produce several types of signal molecules with acyl-homoserines lactones (AHLs or AI-1) and the furanosyl borate diester (AI-2). The majority of research in the field of QS has focused on bacterial models for biomedical and agricultural interest. However, the importance of QS in marine bacteria remains unclear. This work has the question: What is the prevalence of AI in marine bacteria? To address this problem two axes: Screening the collection of marine bacteria MOLA, which is based on chemistry techniques of natural substances, and allowed to highlight original bacterial strains as Maribius sp MOLA 401, which produce very large number of AHLs with new structures. The second axis is based on the methods of bioinformatics to perform screening of metagenome marine Global Ocean Sampling for research luxI, ainS, luxS and hdtS genes,. All these data on diversity, abundance and biogeographical distribution of AI-1 in the marine ecosystem suggests a strong importance of QS mechanisms at work in the natural marine bacterial communities.