This thesis focuses on the development of new stationary phases for use in hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography using TRIS-based and phosphorylcholine typed monomers and porous silica particles as starting substrates. In this thesis, several ways of polymerizing highly hydrophilic mono­mers onto pore surfaces of silica supports are described, based on several “grafting from” schemes. “Controlled/living” radical polymerizations including atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and iniferter-mediated polymerization in conjunction with conventional free radical polymerization are demonstrated to be successful tools for grafting different hydrophilic monomers (polyhydroxyl and phosphorylcholine [meth]acrylamide/acrylates) onto the silica surfaces. Reaction solvents are proven to play an essential role to achieve efficient graft polymerization of activated silica surfaces with these amphiphilic vinylic monomers, which is difficult because of their restricted access to the activated surface in solvents that can be used because of solubility constraints. Two tentacle TRIS-based polymer grafted silica, namely TRIS-WAX – TRIS functionality bonded to silica via a C–N–C imine bond and TRIS-Amide – TRIS bonded to silica via an amide bond, prove to be useful as stationary phases for hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC).The TRIS-WAX exhibits a mixed mode hydrophilic partitioning and weak anion exchange (HILIC/WAX) retention mechanism while retention by hydrophilic partitioning is the dominant mechanism on the neutral TRIS-Amide phase which lacks weak anion exchange (WAX) properties. Interestingly, both these phases have selectivities that are radically different from most commercial HILIC stationary phases. Finally, a method is demonstrated for synthesizing a stratified (graft-copolymerized) silica material based on N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide and 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) using a “controlled/living” photoiniferter-mediated polymerization from the N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate iniferter moiety immobilized silica surfaces. This polymerization method proves to be successful for graft-blockcopolymerization of different highly hydrophilic monomers onto the activated surfaces of porous silica. In this way, silica surfaces are grafted with a cross-linked amide-based hydrogel, on top of which a tentacle zwitterionic phosphorylcholine-typed layer is synthesized. The resulted material proves to be useful for HILIC separations and possesses different selectivity for the tested organic acids compared to that of commercial ZIC-cHILIC stationary phase.

The research presented in this dissertation involves the development of chiral and achiral analysis using capillary electrochromatography (CEC) and CEC coupled to mass spectrometry (CEC-MS). Chapter 1 briefly reviews CEC fundamentals and latest development on chiral CEC and CEC-MS. The CEC-UV enantioseparations for several acidic compounds are described in Chapter 2. The optimum resolutions for these acidic enantiomers are achieved in ion-suppression mode, i.e. with an acidic mobile phase. One of major drawback in coupling CEC with MS is the bubble formation at the column outlet end, resulting in irreproducible retention time and erratic baseline, or even current breakdown. By introducing internal tapered columns, the aforementioned limitations of CEC-MS are successfully overcome in Chapter 3. The CEC-MS enantioseparation of warfarin and coumachlor is carefully investigated and applied to quantify R- and S-warfarin in human plasma. For individual enantiomers, a concentration of 25 ng/mL is detectable. To further improve the robustness of CEC-MS column, a new procedure of fabricating internal tapered columns is reported in Chapter 4. These internal tapered columns demonstrate excellent ruggedness, low background noise, and good compatibility in reversed-phase and polar organic modes of CEC-MS. In chapter 5, the feasibility of using internal tapered columns packed with vancomycin chiral stationary phase (CSP) is explored for simultaneous enantioseparation of eight â-blockers using CEC-MS. After a careful optimization of the mobile phase composition, sheath liquid and spray chamber parameter, 15 out of 16 enantiomers could be simultaneously resolved with excellent efficiency and detection sensitivity. The synthesis and characterization of sulfated and sulfonated cellulose phenylcarbamate CSPs is described in Chapter 6. The use of these CSPs, especially the sulfonated one, significantly enhances the EOF profile and sample throughput but maintain high enantiomeric resolving power under various modes of CEC and CEC-MS. By combining CEC and atmospheric pressure photo-ionization (APPI) MS, Chapter 7 demonstrates the separation and detection of mono-methylated benzo[a]pyrene (MBAP) isomers with ~100 times enhancement on detection sensitivity than CEC-UV. In Appedix 2, monolithic columns are synthesized through photopolymerized sol-gel approach and utilized for CEC and CEC-APPI-MS of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and alkyl phenyl ketones.

