Du protéome à l'immunopeptome : le modèle SIMP/STT3-B

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal

La relation entre l’environnement de travail et l’engagement affectif envers l’organisation : l’effet modérateur de la génération

La présente recherche a comme objectif d’étudier l’effet de l’environnement de travail sur l’engagement affectif envers son organisation. Le concept de l’environnement de travail se compose de trois dimensions, à savoir les caractéristiques de l’emploi, la communication managériale et la perception du soutien organisationnel. Cette recherche vise également à comprendre s’il existe un effet modérateur de la génération sur la relation entre ces dimensions de l’environnement de travail et l’engagement affectif. Les générations Baby-boomers, X et Y sont celles à l’étude. Les données ont été collectées au sein de deux compagnies privées dont la main-d’œuvre n’est pas syndiquée. Au total, 110 participants ont répondu au questionnaire. Des analyses de régression multiple ont permis de vérifier l’effet distinct de chaque dimension de l’environnement de travail sur l’engagement affectif alors que des analyses de régression hiérarchique ont testé la présence d’un effet modérateur de la génération dans cette relation. Les résultats indiquent que les seules dimensions de l’environnement de travail ayant un effet direct et significatif sur l’engagement organisationnel affectif sont la communication managériale et la perception du soutien organisationnel. En ce qui a trait à la génération à laquelle appartient le travailleur, il semble que cette variable ne modère pas la relation entre les dimensions de l’environnement de travail et l’engagement affectif. Les apports théoriques et pratiques de cette étude sont discutés tout comme ses limites et quelques recommandations pour les recherches futures.The objective of the present research is to study the effect that the work environment can have on affective commitment toward the organization. The concept of work environment is divided into three dimensions. They are the job characteristics, the communication with the supervisor and the perceived organizational support. This research also wishes to understand if there exists a moderating effect of the generation on the relationship between these dimensions of the job environment and affective commitment. The generations of the Baby-boomers, X and Y are the one selected for the purposes of this study. The data were collected in two private and non-unionized companies. In total, 110 participants answered the questionnaire. Regression analysis were conducted to verify the distinct effect of each of the three dimensions of the work environment on the affective commitment and also to test the presence of a moderating effect of the generation in this relationship. The results indicate that the only dimensions of the work environment having a direct and significant effect on the affective organizational commitment are communication with the supervisor and perceived organizational support. Concerning the generation of the worker, it seems that this variable does not moderate the relationship between the dimensions of work environment and affective commitment. The theoretical and practical implications of this research are discussed as well as its limits and recommendations for future researches

Analysis of spin precession in binary black hole systems including quadrupole-monopole interaction

We analyze in detail the spin precession equations in binary black hole systems, when the tidal torque on a Kerr black hole due to quadrupole-monopole coupling is taken into account. We show that completing the precession equations with this term reveals the existence of a conserved quantity at 2PN order when averaging over orbital motion. This quantity allows one to solve the (orbit-averaged) precession equations exactly in the case of equal masses and arbitrary spins, neglecting radiation reaction. For unequal masses, an exact solution does not exist in closed form, but we are still able to derive accurate approximate analytic solutions. We also show how to incorporate radiation reaction effects into our analytic solutions adiabatically, and compare the results to solutions obtained numerically. For various configurations of the binary, the relative difference in the accumulated orbital phase computed using our analytic solutions versus a full numerical solution vary from about 0.3% to 1.8% over the 80 - 140 orbital cycles accumulated while sweeping over the orbital frequency range 20 - 300 Hz. This typically corresponds to a discrepancy of order 5-6 radians. While this may not be accurate enough for implementation in LIGO template banks, we still believe that our new solutions are potentially quite useful for comparing numerical relativity simulations of spinning binary black hole systems with post-Newtonian theory. They can also be used to gain more understanding of precession effects, with potential application to the gravitational recoil problem, and to provide semi-analytical templates for spinning, precessing binaries.Comment: version published in Phys. Rev. D, with improved figures and more detailed discussion of cubic anharmonic oscillato

