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International audience; Given their potential in a better characterization and diagnosis of major pathologies like cancer or chronic inflammation, redox-activated Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) probes have recently attracted much interest from chemists. Such redox responsive probes are capable of reporting on specific biomarkers that are related to tissue redox potential disruption or hypoxia. Lately, this research area has experienced remarkable development, including redox-responsive metal complexes and nanoparticles. Here we critically review the progress with a specific focus on metal-based probes and some nanoparticle examples. We demonstrate, via representative cases, the different molecular mechanisms that can generate a redox-modulated MRI response. They can be based on the redox activity of either the ligand or the metal center, provided the different oxidation states of the metal ion are endowed with different magnetic properties. A particular emphasis is given to recent advances and to the imaging probes that have attained in vivo validation. In overall, we aim to provide the reader with a comprehensive view of how intracellular or extracellular redox buffer systems can be assessed by using MRI contrast agents based on lanthanide or transition metal ions using T1-weighted, T2-weighted, paraCEST 1H or 19F MRI.

International audience; A molecular theranostic agent designed for photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment in the near-infrared and for imaging tissue tumors with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is reported. It consists of a linear pi-conjugated Zn(II) porphyrin dimer linked at each extremity to a GdDOTA-type complex. This agent has shown very promising potential for PDT applications with good singlet oxygen generation in DMSO and high linear absorption in the near- infrared (lambda(max) = 746 nm, epsilon approximate to 10(5) M-1 cm(-1)). Moreover, this molecule has a propensity for two-photon excited PDT with high two-photon cross sections (similar to 8000 GM in 880-930 nm range), which should allow for deeper tumor treatments and higher spatial precision as compared to conventional one-photon PDT. Regarding the MRI contrast agent properties, the molecule has shown superior relaxivity (14.4 mM(-1) s(-1) at 40 MHz, 298 K) in comparison to clinical contrast agents and the ability to be internalized in cells, thanks to its amphiphilic character. Irradiation of HeLa cells using either one-photon (740 nm) or two-photon excitation (910 nm) has led in both cases to important cell death.

International audience; Aggregation of misfolded proteins and progressive polymerization of otherwise soluble proteins is a common hallmark of a wide range of highly debilitating and increasingly prevalent diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, type II diabetes and Parkinson's, Huntington's and Alzheimer's diseases. There is a growing interest in creating imaging agents to detect such aggregates in various imaging modalities, including PET, SPECT and MRI. We present here an overview of recent efforts from the perspective of early diagnosis of amyloid diseases, with a major focus on Aβ detection and metal complexes bearing PiB units.

The antimetastatic ruthenium(III) complex (H2Im)[trans-RuCl4(HIm)(DMSO)] (NAMI-A) as well as its two analogues (H2Ind)[trans-RuCl4(HInd)(DMSO)] (Ru-Ind) and (HIsq)[trans-RuCl4(Isq)(DMSO)] (Ru-Isq) (HIm–imidazole, HInd–indazole, Isq–isoquinoline, DMSO–dimethyl sulfoxide) were tested for their effect on endothelial cell functions in vitro on human skin microvascular endothelial cells (HSkMEC) and human endothelial progenitor cells (HPEC-CB.2) under normoxic (21 % O2) and hypoxic (1 % O2) conditions. All studied complexes showed very low cytotoxicity profiles towards both mature microvascular and precursor endothelial cells (ECs), independently of oxygen concentration. Among tested compounds Ru-Ind exhibited the highest cytotoxicity. The antiangiogenic activity of ruthenium complexes was evaluated for their influence on pseudo-vessels formation by microvascular endothelial cells (HSkMEC) because of their involvement in melanoma progression. Our studies indicated that Ru-Ind and Ru-Isq exhibited hypoxia- and dose-dependent-inhibition of angiogenesis on Matrigel™. Significant hypoxia-selective downregulation of pseudo-vessels formation by Ru-Isq correlates with efficient inhibition of cell motility. Interestingly, in the applied concentration doses migration of endothelial cells was also inhibited by NAMI-A, but the pseudo-vessels formation on Matrigel™ was unaffected. Angiogenesis-related genes expression profile for both mature and precursor ECs indicated that inhibition of angiogenesis, mainly due to Ru-Isq, as compared to NAMI-A and Ru-Ind correlated with downregulation of CD31 and CD144 expression and upregulation of NOTCH4 expression in mature ECs, which is essential for endothelial cell motility and stalk cells organization control. The hypoxia-selective antiangiogenic activity of Ru-Ind and Ru-Isq, NAMI-A analogues makes them potent antimetastatic therapeutics for their selective action in hypoxia which controls tumor pathologic angiogenesis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10534-016-9974-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

International audience; In an effort to explore novel ligand scaffolds for stable and inert lanthanide complexation in magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent research, three chiral ligands containing a highly rigid (1S,2S)-1,2-cyclobutanediamine spacer and different number of acetate and picolinate groups were efficiently synthesized. Potentiometric studies show comparable thermodynamic stability for the Gd3+ complexes formed with either the octadentate (L3)4– bearing two acetate or two picolinate groups or the heptadentate (L2)4– analogue bearing one picolinate and three acetate groups (log KGdL = 17.41 and 18.00 for [Gd(L2)]− and [Gd(L3)]−, respectively). In contrast, their dissociation kinetics is revealed to be very different: the monohydrated [Gd(L3)]− is considerably more labile, as a result of the significant kinetic activity of the protonated picolinate function, as compared to the bishydrated [Gd(L2)]−. This constitutes an uncommon example in which lowering ligand denticity results in a remarkable increase in kinetic inertness. Another interesting observation is that the rigid ligand backbone induces an unusually strong contribution of the spontaneous dissociation to the overall decomplexation process. Thanks to the presence of two inner-sphere water molecules, [Gd(L2)]− is endowed with high relaxivity (r1 = 7.9 mM–1 s–1 at 20 MHz, 25 °C), which is retained in the presence of large excess of endogenous anions, excluding ternary complex formation. The water exchange rate is similar for [Gd(L3)]− and [Gd(L2)]−, while it is 1 order of magnitude higher for the trishydrated tetraacetate analogue [Gd(L1)]− (kex298 = 8.1, 10, and 127 × 106 s–1, respectively). A structural analysis via density functional theory calculations suggests that the large bite angle imposed by the rigid (1S,2S)-1,2-cyclobutanediamine spacer could allow the design of ligands based on this scaffold with suitable properties for the coordination of larger metal ions with biomedical applications.

Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health concern. Because only a few novel classes of antibiotics have been developed in the last 40 years, such as the class of oxazolidinones, new antibacterial strategies are urgently needed [1]. Nucleic acid-based antibiotics are a new type of antimicrobials. However, free nucleic acids cannot spontaneously cross the bacterial cell wall and membrane, consequently, their intracellular delivery into bacteria needs to be assisted. Here, we introduce an original lipopolyplex system named liposome polymer nucleic acid (LPN), capable of versatile nucleic acid delivery into bacteria. We characterized LPN formed with significant therapeutic nucleic acids: 11 nt antisense single-stranded (ss) DNA and double-stranded (ds) DNA of 15 and 95 base pairs (bp), 9 kbp plasmid DNA (pDNA), and 1,000 nt ssRNA. All these complexes were efficiently internalized by two different bacterial species, i.e., Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as shown by flow cytometry. Consistent with intracellular delivery, LPN prepared with an antisense oligonucleotide and directed against an essential gene, induced specific and important bacterial growth inhibition likely leading to a bactericidal effect. Our findings indicate that LPN is a versatile platform for efficient delivery of diverse nucleic acids into Gram-negative bacteria.