This research presents advancements in the coupling of capillary electrochromatography (CEC) to mass spectrometry (MS) for the analysis of different chemical classes of surfactants. Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction that summarizes the mechanics and fundamentals of CEC, including instrumentation and applications for CEC-MS. Chapter 2 describes the on-line hyphenation of a packed CEC column with an internally tapered tip coupled to electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-mass spectrometry (APCI-MS) for the analysis of betaine-type amphoteric or zwitterionic surfactants (Zwittergent®). The interesting aspects include CEC-MS column manufacture and charaterization, as well as a comparison between the CEC-ACPI-MS and CEC-ESI-MS ionization pattern of zwittergents. In Chapter 3, the CEC-MS of alkyltrimethyl-ammonium ions (ATMA+) with chain length ranging from C1-C18 is optimized using an internally tapered CEC-MS column packed with mixed mode C6/strong cation exchange stationary phase and coupled to an ESI source. In addition, the optimized CEC-ESI-MS protocol is applied for the challenging analysis of commercial sample Arquad S-50 ATMA+ containing cis-trans unsaturated and saturated soyabean fatty acid derivatives. In Chapter 4, a novel CEC-UV method for separation of the various Triton X-100 oligomers is presented. A systematic mobile phase tuning and comparison of monomeric vs. polymeric stationary phases was conducted. In Chapter 5, we present the first application of CEC coupled to MS for analysis of Triton X (TX-) series surfactants. A characterization from the viewpoint of the ion and adduct formation for TX-series nonionic surfactants with a variable number of ethoxy units (n=1.5-16) in the scan mode are first discussed. Next, utilizing the TX-series as model alkylphenolpolyethoxylates (APEOs), a detailed investigation of the chromatographic separation and MS detection are performed followed by analysis of very long chain TX series with n=30-70. In Chapter 6, CEC-MS utilizing full scan positive ion mode of ESI was employed to study the effect of fragmentor voltage on the in-source collision induced dissociation (IS-CID) of several APEO nonionic surfactants. Finally, in Chapter 7, the preparation and characterization of a novel liquid crystalline stationary phase suitable for separation of neutral and charged compounds in packed column CEC is evaluated.

Most free-living bacteria will encounter different environments and it is therefore critical to be able to rapidly adjust to new growth conditions in order to be competitively successful. Responding to changes requires efficient gene regulation in terms of transcription, RNA stability, translation and post-translational modifications. Studies of an extremely slow-growing mutant of Salmonella enterica, with a Glu125Arg mutant version of EF-Tu, revealed it to be trapped in a stringent response. The perceived starvation was demonstrated to be the result of increased mRNA cleavage of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes leading to lower prolyl-tRNA levels. The mutant EF-Tu caused an uncoupling of transcription and translation, leading to increased turnover of mRNA, which trapped the mutant in a futile stringent response. To examine the essentiality of RNase E, we selected and mapped three classes of extragenic suppressors of a ts RNase E phenotype. The ts RNase E mutants were defective in the degradation of mRNA and in the processing of tRNA and rRNA. Only the degradation of mRNA was suppressed by the compensatory mutations. We therefore suggest that degradation of at least a subset of cellular mRNAs is an essential function of RNase E. Bioinformatically, we discovered that the mRNA of tufB, one of the two genes encoding EF-Tu, could form a stable structure masking the ribosomal binding site. This, together with previous studies that suggested that the level of EF-Tu protein could affect the expression of tufB, led us to propose three models for how this could occur. The stability of the tufB RNA structure could be affected by the elongation rate of tufB-translating ribosomes, possibly influenced by the presence of rare codons early in the in tufB mRNA. Using proteomic and genetic assays we concluded that two previously isolated RNAP mutants, each with a growth advantage when present as subpopulations on aging wild-type colonies, were dependent on the utilization of acetate for this phenotype. Increased growth of a subpopulation of wild-type cells on a colony unable to re-assimilate acetate demonstrated that in aging colonies, acetate is available in levels sufficient to sustain the growth of at least a small subpopulation of bacteria.

