Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Rh (Rhesus) is a major blood group system in man, which is clinically significant in transfusion medicine. Rh antigens are carried by an oligomer of two major erythroid specific polypeptides, the Rh (D and CcEe) proteins and the RhAG glycoprotein, that shared a common predicted structure with 12 transmembrane a-helices (M0 to M11). Non erythroid homologues of these proteins have been identified (RhBG and RhCG), notably in diverse organs specialized in ammonia production and excretion, such as kidney, liver and intestine. Phylogenetic studies and experimental evidence have shown that these proteins belong to the Amt/Mep/Rh protein superfamily of ammonium/methylammonium permease, but another view suggests that Rh proteins might function as CO2 gas channels. Until recently no information on the structure of these proteins were available. However, in the last two years, new insight has been gained into the structural features of Rh proteins (through the determination of the crystal structures of bacterial AmtB and archeaebacterial Amt-1. Here, models of the subunit and oligomeric architecture of human Rh proteins are proposed, based on a refined alignment with and crystal structure of the bacterial ammonia transporter AmtB, a member of the Amt/Mep/Rh superfamily. This alignment was performed considering invariant structural features, which were revealed through Hydrophobic Cluster Analysis, and led to propose alternative predictions for the less conserved regions, particularly in the N-terminal sequences. The Rh models, on which an additional Rh-specific, N-terminal helix M0 was tentatively positioned, were further assessed through the consideration of biochemical and immunochemical data, as well as of stereochemical and topological constraints. These models highlighted some Rh specific features that have not yet been reported. Among these, are the prediction of some critical residues, which may play a role in the channel function, but also in the stability of the subunit structure and oligomeric assembly. These results provide a basis to further understand the structure/function relationships of Rh proteins, and the alterations occurring in variant phenotypes.
ISSN: 1246-7820

hal-00112914
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00112914
DOI : 10.1016/j.tracli.2006.02.001

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
ISSN: 2041-210X

hal-01504648
https://hal-agroparistech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01504648
DOI : 10.1111/2041-210X.12591

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BioMed Central
Résumé : International audience
Background: Increasingly, similarity networks are being used for evolutionary analyses of molecular datasets. These networks are very useful, in particular for the analysis of gene sharing, lateral gene transfer and for the detection of distant homologs. Currently, such analyses require some computer programming skills due to the limited availability of user-friendly freely distributed software. Consequently, although appealing, the construction and analyses of these networks remain less familiar to biologists than do phylogenetic approaches. Results: In order to ease the use of similarity networks in the community of evolutionary biologists, we introduce a software program, EGN, that runs under Linux or MacOSX. EGN automates the reconstruction of gene and genome networks from nucleic and proteic sequences. EGN also implements statistics describing genetic diversity in these samples, for various user-defined thresholds of similarities. In the interest of studying the complexity of evolutionary processes affecting microbial evolution, we applied EGN to a dataset of 571,044 proteic sequences from the three domains of life and from mobile elements. We observed that, in Borrelia, plasmids play a different role than in most other eubacteria. Rather than being genetic couriers involved in lateral gene transfer, Borrelia's plasmids and their genes act as private genetic goods, that contribute to the creation of genetic diversity within their parasitic hosts. Conclusion: EGN can be used for constructing, analyzing, and mining molecular datasets in evolutionary studies. The program can help increase our knowledge of the processes through which genes from distinct sources and/or from multiple genomes co-evolve in lineages of cellular organisms.
ISSN: 1471-2148

hal-01544799
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544799
DOI : 10.1186/1471-2148-13-146

