Exploring TERRA (TElomeric Repeat-containing RNA) Expression and Regulation During Cell Growth in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Please find the referenced videos attachedThe physical ends of eukaryotic chromosomes consist of repetitive DNA sequences, which are associated with specialized proteins forming a nucleoprotein structure essential for the integrity of the linear chromosomes, and are known as telomeres. Telomerase is an enzyme responsible for the maintenance of the telomeric repeats at the end of the chromosomes. Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein, which contains a catalytic subunit that possesses reverse transcriptase activity, and a RNA subunit that acts as a template, since it possess the telomeric repeat sequences necessary to amplify telomere ends. Telomeres are transcribed in most eukaryotes into a non-coding RNA know as TERRA (Telomeric repeats-containing RNA). It has been proposed that TERRA may act as a regulator of telomere homeostasis, and as an inhibitor of telomerase, however, its specific function is still unknown. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, TERRA is rapidly degraded by the 5’-3’ Rat1 exonuclease, which has hampered its study by classic biochemical experiments in yeast. In this thesis, we report the use of cytological approaches to study TERRA in budding yeast. Two different approaches were used for this purpose: the fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) and the labeling of TERRA by the MS2-GFP system, which allow the visualization of TERRA transcripts form a single telomere in living cells. With these two approaches, we observed that TERRA is expressed from a single telomere and accumulates as a single perinuclear foci, in a small percentage of cells population. We also demonstrate that TERRA expression occurs due to telomere shortening. We demonstrate that TERRA interacts in vivo with the telomerase RNA (TLC1) in yeast. Telomere elongation depends on the action of several telomerase molecules that are visible as clusters, which associate with telomeres in late S phase in yeast, and mammalian cells. In adidition, we show that TERRA stimulates the nucleation of telomerase clusters. By performing time course experiments of TERRA and TLC1 RNA in live cells, we observed that TERRA acts as a scaffold for generating telomerase clusters, which are then recruited in late S phase to the telomere from which TERRA molecules originated. The recruitment of TERRA to its telomere of origin is dependent on factors that control telomerase recruitment at telomeres like: Mre11, Tel1 and the yKu complex. We propose that a short telomere expresses TERRA to assemble and organize telomerase molecules, which later on allows their recruitment at the short telomere, where elongation is needed. Finally we showed an up-regulation of TERRA, and telomerase RNA TLC1, accompanied by a predominant cytoplasmic localization as cell growth progresses from exponential growth to diauxic shift, and stationary phase. In these conditions, TERRA foci co-localize with TLC1 RNA foci, suggesting that the function of TERRA as a scaffold molecule to generate telomerase cluster is necessary for this yeast cell growth phases.Les télomères à l’extrémité des chromosomes constituent une structure d’ADN et de protéines essentielle à l’intégrité de ces chromosomes. La télomérase est l’enzyme responsable du maintien des répétitions télomériques à l’extrémité des chromosomes. Cette enzyme est constituée d’une sous-unité catalytique, qui possède une activité de transcriptase réverse, et d’une sous-unité d’ARN, qui fourni la matrice nécessaire à la synthèse des répétitions télomériques. Les ARN contenant des répétions télomériques (ou Telomeric repeats-containing RNA; TERRA) constitue une nouvelle classe d’ARN non-codants transcrits à partir des télomères et conservée chez la plupart des eucaryotes. TERRA a été proposé d’agir comme un régulateur de l‘homéostasie des télomères et comme inhibiteur de la télomérase, mais sa fonction spécifique reste inconnue. De plus, chez la levure Saccharomyces cerevisiae, TERRA est rapidement dégradé par l’exonucléase 5’-3’ Rat1, ce qui complique l’étude de cet ARN par les méthodes biochimiques classiques. Dans cette thèse, nous rapportons l‘utilisation d’une approche cytologique pour étudier TERRA dans les cellules de levures. Deux approches sont utilisées : l’hybridation in situ en fluorescence (FISH) et l’étiquetage de TERRA à l’aide du système MS2-GFP, qui nous permet de visualiser l’expression de TERRA transcrit d’un seul télomère dans des cellules vivantes. Avec ces deux approches, nous observons que TERRA exprimé à partir d’un seul télomère s’accumule dans un faible nombre de cellules, sous la forme d’un focus périnucléaire. De plus, nous montrons que TERRA est exprimé lorsque son télomère raccourcit. Par immunoprécipitation, nous montrons que TERRA interagit in vivo avec l’ARN de la télomérase de levure, TLC1. L’élongation des télomères dépend de l‘action de multiples molécules de télomérase, qui sont visibles sous la forme de clusters de télomérases, qui s‘associent en phase S avec les télomères chez la levure et les cellules de mammifère. Nous démontrons que TERRA stimule la nucléation de ces clusters de télomérase. Par imagerie en temps réel de TERRA et de l’ARN TLC1, nous observons que TERRA agit comme molécule d’échafaudage pour générer des clusters de télomérases, qui sont par la suite recrutés, en phase S, au télomère duquel TERRA a été exprimé. Le recrutement d’un focus de TERRA à son télomère d’origine dépend des facteurs contrôlant le recrutement de la télomérase aux télomères : Mre11, Tel1 et le complexe yKu. Nous proposons qu’un télomère court exprime TERRA pour assembler et organiser les molécules de télomérase, afin que celles-ci soit puissent être recrutées au télomère court pour permettre son élongation. Enfin, nous observons une surexpression de l’ARN de la télomérase TLC1 et de TERRA, ainsi qu’une accumulation cytoplasmique de ceux-ci sous la forme de foci, lorsque la cellule passe de la phase de croissance exponentiel à la phase diauxique, puis à la phase stationnaire. Dans ces conditions, les foci d’ARN TLC1 colocalisent avec les foci de TERRA, suggérant que la fonction de TERRA comme molécule d’échafaudage pour générer des foci de télomérase est aussi nécessaire durant ces phases du cycle de croissance des levures

