Environmental and epigenetic factors involved in cardiac differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells

L’objectif de cette thèse a été d’évaluer certains paramètres physiques et épigénétiques impliqués dans la différenciation cardiaque de cellules souches humaines pluripotentes induites. Un premier paramètre physique souvent sous-évalué a été étudié, celui de la rigidité. Classiquement, les cellules souches sont cultivées et adaptées à des rigidités in vitro allant de 1-10 GPa très éloignées des valeurs physiologiques, de l’ordre du kPa. L’impact de support de culture à 3, 12 et 25 kPa a été évalué sur les cellules souches initiales. Les résultats montrent que des rigidités inférieures à 25 kPa ne permettent pas le maintien de la pluripotence au bout de 6 passages. De plus, les colonies cellulaires se développent en 3D et créent leur propre microenvironnement. Un second paramètre étudié concerne les microRNAs appartenant à la famille let-7 dont la fonction exacte au niveau cardiaque reste à définir. Les résultats montrent qu’au cours de la différenciation son expression se caractérise par une augmentation transitoire précoce au moment de la formation du mésoderme, puis s’éteint pour ne ré-augmenter que plus tard lors de la maturation des cardiomyocytes. Des modulations via des mimics ou des inhibiteurs dans différents contextes cellulaires suggèrent qu’initialement let-7 contribue à une future spécification cardiaque, mais que plus tard cette famille devra être réprimée pour générer des progéniteurs cardiaques. À l’opposé, miR-1, spécifique au cœur, contribue toujours à la progression en cardiomyocytes. Ensemble, ces recherches contribuent à la recherche fondamentale sur le développement du cœur humain et à la recherche appliquée en ingénierie tissulaire cardiaque.The objective of this thesis was to evaluate some physical and epigenetic parameters involved during cardiac differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells. Environmentally, an often undervalued physical parameter remains, the stiffness defined by the Young’s modulus. Commonly stem cells are cultured and adapted to in vitro rigidities ranging between 1-10 GPa very far from physiological values, for instance 10-15 kPa for the heart. The impact of soft culture substrates with 3 kPa, 12 kPa and 25 kPa was studied on the initial stem cells. Globally, results indicated that rigidities lower than 25 kPa were not suited for total pluripotency maintenance after 6 passages. Also, cellular colonies started to grow in 3D suggesting that softness drove them to build their own microenvironment. Epigenetically, the exact role of one of the first discovered microRNAs, the let-7 family has not yet been fully elucidated. Throughout differentiation its expression was characterized by an early transient peak at the time of mesoderm formation, after which their expression extinguished to only gradually re-increase later in the course of cardiomyocytes maturation. Modulation experiments involving mimics or inhibitors of the let-7 family on different cellular contexts suggested that initially let-7 acted on future cardiac specification but later, this family had to be repressed in order for cardiac progenitors to emerge. Oppositely, the cardiac specific miR-1 always contributed to their progression into cardiomyocytes. Together these researches contribute to fundamental research on human heart development and to applied research on human engineered cardiac tissues

MiRroring the Multiple Potentials of MicroRNAs in Acute Myocardial Infarction

At present, cardiovascular diseases are depicted to be the leading cause of death worldwide according to the World Health Organization. In the future, projections predict that ischemic heart disease will persist in the top main causes of illness. Within this alarming context, some tiny master regulators of gene expression programs, namely, microRNAs (miRNAs) carry three promising potentials. In fact, miRNAs can prove to be useful not only in terms of biomarkers allowing heart injury detection but also in terms of therapeutics to overcome limitations of past strategies and treat the lesions. In a more creative approach, they can even be used in the area of human engineered cardiac tissues as maturation tools for cardiomyocytes (CMs) derived from pluripotent stem cell. Very promising not only for patient-specific cell-based therapies but also to develop biomimetic microsystems for disease modeling and drug screening, these cells greatly contribute to personalized medicine. To get into the heart of the matter, the focus of this review lies primarily on miRNAs as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) biomarkers. Only large cohort studies comprising over 100 individuals to reach a potent statistical value were considered. Certain miRNAs appeared to possibly complement protein-based biomarkers and classical risk factors. Some were even described to bear potential in the discrimination of similar symptomatic pathologies. However, differences between pre-analytical and analytical approaches substantially influenced miRNA data. Further supported by meta-analysis studies, this problem had to be addressed. A detailed critical analysis of each step to define miRNAs biomarker potential is provided to inspire a future improved universal strategy. Interestingly, a recurrent set of cardiomyocyte-enriched miRNAs was found, namely, miR-1; miR-133; miR-208a/b; and miR-499a. Each member of this myomiRs group displayed promising roles either individually or in combination as AMI diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers. Furthermore, a precise combo was shown to be powerful enough to transdifferentiate human fibroblasts into CMs opening doors in the therapeutics. Following these discoveries, they also emerged as optional tools to transfect in order to mature CMs derived from pluripotent stem cells. Ultimately, the multiple potentials carried by the myomiRs miR-1; miR-133; miR-208a/b; and miR-499a still remain to be fully unveiled

Polyacrylamide hydrogels with rigidity-independent surface chemistry show limited long-term maintenance of pluripotency of human induced pluripotent stem cells on soft substrates

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Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19

BackgroundWe previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15-20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in similar to 80% of cases.MethodsWe report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded.ResultsNo gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5-528.7, P=1.1x10(-4)) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR=3.70[95%CI 1.3-8.2], P=2.1x10(-4)). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR=19.65[95%CI 2.1-2635.4], P=3.4x10(-3)), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR=4.40[9%CI 2.3-8.4], P=7.7x10(-8)). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD]=43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P=1.68x10(-5)).ConclusionsRare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60 years old