Résumé : Les mécanismes à l’origine du maintien de la forte diversité locale des arbres des forêts tropicales humides constituent encore une énigme pour les scientifiques. Cette thèse a pour but d’étudier et de comprendre certains facteurs biotiques et abiotiques qui influencent l’assemblage des communautés des forêts tropicales humides d’Amazonie. A l’aide d’une approche empirique conduite dans les forêts tropicales de Guyane française et du Loreto au Pérou, de nombreuses expériences de terrain ont été mises en place dans le but d’apporter des éléments de réponse sur les mécanismes impliqués dans le maintien de la diversité des communautés d’arbres et d’insectes des forêts amazoniennes. Dans un premier temps, cette thèse permet de souligner l’importance des pressions biotiques exercées sur les communautés d’arbres. En effet, les communautés d’insectes peuvent influencer la composition des communautés d’arbres le long d’un gradient environnemental conduisant à des compromis entre la défense et la croissance. Ces compromis ou tradeoff permettent de maintenir la coexistence des espèces de forêts tropicales humides en favorisant la spécialisation des arbres à leur habitat (Chapitre 1, Annexe 3). Cependant, de nombreux facteurs peuvent engendrer des variations dans les compromis d’allocation exhibés par les plantes, ce qui peut compliquer la validité de ces résultats. Dans ce sens, nous avons souligné l’influence du rôle de la cascade trophique et l’existence chez certaines espèces d’arbres de stratégies d’évitement des insectes (Chapitre 2). Dans un second temps, nous avons montré que les filtres environnementaux et les distances géographiques favorisent un fort turnover de la composition des arthropodes des forêts tropicales (chapitre 3, Annexe 2). Les résultats de cette étude ont des implications fondamentales sur les mécanismes qui expliquent la structuration des communautés d’insectes herbivores. Nous avons souligné l’importance de l’interaction des communautés des insectes herbivores et de leurs plantes associées. De plus, des prédictions sont présentées sur le degré de spécialisation des insectes à leur plante-hôte (Annexe 3), notamment sur les implications possibles dans les compromis d’allocation chez les plantes. Finalement, des perspectives de recherche sont proposées en vue de poursuivre ces travaux de recherche, et notamment des extensions de mes expériences vers d’autres régions tropicales et tempérées et l’intégration de la phylogénie pour comprendre des mécanismes de coévolution entre communautés d’arbres et insectes. Nous proposons également une intégration des résultats de cette thèse dans les stratégies locales et régionales de conservation des forêts tropicales du bassin amazonien.
The mechanisms underlying the maintenance of local diversity of trees in tropical rainforests remain under debate. This dissertation aims to study and understand some biotic and abiotic factors that may influence both tree and insect community assembly in lowland tropical forests of Amazonia. I used an empirical approach to study communities of trees and insects in tropical forests of French Guiana and Peru, to address the extent to which insect herbivores contribute to the turnover of tree species across strong environmental gradients. In Chapter 1, I studied how herbivorous insect communities can influence the composition of tree communities along an environmental gradient by reinforcing tradeoffs between defense and growth that promote habitat specialization (Chapter 1, Appendix 3). The complicated variation in the patterns of growth and defense from this study led me to pursue further observations of an alternative plant defense strategy of time-avoidance of herbivores, which I examined in detail in Chapter 2. I found evidence for coordinated leaf production in some tree species that was consistent with the satiation of herbivores, suggesting that multiple interactions between plants and their herbivores may be responsible for patterns of habitat specialization in trees. In the second part of the dissertation, I examined insect herbivore communities in detail to test for turnover in species composition across geographic and environmental gradients. In Chapter 3, I present evidence for substantial beta-diversity in arthropod communities throughout lowland Amazonian forests. In the discussion I propose research perspectives to complete this research, including the extension of observations to compare tropical and temperate regions and the integration of molecular phylogenetics information to study coevolution of plant lineages and their insect herbivores. I conclude with suggestions for the integration of the results of this thesis in local and regional strategies for the preservation and conservation of tropical forests in the Amazon basin.

http://www.theses.fr/2013AGUY0582/document

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Station Biologique
Résumé : International audience
Four "morphotypes" of Mytilidae were collected from wood falls in the west Pacific (Vanuatu islands) and in the Bohol sea (Philippines) between 300 and 1800 metre depth. Results from our study demonstrated the existence of extracellular bacteria located between microvilli at the apical surface of the cells all along the lateral zone of the gill filaments in the four mytilid morphotypes analyzed. Based on TEM observations, these Gram-negative bacteria were not methanotrophic due to the lack of concentric stacking of intracellular membranes in their cytoplasm. Based on FISH experiments, these bacteria belong to g-Proteobacteria. These preliminary observations described gill symbiosis-like interactions in metazoan species associated with sunken wood, strengthening the hypothesis that decomposing wood may serve as steps for the introduction of symbiotic Mytilidae to vents and seeps. Phylogenetic analysis of these extracellular bacteria are in progress in our lab in order to compare their 16SrDNA sequences to that of other marine invertebrate symbionts described to date.
ISSN: 0007-9723

hal-00753023
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-00753023

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Tension wood, a tissue developed by angiosperm trees to actively recover their verticality, has long been defined by the presence of an unlignified cellulosic inner layer in the cell wall of fibres, called the G-layer. Although it was known that some species have no G-layer, the definition was appropriate since it enabled easy detection of tension wood zones using various staining techniques for either cellulose or lignin. For several years now, irrespective of its anatomical structure, tension wood has been defined by its high mechanical internal tensile stress. This definition enables screening of the diversity of cell walls in tension wood fibres. Recent results obtained in tropical species with tension wood with a delay in the lignification of the G-layer opened our eyes to the effective presence of large amounts of lignin in the G-layer of some species. This led us to review older literature mentioning the presence of lignin deposits in the G-layer and give them credit. Advances in the knowledge of tension wood fibres allow us to reconsider some previous classifications of the diversity in the organisation of the fibre walls of the tension wood.
ISSN: 0928-1541

hal-01636686
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01636686
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01636686/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01636686/file/2017_Ghislain-Clair_IAWAJ_DiversityOrganisationLignificationTensionWoodFibreWalls-AReview.pdf
DOI : 10.1163/22941932-20170170