An Innovative AI-based primer design tool for precise and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

As the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, it leaves behind the serious concern that future, even more disruptive pandemics may eventually surface. One of the crucial steps in handling the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was being able to detect the presence of the virus in an accurate and timely manner, to then develop policies counteracting the spread. Nevertheless, as the pandemic evolved, new variants with potentially dangerous mutations appeared. Faced by these developments, it becomes clear that there is a need for fast and reliable techniques to create highly specific molecular tests, able to uniquely identify VOCs. Using an automated pipeline built around evolutionary algorithms, we designed primer sets for SARS-CoV-2 (main lineage) and for VOC, B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.1.529 (Omicron). Starting from sequences openly available in the GISAID repository, our pipeline was able to deliver the primer sets for the main lineage and each variant in a matter of hours. Preliminary in-silico validation showed that the sequences in the primer sets featured high accuracy. A pilot test in a laboratory setting confirmed the results: the developed primers were favorably compared against existing commercial versions for the main lineage, and the specific versions for the VOCs B.1.1.7 and B.1.1.529 were clinically tested successfully

An Innovative AI-based primer design tool for precise and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

As the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, it leaves behind the serious concern that future, even more disruptive pandemics may eventually surface. One of the crucial steps in handling the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was being able to detect the presence of the virus in an accurate and timely manner, to then develop policies counteracting the spread. Nevertheless, as the pandemic evolved, new variants with potentially dangerous mutations appeared. Faced by these developments, it becomes clear that there is a need for fast and reliable techniques to create highly specific molecular tests, able to uniquely identify VOCs. Using an automated pipeline built around evolutionary algorithms, we designed primer sets for SARS-CoV-2 (main lineage) and for VOC, B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.1.529 (Omicron). Starting from sequences openly available in the GISAID repository, our pipeline was able to deliver the primer sets for the main lineage and each variant in a matter of hours. Preliminary in-silico validation showed that the sequences in the primer sets featured high accuracy. A pilot test in a laboratory setting confirmed the results: the developed primers were favorably compared against existing commercial versions for the main lineage, and the specific versions for the VOCs B.1.1.7 and B.1.1.529 were clinically tested successfully

Bruit et robustesse en aval d'un gradient morphogénétique : une approche quantitative par imagerie de la transcription dans les embryons vivants