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterised by brain accumulation oftoxic protein aggregates, including extracellular amyloid beta (Aβ) plaques, inflammation, neuronaldeath and progressive cognitive dysfunction. Current diagnostic modalities, based on cognitive tests,fail to detect early AD onset, thus emphasising the need to develop improved methods forpre-symptomatic disease detection.Building on the properties of the Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB), an Aβ-binding molecule suitable touse as positron emission tomography (PET) imaging agent, and aiming at using a more clinically available modality (like magnetic ressonance imaging, MRI), PiB derivatives have been conjugated to the macrocyclic chelator 1,4,7-tris(carboxymethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (DO3A) monoamide. However, these derivatives do not readily cross the highly selective blood-brainbarrier (BBB). Taking advantage of the capacity of functionalised carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) to cross biological barriers, including the BBB, this manuscript reports on the conjugation of two PiB derivative Gd3+ complexes – Gd(L2) and Gd(L3) – to multi-walled f-CNTs (f-MWNTs) and assessment of their in vivo biodistribution and brain uptake. It is shown that Gd(L2) and Gd(L3) can be efficiently loaded onto different f-MWNTs, with significant improvement in brain accumulation of the conjugates compared to the free metal complexes.Overall, this study demonstrates that f-MWNTs have potential to be used as carriers in theranostic applications involving brain delivery of BBB impermeable compounds

The limits of life of aerobic microorganisms are well understood, but the responses of anaerobic microorganisms to individual and combined extreme stressors are less well known. Motivated by an interest in understanding the survivability of anaerobic microorganisms under Martian conditions, we investigated the responses of a new isolate, Yersinia intermedia MASE-LG-1 to individual and combined stresses associated with the Martian surface. This organism belongs to an adaptable and persistent genus of anaerobic microorganisms found in many environments worldwide. The effects of desiccation, low pressure, ionizing radiation, varying temperature, osmotic pressure, and oxidizing chemical compounds were investigated. The strain showed a high tolerance to desiccation, with a decline of survivability by four orders of magnitude during a storage time of 85 days. Exposure to X-rays resulted in dose-dependent inactivation for exposure up to 600 Gy while applied doses above 750 Gy led to complete inactivation. The effects of the combination of desiccation and irradiation were additive and the survivability was influenced by the order in which they were imposed. Ionizing irradiation and subsequent desiccation was more deleterious than vice versa. By contrast, the presence of perchlorates was not found to significantly affect the survival of the Yersinia strain after ionizing radiation. These data show that the organism has the capacity to survive and grow in physical and chemical stresses, imposed individually or in combination that are associated with Martian environment. Eventually it lost its viability showing that many of the most adaptable anaerobic organisms on Earth would be killed on Mars today., MASE is supported by European Community's Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement no 607297.

International audience; The green microalgae Dunaliella genus is known for the production of high added value molecules. In this study, strain AL-1 was isolated from the Sebkha of Sidi El Hani (Sousse, Tunisia). This isolate was identified both morphologically and genetically via 18S rRNA gene sequence as a member of the genus Dunaliella. Strain AL-1 was found to be closely related to Dunaliella salina, Dunaliella quartolecta and Dunaliella polymorpha with more than 97% similarity. Response surface methodology was used to maximize carotenoid production by strain AL-1 by optimizing its growth conditions. The highest carotenoid content was obtained at salinity: 51, light intensity: 189.89 μmol photons·m−2·s−1, and nitrogen: 60 mg·L−1. Proteomic profiling, using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, was performed from standard and optimized cultures. We detected 127 protein spots which were significantly differentially expressed between standard and optimized cultures. Among them 16 protein spots were identified with mass spectrometry and grouped into different functional categories using KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) such as photosynthetic Calvin cycle, regulation/defense, energy metabolism, glycolysis, and cellular processes. The current study could be of great interest in providing information on the effect of stressful conditions in microalgae carotenoid production.

International audience; A novel dual-imaging cisplatin-carrying molecular cargo capable of performing simultaneous optical and MR imaging is reported herein. This long-lasting MRI contrast agent (r1 relaxivity of 23.4 mM-1s-1 at 3T, 25 oC) is a photo-activated cisplatin prodrug (PtGdL) which enables real-time monitoring of anti-cancer efficacy. PtGdL is a model for monitoring the drug delivery and anti-cancer efficacy by MRI with a much longer retention time (24 hours) in several organs such as renal cortex and spleen than GdDOTA and its motif control GdL. Upon complete release of cisplatin, all PtGdL is converted to GdL enabling subsequent MRI analyses of therapy efficacy within its reasonably short clearance time of 4 hours. There is also responsive fluorescence enhancement for monitoring by photon-excitation.

We investigated the effects of betaine, C-phycocyanin (C-PC), and their combined use on the growth of A549 lung cancer bothin vitroandin vivo.When cells were coincubated with betaine and C-PC, an up to 60% decrease in viability was observed which is significant compared to betaine (50%) or C-PC treatment alone (no decrease). Combined treatment reduced the stimulation of NF-κB expression by TNF-αand increased the amount of the proapoptotic p38 MAPK. Interestingly, combined treatment induced a cell cycle arrest in G2/M phase for ~60% of cells.In vivostudies were performed in pathogen-free male nude rats injected with A549 cells in their right flank. Their daily food was supplemented with either betaine, C-PC, both, or neither. Compared to the control group, tumour weights and volumes were significantly reduced in either betaine- or C-PC-treated groups and no additional decrease was obtained with the combined treatment. This data indicates that C-PC and betaine alone may efficiently inhibit tumour growth in rats. The synergistic activity of betaine and C-PC on A549 cells growth observedin vitroremains to be further confirmedin vivo.The reason behind the nature of their interaction is yet to be sought.

International audience; This work intends to investigate samarium and holmium complexes with a set of H4dota-analogues bearing methylphosphonate/methylphosphinic acid pendant arms (H5do3ap, H5do3apPrA and H4do3apABn) as new bifunctional ligands for radiolanthanide targeted therapy. Radiolanthanide complexes of these ligands were prepared and evaluated and thermodynamic solution studies were also performed to get a better insight on the radiochemical results. The radiocomplexes were quantitatively prepared, are hydrophilic and negatively charged. They present a high in vitro and in vivo stability, a low plasma protein binding and a rapid clearance from the main organs with a high rate of whole body radioactivity excretion. Stability constants with Sm(III) and Ho(III) were determined by potentiometry and the values found are very high for all the ligands. Actually, they are similar to those of H4dota for the phosphinate analogues and even higher for the phosphonate ligand, being the constants similar to those with other lanthanide(III) ions. The effect of methylphosphorus acid pendant arms functionalization and the use of these ligands as bifunctional chelate agents are discussed. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

International audience; Using autoregressive modeling of discrete signals, we investigate the influence of mass and size on the memory function of a tracer particle immersed in a Lennard-Jones liquid. We find that the memory function of the tracer particle scales with the inverse reduced mass of the simulated system. Increasing the particle's mass leads rapidly to a slow exponential decay of the velocity autocorrelation function, whereas the memory function changes just its amplitude. This effect is the more pronounced the smaller and the heavier the tracer particle is. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.