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Mycoheterotrophic orchids have adapted to shaded forest understory by shifting to achlorophylly and receiving carbon from their mycorrhizal fungi. In temperate forests, they associate in a highly specific way with fungi forming ectomycorrhizas on nearby trees, and exploiting tree photosynthates. However, many rainforests lack ectomycorrhizal fungi, and there is evidence that some tropical Asiatic species associate with saprotrophic fungi. To investigate this in different geographic and phylogenetic contexts, we identified the mycorrhizal fungi supporting two tropical mycoheterotrophic orchids from Mascarene (Indian Ocean) and Caribbean islands. We tested their possible carbon sources by measuring natural nitrogen (15N) and carbon (13C) abundances. Saprotrophic basidiomycetes were found: Gastrodia similis associates with a wood-decaying Resinicium (Hymenochaetales); Wullschlaegelia aphylla associates with both litter-decaying Gymnopus and Mycena species, whose rhizomorphs link orchid roots to leaf litter. The 15N and 13C abundances make plausible food chains from dead wood to G. similis and from dead leaves to W. aphylla. We propose that temperature and moisture in rainforests, but not in most temperate forests, may favour sufficient saprotrophic activity to support development of mycoheterotrophs. By enlarging the spectrum of mycorrhizal fungi and the level of specificity in mycoheterotrophic orchids, this study provides new insights on orchid and mycorrhizal biology in the tropics. New Phytologist (2009)doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02987.x
ISSN: 0028-646X

hal-01199356
http://hal.univ-reunion.fr/hal-01199356
DOI : 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02987.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
BackgroundSince the discovery of thioautotrophic bacterial symbiosis in the giant tubeworm Riftia pachyptila, there has been great impetus to investigate such partnerships in other invertebrates. In this study, we present the occurrence of a sulphur-oxidizing symbiosis in a metazoan belonging to the phylum Cnidaria in which this event has never been described previously.Methodology/Principal FindingsScanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) observations and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXs) analysis, were employed to unveil the presence of prokaryotes population bearing elemental sulphur granules, growing on the body surface of the metazoan. Phylogenetic assessments were also undertaken to identify this invertebrate and microorganisms in thiotrophic symbiosis. Our results showed the occurrence of a thiotrophic symbiosis in a cnidarian identified as Cladonema sp.Conclusions/SignificanceThis is the first report describing the occurrence of a sulphur-oxidizing symbiosis in a cnidarian. Furthermore, of the two adult morphologies, the polyp and medusa, this mutualistic association was found restricted to the polyp form of Cladonema sp.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01203244
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01203244
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01203244/document
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01203244/file/Plos%20Cladonema%20%281%29.pdf
https://hal.univ-antilles.fr/hal-01203244/file/Plos%20Cladonema.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Defining homologous genes is important in many evolutionary studies but raises obvious issues. Some of these issues are conceptual and stem from our assumptions of how a gene evolves, others are practical, and depend on the algorithmic decisions implemented in existing software. Therefore, to make progress in the study of homology, both ontological and epistemological questions must be considered. In particular, defining homologous genes cannot be solely addressed under the classic assumptions of strong tree thinking, according to which genes evolve in a strictly tree-like fashion of vertical descent and divergence and the problems of homology detection are primarily methodological. Gene homology could also be considered under a different perspective where genes evolve as ``public goods,'' subjected to various introgressive processes. In this latter case, defining homologous genes becomes a matter of designing models suited to the actual complexity of the data and how such complexity arises, rather than trying to fit genetic data to some a priori tree-like evolutionary model, a practice that inevitably results in the loss of much information. Here we show how important aspects of the problems raised by homology detection methods can be overcome when even more fundamental roots of these problems are addressed by analyzing public goods thinking evolutionary processes through which genes have frequently originated. This kind of thinking acknowledges distinct types of homologs, characterized by distinct patterns, in phylogenetic and nonphylogenetic unrooted or multirooted networks. In addition, we define `` family resemblances'' to include genes that are related through intermediate relatives, thereby placing notions of homology in the broader context of evolutionary relationships. We conclude by presenting some payoffs of adopting such a pluralistic account of homology and family relationship, which expands the scope of evolutionary analyses beyond the traditional, yet relatively narrow focus allowed by a strong tree-thinking view on gene evolution.
ISSN: 0737-4038

hal-01544794
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544794
DOI : 10.1093/molbev/mst228

