Caractérisation d'une famille de récepteurs kinases impliqués dans le développement gamétophytique chez Arabidopsis thaliana

Au cours du développement des végétaux, de l’établissement de l’identité cellulaire des premiers organes au guidage du tube pollinique, la communication cellule à cellule est d’une importance capitale. En réponse, les voies de signalisation moléculaires sont élaborées pour la perception d’un signal extérieur et la transduction en une réponse génique via une cascade intracellulaire. Les récepteurs kinases font partie des protéines perceptrices des stimuli et constituent chez les plantes une catégorie de protéines avec une occurrence considérable, mais dont très peu d’informations détaillées sont disponibles à ce jour. Une famille de récepteurs kinases chez Arabidopsis thaliana, AtORK11 (Arabidopsis thaliana Ovule Receptor Kinase 11), a été identifiée par orthologie à un récepteur spécifique aux ovaires chez une solanacéee sauvage, Solanum chacoense. La fonction présumée de cette famille de récepteurs kinases de type leucine-rich repeat, suggérée par son patron d’expression, implique les événements relatifs au développement des gamétophytes et à la reproduction. Afin de caractériser la fonction des quatre gènes de la famille (AtORK11a, AtORK11b, AtORK11c et AtORK11d) une stratégie d’analyse de mutants d’insertion de l’ADN-T et d’évaluation du mode d’action par complémentation bimoléculaire par fluorescence (BiFC) a été entreprise. Aucune fonction précise n’a pu être attribuée aux doubles mutants d’insertion, par contre la surexpression d’une construction dominante négative indique un rôle dans le développement gamétophytique. Il a aussi été démontré que les quatre récepteurs peuvent interagir par homodimérisation aussi bien que par hétérodimérisation. Une hypothèse de redondance fonctionnelle est ainsi mise à jour parmi la famille des gènes AtORK11.Cell to cell communication is paramount during plant developmental processes, from cellular identity in early organogenesis to pollen tube guidance. In response to this requirement, molecular cell signalling is used to perceive an external signal and transduce the response by an intracellular signalling cascade leading to specific gene activation. The sensing protein is typically a receptor kinase, which will transduce the stimulus by phosphorylation of a cytoplasmic interaction partner. Although plant receptor kinases represent the largest protein kinase family, only handfuls are well characterized. By sequence identity (orthology), a family of leucine-rich repeat receptor kinases from Arabidopsis thaliana was identified as AtORK11 (Arabidopsis thaliana Ovule Receptor Kinase 11). Based upon previous results from its ortholog in Solanum chacoense, the ovary- specific ScORK11 receptor kinase, we hypothesized that members of the AtORK11 receptors would be involved in gametophyte development and reproduction. In order to characterize the role of the four family members (AtORK11a, AtORK11b, AtORK11c and AtORK11d), a T-DNA insertional mutant strategy was undertaken, as well as bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays (BiFC). No precise function could be assigned to the double mutants although a dominant negative strategy revealed an involvement in gametophytic development. It was also shown that all of the receptors could form homodimers as well as heterodimers in a heterologous system, suggesting high functional redundancy for the AtORK11 family

Modélisation de poutres en béton armé endommagées par chargements cycliques : comportement en flexion et en cisaillement