ER stress affects processing of MHC class I-associated peptides

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Viral infection and neoplastic transformation trigger endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Thus, a large proportion of the cells that must be recognized by the immune system are stressed cells. Cells respond to ER stress by launching the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR regulates the two key processes that control major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I)-peptide presentation: protein synthesis and degradation. We therefore asked whether and how the UPR impinges on MHC I-peptide presentation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We evaluated the impact of the UPR on global MHC I expression and on presentation of the H2K^b-associated SIINFEKL peptide. EL4 cells stably transfected with vectors coding hen egg lysozyme (HEL)-SIINFEKL protein variants were stressed with palmitate or exposed to glucose deprivation. UPR decreased surface expression of MHC I but did not affect MHC I mRNA level nor the total amount of intracellular MHC I proteins. Impaired MHC I-peptide presentation was due mainly to reduced supply of peptides owing to an inhibition of overall protein synthesis. Consequently, generation of H2K^b-SIINFEKL complexes was curtailed during ER stress, illustrating how generation of MHC I peptide ligands is tightly coupled to ongoing protein synthesis. Notably, the UPR-induced decline of MHC I-peptide presentation was more severe when the protein source of peptides was localized in the cytosol than in the ER. This difference was not due to changes in the translation rates of the precursor proteins but to increased stability of the cytosolic protein during ER stress.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results demonstrate that ER stress impairs MHC I-peptide presentation, and that it differentially regulates expression of ER- vs. cytosol-derived peptides. Furthermore, this work illustrates how ER stress, a typical feature of infected and malignant cells, can impinge on cues for adaptive immune recognition.</p

The MHC class I peptide repertoire is molded by the transcriptome

Under steady-state conditions, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I molecules are associated with self-peptides that are collectively referred to as the MHC class I peptide (MIP) repertoire. Very little is known about the genesis and molecular composition of the MIP repertoire. We developed a novel high-throughput mass spectrometry approach that yields an accurate definition of the nature and relative abundance of unlabeled peptides presented by MHC I molecules. We identified 189 and 196 MHC I–associated peptides from normal and neoplastic mouse thymocytes, respectively. By integrating our peptidomic data with global profiling of the transcriptome, we reached two conclusions. The MIP repertoire of primary mouse thymocytes is biased toward peptides derived from highly abundant transcripts and is enriched in peptides derived from cyclins/cyclin-dependent kinases and helicases. Furthermore, we found that ∼25% of MHC I–associated peptides were differentially expressed on normal versus neoplastic thymocytes. Approximately half of those peptides are derived from molecules directly implicated in neoplastic transformation (e.g., components of the PI3K–AKT–mTOR pathway). In most cases, overexpression of MHC I peptides on cancer cells entailed posttranscriptional mechanisms. Our results show that high-throughput analysis and sequencing of MHC I–associated peptides yields unique insights into the genesis of the MIP repertoire in normal and neoplastic cells

The Hepatokine TSK does not affect brown fat thermogenic capacity, body weight gain, and glucose homeostasis

Objectives Hepatokines are proteins secreted by the liver that impact the functions of the liver and various tissues through autocrine, paracrine, and endocrine signaling. Recently, Tsukushi (TSK) was identified as a new hepatokine that is induced by obesity and cold exposure. It was proposed that TSK controls sympathetic innervation and thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT) and that loss of TSK protects against diet-induced obesity and improves glucose homeostasis. Here we report the impact of deleting and/or overexpressing TSK on BAT thermogenic capacity, body weight regulation, and glucose homeostasis. Methods We measured the expression of thermogenic genes and markers of BAT innervation and activation in TSK-null and TSK-overexpressing mice. Body weight, body temperature, and parameters of glucose homeostasis were also assessed in the context of TSK loss and overexpression. Results The loss of TSK did not affect the thermogenic activation of BAT. We found that TSK-null mice were not protected against the development of obesity and did not show improvement in glucose tolerance. The overexpression of TSK also failed to modulate thermogenesis, body weight gain, and glucose homeostasis in mice