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley/Blackwell
Résumé : International audience
Photosynthetic eukaryotes have a critical role as the main producers in most ecosystems of the biosphere. The ongoing environmental metabarcoding revolution opens the perspective for holistic ecosystems biological studies of these organisms, in particular the unicellular microalgae that often lack distinctive morphological characters and have complex life cycles. To interpret environmental sequences, metabarcoding necessarily relies on taxonomically curated databases containing reference sequences of the targeted gene (or barcode) from identified organisms. To date, no such reference framework exists for photosynthetic eukaryotes. In this study, we built the PhytoREF database that contains 6490 plastidial 16S rDNA reference sequences that originate from a large diversity of eukaryotes representing all known major photosynthetic lineages. We compiled 3333 amplicon sequences available from public databases and 879 sequences extracted from plastidial genomes, and generated 411 novel sequences from cultured marine microalgal strains belonging to different eukaryotic lineages. A total of 1867 environmental Sanger 16S rDNA sequences were also included in the database. Stringent quality filtering and a phylogeny-based taxonomic classification were applied for each 16S rDNA sequence. The database mainly focuses on marine microalgae, but sequences from land plants (representing half of the PhytoREF sequences) and freshwater taxa were also included to broaden the applicability of PhytoREF to different aquatic and terrestrial habitats. PhytoREF, accessible via a web interface (http://phytoref.fr), is a new resource in molecular ecology to foster the discovery, assessment and monitoring of the diversity of photosynthetic eukaryotes using high-throughput sequencing.
ISSN: 1755-098X

hal-01149047
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01149047
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01149047/document
http://hal.upmc.fr/hal-01149047/file/Decelle_2015_PhytoREF.pdf
DOI : 10.1111/1755-0998.12401

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Leaf dark respiration (R-dark) represents an important component controlling the carbon balance in tropical forests. Here, we test how nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) affect R-dark and its relationship with photosynthesis using three widely separated tropical forests which differ in soil fertility.R-dark was measured on 431 rainforest canopy trees, from 182 species, in French Guiana, Peru and Australia. The variation in R-dark was examined in relation to leaf N and P content, leaf structure and maximum photosynthetic rates at ambient and saturating atmospheric CO2 concentration.We found that the site with the lowest fertility (French Guiana) exhibited greater rates of R-dark per unit leaf N, P and photosynthesis. The data from Australia, for which there were no phylogenetic overlaps with the samples from the South American sites, yielded the most distinct relationships of R-dark with the measured leaf traits.Our data indicate that no single universal scaling relationship accounts for variation in R-dark across this large biogeographical space. Variability between sites in the absolute rates of R-dark and the R-dark : photosynthesis ratio were driven by variations in N- and P-use efficiency, which were related to both taxonomic and environmental variability.
ISSN: 0028-646X

hal-01559483
https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/hal-01559483
DOI : 10.1111/nph.13992

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Aim : To assess gaps in the representation of taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity among coastal fishes in Mediterranean marine-protected areas (MPAs).
ISSN: 1366-9516

hal-01135644
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01135644
DOI : 10.1111/ddi.12280

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Background: Researchers sorely need markers and approaches for biodiversity exploration (both specimen linked and metagenomics) using the full potential of next generation sequencing technologies (NGST). Currently, most studies rely on expensive multiple tagging, PCR primer universality and/or the use of few markers, sometimes with insufficient variability. Methodology/Principal Findings: We propose a novel approach for the isolation and sequencing of a universal, useful and popular marker across distant, non-model metazoans: the complete mitochondrial genome. It relies on the properties of metazoan mitogenomes for enrichment, on careful choice of the organisms to multiplex, as well as on the wide collection of accumulated mitochondrial reference datasets for post-sequencing sorting and identification instead of individual tagging. Multiple divergent organisms can be sequenced simultaneously, and their complete mitogenome obtained at a very low cost. We provide in silico testing of dataset assembly for a selected set of example datasets. Conclusions/Significance: This approach generates large mitogenome datasets. These sequences are useful for phylogenetics, molecular identification and molecular ecology studies, and are compatible with all existing projects or available datasets based on mitochondrial sequences, such as the Barcode of Life project. Our method can yield sequences both from identified samples and metagenomic samples. The use of the same datasets for both kinds of studies makes for a powerful approach, especially since the datasets have a high variability even at species level, and would be a useful complement to the less variable 18S rDNA currently prevailing in metagenomic studies.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01544766
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544766
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0051263