International audience; The formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (Fpg, MutM) is a bifunctional base excision repair enzyme (DNA glycosylase/AP lyase) that removes a wide range of oxidized purines, such as 8-oxoguanine and imidazole ring-opened purines, from oxidatively damaged DNA. The structure of a non-covalent complex between the Lactoccocus lactis Fpg and a 1,3-propanediol (Pr) abasic site analogue-containing DNA has been solved. Through an asymmetric interaction along the damaged strand and the intercalation of the triad (M75/R109/F111), Fpg pushes out the Pr site from the DNA double helix, recognizing the cytosine opposite the lesion and inducing a 60 degrees bend of the DNA. The specific recognition of this cytosine provides some structural basis for understanding the divergence between Fpg and its structural homologue endo nuclease VIII towards their substrate specificities. In addition, the modelling of the 8-oxoguanine residue allows us to define an enzyme pocket that may accommodate the extrahelical oxidized base.

International audience; For protein-DNA complex crystallization, the choice of the DNA fragment is crucial. With the aim of crystallizing the 31 kDa Fpg DNA-repair enzyme bound to DNA, oligonucleotide duplexes varying in length, sequence, end type and nature of the specific DNA target site were used. Crystals of several protein-DNA combinations grew from solutions containing both polyethylene glycol and salt. This systematic crystallization screening followed by optimization of the crystallization conditions by microseeding led to crystals of Fpg bound to a 13 base-pair duplex DNA carrying the 1,3-propanediol abasic site analogue which are suitable for crystallographic analysis. Complete native data sets have been collected to 2.1 A resolution.

International audience; Radiation damage in DNA is caused mainly by hydroxyl radicals which are generated by ionizing radiation in water and removing hydrogen atoms from the DNA chain. This damage affects certain nucleotide sequences more than others due to differences in the local structure of the DNA chains. This sequence dependence has been analyzed experimentally and calculated theoretically for a rigid DNA model. In this paper we take into account the flexibility of the DNA chain and show how it modifies the strand breakage probabilities. We use a simple harmonic model for DNA flexibility which permits the study of a long (68 base pair) fragment with modest computational effort. The essential influence of flexibility is an increased breakage probability towards the ends of the fragment, which can also be identified in the experimental data.

International audience; The equilibrium behaviour of the bovine phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein (PEBP) has been studied under various conditions of pH, temperature and urea concentration. Far-UV and near-UV CD, fluorescence and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies indicate that, in its native state, PEBP is mainly composed of beta-sheets, with Trp residues mostly localized in a hydrophobic environment; these results suggest that the conformation of PEBP in solution is similar to the three-dimensional structure determined by X-ray crystallography. The pH-induced conformational changes show a transition midpoint at pH 3.0, implying nine protons in the transition. At neutral pH, the thermal denaturation is irreversible due to protein precipitation, whereas at acidic pH values the protein exhibits a reversible denaturation. The thermal denaturation curves, as monitored by CD, fluorescence and differential scanning calorimetry, support a two-state model for the equilibrium and display coincident values with a melting temperature Tm = 54 degrees C, an enthalpy change DeltaH = 119 kcal.mol-1 and a free energy change DeltaG(H2O, 25 degrees C) = 5 kcal.mol-1. The urea-induced unfolding profiles of PEBP show a midpoint of the two-state unfolding transition at 4.8 M denaturant, and the stability of PEBP is 4.5 kcal.mol-1 at 25 degrees C. Moreover, the surface active properties indicate that PEBP is essentially a hydrophilic protein which progressively unfolds at the air/water interface over the course of time. Together, these results suggest that PEBP is well-structured in solution but that its conformation is weakly stable and sensitive to hydrophobic conditions: the PEBP structure seems to be flexible and adaptable to its environment.

International audience; Little information is available correlating the structural properties of peptides with their immunogenicity in terms of responses via cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). The TT-NP6 chimeric peptide, consisting of two copies of a promiscuous T-helper epitope (T: residues 288-302 from the fusion protein of the measles virus) linked to the NP6 T-cytotoxic epitope (NP6: residues 52-60 from the nucleoprotein of measles virus) was able to induce virus-specific CTL responses in the absence of any adjuvant and hydrophobic component. The present work was undertaken to gain insight into structural features of the TT-NP6 peptide that may be important in optimizing the CTL immunogenicity of the peptide. Circular dichroism data, obtained in a buffer of physiological ionic strength and pH, strongly suggest a self-associated state for the peptide, which was confirmed by a sedimentation velocity experiment. However, helix association is accompanied by loss of overall helical content. Thermal-dependence studies show that the unfolding of self-associated alpha-helices is significantly more pronounced than the unfolding of isolated alpha-helices. Circular dichroism data, together with tryptic limited proteolysis, suggest the presence of a charged amino acid within the hydrophobic core. This study should provide a basis for engineering more effective immunogenic peptides against the measles virus by increasing the stability of the TT-NP6 peptide.

Background: The periplasmic protein TolB from Escherichia coli is part of the Tol–PAL (peptidoglycan-associated lipoprotein) multiprotein complex used by group A colicins to penetrate and kill cells. TolB homologues are found in many Gram-negative bacteria and the Tol–PAL system is thought to play a role in bacterial envelope integrity. TolB is required for lethal infection by Salmonella typhimurium in mice. Results: The crystal structure of the selenomethionine-substituted TolB protein from E. coli was solved using multiwavelength anomalous dispersion methods and refined to 1.95 A. TolB has a two-domain structure. The N-terminal domain consists of two α helices, a five-stranded β -sheet floor and a long loop at the back of this floor. The C-terminal domain is a six-bladed β propeller. The small, possibly mobile, contact area (430 A 2 ) between the two domains involves residues from the two helices and the first and sixth blades of the β propeller. All available genomic sequences were used to identify new TolB homologues in Gram-negative bacteria. The TolB structure was then interpreted using the observed conservation pattern. Conclusions: The TolB β -propeller C-terminal domain exhibits sequence similarities to numerous members of the prolyl oligopeptidase family and, to a lesser extent, to class B metallo- β -lactamases. The α / β N-terminal domain shares a structural similarity with the C-terminal domain of transfer RNA ligases. We suggest that the TolB protein might be part of a multiprotein complex involved in the recycling of peptidoglycan or in its covalent linking with lipoproteins.

