Visualization of protein interactions in living Drosophila embryos by the bimolecular fluorescence complementation assay

International audienceBACKGROUND: Protein interactions control the regulatory networks underlying developmental processes. The understanding of developmental complexity will, therefore, require the characterization of protein interactions within their proper environment. The bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) technology offers this possibility as it enables the direct visualization of protein interactions in living cells. However, its potential has rarely been applied in embryos of animal model organisms and was only performed under transient protein expression levels. RESULTS: Using a Hox protein partnership as a test case, we investigated the suitability of BiFC for the study of protein interactions in the living Drosophila embryo. Importantly, all BiFC parameters were established with constructs that were stably expressed under the control of endogenous promoters. Under these physiological conditions, we showed that BiFC is specific and sensitive enough to analyse dynamic protein interactions. We next used BiFC in a candidate interaction screen, which led to the identification of several Hox protein partners. CONCLUSION: Our results establish the general suitability of BiFC for revealing and studying protein interactions in their physiological context during the rapid course of Drosophila embryonic development

Metric and latticial medians

This paper presents the -linked- notions of metric and latticial medians and it explains what is the median procedure for the consensus problems, in particular in the case of the aggregation of linear orders. First we consider the medians of a v-tuple of arbitrary or particular binary relations.. Then we study in depth the difficult (in fact NP-difficult) problem of finding the median orders of a profile of linear orders. More generally, we consider the medians of v-tuples of elements of a semilattice and we describe the median semilattices, i.e. the semilattices were medians are easily computable.Ce texte présente les notions -reliées- de médianes métriques et latticielles et explique le rôle de la procédure médiane dans les problèmes de consensus, notamment dans le cas de l'agrégation d'ordres totaux.. Après avoir étudié les médianes d'un v-uple de relations binaires arbitraires ou particulières, on étudie en détail le problème -difficile (NP-difficile)- d'obtention des ordres médians d'un profil d'ordres totaux. Plus généralement on considère les médianes de v-uples d'éléments d'un demi-treillis (ou d'un treillis) et l'on décrit les demi-treillis à médianes,i.e. ceux où l'obtention des médianes est aisée

Hox Proteins Display a Common and Ancestral Ability to Diversify Their Interaction Mode with the PBC Class Cofactors

Hox protein function during development and evolution relies on conserved multiple interaction modes with cofactors of the PBC and Meis families

Distinct molecular strategies for Hox-mediated limb suppression in Drosophila: from cooperativity to dispensability/antagonism in TALE partnership

International audienceThe emergence following gene duplication of a large repertoire of Hox paralogue proteins underlies the importance taken by Hox proteins in controlling animal body plans in development and evolution. Sequence divergence of paralogous proteins accounts for functional specialization, promoting axial morphological diversification in bilaterian animals. Yet functionally specialized paralogous Hox proteins also continue performing ancient common functions. In this study, we investigate how highly divergent Hox proteins perform an identical function. This was achieved by comparing in Drosophila the mode of limb suppression by the central (Ultrabithorax and AbdominalA) and posterior class (AbdominalB) Hox proteins. Results highlight that Hox-mediated limb suppression relies on distinct modes of DNA binding and a distinct use of TALE cofactors. Control of common functions by divergent Hox proteins, at least in the case studied, relies on evolving novel molecular properties. Thus, changes in protein sequences not only provide the driving force for functional specialization of Hox paralogue proteins, but also provide means to perform common ancient functions in distinct ways

Méthodes mathématiques dans les sciences sociales

Bruno Leclerc, maître de conférences Analyse combinatoire des données. 1. Modélisations ordinales. 2. Analyse de réseaux et classification La première partie du séminaire a porté sur les notions et résultats de base de la théorie des ensembles ordonnés et leurs applications à la classification et à la décision. Après la mise en place des outils élémentaires de la théorie, la recherche a principalement porté sur les systèmes de classes vus comme des espaces de fermeture. Pour ceux-ci, l’accent..

Analyse combinatoire des données

Bruno Leclerc, maître de conférences 1. Modélisations ordinales 2. Analyse de réseaux et classification La première partie du séminaire a porté sur les notions et résultats de base de la théorie des ensembles ordonnés et leurs applications à la classification et à la décision. Après la mise en place des outils élémentaires de la théorie, la recherche a principalement porté sur les relations d’implication (ou règles d’association) et leur lien avec les familles de parties, en particulier avec ..

Inhibitory activities of short linear motifs underlie Hox interactome specificity in vivo

International audienceHox proteins are well-established developmental regulators that coordinate cell fate and morphogenesis throughout embryogenesis. In contrast, our knowledge of their specific molecular modes of action is limited to the interaction with few cofactors. Here, we show that Hox proteins are able to interact with a wide range of transcription factors in the live Drosophila embryo. In this context, specificity relies on a versatile usage of conserved short linear motifs (SLiMs), which, surprisingly, often restrains the interaction potential of Hox proteins. This novel buffering activity of SLiMs was observed in different tissues and found in Hox proteins from cnidarian to mouse species. Although these interactions remain to be analysed in the context of endogenous Hox regulatory activities, our observations challenge the traditional role assigned to SLiMs and provide an alternative concept to explain how Hox interactome specificity could be achieved during the embryonic development

Analyse combinatoire des données

Bruno Leclerc, maître de conférences 1. Modélisations ordinales 2. Analyse de réseaux et classification La première partie du séminaire a porté sur les notions et résultats de base de la théorie des ensembles ordonnés et leurs applications à la classification et à la décision. Après la mise en place des outils élémentaires de la théorie, la recherche a principalement porté sur les relations d’implication (ou règles d’association) et leur lien avec les familles de parties, en particulier avec ..

Méthodes mathématiques dans les sciences sociales

Marc Barbut, directeur d’études Compte rendu non communiqué. Bruno Leclerc, maître de conférences Analyse combinatoire des données. 1. Modélisations ordinales. 2. Analyse de réseaux et classification La première partie du séminaire est toujours consacrée aux notions et résultats de base de la théorie des ensembles ordonnés et à leurs applications à la classification et à la décision. Après avoir mis en place les outils élémentaires de la théorie, on a infléchi la recherche vers l’étude des co..

Infant Neural Sensitivity to Dynamic Eye Gaze relates to quality of parent–infant interaction at 7-months in infants at risk for Autism

Links between brain function measures and quality of parent–child interactions within the early developmental period have been investigated in typical and atypical development. We examined such links in a group of 104 infants with and without a family history for autism in the first year of life. Our findings suggest robust associations between event related potential responses to eye gaze and observed parent–infant interaction measures. In both groups, infants with more positive affect exhibit stronger differentiation to gaze stimuli. This association was observed with the earlier P100 waveform component in the control group but with the later P400 component in infants at-risk. These exploratory findings are critical in paving the way for a better understanding of how infant laboratory measures may relate to overt behavior and how both can be combined in the context of predicting risk or clinical diagnosis in toddlerhood