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Standard microbial evolutionary ontology is organized according to a nested hierarchy of entities at various levels of biological organization. It typically detects and defines these entities in relation to the most stable aspects of evolutionary processes, by identifying lineages evolving by a process of vertical inheritance from an ancestral entity. However, recent advances in microbiology indicate that such an ontology has important limitations. The various dynamics detected within microbiological systems reveal that a focus on the most stable entities (or features of entities) over time inevitably underestimates the extent and nature of microbial diversity. These dynamics are not the outcome of the process of vertical descent alone. Other processes, often involving causal interactions between entities from distinct levels of biological organisation, or operating at different time scales, are responsible not only for the destabilisation of pre-existing entities, but also for the emergence and stabilisation of novel entities in the microbial world. In this article we consider microbial entities as more or less stabilised functional wholes, and sketch a network-based ontology that can represent a diverse set of processes including, for example, as well as phylogenetic relations, interactions that stabilise or destabilise the interacting entities, spatial relations, ecological connections, and genetic exchanges. We use this pluralistic framework for evaluating (i) the existing ontological assumptions in evolution (e.g. whether currently recognized entities are adequate for understanding the causes of change and stabilisation in the microbial world), and (ii) for identifying hidden ontological kinds, essentially invisible from within a more limited perspective. We propose to recognize additional classes of entities that provide new insights into the structure of the microbial world, namely ``processually equivalent'' entities, ``processually versatile'' entities, and ``stabilized'' entities.
ISSN: 0169-3867

hal-01544796
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01544796
DOI : 10.1007/s10539-012-9350-2

Résumé : Ce travail de thèse intitulé «Evaluation de marqueurs génétiques du complexe Mycobacterium tuberculosis combinée à l'utilisation d'outils bioinformatiques: apport en épidémiologie et phylogénie de la tuberculose» a consisté en la sélection et l'évaluation de marqueurs minisatellites dans le cadre d'études épidémiologiques et phylogénétiques du bacille tuberculeux, Une première partie a ainsi porté sur l'épidémie de tuberculose en Guadeloupe, Martinique, et Guyane française ainsi que dans un pays continental à faible incidence de tuberculose, la Suède, Les résultats montrent les disparités existant entre les populations de patients tuberculeux des 3 départements français d'Amérique (DFA) ainsi que les similitudes génotypiques existant entre les bacilles tuberculeux. Par ailleurs le rôle majeur joué par les cas d'importation dans l'épidémie de tuberculose a été montré aussi bien dans les DFA qu'en Suède. Nous nous sommes ensuite intéressés à une utilisation optimale des minisatellites pour une meilleure discrimination de la famille génotypique émergeante « Beijing» circulant au Japon (Osaka, Kobe et Okinawa), ainsi qu'en Russie. Nous avons constaté le faible pouvoir discriminant du format classique 12-locus MIRU (Mycobacterial lnterspersed Repetitive Units) et proposons plusieurs nouvelles stratégies de typage basées plusieurs marqueurs minisatellites incluant certains locus hypervariables. Enfin, dans un troisième volet, nous avons étudié la diversité génétique des bacilles tuberculeux circulant actuellement dans la Caraïbe. laquelle semble refléter le passé historique très particulier de cette zone géographique au croisement d'une multitude de peuplements.
This thesis entitled "Evaluation of genetic markers of Mycobacterium tuberculosis combined with the use of bioinformatics tools: input for epidemiology and phylogeny of tuberculosis" deals with the selection and evaluation of minisatellite markers in the context of epidemiological and phylogenetic studies of the tubercle bacillus M. tuberculosis. The first part of the present work has focused on the epidemic of tuberculosis in Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana as well as in a low incidence continental country, i.e Sweden. The results show differences between populations of TB patients in the three French Departments of America and similarities between the genotypes of the circulating tubercle bacilli Moreover, results highlight the important role played by imported cases for TB epidemic the three French departments of America and Sweden. ln a second part, minisatellite markers have been evaluated for a better discrimination of strains of the emerging genotype "Beijing" circulating in Japan (Osaka, Kobe and Okinawa), and Russia. A low discriminatory power of classical format 12-locus MIRU (Mycobacterial lnterspersed Repetitive Units) was observed and new combinations of minisatellites have also been proposed including hypervariable locus. Finally, the genetic diversity of tubercle bacilli circulating in the Caribbean was investigated which currently seem to reflect historical past of this very special region at the intersection of a multitude of cultures and peoples.

