Celiac disease (CD) is a common heritable immune related disorder where chronic inflammationof the small intestine is induced by the ingestion of gluten. The immune response leads to theinflammation and flattening of intestinal mucosa due to the damaged villi and thus results indefects in the absorption of nutrients. This defect can affect any organ or body system and exposeto the risk of lifelong complications such as cancer, autoimmune diseases and other complexdiseases. Now a day, celiac disease is becoming one of the well-studied models of complexdisorders.The PI3K- FOX signaling pathway is activated by many regulators and growth factors and playsa key role in cell cycle. Two components of this pathway, INSR and FOX, play crucial roles indiverse aspects of embryogenesis from the initial tissue genesis up to organ formation. INSR andFOX take part in development, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and stress resistance aswell as metabolism. SNP´s could affect the expression of neighboring genes. These SNP´s areshown to be as eQTLs, genomic loci that regulate the expression of genes. The aim of this studywas to detect and quantitate the expression of INSR and certain FOX genes in celiac disease.Quantitative real time PCR (QPCR) was used to analyze the expression of INSR, FOXO1,FOXO4 and FOXD3 genes in 38 celiac cases and 50 control samples. Three reference genesACTB, EPCAM and PGK1 were tested for their expression stability and their average was used inthe normalization procedure. Gene expression results were analyzed using the ΔCt method. Theexpression of INSR, FOXO1, FOXO4 and FOXD3 were described as their fold change in CDcompared to normal non-celiac mucosa. Our results indicated that FOXO4 and INSR wereexpressed less by 0.60 fold and FOXO1 was expressed less by 0.23 fold in CD samples. Theresults are preliminary and further studies will be needed to confirm if these findings are a resultof the intestinal inflammation in CD or if these genes are partly driving the disease itself.

The relative amount of viral RNA of two comoviruses (RaMV and TuRSV) in different parts of plant during infection was determined. The two viruses were compared according to their ability to spread and multiply in plants.

A cultura do feijoeiro comum (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) se destaca como fonte protéica e mineral para as populações humanas, principalmente, para populações de baixa renda. Dentre os agentes patogênicos, o fungo Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magnus) Lams. Scrib., causador da antracnose, é considerado o de maior importância devido aos seus efeitos destrutivos para o feijoeiro. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a expressão de genes candidatos a atuarem na defesa da planta durante a interação incompatível do feijoeiro SEL 1308 e raça 73 do C. lindemuthianum, considerando diferentes tecidos (folhas, epicótilo e hipocótilo) e períodos de interação (24, 48, 72 e 96 horas). Além disso, o trabalho visou a validação de bibliotecas de ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) de feijoeiro (MELOTTO et al., 2005) e a análise da estabilidade de possíveis genes de referência para as análises de expressão por RT-qPCR. Foram utilizados 20 genes no estudo: 12 possivelmente responsivos ao patógeno e oito candidatos a genes de referência. A eficiência média das curvas de amplificação e valores dos ciclos e de quantificação (Cq) foram definidos no programa LinRegPCR. A estabilidade dos genes de referência foi avaliada nos programas geNorm e NormFinder. A expressão relativa dos genes alvos e normalizadores e as análises estatísticas foram determinadas no programa REST. As combinações de genes de referência Act2/Ukn2 e InsDeg/Act2 foram utilizadas para normalização dos genes-alvo por RT-qPCR. Os dados de expressão relativa dos transcritos entre as bibliotecas de ESTs foram validados pelo RT-qPCR. Os genes-alvo analisados foram todos responsivos ao sistema fitopatogênico avaliado, revelando perfil transcricional específico nos tecidos e período de interação com o patógeno. Os dados permitiram a disponibilização de genes de referência importantes para análise de expressão por RTqPCR em feijoeiro sob estresse biótico; e indícios para melhor entendimento dos processos envolvidos nos mecanismos de defesa do feijoeiro ao patógeno da antracnose / Common bean crop (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) highlight as protein and mineral source to the human population, especially, for low-income populations. Among the pathogens, Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magnus) Lams. - Scrib., which causes anthracnose, is considered the most important due to its destructive effects to common bean. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of candidate genes to act in defense of the plant during the incompatible interaction between common bean SEL 1308 and race 73 of C. lindemuthianum, considering different tissues (leaves, epicotyl and hypocotyl) and periods of interaction (24, 48, 72 and 96 hours). Also, this study attempted the validation of ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) libraries of common bean (MELOTTO et al., 2005) and the evaluation of candidate reference genes stability for expression analysis in RT-qPCR. Twenty genes were used: 12 candidate genes responsive to the pathogen and eight candidate reference genes. The average efficiency of amplification curves and the values of quantification cycles (Cq) were defined in LinRegPCR software. The stability of reference genes was evaluated using geNorm and NormFinder softwares. Relative expression of target and normalizer genes and statistical analysis were determined by REST software. The Act2/Ukn2 and InsDeg/Act2 reference genes combinations were used for normalization of target genes by RT-qPCR. The data of relative expression of transcripts between the libraries of ESTs were validated by RT-qPCR. All target genes analyzed were responsive to the pathogenic system evaluated, revealing specific transcriptional profiles in tissues and periods of interaction with the pathogen. The data provided the availability of normalizers important for expression analysis by RTqPCR in beans under biotic stress; and evidences to understand the processes involved in defense mechanisms of common bean against the anthracnose pathogen

A cultura do feijoeiro comum (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) se destaca como fonte protéica e mineral para as populações humanas, principalmente, para populações de baixa renda. Dentre os agentes patogênicos, o fungo Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magnus) Lams. Scrib., causador da antracnose, é considerado o de maior importância devido aos seus efeitos destrutivos para o feijoeiro. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a expressão de genes candidatos a atuarem na defesa da planta durante a interação incompatível do feijoeiro SEL 1308 e raça 73 do C. lindemuthianum, considerando diferentes tecidos (folhas, epicótilo e hipocótilo) e períodos de interação (24, 48, 72 e 96 horas). Além disso, o trabalho visou a validação de bibliotecas de ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) de feijoeiro (MELOTTO et al., 2005) e a análise da estabilidade de possíveis genes de referência para as análises de expressão por RT-qPCR. Foram utilizados 20 genes no estudo: 12 possivelmente responsivos ao patógeno e oito candidatos a genes de referência. A eficiência média das curvas de amplificação e valores dos ciclos e de quantificação (Cq) foram definidos no programa LinRegPCR. A estabilidade dos genes de referência foi avaliada nos programas geNorm e NormFinder. A expressão relativa dos genes alvos e normalizadores e as análises estatísticas foram determinadas no programa REST. As combinações de genes de referência Act2/Ukn2 e InsDeg/Act2 foram utilizadas para normalização dos genes-alvo por RT-qPCR. Os dados de expressão relativa dos transcritos entre as bibliotecas de ESTs foram validados pelo RT-qPCR. Os genes-alvo analisados foram todos responsivos ao sistema fitopatogênico avaliado, revelando perfil transcricional específico nos tecidos e período de interação com o patógeno. Os dados permitiram a disponibilização de genes de referência importantes para análise de expressão por RTqPCR em feijoeiro sob estresse biótico; e indícios para melhor entendimento dos processos envolvidos nos mecanismos de defesa do feijoeiro ao patógeno da antracnose / Common bean crop (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) highlight as protein and mineral source to the human population, especially, for low-income populations. Among the pathogens, Colletotrichum lindemuthianum (Sacc. & Magnus) Lams. - Scrib., which causes anthracnose, is considered the most important due to its destructive effects to common bean. This study aimed to evaluate the expression of candidate genes to act in defense of the plant during the incompatible interaction between common bean SEL 1308 and race 73 of C. lindemuthianum, considering different tissues (leaves, epicotyl and hypocotyl) and periods of interaction (24, 48, 72 and 96 hours). Also, this study attempted the validation of ESTs (Expressed Sequence Tags) libraries of common bean (MELOTTO et al., 2005) and the evaluation of candidate reference genes stability for expression analysis in RT-qPCR. Twenty genes were used: 12 candidate genes responsive to the pathogen and eight candidate reference genes. The average efficiency of amplification curves and the values of quantification cycles (Cq) were defined in LinRegPCR software. The stability of reference genes was evaluated using geNorm and NormFinder softwares. Relative expression of target and normalizer genes and statistical analysis were determined by REST software. The Act2/Ukn2 and InsDeg/Act2 reference genes combinations were used for normalization of target genes by RT-qPCR. The data of relative expression of transcripts between the libraries of ESTs were validated by RT-qPCR. All target genes analyzed were responsive to the pathogenic system evaluated, revealing specific transcriptional profiles in tissues and periods of interaction with the pathogen. The data provided the availability of normalizers important for expression analysis by RTqPCR in beans under biotic stress; and evidences to understand the processes involved in defense mechanisms of common bean against the anthracnose pathogen

No description available.