Le but de ce projet de recherche est de développer un outil de modélisation du comportement d’éléments en béton armé selon une discrétisation par couches. En flexion, la modélisation repose sur la capacité de prédire d’une part le comportement d’une section fissurée et d’autre part, le comportement global d’une poutre fléchie. Un endommagement relié à l’historique de chargement est également pris en compte par l’apparition de déformations permanentes et l’imposition d’une diminution de la rigidité des matériaux. L’outil offre alors la possibilité d’établir des seuils d’alarme par la mise à jour de l’indice de fiabilité d’une structure, ce qui constitue un atout significatif à la télésurveillance. Une portion expérimentale permet de confronter les résultats obtenus de la modélisation à des essais en laboratoire sous chargements statiques et cycliques sur des poutres instrumentées. La comparaison entre les résultats expérimentaux et la prédiction du modèle démontre une très bonne concordance, autant sous chargements statiques que cycliques, malgré une prédiction un peu conservatrice des indicateurs de performance à la rupture. Ce phénomène est toutefois favorable dans l’optique de poser des seuils d’alarme en télésurveillance. Finalement, le modèle permet de construire une enveloppe de rupture incluant l’interaction des efforts de cisaillement et de flexion. L’utilisation de la théorie des champs de compression modifiée permet le suivi de l’inclinaison des fissures et de la déformation des étriers à l’ultime. Bref, le modèle assemblé s’avère un outil de prédiction efficace du comportement réel d’éléments fléchis et cisaillés en béton armé.The objective of this research project is to develop a modeling tool (layer by layer) for the behavior of reinforced concrete members. For flexure, the model relies on the capacity to predict the behavior of a cracked section and also the behavior of the entire bent beam. Damage related to historic loading also applies, including permanent deformations and a diminished rigidity to the material. It is therefore possible to set up an alarm threshold by upgrading the reliability index of the structure which constitutes a complementary tool to telesurveillance or monitoring. An experimental program was setup to obtain results to validate the model with static and cyclic loading of instrumented beams. The comparison between the experimental results and the model predictions shows an excellent agreement for the static loading behavior, even though it is on the safe side of the performance index indicators. The phenomenon is nonetheless favourable for the proposed telesurveillance alarm threshold. Finally, the model can generate a rupture envelop including the interaction between the shear force and bending moment. The use of the modified compression field theory allows the follow-up of the crack inclination and the deformation in the stirrups at rupture. In summary, this prediction tool reveals to be a very useful one to simulate the behavior of reinforced concrete members subjected to shear and bending

La contribution des Acadiens au peuplement des régions du Québec

Les Acadiens sont des descendants d’immigrants français qui se sont établis principalement au xviie siècle en Nouvelle-Écosse et au Nouveau-Brunswick. En 1755, les autorités britanniques ont ordonné la déportation des Acadiens qui ont été dispersés dans les colonies anglaises d’Amérique, en France et en Angleterre. On estime que de 2 000 à 4 000 Acadiens se sont établis au Québec. L’objectif de cette étude est de mesurer et de caractériser l’impact de l’apport migratoire acadien sur le pool génique québécois contemporain. Les données utilisées proviennent d’un corpus généalogique comprenant 2 340 ascendances. Les lieux d’origine des ancêtres, la fréquence de leurs mentions dans les généalogies ainsi que leur contribution génétique aux différentes populations régionales du Québec ont été analysés. Les résultats révèlent que de 46 % à 100 % des ascendances, selon la région, comprennent au moins un ancêtre d’origine acadienne. La contribution des fondateurs acadiens est particulièrement élevée aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine, où 86 % du pool génique leur est attribuable. Les populations de la Gaspésie (27 %) et de la Côte-Nord (14 %), affichent aussi une importante contribution acadienne.The Acadians are descendants of French immigrants who settled mainly in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick during the xviith century. In 1755, the British authorities ordered the deportation of Acadians who were then dispersed in France, England and the English colonies of America. It is estimated that between 2 000 and 4 000 Acadians settled in Quebec. The purpose of this study was to measure and characterize the impact of Acadian migration on the contemporary Quebec gene pool. Data was obtained from a genealogical corpus consisting of 2 340 ascendances. Place of origin of founding ancestors, frequency of their mention in the genealogies and their genetic contribution to the various regional populations of Quebec were analysed. Results show that, depending on the region, 46 % to 100 % of ascendances contain at least one Acadian ancestor. The contribution of Acadian founders is particularly high in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine region, where 86 % of the gene pool is explained by Acadians. Gaspésie (27 %) and Côte-Nord (14 %) populations also display an important Acadian contribution

Characterization of ScORK28, a transmembrane functional protein receptor kinase predominantly expressed in ovaries from the wild potato species Solanum chacoense