http://www.theses.fr/2011AGUY0427/document

Résumé : La distribution actuelle des espèces d’arbres des forêts tropicales humides amazoniennes est le résultat de processus dynamiques sur lesquels les perturbations passées, d’origine climatique ou anthropique, peuvent avoir jouées un rôle majeur. Des outils génétiques actuels associés à des méthodes d’analyses puissantes permettent d’inférer et de dater l’empreinte génomique des évènements démographiques subits par les populations naturelles. Le but de cette thèse est de contribuer à une vision d’ensemble de l’évolution démographique de la forêt tropicale humide du plateau des Guyanes pendant le Quaternaire. J’ai d’abord étudié les propriétés des microsatellites (répétitions simple de séquences, SSR) et les limites de leurs applications en tant que marqueurs moléculaires en phylogéographie. Plusieurs allèles SSR contenu dans diverses populations de trois genres d’arbres différents ont été séquencés et le polymorphisme, porté par chaque partie des fragments ADN contenant des SSR, a été étudié. J’ai observé que la quantité de variation génétique était aussi importante dans les régions encadrant le microsatellite que dans le SSR lui-même. Ces régions ont contribué significativement à l’information phylogénétique et ont parfois été la principale source de différenciation entre les individus et les populations. Cette expérience m’a permis de choisir la meilleure stratégie à adopter pour traiter les données de variation génétique des SSR dans des modèles démographiques. J’ai ensuite utilisé ces marqueurs SSR et des méthodes ABC pour étudier l’impact local des occupations humaines précolombiennes sur les forêts en Guyane française. Les changements démographiques subis par des populations de quatre espèces d’arbres ont été comparés entre cinq sites occupés et quatre sites non perturbés. Les perturbations naturelles et induites par l’homme ont contribué à la mise en place de la diversité observée actuellement, comme le suggère des signatures d’effet fondateur détectées sur les sites perturbés ou non. Néanmoins, la taille des populations fondatrices semble être proportionnelle à l’impact humain estimé, indiquant que les perturbations anthropique ont induit un remplacement des populations plus important que les processus écologiques naturels. Pour terminer, j’ai mené une étude de démographie comparative d’espèces d’arbres tropicaux à l’échelle régionale de la Guyane française. Cinq scénarios démographiques ont été testés pour neuf populations de huit espèces en utilisant des microsatellites nucléaires et des séquences chloroplastiques. Les changements démographiques les plus récents détectés convergent vers une signature générale d’expansion de la forêt humide depuis probablement la dernière glaciation. Cela peut suggérer, soit que la composition des forêts du plateau des Guyanes était différente, ou que le couvert forestier était moins étendu. Ce résultat constitue le premier indice de changement passé, probablement d’origine climatique, subi par les communautés forestières du plateau des Guyanes ; qui n’avait jusque-là pas pu être testé avec des méthodes standards en raison d’un manque de fossiles. En conclusion, j’ai recueilli des preuves génétiques que les perturbations, à différents échelles de temps, ont marqué la structure et la composition génétique des forêts du plateau des Guyanes. L’application de ces méthodes à d’autres régions Néotropicales pourrait contribuer, à l’avenir, à reconstruire l’histoire écologique de la forêt amazonienne de façon détaillée.
The current tree species distribution in Amazonian tropical rainforests is the outcome of dynamic processes in which past perturbations, climatic or anthropogenic, may have played a major role. Currently available genetic tools associated with powerful analytical methods allow inferring and dating the genomic imprint of demographic events undergone by natural populations. The aim of my thesis is to contribute to an overview of the demographic evolution of the tropical rainforest in the Guiana shield during the Quaternary. I have first studied the properties of microsatellites or Simple sequence repeat (SSR) and the limits in their applications as molecular markers in phylogeography. Several SSR alleles in multiple populations of three divergent tree genera have been sequenced and the sources of polymorphisms, carried by each portion of SSR-containing DNA amplicons, have been broken apart. I have observed that the amount of variation was as large in flanking regions as in the SSR itself. The former contributed significantly to the phylogenetic information and sometimes was the main source of differentiation among individuals and populations. This experiment allowed me to choose the best strategy to treat SSR variation in demographic modeling. I have subsequently used SSR markers and ABC methods to study the impact of pre-Columbian human settlements at the local level on rainforests in French Guiana. Demographic changes undergone by populations of four tree species were compared between five settled and four undisturbed sites. Both natural turnover and human-induced disturbances appeared as shaping currently observed genetic diversity, with signatures of founder effect both at disturbed and undisturbed sites. Nevertheless, the size of founding populations appeared to be proportional to the estimated human impact, suggesting that human-made disturbance caused deeper population turnover than background ecological processes. Finally, I have conducted a comparative demography study of tropical tree species at the regional level across French Guiana. Five demographic scenarios have been tested for nine populations from eight species using both nuclear microsatellites and chloroplastic sequences. The most recent demographic signals detected converge on a global signature of expansion of the rainforest since probably the last glaciation. This finding can suggest either that the composition of the Guiana shield rainforests was different, or that its global extent was smaller, during earlier epochs of the Pleistocene than today. This result is the first firm indication of changes undergone by the forest communities of the Guiana shield in the distant climatic past – something which could not be tested with standard methods due to almost complete lack of fossil evidence. In conclusion, I have gathered genetic evidence that disturbances, both in historical and geological times, have marked the structure and composition of forests in the Guiana shield.The extensive application of these methods to other regions of the Neotropics maycontribute, in the future, to the detailed reconstruction of the ecological history ofAmazonian forests.