International audience; Glycofection (transfection by using sugar-substituted polylysine) was assessed in order to provide an alternative to viral vectors for the transfer of genes into vascular smooth muscle cells. A rabbit vascular smooth muscle cell line (Rb-1 cells) was selectively transfected by using glycoplexes (glycosylated polylysine/pSV2LUC complexes) in the presence of 10 mu M of the fusogenic peptide GALA. A sugar-specific transfection was obtained when the glycofection was conducted for 1 h with glycoplexes containing either alpha Gal, alpha -Glc, alpha -GalNAc, beta -GlcNAc, or beta -GalNAc residues. The gene expression was high after transfection, with glycoplexes bearing alpha Gal, alpha -GalNAc, or beta -GalNAc residues that were weakly internalized, and low with glycoplexes carrying Lact or Rha residues that were well taken up by cells. These results suggest that 1) glycofection can be a good approach for a selective transfer of genes intovascular smooth muscle cells, 2) an efficient uptake of the glycoplexes is not the unique limiting step for an efficient transfection, and 3) the sugar-dependent trafficking of the glycoplexes inside the cells may account for the transfection efficiency.

International audience; Thanatin is the first inducible insect peptide that has been found to have, at physiological concentrations, a broad range of activity against bacteria and fungi. Thanatin contains 21 amino acids including two cysteine residues that form a disulfide bridge. Two-dimensional (2D) 1H-NMR spectroscopy and molecular modelling have been used to determine its three-dimensional (3D) structure in water. Thanatin adopts a well-defined anti-parallel beta-sheet structure from residue 8 to the C-terminus, including the disulfide bridge. In spite of the presence of two proline residues, there is a large degree of structural variability in the N-terminal segment. The structure of thanatin is quite different from the known structures of other insect defence peptides, such as antibacterial defensin and antifungal drosomycin. It has more similarities with the structures of various peptides from different origins, such as brevinins, protegrins and tachyplesins, which have a two-stranded beta-sheet stabilized by one or two disulfide bridges. Combined with activity test experiments on several truncated isoforms of thanatin, carried out by Fehlbaum et al. [Fehlbaum, P., Bulet, P., Chernysh, S., Briand, J. P., Roussel, J. P., Letellier, L., Hétru, C. & Hoffmann, J. (1996) Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 93, 1221-1225], our structural study evidences the importance of the beta-sheet structure and also suggests that anti-Gram-negative activity involves a site formed by the Arg20 side-chain embedded in a hydrophobic cluster.

International audience; Lectins are present on the surface of many cells. Many lectins actively recycle from membrane to endosomes and efficiently take up glycoconjugates in a sugar-dependent manner. On this basis, glycoconjugates, specially those obtained by chemical means, are good candidates as carriers of drugs, oligonucleotides or genes. In this paper, we present a panel of methods suitable to transform unprotected reducing oligosaccharides into glycosynthons designed to be easily linked to therapeutic agents. All the glycosynthons presented here are glycosylamines or derivatives, mainly glyco-amino acids or glycopeptides. Glycosylamines are easy to obtain, but they are very labile in slightly acidic or neutral medium; they must be stabilized, by acylation for instance. The coupling efficiency of a reducing sugar with ammonia as well as an alkylamine or an arylamine is higher at high temperature, however, because of the Amadori rearrangement, special conditions have to be selected to prepare the expected glycosylamine derivative with a high yield. Glycosylamines are easily acylated by N-protected amino acids, or by halogeno acids which can then be transformed into amino acids. Alternatively, unprotected reducing oligosaccharides may very efficiently be transformed into N-glycosyl-amino acids and then protected by N-acylation. With a glutamyl derivative having both the alpha-amino and the gamma-carboxylic groups free, the coupling and the acylation, which is intramolecular, are roughly quantitative. N-oligosaccharyl-amino acid derivatives are interesting glycosynthons, because their sugar moiety bears the specificity towards membrane lectins while the amino acid part has the capacity to easily substitute a therapeutic agent.

International audience

International audience; Dimerization models of c-erbB2 transmembrane domains (Leu651-Ile675) are studied by molecular mechanics and molecular dynamics simulations. Both wild and Glu mutated transmembrane helices exhibit the same relative orientation for favorable associations and dimerize preferentially in left-handed coiled-coil structures. The mutation point 659 belongs to the interfacing residues, and in the transforming domain, symmetric hydrogen bonds between Glu carboxylic groups stabilize the dimeric structure. The same helix packing found for the wild dimers, except side-chain-side-chain hydrogen bonds, suggests that the transmembrane domains dimerize according to similar process. Structural and energetical characterization of the models are presented.

International audience; Colicins use two envelope multiprotein systems to reach their cellular target in susceptible cells of Escherichia coli: the Tol system for group A colicins and the TonB system for group B colicins. The N-terminal domain of colicins is involved in the translocation step. To determine whether it interacts in vivo with proteins of the translocation system, constructs were designed to produce and export to the cell periplasm the N-terminal domains of colicin E3 (group A) and colicin B (group B). Producing cells became specifically tolerant to entire extracellular colicins of the same group. The periplasmic N-terminal domains therefore compete with entire colicins for proteins of the translocation system and thus interact in situ with these proteins on the inner side of the outer membrane. In vivo cross-linking and co-immunoprecipitation experiments in cells producing the colicin E3 N-terminal domain demonstrated the existence of a 120 kDa complex containing the colicin domain and TolB. After in vitro cross-linking experiments with these two purified proteins, a 120 kDa complex was also obtained. This suggests that the complex obtained in vivo contains exclusively TolB and the colicin E3 domain. The N-terminal domain of a translocation-defective colicin E3 mutant was found to no longer interact with TolB. Hence, this interaction must play an important role in colicin E3 translocation.

International audience; AIMS:Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1, HMOX1) can prevent tumor initiation; while in various tumors, it has been demonstrated to promote growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Here, we investigated whether HMOX1 can modulate microRNAs (miRNAs) and regulate human non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) development.RESULTS:Stable HMOX1 overexpression in NSCLC NCI-H292 cells up-regulated tumor-suppressive miRNAs, whereas it significantly diminished the expression of oncomirs and angiomirs. The most potently down-regulated was miR-378. HMOX1 also up-regulated p53, down-regulated angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) and mucin-5AC (MUC5AC), reduced proliferation, migration, and diminished angiogenic potential. Carbon monoxide was a mediator of HMOX1 effects on proliferation, migration, and miR-378 expression. In contrast, stable miR-378 overexpression decreased HMOX1 and p53; while enhanced expression of MUC5AC, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and Ang-1, and consequently increased proliferation, migration, and stimulation of endothelial cells. Adenoviral delivery of HMOX1 reversed miR-378 effect on the proliferation and migration of cancer cells. In vivo, HMOX1 overexpressing tumors were smaller, less vascularized and oxygenated, and less metastatic. Overexpression of miR-378 exerted opposite effects. Accordingly, in patients with NSCLC, HMOX1 expression was lower in metastases to lymph nodes than in primary tumors.INNOVATION AND CONCLUSION:In vitro and in vivo data indicate that the interplay between HMOX1 and miR-378 significantly modulates NSCLC progression and angiogenesis, suggesting miR-378 as a new therapeutic target. REBOUND TRACK: This work was rejected during standard peer review and rescued by Rebound Peer Review (Antioxid Redox Signal 16, 293-296, 2012) with the following serving as open reviewers: James F. George, Mahin D. Maines, Justin C. Mason, and Yasufumi Sato.