Proteins offer a prominent group of compounds which may be ubiquitously affected in disease and used as biomarkers for early diagnosis, assessing treatment or drug development. Clinical proteomics aim to screen for protein biomarkers by a comprehensive analysis of all proteins expressed in a biological matrix during a certain pathology. Characterization of thousands of proteins in a complex biological matrix is from an analytical point of view a challenging task. Hence, sophisticated methods that are sensitive, specific and robust in a high-throughput manner are required. Mass spectrometry (MS) is able to perform this to a wide extent is. A prominent source for finding protein biomarkers related to neurological diseases is the central nervous system (CNS) due to close proximity of the pathogenesis. Neuroproteomic analysis of CNS tissue samples is thus likely to reveal novel biomarkers. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) bathes the entire CNS and offers a good balance between clinical implementation and usefulness. Both matrices put further requirements on the methodology due to a high dynamic range, low protein concentration and limited sample amount. The central objective of this thesis was to develop, assess and utilize analytical methods to be used in combination with MS to enable protein biomarker discovery in the CNS. The use of hexapeptide ligand libraries was exemplified on CSF from patients with traumatic brain injury and demonstrated the ability to compress the dynamic range to enable protein profiling in the order of mg/mL to pg/mL. Further, a method based on cloud-point extraction was developed for simultaneous enrichment and fractionation of hydrophobic/hydrophilic proteins in brain tissue. Comparison between label and label-free MS based strategies were carried out, mimicking the true conditions with a few differentially expressed proteins and a bulk of proteins occurring in unchanged ratio. Finally, a clinical application was carried out to explore the molecular mechanism underlying the analgesic effect of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) in patients with neuropathic pain. The CSF concentration of Lynx1 was found to increase upon SCS. Lynx1, acting as a specific modulator of the cholinergic system in the CNS, may act as a potential important molecular explanation of SCS-induced analgesia.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:42:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 576313 bytes, checksum: bb8b9f40095493e36b1db27e56b578a5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-07-28 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / During a regular estrous cycle, a network of hormonal events, which consist of hormones and growth factors, interact to regulate ovarian follicular growth through autocrine and paracrine mechanisms. These events are marked by a high dynamism of gene expression and level of transcripts in the ovary tissue. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to characterize the expression of genes IGF-I, IGFBP (1, 2, 3 e 5), EGF and genes related to follicular atresia (caspase 3 and p53) in follicle cells and ovary tissue in sows during 0, 6, 12 e 18 days of estrous cycle through real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) technique. The total RNA was extracted from follicle cells and ovary tissue for each animal, and used to synthesize the first strand cDNA. The GAPDH gene was used as endogenous control. The results of gene expression were analyzed using linear regression with gene expression as dependent variable and days of estrous cycle as independent variables. The expression of each gene was detected on follicle cells and ovary tissue, IGFBP2 gene increased sequentially during the estrous cycle (P<0,02) and IGFBP3 gene shows a quadratic expression pattern (P<0,02). For others genes the level of expression did not change during estrous cycle. The qPCR showed to be efficient for detection of low levels of transcripts and leads to a better understanding of follicle development dynamics. Studies should be done to examine the expression of other related genes as well genes of other metabolic pathways in order to broaden our understanding about the follicular stages of folliculogenesis in the pig. / Durante o ciclo estral, uma rede de eventos hormonais e de fatores de crescimento celular atua de maneira autócrina e parácrina para regular o desenvolvimento folicular. Esses eventos são caracterizados por grande dinamismo na expressão gênica e no acúmulo de transcritos gerados. No presente estudo, avaliou-se a expressão dos genes IGF-I, EGF, IGFBP (1, 2, 3 e 5) e dos genes da cascata de apoptose celular (caspase 3 e p53) em células foliculares e no tecido ovariano de fêmeas suínas nos dias 0, 6, 12 e 18 do ciclo estral por meio da técnica de PCR quantitativo em tempo real (qPCR). O RNA total das células foliculares e do tecido ovariano foi extraído para cada animal e utilizado como molde para a síntese da primeira fita de cDNA. O gene GAPDH foi utilizado como controle endógeno. Os resultados da expressão gênica foram analisados por regressão linear, considerando os dados de expressão gênica variável dependente e os dias do ciclo estral variáveis independentes (0, 6, 12 e 18 dias). Todos os genes analisados apresentaram expressão, sendo que o gene IGFBP2 apresentou perfil de expressão linear aumentando durante o ciclo estral (P<0,02), e o gene IGFBP3 apresentou perfil de expressão quadrático (P<0,01). Para os demais genes estudados, não foi verificado efeito da expressão gênica em função dos dias do ciclo estral. A técnica de qPCR mostrou-se eficiente na detecção de transcritos de baixa abundância e no maior entendimento da dinâmica folicular ovariana. Estudos devem ser ampliados para outros genes relacionados e de outras vias metabólicas para melhor entendimento dos estádios fisiológicos envolvidos na foliculogênese em suínos.