Orientadores: Carol Hollingworth Collins, Carla Beatriz Grespan Bottoli / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T14:14:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vigna_CamilaRosaMoraes_D.pdf: 1190348 bytes, checksum: ab228c805aba8ca12b954e0202343664 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Neste trabalho verificou-se a potencialidade de uso de sorventes e fases estacionárias (FE), obtidos a partir da sorção e/ou imobilização do polímero poli(metiloctilsiloxano) (PMOS) sobre suportes de sílica Kromasil utilizando tamento térmico, na separação, quantificação e validação de uma metodologia para análise de agrotóxicos em amostras de água e caldo de cana-de-açúcar (garapa). Os materiais desenvolvidos foram caracterizados com testes químicos e físicos e aplicados nas etapas de concentração das amostras por extração em fase sólida nos modos off-line e on-line, com posterior separação, por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência com detecção UV-Vis. Utilizou-se também o método QuEChERS como alternativa na etapa de extração das amostras de garapa. Os sorventes PMOS mostraram desempenho comparável aos sorventes comerciais, além de sua preparação ser simples, rápida e de menor custo. A FE Kromasil/PMOS utilizada propiciou uma boa separação entre os componentes das amostras de diversos agrotóxicos analisados, similar as fases comerciais, com boas eficiências, resolução e seletividade. A metodologia desenvolvida foi validada e mostrou bons resultados de recuperação para todos os agrotóxicos, além de precisão < 15% e coeficiente de correlaçã > 0,99. O limite de quantificação do método permitiu que os limites máximos de resíduos impostos pelas agências reguladoras para todos os compostos estudados fossem atingidos. Os métodos desenvolvidos e validados foram aplicados na análise de amostras de garapa do comércio local. Não foram observados níveis detectáveis dos agrotóxicos estudados nas amostras analisadas / Abstract: This work investigated the potentiality of use of sorbents and stationary phases (SP), obtained from the sorption and/or immobilization of poly(methyloctylsiloxane) (PMOS) onto the surface of a porous silica Kromasil support using heat, in the separation, quantification and validation of a methodology for analysis of agrochemicals in water and sugar cane samples. Physical-chemical characterization of the developed materials were carried out and applied in the concentration step of the samples in solid phase extraction (SPE) in off-line and on-line mode, with posterior separation, for High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with UV-Vis detection. The QuEChERS method (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective and Safe) was also used as alternative in the extraction of the sugar cane samples. PMOS sorbents showed comparable performance to the commercial sorbents, with simple, fast and cheap preparation. The Kromasil/PMOS SP used demonstrated a good separation to the components of the samples of agrotoxics analyzed, similar to the commercial phases, with good efficiencies, resolution and selectivity. The developed methodology was validated and showed good results of recovery for the agrotoxics, with precision value < 15 % and correlation coefficient > 0,99. The limit of quantification (LQ) of the method allowed that the maximum residues limits (MRL) for the regulating agencies for all the studied compounds were reached. The developed and validated methods were applied in the analysis of sugar cane samples of the local commerce. Detectable levels of the agrochemicals studied in the analyzed samples were not detected / Doutorado / Quimica Analitica / Doutor em Ciências

Orientador: Isabel Cristina Sales Fontes Jardim / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T08:52:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Delmonde_MarceloViniciusFelizatti_M.pdf: 1020250 bytes, checksum: ae1fcb7db9f7dd24bfaaacbbac027ed9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: Este trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de fases estacionárias (FE) para utilização em Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência em Fase Reversa (CLAE-FR) a partir da imobilização térmica de poli (2-fenilpropil) metilsiloxano (PFPMS) sobre suporte de sílica. Diferentes quantidades de copolímero foram avaliadas, alcançando-se um bom desempenho cromatográfico com uma carga polimérica de 50 % (m/m, polissiloxano/sílica). As melhores condições de temperatura e tempo para a imobilização do copolímero sobre o suporte por tratamento térmico foram: 140 ºC e 6 h, respectivamente. A extração do excesso de copolímero não imobilizado também foi otimizada, obtendo-se o melhor resultado com a utilização de clorofórmio por 3 horas, seguido de metanol por 2 horas, ambos a uma vazão de 1 mL min. A caracterização físico-química do suporte de sílica, copolímero e da FE através de análise elementar, espectroscopia de absorção na região do infravermelho e determinação da área superficial específica, volume e diâmetro de poros das partículas indicam a presença do copolímero sobre o suporte e a espectroscopia de ressonância magnética nuclear sugere que o copolímero se encontra sorvido e quimicamente ligado ao suporte de sílica. As FE preparadas com 50 % de PFPMS apresentaram aproximadamente 16,4 % de C, eficiência de 70.000 pratos m-1 e fator de assimetria dentro da faixa aceita na literatura para o pico do naftaleno (0,9-1,6). Os estudos de aplicação demonstram que a FE desenvolvida apresenta potencial na separação de compostos aromáticos / Abstract: This work presents the development of stationary phases (SP) for use in Reversed-Phase