During development, cell differentiation frequently occurs upon signaling from gradients of molecules, called morphogens. A simple paradigm to study morphogens is the Bicoid gradient, which determines antero-posterior patterning in fruit fly embryos. This transcription factor allows the rapid expression of its major target gene hunchback, in an anterior domain with a sharp boundary. Using the MS2 system to fluorescently tag RNA in living embryos, we were able to show that the ongoing transcription process at the hunchback promoter is bursty Surprisingly, it takes only 3 minutes, from the first hints of transcription at the anterior to reach steady state with the setting of the sharp expression border in the middle of the embryo. To better understand the role of transcription factors other than Bicoid in this process, I used a two-pronged strategy involving synthetic MS2 reporters combined with the analysis of the hunchback MS2 reporter in various mutant backgrounds. The synthetic reporter approach, indicate that Bicoid is able to activate transcription on its own when bound to the promoter but in a stochastic manner. The binding of Hunchback to the Bicoid-dependent promoter reduces this stochasticity while Caudal might act as a posterior repressor gradient. Altogether, this work provide a new light on the mechanisms insuring a precise transcriptional response downstream of Bicoid.La différenciation des cellules est souvent déclenchée par les gradients de molécules appelées morphogènes. Un paradigme simple pour l’étude des morphogènes est le gradient de Bicoid, qui détermine l’identité cellulaire le long de l’axe antéro-postérieur chez la mouche du vinaigre. Ce facteur de transcription permet l'expression rapide de son principal gène cible, hunchback, dans la moitié antérieure de l’embryon dans un domaine d’expression avec une bordure très franche. En utilisant le système MS2 rendant fluorescents des ARN dans les embryons vivants, nous avons montré que la transcription au promoteur d’hunchback est « bursty ». De manière surprenante, il suffit de 3 minutes, après la première détection de transcription à l’antérieur, pour que la bordure franche du domaine d’expression soit précisément positionnée au milieu de l’embryon. Afin de mieux comprendre le rôle des facteurs de transcription autres que Bicoid dans ce processus, j’ai utilisé une double stratégie impliquant des gènes rapporteurs MS2 synthétiques combinés à l’analyse du gène rapporteur hunchback MS2 dans des contextes génétiques mutants. L’analyse des gènes rapporteurs synthétiques indique que Bicoid est capable d’activer la transcription à elle seule en se fixant sur le promoteur mais de manière stochastique. La fixation d’Hunchback sur un promoteur régulé par Bicoid réduit cette stochasticité alors que Caudal agirait comme un gradient postérieur répresseur. L’ensemble de ces travaux apporte un éclairage nouveau sur les mécanismes assurant une réponse transcriptionnelle précise en aval du morphogène Bicoid

Bruit et robustesse en aval d'un gradient morphogénétique : une approche quantitative par imagerie de la transcription dans les embryons vivants

La différenciation des cellules est souvent déclenchée par les gradients de molécules appelées morphogènes. Un paradigme simple pour l’étude des morphogènes est le gradient de Bicoid, qui détermine l’identité cellulaire le long de l’axe antéro-postérieur chez la mouche du vinaigre. Ce facteur de transcription permet l'expression rapide de son principal gène cible, hunchback, dans la moitié antérieure de l’embryon dans un domaine d’expression avec une bordure très franche. En utilisant le système MS2 rendant fluorescents des ARN dans les embryons vivants, nous avons montré que la transcription au promoteur d’hunchback est « bursty ». De manière surprenante, il suffit de 3 minutes, après la première détection de transcription à l’antérieur, pour que la bordure franche du domaine d’expression soit précisément positionnée au milieu de l’embryon. Afin de mieux comprendre le rôle des facteurs de transcription autres que Bicoid dans ce processus, j’ai utilisé une double stratégie impliquant des gènes rapporteurs MS2 synthétiques combinés à l’analyse du gène rapporteur hunchback MS2 dans des contextes génétiques mutants. L’analyse des gènes rapporteurs synthétiques indique que Bicoid est capable d’activer la transcription à elle seule en se fixant sur le promoteur mais de manière stochastique. La fixation d’Hunchback sur un promoteur régulé par Bicoid réduit cette stochasticité alors que Caudal agirait comme un gradient postérieur répresseur. L’ensemble de ces travaux apporte un éclairage nouveau sur les mécanismes assurant une réponse transcriptionnelle précise en aval du morphogène Bicoid.During development, cell differentiation frequently occurs upon signaling from gradients of molecules, called morphogens. A simple paradigm to study morphogens is the Bicoid gradient, which determines antero-posterior patterning in fruit fly embryos. This transcription factor allows the rapid expression of its major target gene hunchback, in an anterior domain with a sharp boundary. Using the MS2 system to fluorescently tag RNA in living embryos, we were able to show that the ongoing transcription process at the hunchback promoter is bursty Surprisingly, it takes only 3 minutes, from the first hints of transcription at the anterior to reach steady state with the setting of the sharp expression border in the middle of the embryo. To better understand the role of transcription factors other than Bicoid in this process, I used a two-pronged strategy involving synthetic MS2 reporters combined with the analysis of the hunchback MS2 reporter in various mutant backgrounds. The synthetic reporter approach, indicate that Bicoid is able to activate transcription on its own when bound to the promoter but in a stochastic manner. The binding of Hunchback to the Bicoid-dependent promoter reduces this stochasticity while Caudal might act as a posterior repressor gradient. Altogether, this work provide a new light on the mechanisms insuring a precise transcriptional response downstream of Bicoid