La spermatogenèse chez les mammifères est une fonction biologique complexe incluant des processus de prolifération cellulaire, de méiose et de différenciation uniques visant à la production des gamètes mâles au sein du testicule. Si l’épithélium séminifère est bien décrit sur le plan de son organisation et de la morphologie des cellules qui le composent, les processus par lesquels les cellules germinales diploïdes indifférenciées entrent en méiose pour donner ensuite des cellules haploïdes subissant par la suite de nombreuses transformations morphologiques, ne sont pas totalement décryptés. Ils reposent sur l’expression coordonnée et séquentielle de gènes dont les produits spécifiques de chaque stade de développement des cellules germinales sont essentiels aux étapes clés de la spermatogenèse. La transcriptomique depuis les années 1990 et la protéomique depuis les années 2000 ont contribué à l’amélioration de la connaissance de ces mécanismes. Une étude protéomique visant à caractériser par des approches systématiques et différentielles les protéomes des cellules de Sertoli et de la lignée germinale, et d’autre part une étude récente, réalisée dans notre unité, qui a permis de caractériser et de quantifier le transcriptome des cellules testiculaires isolées de rat en utilisant le séquençage de novo des transcrits (RNA-Seq), ont été à la base de mes travaux de thèse. Cette dernière étude a mis en évidence l’accumulation de longs ARNs non codants (lncRNAs) et de transcrits testiculaires non annotés (TUTs) aux stades méiotique et post- méiotique de la spermatogenèse chez le rat. Dans ce contexte, mon travail a consisté à valider le potentiel codant de nombreux gènes exprimés dans les cellules germinales par une approche dite PIT (Proteomics Informed by Transcriptomics) couplant protéomique Shotgun et RNA-Seq. Dans ce type d’approche, les séquences protéiques déduites des transcrits des différents types cellulaires, assemblés par RNA-Seq, sont intégrées dans une base personnalisée de séquences protéiques utilisée pour interroger les données de spectrométrie de masse obtenues à partir de protéines de cellules méiotiques et post-Méiotiques. L’approche PIT a permis de montrer que 69 TUTs ou lncRNA (correspondant à 44 loci) codent pour des protéines dans les cellules méiotiques et post méiotiques. L’expression post-Méiotique de deux nouveaux transcrits, l’un codant pour la protéine VAMP9, une protéine de la famille SNARE, et l’autre pour une nouvelle énolase T-ENOL a pu être confirmée. L’expression post-Méiotique de T-ENOL a été confirmée par immunohistochimie à l’aide d’un anticorps polyclonal produit contre la protéine recombinante. Cette approche nous a également permis d’identifier de nouvelles isoformes de protéines connues spécifiques de chaque stade de la spermatogenèse. Les cellules germinales et les cellules de Sertoli entretiennent le dialogue nécessaire au bon déroulement de la spermatogenèse. Une autre partie de mon travail a consisté à identifier des protéines membranaires des cellules germinales et des corps résiduels, susceptibles d’intervenir dans le dialogue entre les cellules de Sertoli et les cellules germinales, par une approche protéomique de quantification relative ICPL. Cette approche a permis d’établir une liste de 166 protéines différentiellement exprimées entre les spermatocytes pachytène, les spermatides rondes et les corps résiduels, qui sont susceptibles de jouer un rôle dans la spermiogénèse. Grâce aux annotations de le Gene Ontology, j’ai pu établir une liste de 8 protéines ayant un rôle supposé dans la transduction du signal, la reconnaissance cellulaire