International audience; Diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)–bisamide derivatives functionalized with p‐toluidine, 6‐aminocoumarin, 1‐naphthalene methylamine and 4‐ethynylaniline were synthesized and fully characterized by mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. LnIII complexes (Ln = Gd, Eu, Tb, Y) of the ligands DTPA–bis‐p‐toluidineamide (DTPA–BTolA), DTPA–bis‐6‐coumarinamide (DTPA–BCoumA), DTPA–bis‐1‐naphthylmethylamide (DTPA–BNaphA) and DTPA–bis‐4‐ethynylphenylamide (DTPA–BEthA) were prepared and studied for their bimodal magnetic resonance imaging/optical properties. EuIII and TbIII derivatives in aqueous solutions exhibit characteristic red and green emission, respectively, with quantum yields of 0.73 % for EuIII–DTPA–BNaphA and 2.5 % for TbIII–DTPA–BEthA. Ligand‐centred photophysical properties of the GdIII complexes were investigated to gain insight into energy‐transfer processes that take place in these systems. The GdIII complexes were also analyzed by nuclear magnetic relaxation dispersion (NMRD) techniques. The relaxivity (r1) at 20 MHz and 310 K equals 4.1 s–1 mM–1 for Gd–DTPA–BTolA, 5.1 s–1 mM–1 for Gd–DTPA–BCoumA, 6.4 s–1 mM–1 for Gd–DTPA–BNaphA and 5.7 s–1 mM–1 for Gd–DTPA–BEthA. These values are higher than the value of 3.8 s–1 mM–1 for Gd–DTPA (Magnevist). The improved relaxivity is due to the increase in the rotational tumbling time τR with a factor of 1.6 for Gd–DTPA–BTolA, 2.1 for Gd–DTPA–BCoumA, 3.1 for Gd–DTPA–BNaphA and 6.5 for Gd–DTPA–BEthA. In a 4 % human serum albumin solution, the apparent relaxivity at 20 MHz increases to values of 13.9 and 19.1 s–1 mM–1 for Gd–DTPA–BNaphA and Gd–DTPA–BEthA, respectively. All these features assist the search for optimal bimodal optical and magnetic resonance imaging probes.

International audience; In order to elucidate the role of protein tyrosine phosphorylation involved in various intracellular signaling pathways, peptides containing O-phosphotyrosine have been developed. However, in order to improve the stability of the phosphorylated amino acid, we have designed some years ago a hydrolytically stable analogue, the 4-(phosphonomethyl)phenylalanine (Pmp). Introduced in peptide sequences, this residue, which is resistant to phosphatase action, was shown also able to inhibit substrate recognition by protein targets. With the aim to design peptidomimetics endowed with improved affinity and selectivity, we report in this study the synthesis of five new sterically hindered amino acids derived from Pmp. These modifications include α-methyl, β-methyl, β,β-dimethyl substitutions, α,β-cyclization of Pmp and methyl substitution on the phosphomomethyl group of Pmp.

International audience; We describe the secondary structure and the overall fold of toxin III from the venom of the scorpion Leiurus quinquestriatus quinquestriatus determined using two-dimensional-1H-NMR spectroscopy. This protein, which contains 64 amino acids and 4 disulfide bridges, belongs to the long-chain toxin category and is highly toxic to both mammals and insects. The overall fold was determined on the basis of 1208 inter-proton-distance restraints derived from NOE measurements and 90 psi, phi dihedral-angle restraints derived from NOE connectivities and 3JNH-alphaH coupling constants using the HABAS program. This fold, which mainly consists of an alpha-helix packed against a small antiparallel three-stranded beta-sheet, and of several turns and loops, is similar to that of other long-chain scorpion toxins. Aromatic and non-polar residues form several patches on the surface of the protein which alternate with patches of charged and polar residues. Such a topology should be important in the interactions of toxin III with sodium channels in membranes. Two weakly constrained loops introduce some flexibility to the structure which could be related to the activity of this toxin. The central core of toxin III is compared with the cysteine-stabilized alpha beta motif (an alpha-helix connected to a beta-sheet through two disulfide bridges) found in insect defensins and plant thionins. Defensins and thionins are small proteins (approximately 40--50 amino acid residues) containing three or four disulfide bridges, respectively. This comparison confirms that the cysteine-stabilized alpha beta motif is a common core to a number of small proteins from different origins and having different activities.

International audience; The lanthanide(III) complexes formed with the tri‐ and tetraacetate derivatives of bis(aminomethyl)phosphinic acid, L1 and L2, respectively, have been studied by pH potentiometry, spectrophotometry and 1H and 17O NMR spectroscopy. L1 forms [Ln(L1)]–, [Ln(L1)2]4–, protonated [Ln(HL1)] and Ln(H2L1)]+, and [Ln(L1)(OH)]2– hydroxido complexes. Heptadentate L2 forms [Ln(L2)]2– and protonated [Ln(HL2)]– and [Ln(H2L2)] complexes in solution and it shows a strong propensity to form [Ln2(L2)]+ dinuclear complexes, which has not been observed previously. The stability constants (log KLnL) of the complexes increase in the order [Ln(L1)]– < [Ln(L2)]2– following the order of increasing number of acetate pendants attached to the bis(aminomethyl)phosphinic acid (BAP) backbone. Within the LnIII series, the log KLnL values increase from La3+ to Gd3+ and remain practically constant for the heavier lanthanides. Despite the lower basicity, the ligands that contain a phosphinate group generally form similar (L1) or more stable (L2) Ln3+ complexes than the structurally similar N‐benzylethylenediamine‐N,N′,N′‐triacetic acid (L3) and propylenediamine‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetraacetic acid (L4), respectively. This indicates that the hard phosphinate group may be coordinated to the Ln3+ ions in the complexes, whereas the larger negative charge of the BAP derivatives may also have an extra stabilizing effect. The kinetic inertness of [Ln(L1)] and [Ln(L2)] is lower than that of similar [Ln(EDTA)]– (EDTA = ethylenediamine‐N,N,N′,N′‐tetraacetic acid), but the rate constants that characterize the dissociation of [Ln(L2)]2– are at least two orders of magnitude lower than those obtained for [Ln(L4)]–. Variable‐temperature 17O transverse and longitudinal relaxation rates and NMR spectroscopic chemical shifts have been measured to assess the water exchange and rotational dynamics of [Gd(L2)]. The chemical shifts evidenced monohydration of the complex. The water exchange rate, kex298 = (2.7 ± 0.4) × 107 s–1 is about ten times higher than that of [Ln(DTPA)]2– (DTPA = diethylenetriamine‐N,N,N′,N″,N″‐pentaacetic acid). The rotational correlation time, τRO298 = 270 ± 30 ps, is long considering the small size of the chelate, which points to aggregation in aqueous solution, in accordance with the high value of the proton relaxivity measured.

International audience; When Bacillus subtilis S 499 was grown on a culture medium containing L-alanine as nitrogen source, a mixture of surfactins was obtained. Suitable chromatographic conditions allowed the separation of isoforms. Among these compounds, a new variant of surfactin was isolated and its structure was established by chemical and spectrometric methods, especially by NMR spectrometry. It contains a peptide sequence which differs from that of standard surfactin by the replacement of the L-valine residue by L-alanine residue in position 4. The folding mode of [Ala4]surfactin as deduced from NMR results was compared with that of standard surfactin and the structure/properties relationship issuing from the study of this new isoform is discussed.