AbstractSolanum chacoense ovule receptor kinase 28 (ScORK28) was found among 30 receptor kinases from an ovule cDNA library enriched for weakly expressed mRNAs. This LRR-RLK displayed high level of tissue specificity at the RNA and protein levels and was predominantly expressed in female reproductive tissues. Protein expression analyses in planta revealed that ScORK28 was N-glycosylated and ScORK28::GFP fusion analyses showed that it was localized at the plasma membrane. Bacterial expression of ScORK28 catalytic domain followed by kinase activity assays revealed that ScORK28 is an active Mg2+-dependent protein kinase and that the juxtamembrane domain is necessary for kinase activity

Contributions and perspectives of Indigenous Peoples to the study of mercury in the Arctic

Arctic Indigenous Peoples are among the most exposed humans when it comes to foodborne mercury (Hg). In response, Hg monitoring and research have been on-going in the circumpolar Arctic since about 1991; this work has been mainly possible through the involvement of Arctic Indigenous Peoples. The present overview was initially conducted in the context of a broader assessment of Hg research organized by the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme. This article provides examples of Indigenous Peoples' contributions to Hg monitoring and research in the Arctic, and discusses approaches that could be used, and improved upon, when carrying out future activities. Over 40 mercury projects conducted with/by Indigenous Peoples are identified for different circumpolar regions including the U.S., Canada, Greenland, Sweden, Finland, and Russia as well as instances where Indigenous Knowledge contributed to the understanding of Hg contamination in the Arctic. Perspectives and visions of future Hg research as well as recommendations are presented. The establishment of collaborative processes and partnership/co-production approaches with scientists and Indigenous Peoples, using good communication practices and transparency in research activities, are key to the success of research and monitoring activities in the Arctic. Sustainable funding for community-driven monitoring and research programs in Arctic countries would be beneficial and assist in developing more research/ monitoring capacity and would promote a more holistic approach to understanding Hg in the Arctic. These activities should be well connected to circumpolar/international initiatives to ensure broader availability of the information and uptake in policy development

Evaluation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation prevalence, risk prediction models and a multistep testing approach in French‐Canadian families with high risk of breast and ovarian cancer

Background and objective: In clinical settings with fixed resources allocated to predictive genetic testing for high-risk cancer predisposition genes, optimal strategies for mutation screening programmes are critically important. These depend on the mutation spectrum found in the population under consideration and the frequency of mutations detected as a function of the personal and family history of cancer, which are both affected by the presence of founder mutations and demographic characteristics of the underlying population. The results of multistep genetic testing for mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 in a large series of families with breast cancer in the French-Canadian population of Quebec, Canada are reported. Methods: A total of 256 high-risk families were ascertained from regional familial cancer clinics throughout the province of Quebec. Initially, families were tested for a panel of specific mutations known to occur in this population. Families in which no mutation was identified were then comprehensively tested. Three algorithms to predict the presence of mutations were evaluated, including the prevalence tables provided by Myriad Genetics Laboratories, the Manchester Scoring System and a logistic regression approach based on the data from this study. Results: 8 of the 15 distinct mutations found in 62 BRCA1/BRCA2-positive families had never been previously reported in this population, whereas 82% carried 1 of the 4 mutations currently observed in > or =2 families. In the subset of 191 families in which at least 1 affected individual was tested, 29% carried a mutation. Of these 27 BRCA1-positive and 29 BRCA2-positive families, 48 (86%) were found to harbour a mutation detected by the initial test. Among the remaining 143 inconclusive families, all 8 families found to have a mutation after complete sequencing had Manchester Scores > or =18. The logistic regression and Manchester Scores provided equal predictive power, and both were significantly better than the Myriad Genetics Laboratories prevalence tables (p or =18 provided an overall sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 82%, with a positive predictive value of 66% in this population. Conclusion: In this population, a testing strategy with an initial test using a panel of reported recurrent mutations, followed by full sequencing in families with Manchester Scores > or =18, represents an efficient test in terms of overall cost and sensitivity