ou bien la différenciation. Par ailleurs, j’ai pu établir par protéomique Shotgun un premier protéome des cellules de Sertoli, des cellules germinales et des corps résiduels chez le rat. / Spermatogenesis in mammals is a complex biological function including cellular processes such as proliferation, meiosis and differentiation, aiming to the production of male gametes in the testis. If the seminiferous epithelium is well described in terms of organization and cellular morphology of cells that compose it, the processes by which undifferentiated diploid germ cells enter meiosis and give haploid cells that undergo many morphological transformations, are not fully decrypted. These processes rely on the coordinated and sequential expression of genes, including specific products for each stage of germ cell development These gene products are essential at each key stage of spermatogenesis. Transcriptomics since the 1990s, and proteomics since the 2000s have contributed to the improved. understanding of these mechanisms. A long term proteomic study aiming at characterizing the proteomes of Sertoli cells and germ cells, and a recent study that characterized and quantified the transcriptome of isolated rat testicular cells at high resolution using de novo sequencing of transcripts (RNA-Seq), have been the basis of my thesis work. The latter study showed the accumulation of long non-Coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and testicular unannotated transcripts (TUTs) at meiotic and post-Meiotic stages of spermatogenesis in the rat. In this context, my thesis work aimed at validating the coding potential of many genes expressed in germ cells using RNA-Seq combined with shotgun proteomics, a so-Called PIT (Proteomics Informed by transcriptomics) approach. In this approach, the protein sequences translated from the transcripts assembled by RNA-Seq in the different testicular cell types are integrated into a custom database of protein sequences used to query mass spectrometry data obtained from proteins of meiotic and post-Meiotic cells. The PIT approach showed that 69 TUTs or lncRNA (corresponding to 44 loci) code for proteins in meiotic cells and post meiotic cells, and we confirmed experimentally the meiotic and post-Meiotic expression for two new transcripts encoding for VAMP9, a protein of the SNARE family, and a new testicular enolase T-ENOL. The post-Meiotic expression of T-ENOL protein was confirmed by immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal antibody raised against the recombinant protein. This approach also allowed us to identify new isoforms of known proteins, specific to each stage of spermatogenesis. Germ cells and Sertoli cells maintain a dialogue which is necessary to the success of spermatogenesis and spermiogenesis. Another part of my work aimed at identifying membrane proteins, in germ cells and residual bodies, that may be involved in the dialogue between Sertoli cells and germ cells, using a ICPL relative quantification proteomic approach. The ICPL analysis enabled us to establish a list of 166 proteins whose expression is differential between pachytene spermatocytes, round spermatids and residual bodies. Their differential expression suggests that these proteins may play a role in spermiogenesis. Thanks to the Gene Ontology annotations, a list of 8 proteins with a putative role in signal transduction, cell recognition or differentiation, thus potentially involved in the dialogue between Sertoli and germ cells was drawn. In addition, I provided a first proteome of rat Sertoli cells, germ cells and residual bodies obtained by shotgun proteomics.