High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (RP-HPLC) prepared by thermal immobilization of poly (phenylpropyl) methylsiloxane (PPPMS) onto a silica support. Differents amounts of copolymer were evaluated, achieving a good performance using a polymeric charge of 50% (m/m, polysiloxane/silica). The best conditions of temperature and time for immobilization onto silica support by thermal treatment were: 140 ºC and 6 h, respectively. The non immobilized copolymer extraction was also optimized, where the best results were achieved using chloroform for 3 hours, followed by methanol for 2 hours, both with a flow rate of 1 mL min. The presence of the copolymer on the silica support was demonstrated by physicochemical characterization of the support, the PPPMS and the SP by elemental analysis, infrared absorption spectroscopy and determining the volume and pore diameter of the particles, while nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy suggests sorption and chemical bonding between the support and polysiloxane. The SP prepared with 50% PPPMS showed approximately 16.4% of C, efficiencies of 70,000 plates m-1 and asymmetry factors within the range accepted in the literature for the peak of naphthalene (0.9-1.6). The application studies showed that the SP developed presents potential capacity for separation of aromatic compounds / Mestrado / Quimica Analitica / Mestre em Química

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-20T12:31:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 jonathan.pdf: 3096267 bytes, checksum: 8d8efe41b3d0eaa2b1ee28e28f9ebb5e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-09-21 / Plasmids are extrachromosomal genetic elements that generally are not essential for survival of the bacteria , however , provide unique advantages ( as resistance to antibiotics) for the organism. For genetic engineering, naturally occurring plasmids have been modified extensively for the production of vectors with the desired characteristics. Promoters are elements of a vector which may have a profound effect on the strength and duration of transcription and, consequently, the protein yield . The mRNA synthesis starts when RNA polymerase binds the promoter sequence adjacent to the target gene. Sigma factors are proteins that regulate transcription in bacteria , and they can be activated in different environmental conditions . The sigma factor ( S ) is seen as a master regulator of the general stress response , encoded from the gene RpoS in late stationary phase . This factor is the primary regulator of the genes stationary phase . Prosecutors based metabolic regulators of stationary phase represent a class of promoters metabolically controlled and can be exploited for the design of expression vectors . This project were developed three expression cassettes for construction of expression vectors , which have promoters with affinity for sigma factor S , in order to evaluate the expression profile of recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli . To evaluate the strength of promoters and expression profiling , we used the green fluorescent protein ( GFP ) as a reporter gene . The three vectors constructed, which were named p26 , p53 and PFS expressed GFP in the correct formation of the fluorophore , and the vector p26 and p53 showed overexpression of the recombinant protein when compared to the vector pGS21a . Furthermore , it was observed that the vectors constructed here are contributing to the reduction in the rate of growth and filamentation of E. coli. This gives the morphological plasticity bacterium higher storage capacity of the recombinant protein expressed . / Plasmídeos são elementos genéticos extracromossomais, que no geral não são essenciais para a sobrevivência da bactéria, entretanto, conferem vantagens peculiares (como resistência à antibióticos) para o organismo. Para engenharia genética, plasmídeos de ocorrência natural têm sido modificados extensivamente para produção de vetores com as características desejadas. Promotores são elementos de um vetor que podem ter um profundo efeito na força e duração da transcrição, e consequentemente, no rendimento proteico. A síntese de mRNA inicia quando a RNA polimerase se liga a sequência promotora , adjacente ao gene alvo. Fatores sigma são proteínas que regulam a transcrição em bactérias, e os mesmos podem ser ativados em diferentes condições ambientais. O fator sigma (S) é visto como um regulador mestre de resposta ao estresse geral, codificado a partir do gene RpoS na fase estacionária tardia. Este fator é o regulador primário dos genes de fase estacionária. Promotores baseados em reguladores metabólicos de fase estacionária representam uma classe de promotores controlados metabolicamente e que podem ser explorados para o design de vetores de expressão. Neste projeto foram desenvolvidos três cassetes de expressão para a construção de vetores de expressão, os quais possuem promotores com afinidade pelo fator sigma S, com o objetivo de avaliar o perfil de expressão de proteínas recombinantes em Escherichia coli. Para a avaliação da força dos promotores e do perfil de expressão, utilizou-se a proteína verde fluorescente (GFP) como gene repórter. Os três vetores construídos, os quais foram denominados de p26, p53 e pFS expressaram a GFP com a correta formação do fluoróforo, sendo que os vetores p26 e p53 apresentaram superexpressão da proteína recombinante, quando comparados ao vetor pGS21a. Ademais, observou-se que os vetores aqui construídos estão contribuindo para a redução da taxa de crescimento e filamentação da E. coli. Esta plasticidade morfológica confere à bactéria maior capacidade de armazenamento da proteína recombinante expressa.