http://www.theses.fr/2012AGUY0568/document

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer
Résumé : International audience
We isolated and characterized 16 polymorphic microsatellite loci for Lytocarpia brevirostris (Aglaophe- niidae), a hydrozoan common in the tropical Indo-Pacific region. Four to 34 alleles per locus were detected at the Indo-Pacific scale. At the population level, observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosities ranged across 0.100–0.625 and 0.097–0.597, respectively. Three markers showed significant deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equi- librium, all of them presenting null alleles. Linkage dis- equilibrium was detected in three pairs of loci among 120. These primers provide powerful tools for studying popu- lation genetic diversity and the implication of life cycle strategies on population differentiation in tropical hydro- zoans. This will be valuable for the conservation of coral reefs biodiversity and the design of marine protected areas.
ISSN: 1877-7252

hal-01185722
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01185722
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01185722/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01185722/file/Postaire%20et%20al.%20-%202015%20-%20Isolation%20and%20characterisation%20of%2016%20microsatellit_hal.pdf
DOI : 10.1007/s12686-014-0407-1

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier
Résumé : The discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vent fauna, kilometres deep in the oceans, is a great achievement of 20th-century marine biology. The deep-sea hydrothermal food web does not directly depend on the sun's energy. Vent communities rely primarily on trophic associations between chemoautotrophic bacteria and consumers A small. number of endemic taxa are adapted to the inhospitable vent environments that are distributed along ridge crests. Where these vent communities originated and how they dispersed are among the important questions ecologists must answer. Here, by statistical analysis of the most comprehensive database ever assembled about deep-sea hydrothermal fauna, we delineate six major hydrothermal provinces in the world ocean and identify seven possible dispersal pathways between adjacent provinces. Our model suggests that the East-Pacific Rise may have played a pivotal role as a centre of dispersal for the hydrothermal fauna. Our data-driven conclusion will have to be tested by phylogenetic studies and completed by surveys of less-explored fields.
Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers (0967-0637) (Elsevier), 2009-08 , Vol. 56 , N. 8 , P. 1371-1378

Droits : 2009 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/publication-6936.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2009/sup-6936.xls
DOI:10.1016/j.dsr.2009.01.009
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6936/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : Understanding the mechanisms generating species distributions remains a challenge, especially in hyperdiverse tropical forests. We evaluated the role of rainfall variation, soil gradients and herbivory on seedling mortality, and how variation in seedling performance along these gradients contributes to habitat specialisation. In a 4-year experiment, replicated at the two extremes of the Amazon basin, we reciprocally transplanted 4638 tree seedlings of 41 habitat-specialist species from seven phylogenetic lineages among the three most important forest habitats of lowland Amazonia. Rainfall variation, flooding and soil gradients strongly influenced seedling mortality, whereas herbivory had negligible impact. Seedling mortality varied strongly among habitats, consistent with predictions for habitat specialists in most lineages. This suggests that seedling performance is a primary determinant of the habitat associations of adult trees across Amazonia. It further suggests that tree diversity, currently mostly harboured in terra firme forests, may be strongly impacted by the predicted climate changes in Amazonia.
ISSN: 1461-023X

hal-01531751
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01531751
DOI : 10.1111/ele.12661
PRODINRA : 387284