Massenspektrometrisches Imaging (MSI) ist unverzichtbar für die Untersuchung der räumlichen Verteilung von Molekülen in einer Vielzahl von biologischen Proben. Seit seiner Einführung hat sich MALDI zu einer dominierenden Bildgebungsmethode entwickelt, die sich als nützlich erwiesen hat, um die Komplexität von Lipidstrukturen in biologischen Geweben zu bestimmen. Einerseits ist die Rolle von Cisplatin bei der Behandlung von menschlichen malignen Erkrankungen gut etabliert, jedoch ist Nephrotoxizität eine limitierende Nebenwirkung, die Veränderungen des renalen Lipidprofils beinhaltet. Dies führte zu der Motivation, die Lipidzusammensetzung des Nierengewebes in mit Cisplatin behandelten Ratten zu untersuchen, um die involvierten Lipid-Signalwege aufzuklären. Es wurde eine Methode zur Kartierung der Lipidzusammensetzung in Nierenschnitten unter Verwendung von MALDI MSI entwickelt. Die Verteilung von Nierenlipiden in Cisplatin-behandelten Proben zeigte deutliche Unterschiede in Bezug auf die Kontrollgruppen. Darüber hinaus wurde die Beurteilung der Ionenbilder von Lipiden in Cisplatin-behandelten Nieren meist als qualitative Aspekte betrachtet. Relative quantitative Vergleiche wurden durch den variablen Einfluss von experimentellen und instrumentellen Bedingungen begrenzt. Daher bestand die Notwendigkeit, ein Normalisierungsverfahren zu entwickeln, das einen Vergleich der Lipidintensität verschiedener Proben ermöglicht. Das Verfahren verwendete einen Tintenstrahldrucker, um eine Mischung der MALDI-Matrix und der internen internen Lipid-Metall-Standards aufzubringen. Unter Verwendung von ICP-MS erlaubte der interne Metallstandard, die Konsistenz der Matrix und der internen Standards zu bestätigen. Die Anwendung der Methode zur Normalisierung von Ionenintensitäten von Nierenlipiden zeigte eine ausgezeichnete Bildkorrektur und ermöglichte einen relativen quantitativen Vergleich von Lipidbildern in Cisplatin-behandelten Proben. / Mass spectrometry imaging is indispensable for studying the spatial distribution of molecules within a diverse range of biological samples. Since its introduction, MALDI has become a dominant imaging method, which proved useful to sort out the complexity of lipid structures in biological tissues. The role of cisplatin in the treatment of human malignancies is well-established. However, nephrotoxicity is a limiting side effect that involves an acute injury of the proximal tubule and alterations in the renal lipid profile. This evolved the motivation to study the spatial distribution of lipids in the kidney tissue of cisplatin-treated rats to shed light on the lipid signaling pathways involved. A method for mapping of lipid distributions in kidney sections using MALDI-LTQ-Orbitrap was developed, utilizing the high performance of orbitrap detection. The distribution of kidney lipids in cisplatin-treated samples revealed clear differences with respect to control group, which could be correlated to the proximal tubule injury. The findings highlight the usefulness of MALDI MSI as complementary tool for clinical diagnostics. Furthermore, assessment of the ion images of lipids in cisplatin-treated kidney mostly considered qualitative aspects. Relative quantitative comparisons were limited by the variable influence of experimental and instrumental conditions. Hence, the necessity developed to establish a normalization method allowing comparison of lipid intensity in MALDI imaging measurements of different samples. The method employed an inkjet printer to apply a mixture of the MALDI matrix and dual lipid-metal internal standards. Using ICP-MS, the metal internal standard allowed to confirm the consistency of the matrix and internal standards application. Applying the method to normalize ion intensities of kidney lipids demonstrated excellent image correction and successfully enabled relative quantitative comparison of lipid images in control and cisplatin-treated samples.