Cold adaptation in stationary phase in Bacillus subtilis One of the most important abiotic factor which influences life of bacterial cells is the ambient temperature. A decrease of this temperature is usually accompanied usually with the loss of the fluidity of bacterial cytoplasmatic membrane. While the mechanisms of the responses to the cold shock during the exponential phase of growth are well known for Bacillus subtilis, the responses of stationary phase cells had not been studied yet (despite the stationary phase is the most common state of microorganism in the nature). There are two independent mechanisms which restores much needed fluidity in Bacillus subtilis - short-term adaptation and long-term adaptation. Short-term adaptation is based on the function of fatty acid desaturase coded by des gene. Long-term adaptation relies on the change in ratio of iso- and anteiso- branched fatty acids. In this work we examinated membrane adaptation during stationary phase under two different conditions, namely under cultivation at stable low temperature and after cold shock. The highest activity of Pdes was observed for cultivation at 25 řC and for the cold shock applied from cultivation in 37 řC to 25 řC. Anisotropy measurements and fatty acids analysis were also performed. Results indicated, that the...

Ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) makes it possible to use very small particles (< 2 µm) as packing materials to provide high column efficiencies. Results from a careful comparison of small porous and nonporous particles show that when the particle size is small enough (< 2 µm), both porous and nonporous particles give excellent performance, and the differences in column efficiencies between porous and nonporous particles become insignificant. Columns packed with bare diamond particles could separate small molecules, especially polar molecules, however, severe tailing occurred for less polar compounds. The polybutadiene coated diamond particles gave greater retention and better separation of small molecules compared to bare particles, although no improvement in column efficiency was observed. Changes in surface bonding of thermally hydrogenated diamond particles was achieved by chemical modification using various organic peroxides with or without reagents containing long carbon chain functional groups. It appears that the alkyl groups were attached onto the diamond surface with limited coverage. LC experiments did not demonstrate good separation; however, changes in LC behavior were observed. A repetitive solvent programming approach was successfully applied to the analysis of a continuous sample stream in microbore LC. Each analysis cycle consisted of three steps: pseudo-injection, elution and rinse. In the pseudo-injection step, elution with a non- or poor-eluting solvent produced a concentrated sample plug due to on-column focusing. Factors influencing peak symmetry, resolution and analysis cycle length were investigated. Quantitative analysis of a continuous sample stream is possible under certain operating conditions. Electric field gradient focusing (EFGF) devices with distributed resistor substrates could focus proteins in the separation channel, however, the focused bands were not stable, and the repeatability was poor due to the formation of bubbles and pH gradient in the separation channel. Both fiber-based and porous glass capillary-based planar EFGF devices with changing cross-sectional area (CCSA) channels were constructed and evaluated with the aid of a home-made scanning laser-induced fluorescence detection system. The fiber-based CCSA EFGF devices gave poorer performance compared with glass capillary based devices. Porous glass capillary-based EFGF devices could focus single proteins and separate mixtures of two to three proteins.