Résumé : La tuberculose (TB), maladie infectieuse contagieuse, est causée par une mycobactérie appartenant au complexe Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTBC). Malgré de nombreuses campagnes de vaccination par le BCG (Bacilles de Calmette et Guérin) et les traitements antituberculeux, on observe une réémergence de la maladie depuis les années 80. Ce bouleversement s’explique par la coïnfection avec le virus du VIH/SIDA, la désorganisation des systèmes de santé et par l’apparition des bactéries résistantes aux principaux antibiotiques antituberculeux. Dans ce contexte une meilleure connaissance des mouvements et de l’évolution des clones circulants du bacille tuberculeux permettrait de détecter plus rapidement et de façon plus pertinente l’émergence d’épidémies. Le contrôle et la surveillance de la maladie représentent des moyens essentiels pour lutter contre l’expansion mondiale de la tuberculose. C’est ainsi que l’unité de la Tuberculose et des Mycobactéries de l’Institut Pasteur de la Guadeloupe (IPG) a mis en place une base de données de profils génotypiques pour l’étude de l’épidémiologie globale de la tuberculose. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous décrirons les méthodes de bioinformatique qui ont été utilisées pour la gestion et l’exploitation de la 6ème version (SITVIT2) de cette base de données des génotypes pour mieux comprendre l’évolution et la dissémination mondiale du bacille tuberculeux. Cette base intègre aussi plusieurs marqueurs moléculaires tels que les MIRU-VNTRs (« mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeats ») et le Spoligotype43 servant à mieux décrire et identifier les familles de profils génotypiques du MTBC. La banque de données SITVIT2 ne cesse d’évoluer, et elle contient actuellement des informations épidémiologiques sur 111 635 isolats cliniques. Cette base de données est consultable en ligne à l’adresse suivante : http://www.pasteur-guadeloupe.fr:8081/SITVIT2/. Nous avons également réalisé une base de données nommée SITVITBovis qui est dédiée à la tuberculose bovine. Cette base de données sera accessible à l’adresse : http://www.pasteur-guadeloupe.fr:8081/SITVIT_Bovis/. Parallèlement au développement et à la gestion des bases de données, ce travail de thèse s’est appuyé sur plusieurs études épidémiologiques et phylogéographiques mettant en corrélation les données disponibles sur la résistance aux médicaments ou les caractéristiques démographiques (dont le sexe, l’âge, le statut VIH, et l’origine du patient). Notre initiative de recherche permet ainsi d’améliorer la caractérisation phylogénétique détaillée des lignées du MTBC, ainsi que l’épidémiologie des clones en circulation, afin d’élaborer une cartographie géographique des isolats cliniques prédominants pour les bacilles tuberculeux principalement impliqués dans la maladie, à l’échelle nationale, régionale et mondiale. La superposition ultérieure de ces cartes avec des données sociopolitiques, économiques et démographiques obtenues auprès de Systèmes d’information géographique (SIG) ont permis de dresser un portrait précis des disparités actuelles par pays ou sous-région. Cette thèse représente une importante collaboration avec plusieurs équipes de chercheurs travaillant également dans le domaine de l’épidémiologie moléculaire de la tuberculose. L’objectif à long terme de ce travail, est d’optimiser la structure de la base, et de pérenniser l’enrichissement de celle-ci (notamment par l’automatisation et la facilité de la saisie de données). Une représentation optimale et une meilleure accessibilité des données de la base conforteraient les efforts faits pour le contrôle et la surveillance de la TB dans monde.
Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious infectious disease caused by mycobacteria belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC). Despite numerous campaigns of vaccination by the BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine, and TB treatments, there was a resurgence of the disease since the 80s. This disruption is due to coinfection with HIV/AIDS, disorganization of health systems and the emergence of bacteria resistant to anti-TB drugs. In this context, a better understanding of the movements and changes of circulating clones of tubercle bacilli would detect faster and more relevant emerging epidemics. The control and monitoring of the disease are essential means to fight against the worldwide spread of tuberculosis. Thus the TB and Mycobacteria unit of the Pasteur Institute of Guadeloupe (IPG) has developed a database of genotypic profiles for the study of global epidemiology of tuberculosis.In this thesis, we discuss the Bioinformatical methods that have been used for the management and development of the 6th version (SITVIT2) of this database of genotypes to better understand the evolution and global dissemination of the tubercle bacillus. The database also includes several molecular markers such as MIRU-VNTRs (mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units- variable number of tandem repeats) and Spoligotype43 allowing a better description and identification of the families of genotypic profiles of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. SITVIT2 database is constantly evolving, and it currently contains epidemiological information on 111,635 clinical isolates. This database is available online at the following address: http://www.pasteur-guadeloupe.fr:8081/SITVIT2/. We also developed a database named "SITVITBovis", which is dedicated to bovine tuberculosis. This database will be accessible at: http://www.pasteur-guadeloupe.fr:8081/SITVIT_Bovis/.Alongside the development and management of databases, this work was based on several epidemiological and phylogeographic studies correlating data on drug resistance or demographic characteristics (including sex, age, HIV status, and the origin of the patient). Our research initiative is thus focused to further improve in depth phylogenetic characterization of MTBC lineages, as well as the epidemiological analysis of circulating clones to generate evidence-based geographical mapping of predominant clinical isolates of tubercle bacilli causing the bulk of the disease both at country and regional level. Further superposition of these maps with socio-political, economical and demographical available through Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allows to have a precise view of prevailing disparities at the level of country or sub-region. This thesis represents an important collaboration with several researchers teams also working in the field of molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis.The long-term goal of this work is to further optimize the database structure, and sustain enriching it (including automation and ease of data entry). Optimum performance and accessibility of data in the database would reinforce efforts to control and surveillance of TB in the world.

http://www.theses.fr/2014AGUY0791/document