International audience

International audience; Botulinum neurotoxin type B causes the inhibition of acetylcholine release at the neuromuscular junction resulting in a flaccid paralysis designated botulism. This occurs through the cleavage of synaptobrevin, an intracellular critical component of neurotransmitter exocytosis, by the zinc-metallopeptidase activity of the smallest subunit of the toxin. Blocking the proteolytic activity may present an attractive approach to treat botulism as to date there is no efficient specific drug therapy available. We have therefore recently described a series of beta-amino-thiol derived pseudotripeptides able of inhibiting the toxin at low (10(-8) M) concentration. In this study, binding characteristics of the protein's active site are explored through various structural modifications of the thiol functionality which was supposed to be a key structural constituent for effective zinc-ion chelation. Surprisingly, sulfanyl-derivatives such as symmetric disulfides were shown to be better inhibitors than their thiol-counterparts, the most potent compound displaying a Ki value of 3.4 nM.

International audience; Botulinum neurotoxins are the most potent toxins known to date. They are zinc-metalloproteases able to cleave selectively an essential component of neurotransmitter exocytosis, causing the syndrome of botulism characterized by a flaccid paralysis. There is a great interest in designing antagonists of the action of these toxins. One way is to inhibit their catalytic activity. In this study, we report the design of such inhibitors directed toward BoNT/B. A study of the S(1) subsite specificity, using several beta-amino thiols, has shown that this subsite prefers a p-carboxybenzyl moiety. The specificity of the S(1)' and S(2)' subsites was studied using two libraries of pseudotripeptides containing the S(1) synthon derived from the best beta-amino thiol tested. Finally, a selection of various non natural amino acids for the recognition of the "prime" domain led to the most potent inhibitor of BoNT/B described to date with a K(i) value of 20 nM.

International audience; The Escherichia coli histone-like HU protein pool is composed of three dimeric forms: two homodimers, EcHUalpha(2) and EcHUbeta(2), and a heterodimer, EcHUalphabeta. The relative abundance of these dimeric forms varies during cell growth and in response to environmental changes, suggesting that each dimer plays different physiological roles. Here, differential scanning calorimetry and circular dichroism (CD) were used to study the thermal stability of the three E.coli HU dimers and show that each of them has its own thermodynamic signature. Unlike the other HU proteins studied so far, which melt through a single step (N(2)2D), this present thermodynamic study shows that the three E.coli dimers melt according to a two-step mechanism (N(2)I(2)2D). The native dimer, N(2), melts partially into a dimeric intermediate, I(2), which in turn yields the unfolded monomers, D. In addition, the crystal structure of the EcHUalpha(2) dimer has been solved. Comparative thermodynamic and structural analysis between EcHUalpha(2) and the HU homodimer from Bacillus stearothermophilus suggests that the E.coli dimer is constituted by two subdomains of different energetic properties. The CD study indicates that the intermediate, I(2), corresponds to an HU dimer having partly lost its alpha-helices. The partially unfolded dimer I(2) is unable to complex with high-affinity, single-stranded break-containing DNA. These structural, thermodynamic and functional results suggest that the N(2)I(2) equilibrium plays a central role in the physiology of E.coli HU. The I(2) molecular species seems to be the EcHUbeta(2) preferential conformation, possibly related to its role in the E.coli cold-shock adaptation. Besides, I(2) might be required in E.coli for the HU chain exchange, which allows the heterodimer formation from homodimers.

International audience; The protein DSP1 belongs to the group of HMG-box proteins, which share the common structural feature of the HMG-box. This approximately 80 amino acid long motif binds DNA via the minor groove. DSP1 was discovered as a transcriptional co-repressor of Dorsal in Drosophila melanogaster and then was shown to participate to the remodeling of chromatin. By means of sequence alignment and gene organization, DSP1 was classified as the fly homologue of the vertebrate proteins HMGB1/2. DSP1 contains two HMG boxes flanked by two glutamine-rich domains at the N-terminus. In addition, the HMG domain of DSP1 displays two differences in its primary sequence as compared to the vertebrate HMGB1: a shorter acidic tail and a linker between the two boxes longer by 6 amino acids. By comparing several functional parameters of DSP1 with those of HMGB1, the present study establishes the functional equivalence of both proteins in terms of DNA recognition. The major structural difference between the two proteins, the glutamine-rich N-terminal tail of DSP1, which does not exist in HMGB1, did not interfere with any of the studied DNA-binding properties of the proteins.

Magnetic resonance imaging is one of the most efficient diagnostic modalities in clinical radiology and biomedical research. To enhance image contrast, paramagnetic complexes, mainly Gd3+ chelates, are used. Today, around one third of all medical MR images are generated with the use of a contrast medium and this number is expected to increase with the development of new applications and new agents. Recently, molecular imaging has emerged as a new area aiming at non-invasive visualisation of expression and function of bioactive molecules at the cellular level. Since any molecular imaging application requires a specific imaging probe, new chemical approaches become increasingly important. In this chapter, we discuss first proton relaxivity, the parameter that directly translates to the effectiveness of an MRI contrast agent. Many microscopic factors, including the hydration number, the water exchange rate, the rotational dynamics, as well as the electron spin relaxation, influence proton relaxivity for Gd3+ complexes. We show how the structure, the charge or the size of the chelate affects these factors. We also review the different strategies derived to obtain high-relaxivity probes. Non-toxicity of these agents is primordial for their application; therefore we also address the main physico-chemical aspects related to the in vivo stability of Gd3+-based agents, such as thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness. The second part of the chapter is devoted to new-generation MRI contrast media, such as smart or responsive contrast agents that are capable of reporting on the physico-chemical environment in tissues. Among the huge number of systems reported in the field of smart MRI probes, we focus only on sensing of pH, redox state and metal ions. Many pathologies, such as stroke, infections, kidney disease and cancer are associated with significant pH variations. Accurate, high resolution, in vivo MRI pH mapping would be of great interest not only for diagnostic purposes but also for monitoring disease progression, choice and response to therapy. The partial oxygen pressure, pO2, is also significant in metabolic processes of cells, and its variation from normal values often indicates pathologies (ischemic diseases, strokes, tumors). As for metal ions, several of them play a crucial role in biological processes, whereas others are toxic. Alteration of the metal concentration in the body can often be correlated to disease states. Our objective here is to illustrate, via a few selected examples of Gd3+-based or Paramagnetic Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (PARACEST) agents, the major design principles in coordination chemistry to derive smart MRI probes using lanthanide complexes.