La première augmentation de la longévité en laboratoire fût observée à la suite d’une intervention nutritionnelle consistant en une réduction de l’apport alimentaire chez le rat. Plus tard, ce phénomène a été reproduit dans de très nombreuses espèces et référé en tant que restriction calorique. Le développement des techniques de biologie moléculaire moderne a permis de montrer dans des organismes modèles simples que cette flexibilité du processus de vieillissement était régulée par des facteurs génétiques. De fait, plusieurs mécanismes cellulaires ont alors pu être identifiés comme responsables de ce contrôle du vieillissement. Ces voies de régulation ont révélées être conservées entre les espèces, depuis les levures jusqu’aux organismes multicellulaires tels que le nématode, la mouche ou la souris, suggérant l’existence d’un programme universel de vieillissement dans le vivant. La levure s’est avéré à plusieurs reprises être un modèle puissant et fiable pour la découverte de gènes impliqués dans ce phénomène. Mon étude a consisté au développement d’un nouveau modèle unicellulaire d’étude du vieillissement à travers l’espèce Schizosaccharomyces pombe appelée aussi levure à fission. La première étape de mon travail a montré que les voies de détection des nutriments gouvernées par la sérine/thréonine protéine kinase A (Pka1) et la sérine/thréonine kinase Sck2 contrôlent le vieillissement chronologique de ces cellules comme il était connu dans la levure Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ceci permit de valider l’utilisation de la levure à fission pour l’étude du vieillissement. Ensuite, nous avons analysé plus en détail l’effet pro-vieillissement du glucose en étudiant le rôle de sa détection par le récepteur membranaire Git3 couplé à la protéine G (Gpa2) en amont de la kinase Pka1. La perte du signal du glucose par la délétion de Git3 imite partiellement l’effet d’augmentation de longévité obtenu par baisse de la concentration en glucose dans le milieu. De plus, l’effet néfaste du signal du glucose est maintenu en absence de tout métabolisme du glucose suite à la mutation des hexokinases, premières enzymes de la glycolyse. L’ensemble de ces résultats suggèrent que la signalisation du glucose est prédominante sur son métabolisme pour son effet pro-vieillissement. D’autre part, à la fois la suppression de cette signalisation et la baisse de niveau de glucose disponible allongent la durée de vie en corrélation avec une augmentation de la résistance au stress, une hausse d’activité mitochondriale et une baisse de production de radicaux libres. Finalement, le criblage d’une banque de surexpression d’ADNc a permis d’identifier plusieurs gènes candidats responsables de ces effets en aval de la voie de signalisation Git3/PKA. La recherche sur les mécanismes moléculaires du vieillissement propose une nouvelle approche, un nouvel angle de vue, pour la compréhension des fonctions cellulaires et promet d’apporter de précieuses clefs pour mieux comprendre certaines maladies. En effet, le vieillissement est la première cause d’apparition de nombreuses affections comme les cancers, les maladies cardiovasculaires et métaboliques ou les maladies neurodégénératives tels que les syndromes d’Alzheimer et de Parkinson. / The first increase in life span due to man’s intervention was obtained with rats subjected to a diet reduced in calorie intake. Later, this phenomenon was repeated with many other species and referred as diet restriction or calorie restriction. The development of modern Molecular Biology approaches and the use of simple model organisms demonstrated that the rate of aging was regulated by genetic traits. Indeed, several cellular mechanisms were identified as responsible for the control of aging. These regulatory pathways appear to be conserved throughout species, from yeast to multicellular organisms like nematode, fly and mice, thus suggesting the existence of a universal program of aging. Yeast proved several times to be a powerful and reliable model for discovering genes involved in the regulation of aging. My study consisted in developing Schizosaccharomyces pombe (also called fission yeast) as a new unicellular model to study aging. The first step of my work was to show that pathways of nutrient detection through kinases involving Pka1 and Sck2 control chronological aging in S. pombe, as it was previously demonstrated in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This first work validated the use of fission yeast for the study of aging. Subsequently, we analysed in more detail the pro-aging effect of glucose focusing on the role of its signalling through the G-protein Gpa2-coupled membrane receptor Git3, which acts upstream of Pka1. The loss of the glucose signal due to deletion of Git3 mimics partially the effect of increasing longevity by reducing glucose in the medium. Moreover, detrimental effects of glucose signal are maintained in absence of sugar metabolism following loss of hexokinases, the first enzymes of glycolysis. Together, these results suggest that the pro-aging effects of glucose signalling are predominant over those due to metabolism of this sugar. Moreover, both obliteration of this signalling pathway and decrease of glucose availability extend life span, and correlate with an increase in stress resistance, in mitochondrial activity and a lower production of free radicals. Finally, screening a cDNA-overexpression library allowed us to identify several genes candidates responsible for the effects on longevity downstream of Git3/Pka1. Research in the molecular mechanisms of aging propose holds the promise to bring precious clues as to this mysterious processes affecting all living creatures, and paves the way to unravel the underlying causes of many human diseases. Indeed, aging is the first cause of numerous late-onset pathologies including cancers, cardiovascular diseases or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer and Parkinson syndromes.