Precision in a rush: Trade-offs between reproducibility and steepness of the hunchback expression pattern

International audienceFly development amazes us by the precision and reproducibility of gene expression, especially since the initial expression patterns are established during very short nuclear cycles. Recent live imaging of hunchback promoter dynamics shows a stable steep binary expression pattern established within the three minute interphase of nuclear cycle 11. Considering expression models of different complexity, we explore the trade-off between the ability of a regulatory system to produce a steep boundary and minimize expression variability between different nuclei. We show how a limited readout time imposed by short developmental cycles affects the gene’s ability to read positional information along the embryo’s anterior posterior axis and express reliably. Comparing our theoretical results to real-time monitoring of the hunchback transcription dynamics in live flies, we discuss possible regulatory strategies, suggesting an important role for additional binding sites, gradients or non-equilibrium binding and modified transcription factor search strategies

Precision in a rush: Trade-offs between reproducibility and steepness of the hunchback expression pattern.

Fly development amazes us by the precision and reproducibility of gene expression, especially since the initial expression patterns are established during very short nuclear cycles. Recent live imaging of hunchback promoter dynamics shows a stable steep binary expression pattern established within the three minute interphase of nuclear cycle 11. Considering expression models of different complexity, we explore the trade-off between the ability of a regulatory system to produce a steep boundary and minimize expression variability between different nuclei. We show how a limited readout time imposed by short developmental cycles affects the gene's ability to read positional information along the embryo's anterior posterior axis and express reliably. Comparing our theoretical results to real-time monitoring of the hunchback transcription dynamics in live flies, we discuss possible regulatory strategies, suggesting an important role for additional binding sites, gradients or non-equilibrium binding and modified transcription factor search strategies

3 minutes to precisely measure morphogen concentration.

Morphogen gradients provide concentration-dependent positional information along polarity axes. Although the dynamics of the establishment of these gradients is well described, precision and noise in the downstream activation processes remain elusive. A simple paradigm to address these questions is the Bicoid morphogen gradient that elicits a rapid step-like transcriptional response in young fruit fly embryos. Focusing on the expression of the major Bicoid target, hunchback (hb), at the onset of zygotic transcription, we used the MS2-MCP approach which combines fluorescent labeling of nascent mRNA with live imaging at high spatial and temporal resolution. Removing 36 putative Zelda binding sites unexpectedly present in the original MS2 reporter, we show that the 750 bp of the hb promoter are sufficient to recapitulate endogenous expression at the onset of zygotic transcription. After each mitosis, in the anterior, expression is turned on to rapidly reach a plateau with all nuclei expressing the reporter. Consistent with a Bicoid dose-dependent activation process, the time period required to reach the plateau increases with the distance to the anterior pole. Despite the challenge imposed by frequent mitoses and high nuclei-to-nuclei variability in transcription kinetics, it only takes 3 minutes at each interphase for the MS2 reporter loci to distinguish subtle differences in Bicoid concentration and establish a steadily positioned and steep (Hill coefficient ~ 7) expression boundary. Modeling based on the cooperativity between the 6 known Bicoid binding sites in the hb promoter region, assuming rate limiting concentrations of the Bicoid transcription factor at the boundary, is able to capture the observed dynamics of pattern establishment but not the steepness of the boundary. This suggests that a simple model based only on the cooperative binding of Bicoid is not sufficient to describe the spatiotemporal dynamics of early hb expression

An Innovative AI-based primer design tool for precise and accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

International audienceAbstract As the COVID-19 pandemic winds down, it leaves behind the serious concern that future, even more disruptive pandemics may eventually surface. One of the crucial steps in handling the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic was being able to detect the presence of the virus in an accurate and timely manner, to then develop policies counteracting the spread. Nevertheless, as the pandemic evolved, new variants with potentially dangerous mutations appeared. Faced by these developments, it becomes clear that there is a need for fast and reliable techniques to create highly specific molecular tests, able to uniquely identify VOCs. Using an automated pipeline built around evolutionary algorithms, we designed primer sets for SARS-CoV-2 (main lineage) and for VOC, B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.1.529 (Omicron). Starting from sequences openly available in the GISAID repository, our pipeline was able to deliver the primer sets for the main lineage and each variant in a matter of hours. Preliminary in-silico validation showed that the sequences in the primer sets featured high accuracy. A pilot test in a laboratory setting confirmed the results: the developed primers were favorably compared against existing commercial versions for the main lineage, and the specific versions for the VOCs B.1.1.7 and B.1.1.529 were clinically tested successfully