International audience; The DNA mismatch repair (MMR) system plays a critical role in sensitizing both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells to the clinically potent anticancer drug cisplatin. It is thought to mediate cytotoxicity through recognition of cisplatin DNA lesions. This drug generates a range of lesions that may also give rise to compound lesions resulting from the misincorporation of a base during translesion synthesis. Using gel mobility shift competition assays and surface plasmon resonance, we have analyzed the interaction of Escherichia coli MutS protein with site-specifically modified DNA oligonucleotides containing each of the four cisplatin cross-links or a set of compound lesions. The major 1,2-d(GpG) cisplatin intrastrand cross-link was recognized with only a 1.5-fold specificity, whereas a 47-fold specificity was found with a natural G/T containing DNA substrate. The rate of association, kon, for binding to the 1,2-d(GpG) adduct was 3.1 × 104 m-1 s-1 and the specificity of binding was essentially dependent on koff. DNA duplexes containing a single 1,2-d(ApG), 1,3-d(GpCpG) adduct, and an interstrand cross-link of cisplatin were not preferentially recognized. Among 12 DNA substrates, each containing a different cisplatin compound lesion derived from replicative misincorporation of one base opposite either of the 1,2-intrastrand adducts, 10 were specifically recognized including those that are more likely formed in vivo based on cisplatin mutation spectra. Moreover, among these lesions, two compound lesions formed when an adenine was misincorporated opposite a 1,2-d(GpG) adduct were not substrates for the MutY-dependent mismatch repair pathway. The ability of MutS to sense differentially various platinated DNA substrates suggests that cisplatin compound lesions formed during misincorporation of a base opposite either adducted base of both 1,2-intrastrand cross-links are more plausible critical lesions for MMR-mediated cisplatin cytotoxicity.

International audience; Some G-protein-coupled receptors display constitutive activity, that is spontaneous activity in the absence of agonist: a proportion of the receptor population adopts a conformation that can bind and activate G proteins. Whereas this was mainly shown to occur with recombinant or pathologically mutated receptors, the physiological relevance of the process has remained debated. We have adressed this question in the case of the histamine H3 receptor, a presynaptic inhibitory receptor regulating histamine release in brain. Having identified a neutral antagonist and inverse agonists with variable intrinsic activity, we show that the native H3 receptor in brain displays high constitutive activity in vitro and, in vivo, controls the release of endogenous histamine. This implies that inverse agonists with high intrinsic activity should be preferred for therapeutic application as "cognitive enhancers" in several psychiatric disorders.

International audience; For many years, and even now, the lac operon of Escherichia coli has been a model for gene regulation. The lac repressor is a tetrameric protein that binds strongly the lac operator and the affinity of which is modulated by an inducer molecule. The lac repressor–lac operator complex was the first nucleic acid–protein complex studied with success by NMR. The NMR studies began in 1973 and gave publications until now. 1H, 13C, 15N, 19F, 31P NMR and photo-CIDNP studies increased progressively the level of understanding of the system during these decades. At first, it appeared to be possible to duplicate the basic lac repressor–lac operator interaction by using a smaller protein: the lac repressor N-terminal fragment. In 1987, the Kaptein's group reported the first model of interaction where the motif helix-turn-helix plays a central role in the recognition process of the large groove of the operator by the protein. Later, heteronuclear NMR studies refined the NMR solution structure of both free protein and complexed protein. 13C and 15N relaxation rate measurements showed dynamic processes in both nucleic acid and protein moieties during the complexation. By studying a larger headpiece (1-62) Kaptein's group showed the fundamental role played by the hinge helix, which interacts, in the minor groove of the DNA. The protection factor of a dimeric lac repressor headpiece mutant, which has a high affinity for DNA, was measured and used to qualify the folding of this protein during the complexation. The role played by the asymmetry of the lac operator was studied and explained. NMR studies allowed proposing a scheme to explain the loss in affinity of the lac repressor for its operator when binding to an inducer molecule. Comparison of these data with crystal structures showed that, until now, the more detailed view of the lac repressor–lac operator interaction comes from NMR studies. The NMR solution structures and the dynamic processes revealed by relaxation are in agreement with all the genetic and biochemical data.

International audience; A new method is described for building up anomeric glycosyl sulfoxides, via the formation of transient glycosulfenic acids and their addition to unsaturated acceptors. Thermolysis of alpha- and beta-3-[(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-D-glucopyranosyl)sulfinyl]propanenitriles affords 1-glucosulfenic acids, which are reacted in situ with common substituted alkynes. The obtained (R(S),E)-2-[(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)sulfinyl]-2-butendioates are involved as enantiopure sulfinyl dienophiles in Diels-Alder reactions with 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene to evaluate the role that the sugar moiety plays in the steric control of the cycloaddition. This chemistry provides a direct synthetic strategy for the stereocontrolled connection between thioglycon and aglycon moieties, thus offering the basis for an easy elaboration of new molecules incorporating thiosugar residues.

International audience; The formation of vasoconstrictors (e.g., angiotensin II and endothelin) and the inactivation of vasodilators (e.g., bradykinin and atrial natriuretic) by membrane-bound zinc metallopeptidases are key mechanisms in the control of blood pressure and fluid homeostasis. The way in which these peptides modulate physiological functions has been intensively studied. With the aim to develop compounds that can jointly block the three metallopeptidases-neutral endopeptidase (NEP, neprilysin), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), and endothelin-converting enzyme (ECE-1)-we studied the common structural specificity of the S1' subsites of these peptidases. Various mercaptoacyl amino acids of the general formula HS-CH2-CH(R1')CO-Trp-OH, possessing more or less constrained R1' side chains, were designed. The mercapto-acyl synthons contain one or two asymmetrical centers. The K(i) values of the separated stereoisomers of the most efficient inhibitors were used to determine the stereochemical preference of each enzyme. A guideline for the joint inhibition of the three peptidases was obtained with the (2R,3R) isomer of compound 13b. Its K(i) values on NEP, ACE, and ECE were 0.7, 43, and 26 nM, respectively.

International audience; Nucleic acids transfer into mammalian cells requires devices to improve their escape from endocytic vesicles where they are mainly confined following cellular uptake. In this review, we describe histidine-rich molecules that enable the transfer of plasmid and oligonucleotides (ODN) in human and non-human cultured cells. An histidine-rich peptide which permeabilizes biological membrane at pH 6.4, favored the transfection mediated by lactosylated polylysine/pDNA complexes. Histidylated polylysine forms cationic particles of 100 nm with a plasmid and yielded a transfection of 3-4.5 orders of magnitude higher than polylysine. The biological activity of antisense ODN was increased more than 20-fold when it was complexed with highly histidylated oligolysine into small cationic spherical particles of 35 nm. Evidence that imidazole protonation mediates the effect of these molecules in endosomes are provided. We also describe a disulfide-containing polylysine conjugate capable of mediating DNA unpackaging in a reductive medium and to increase the transfection efficiency. Overall, these molecules constitute interesting devices for developing non-viral gene delivery systems.

