Prevalence of HIV and HCV infections in two populations of Malian women and serological assays performances

in World Journal of Hepatology (2012)

Study of HCV and HIV infections in Mali: Comparative Epidemiology and Risk Factors

Poster (2012)

Determination of the biological function of the Varicella Zoster Virus ORF9p

Poster (2011, July)

NF-kappaB inhibition improves the sensitivity of human glioblastoma cells to 5-aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy.

in Biochemical Pharmacology (2011)

Glioblastoma constitute the most frequent and deadliest brain tumors of astrocytic origin. They are very resistant to all current therapies and are associated with a huge rate of recurrence. In most cases ... [more ▼]

Glioblastoma constitute the most frequent and deadliest brain tumors of astrocytic origin. They are very resistant to all current therapies and are associated with a huge rate of recurrence. In most cases, this type of tumor is characterized by a constitutive activation of the nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB). This factor is known to be a key regulator of various physiological processes such as inflammation, immune response, cell growth or apoptosis. In the present study, we explored the role of NF-kappaB activation in the sensitivity of human glioblastoma cells to a treatment by 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-based photodynamic therapy (PDT). 5-ALA is a physiological compound widely used in PDT as well as in tumor photodetection (PDD). Our results show that inhibition of NF-kappaB improves glioblastoma cell death in response to 5-ALA-PDT. We then studied the molecular mechanisms underlying the cell death induced by PDT combined or not with NF-kappaB inhibition. We found that apoptosis was induced by PDT but in an incomplete manner and that, unexpectedly, NF-kappaB inhibition reduced its level. Oppositely PDT mainly induces necrosis in glioblastoma cells and NF-kappaB is found to have anti-necrotic functions in this context. The autophagic flux was also enhanced as a result of 5-ALA-PDT and we demonstrate that stimulation of autophagy acts as a pro-survival mechanism confering protection against PDT-mediated necrosis. These data point out that 5-ALA-PDT has an interesting potential as a mean to treat glioblastoma and that inhibition of NF-kappaB renders glioblastoma cells more sensitive to the treatment. [less ▲]

How to monitor NF-kappaB activation after photodynamic therapy.

in Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.) (2010), 635

The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is a multipotent factor involved in many cellular processes such as inflammation, immune response and embryonic development and it can be activated by a large number ... [more ▼]

The nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is a multipotent factor involved in many cellular processes such as inflammation, immune response and embryonic development and it can be activated by a large number of stimuli. Consequently, this transcription factor plays a pivotal role in many natural processes but also in different pathologies. For several years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as an attractive alternative approach for the treatment of different affections involving various forms of cancer and an increasing number of reports have highlighted the activation of the NF-kappaB following PDT treatment. Furthermore, it has been shown that the mechanism of activation of the NF-kappaB as well as its target genes depends on the nature of the photosensitizers and the cell type used. As this transcription factor is known to be a key regulator of the immune response but also controls cell survival and proliferation, it is important to assess its activation status and its impact on the target genes. In this review, we will present different techniques allowing identification of the activation status of this factor, from the degradation of its inhibitor in the cytoplasm to its ability to induce the expression of a reporter gene under the control of a target promoter. As a working model we will present results obtained from a 5-aminolevulinic acid-PDT treatment on cervix adenocarcinoma cells. [less ▲]

5-ALA based PDT and NF-kB inhibitors on human glioblastoma cell survival

Poster (2009, April)

The varicella-zoster virus immediate-early 63 protein affects chromatin-controlled gene transcription in a cell-type dependent manner.

in BMC Molecular Biology (2007), 8

Varicella Zoster Virus Immediate Early 63 protein (IE63) has been shown to be essential for VZV replication, and critical for latency establishment. The activity of the protein as a transcriptional ... [more ▼]

Varicella Zoster Virus Immediate Early 63 protein (IE63) has been shown to be essential for VZV replication, and critical for latency establishment. The activity of the protein as a transcriptional regulator is not fully clear yet. Using transient transfection assays, IE63 has been shown to repress viral and cellular promoters containing typical TATA boxes by interacting with general transcription factors. In this paper, IE63 regulation properties on endogenous gene expression were evaluated using an oligonucleotide-based micro-array approach. We found that IE63 modulates the transcription of only a few genes in HeLa cells including genes implicated in transcription or immunity. Furthermore, we showed that this effect is mediated by a modification of RNA POL II binding on the promoters tested and that IE63 phosphorylation was essential for these effects. In MeWo cells, the number of genes whose transcription was modified by IE63 was somewhat higher, including genes implicated in signal transduction, transcription, immunity, and heat-shock signalling. While IE63 did not modify the basal expression of several NF-κB dependent genes such as IL-8, ICAM-1, and IκBα, it modulates transcription of these genes upon TNFα induction. This effect was obviously correlated with the amount of p65 binding to the promoter of these genes and with histone H3 acetylation and HDAC-3 removal. Conclusion While IE63 only affected transcription of a small number of cellular genes, it interfered with the TNF-inducibility of several NF-κB dependent genes by the accelerated resynthesis of the inhibitor IκBα. [less ▲]

Caractérisation de la réponse immunitaire unnée au virus de la varicelle et du zona (VZV): implication du Toll-like récepteur 3

Poster (2007)

Le virus de la varicelle et du zona : un alphaherpesvirus pas vraiment comme les autres

in Virologie (2006), 10(3), 219-232

Varicella-zoster virus IE63 protein phosphorylation by roscovitine-sensitive cyclin-dependent kinases modulates its cellular localization and activity.

in Journal of Biological Chemistry (2005), 280(32), 29135-43

During the first stage of Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) infection, IE63 (immediate early 63 protein) is mostly expressed in the nucleus and also slightly in the cytoplasm, and during latency, IE63 ... [more ▼]

During the first stage of Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) infection, IE63 (immediate early 63 protein) is mostly expressed in the nucleus and also slightly in the cytoplasm, and during latency, IE63 localizes in the cytoplasm quite exclusively. Because phosphorylation is known to regulate various cellular mechanisms, we investigated the impact of phosphorylation by roscovitine-sensitive cyclin-dependent kinase (RSC) on the localization and functional properties of IE63. We demonstrated first that IE63 was phosphorylated on Ser-224 in vitro by CDK1 and CDK5 but not by CDK2, CDK7, or CDK9. Furthermore, by using roscovitine and CDK1 inhibitor III (CiIII), we showed that CDK1 phosphorylated IE63 on Ser-224 in vivo. By mutagenesis and the use of inhibitors, we demonstrated that phosphorylation on Ser-224 was important for the correct localization of the protein. Indeed, the substitution of these residues by alanine led to an exclusive nuclear localization of the protein, whereas mutations into glutamic acid did not modify its subcellular distribution. When transfected or VZV-infected cells were treated with roscovitine or CiIII, an exclusive nuclear localization of IE63 was also observed. By using a transfection assay, we also showed that phosphorylation on Ser-224 and Thr-222 was essential for the down-regulation of the basal activity of the VZV DNA polymerase gene promoter. Similarly, roscovitine and CiIII impaired these properties of the wild-type form of IE63. These observations clearly demonstrated the importance of CDK1-mediated IE63 phosphorylation for a correct distribution of IE63 between both cellular compartments and for its repressive activity toward the promoter tested. [less ▲]