Dans cette thèse, l’impact du polymorphisme rs3846662 sur l’épissage alternatif de la 3-hydroxy-3-méthylglutaryl coenzyme A réductase (HMGCR) a été investigué in vivo, chez des patients atteints d’hypercholestérolémie familiale (HF) ou de maladie d’Alzheimer (MA). Le premier manuscrit adresse la problématique de la normalisation de la quantification relative des ARNm par PCR quantitative. Les découvertes présentées dans ce manuscrit nous ont permis de déterminer avec un haut niveau de confiance les gènes de référence à utiliser pour la quantification relative des niveaux d’ARNm de l’HMGCR dans des échantillons de sang (troisième manuscrit) et de tissus cérébraux post-mortem (quatrième manuscrit). Dans le deuxième manuscrit, nous démontrons grâce à l’emploi de trois cohortes de patients distinctes, soit la population canadienne française du Québec et les deux populations nord américaines « Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS) » et « Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) », que le génotype AA au locus rs3846662 confère à ces porteurs une protection considérable contre la MA. Les femmes porteuses de ce génotype voient leur risque de MA diminuer de près de 50% et l’âge d’apparition de leurs premiers symptômes retarder de 3.6 ans. Les porteurs de l’allèle à risque APOE4 voient pour leur part leurs niveaux de plaques séniles et dégénérescences neurofibrillaires diminuer significativement en présence du génotype AA. Enfin, les individus atteints de déficit cognitif léger et porteurs à la fois de l’allèle APOE4 et du génotype protecteur AA voient leur risque de convertir vers la MA chuter de 76 à 27%. Dans le troisième manuscrit, nous constatons que les individus atteints d’HF et porteurs du génotype AA ont, contrairement au modèle établi chez les gens normaux, des niveaux plus élevés de cholestérol total et de LDL-C avant traitement comparativement aux porteurs de l’allèle G. Le fait que cette association n’est observée que chez les non porteurs de l’APOE4 et que les femmes porteuses du génotype AA présentent à la fois une augmentation des niveaux d’ARNm totaux et une résistance aux traitements par statines, nous indique que ce génotype influencerait non seulement l’épissage alternatif, mais également la transcription de l’HMGCR. Comme une revue exhaustive de la littérature ne révèle aucune étude abondant dans ce sens, nos résultats suggèrent l’existence de joueurs encore inconnus qui viennent influencer la relation entre le génotype AA, l’épissage alternatif et les niveaux d’ARNm de l’HMGCR. Dans le quatrième manuscrit, l’absence d’associations entre le génotype AA et les niveaux d’ARNm Δ13 ou de protéines HMGCR nous suggère fortement que ce polymorphisme est non fonctionnel dans le SNC affecté par la MA. Une étude approfondie de la littérature nous a permis d’étayer cette hypothèse puisque les niveaux de HNRNPA1, la ribonucléoprotéine influencée par l’allèle au locus rs3846662, sont considérablement réduits dans la MA et le vieillissement. Il est donc proposé que les effets protecteurs contre la MA associés au génotype AA soient le résultat d’une action indirecte sur le processus physiopathologique. / In this thesis, the impact of rs3846662 polymorphism on the alternative splicing of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) was investigated in vivo, in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) or Alzheimer disease (AD). The first manuscript addresses the issue of normalization in relative quantification of mRNA by quantitative PCR. The findings presented in this manuscript have allowed us to determine with a high level of certainty the appropriate reference genes to use for the relative quantification of HMGCR mRNA levels in blood samples (third manuscript) and postmortem brain tissues (fourth manuscript). In the second manuscript, we demonstrate through the use of three independent cohorts, namely the French Canadian population of Quebec and the two North American populations named "Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study (ADCS)" and "Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) ", that the AA genotype at locus rs3846662 confers significant protection against AD. Women carrying this genotype decrease their risk of AD by about 50%, and delay their age of onset of 3.6 years. For their part, individuals carrying both the APOE4 risk allele and the AA genotype have decreased levels of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles compared to individuals carrying both the APOE4 and HMGCR G alleles. Finally, individuals suffering from mild cognitive impairment and carrying both the APOE4 risk allele and the protective AA genotype see their risk of converting to AD drop from 76% to 27%. In the third manuscript, contrary to the model described in normal subjects, we discovered that individuals with FH carrying the AA genotype have higher levels of total cholesterol and LDL-C before treatment compared to the carriers of the G allele. This latter association is observed only in non-carriers of the APOE4 risk allele. Furthermore, women carrying the AA genotype have both an increase in total HMGCR mRNA levels and a decrease response to statin treatment. These results suggest the AA genotype has an impact not only on the alternative splicing, but also on the transcription of HMGCR. Since an exhaustive review of the literature has reveal no studies corroborating this hypothesis, our results suggest the existence of yet unknown players influencing the relationships between the AA genotype, alternative splicing and the mRNA levels of HMGCR. In the fourth manuscript, we uncovered no association between the AA genotype and Δ13 mRNA or HMGCR protein levels. This strongly suggests that the rs3846662 polymorphism is not functional in the CNS affected by AD. A thorough study of the literature enabled us to support this hypothesis since the levels of HNRNPA1, the ribonucleoprotein influenced by the allele status at rs3846662 locus, are significantly reduced in AD and aging. Accordingly, we propose that the protective effects of the AA genotype against AD may be mediated through indirect effects on the physiopathology of the disease.