International audience; Animals vaccinated with heat shock protein (HSP)--peptide complexes develop specific protective immunity against cancers from which the HSPs were originally isolated. This autologous specific immunity has been demonstrated using a number of HSP--peptide antigen complexes. A prototypical HSP-based cancer vaccine is the gp96--peptide antigen complex, which is currently undergoing human clinical trials. Here, we analyzed the structure of a recombinant wild-type and a mutant gp96 protein and their peptide complexes using a number of biophysical techniques. Gel filtration chromatography, dynamic light scattering, and equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation demonstrated that both a wild-type gp96 and a gp96 mutant lacking a dimerization domain formed higher order structures. More detailed analysis using scanning transmission electron microscopy indicated that both the wild-type and dimerization deletion mutant gp96 protein were organized, unexpectedly, into large aggregates. Size distributions ranged from dimers to octamers and higher. Circular dichroism and intrinsic Trp fluorescence suggested that the gp96 dimerization domain deletion mutant protein was more compact than the wild-type gp96. A fluorescent peptide antigen was synthesized, and the peptide-binding properties of wild-type and the dimerization domain deletion mutant gp96 were studied. Fluorescence lifetime and anisotropy decay showed that the bound antigenic peptide was located in a hydrophobic pocket, with considerable free space for the rotation of the probe. Deletion of the dimerization domain affected the peptide-binding microenvironment, although peptide-binding affinity was reduced by only a small extent. Peptide--gp96 complexes were extremely stable, persisting for many days in the cold. The extraordinary stability of peptide--gp96 complexes and the plasticity of the peptide-binding pocket support the proposed relay of diverse peptides to MHC and/or other molecules via molecular recognition.

International audience; Erratum to: ‘‘Interstrand cross-links of cisplatin induce striking distortions in DNA’’ [J. Inorg. Biochem. 77 (1999) 23–29]

The hydration state of a series of [Ln(DO2A)(H2O)n]+ complexes in aqueous solution at pH = 6.4-7.0 was studied by measuring the lanthanide-induced 17O shifts (LIS) of water [Ln includes elements from Ce to Yb; DO2A = 1,7-bis(carboxymethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane]. Their contact contribution, obtained from Reilley plots, indicated a decrease in the inner-sphere water coordination number of the [Ln(DO2A)(H2O)n]+ complexes from n = 3 (Ce-Eu), to n = 2 (Tb-Yb). A temperature-dependent UV/Vis absorption study of the 578-582 nm 7F0 rarr 5D0 transition band of [Eu(DO2A)(H2O)n]+ in aqueous solution showed that this complex is present in an equilibrium between eight- and nine-coordinate species with n = 2 and n = 3, respectively. The hydration equilibrium parameters (2 harr 3), K2-3298 = 4.0 ± 0.2, ΔH2-30 = -12.1 ± 1 kJ mol-1 and ΔS2-30 = -28.9 ± 3 J mol-1 K-1,correspond to an average hydration number of 2.65-2.85 in the temperature range 273-363 K. A variable temperature, multiple field 17O NMR study combined with direct EPR measurements of the transverse electronic relaxation rates has been used to obtain the parameters characterizing water exchange, rotation and electronic relaxation, all influencing the proton relaxivity of [Gd(DO2A)(H2O)2-3]+. The small increase in the water exchange rate of [Gd(DO2A)(H2O)2-3]+ (kex298 = (10 ± 5) × 106s-1) relative to that of[Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]- (4.8 × 106 s-1) is a consequence of an unfavorable interplay of charge and hydration equilibria. The value of τR298 = 40 ± 1 ps is short, and the electronic relaxation rate (1/T2e asymp 1.2 × 1010 s-1) is fast relative to [Gd(DOTA)(H2O)]- (1.3-2.4 × 109 s-1 for B = 0.34 T). These parameters negate to some extent the expected increase in proton relaxivity of the [Gd(DO2A)(H2O)2-3]+ complex.

International audience; The Ogg1 protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae belongs to a family of DNA glycosylases and apurinic/apyrimidinic site (AP) lyases, the signature of which is the alpha-helix-hairpin-alpha-helix-Gly/Pro-Asp (HhH-GPD) active site motif together with a conserved catalytic lysine residue, to which we refer as the HhH-GPD/K family. In the yeast Ogg1 protein, yOgg1, the HhH-GPD/K motif spans residues 225-260 and the conserved lysine is K241. In this study, we have purified the K241R and K241Q mutant proteins and compared their catalytic and DNA binding properties to that of the wild-type yOgg1. The results show that the K241R mutation greatly impairs both the DNA glycosylase and the AP lyase activities of yOgg1. Specificity constants for cleavage of a 34mer oligodeoxyribonucleotide containing a 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-OxoG) paired with a cytosine, [8-OxoG.C], are 56 x 10(-)(3) and 5 x 10(-)(3) min(-)(1) nM(-)(1) for the wild-type and the K241R protein, respectively. On the other hand, the K241Q mutation abolishes the DNA glycosylase and AP lyase activities of yOgg1. In contrast, the K241R and K241Q proteins have conserved wild-type DNA binding properties. K(dapp) values for binding of [8-OxoG.C] are 6.9, 7.4, and 4.8 nM for the wild-type, K241R, and K241Q proteins, respectively. The results also show that AP site analogues such as 1, 3-propanediol (Pr), tetrahydrofuran (F), or cyclopentanol (Cy) are not substrates but constitute good inhibitors of the wild-type yOgg1. Therefore, we have used a 59mer [Pr.C] duplex to further analyze the DNA binding properties of the wild-type, K241R, and K241Q proteins. Hydroxyl radical footprints of the wild-type yOgg1 show strong protection of six nucleotides centered around the Pr lesion in the damaged strand. On the complementary strand, only the cytosine placed opposite Pr was strongly protected. The same footprints were observed with the K241R and K241Q proteins, confirming their wild-type DNA binding properties. These results indicate that the K241Q mutant protein can be used to study interactions between yOgg1 and DNA containing metabolizable substrates such as 8-OxoG or an AP site.

International audience; We have designed histidylated oligolysines which increase the uptake, the cytosolic delivery and the nuclear accumulation of antisense oligonucleotides (ODN). Flow cytometry analysis showed a 10-fold enhancement of the ODN uptake in the presence of histidylated oligolysines. The intracellular localizations of fluorescein-labeled ODN and of rhodamine-labeled histidylated oligolysines were investigated by confocal microscopy. Histidylated oligolysines favor the cyto-solic delivery of ODN from endosomes and increase their nuclear accumulation. In contrast, in their absence fluorescent ODN were not observed inside the nucleus but were distributed overwhelmingly within the vesicles in the cytosol. In addition, histidylated oligolysines yielded a more than 20-fold enhancement of the biological activity of antisense ODN towards the inhibition of transient as well as constitutive gene expression. Prevention of endosome lumen acidification using bafilomycin A(1)abolished the effect of histidylated oligolysines, suggesting that protonation of the histidyl residues was involved in the transmembrane passage of ODN.

The homodimeric form α2 of the Escherichia coli DNA-binding protein HU was crystallized by the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method using PEG 4000 as a precipitant. The crystals belong to space group I222, with unit-cell parameters a = 31.09, b = 55.34, c = 117.63 Å, and contain one monomer per asymmetric unit. A full diffraction data set was collected to 2.3 Å resolution on a conventional X-ray source. The molecular-replacement method, using the HU crystallographic model from Bacillus stearothermophilus as a starting point, gave a reliable solution for the rotation and translation functions.

International audience; Oregon Green 514, with high photostability and a pKa of 4.8, is suitable for imaging applications. Labeling of peptide-bound resin with the carboxylic acid form was optimized. Peptide conjugation resulted in altered fluorescence properties of the dye including a quenching of the intensity compared with that in aqueous buffers with a slight red-shift of the emission maximum.