Éditeur(s) : Université de Brest
Résumé : The channel-lobe transition zone has been studied in two turbiditic systems: the Amazon channel-mouth lobe complex at the termination of the last eight channel-levee systems and the Neochannel termination, the last active channel of the Petit-Rhone turbidite system. - In the two cases, the internal geometry and stacking pattern of the deposits show a significant control of the configuration (size and shape) of the receiving basins, their morphology (gradients and subtle gradient changes), and their degree of confinement. - The Amazon and Petit-Rhone systems, with lobes built after the Last Glacial Maximum and the ensuing sea-level rise, evidence the major impact of external forcings (climatic events and eustatic variations) that induce variations in sediment fluxes delivered to the deep basin and therefore exert a control on channel-mouth lobes construction. The channel-mouth lobes of the Amazon and Petit-Rhone systems, even if they are located at great distances from the river mouths, at the termination of the turbidite systems and in areas characterised by subtle morphological variations, are both constrained by combined internal (accommodation and compensation) and external factors (post-glacial deconnection between the fluvial system and the deep basin).
La zone de transition chenal-levées/lobes a été étudiée dans 2 systèmes turbiditiques : le complexe de lobes à la terminaison des 8 derniers chenaux de l'éventail de l'Amazone et la terminaison du Néochenal, dernier chenal de l'éventail du Petit-Rhône. - Dans les deux cas, l'agencement des dépôts et leur évolution dans l'espace et le temps révèlent un fort contrôle de la configuration des réceptacles (taille et forme), de la morphologie des fonds (pentes et taux de changement des pentes) et du degré de confinement. - Les systèmes de l'Amazone et du Petit-Rhône, dont les lobes se sont construits à partir du Dernier Maximum Glaciaire et lors de la remontée du niveau marin qui a suivi, ont en outre permis de souligner l'impact majeur, sur la mise en place des lobes terminaux, de certains forçages externes (événements climatiques et variations eustatiques), qui déterminent les variations des flux sédimentaires arrivant au bassin. Ainsi, bien que situés à des distances considérables des sources fluviatiles et dans des zones distales où les variations de relief sont très ténues, les lobes terminaux de ces deux grands systèmes turbiditiques se sont révélés contraints à la fois par des processus internes (processus de compensation) et par des processus externes (déconnexion post-glaciaire du fleuve et du bassin).

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/2008/these-6796.pdf
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/6796/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Few studies have been undertaken to assess the possible effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on the reproductive hormone balance in animals or humans with often contradictory results. We investigated possible direct endocrine disruption by BPA of the fetal testes of 2 rat strains (14.5-17.5 days post-coitum) and humans (8-12 gestational weeks) and under different culture conditions. BPA concentrations of 10-8M and 10-5M for 72h reduced testosterone production by the Sprague-Dawley fetal rat testes, while only 10-5M suppressed it in the Wistar strain. The suppressive effects at 10-5M were seen as early as 24h and 48h in both strains. BPA at 10-7-10-5M for 72h suppressed the levels of fetal rat Leydig cell insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3). BPA exposure at 10-8M, 10-7M, and 10-5M for 72h inhibited testosterone production in fetal human testes. For the lowest doses, the effects observed occurred only when no gonadotrophin was added to the culture media and were associated with a poorly preserved testicular morphology. We concluded that (i) BPA can display anti-androgenic effects both in rat and human fetal testes; (ii) it is essential to ascertain that the divergent effects of endocrine disruptors between species in vitro do not result from the culture conditions used, and/or the rodent strain selected; (iii) the optimization of each in vitro assay for a given species should be a major objective rather than the search of an hypothetical trans-species consensual model-system, as the organization of the testis is intrinsically different between mammalian species; (iv) due to the uncertainty existing on the internal exposure of the human fetal testis to BPA, and the insufficient number of epidemiological studies on the endocrine disruptive effects of BPA, caution should be taken in the extrapolation of our present results to the human reproductive health after fetal exposure to BPA.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01121759
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01121759
PUBMED : 25706302
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0117226

Éditeur(s) : Elsevier Science Bv
Résumé : The Var turbiditic system located in the Ligurian Sea (SE France) is an intermediate mud/sand-rich system. The particularity of the Var deep-sea fan is its single channel with abrupt bends and its asymmetric and hyper-developed levee on the right hand side: the Var Sedimentary Ridge. Long-term sediment accumulation on the Var Sedimentary Ridge makes this an ideal target for studying the link between onshore climate change and deep-sea turbidite stratigraphy. This paper focuses on the establishment of the first detailed stratigraphy of the levee, which is used to analyze the timing of overbank deposition throughout the last deglaciation. Main results indicate that high variability in turbidite frequencies and deposition rates along the Var Sedimentary Ridge are determined by two main parameters: 1) the progressive decrease of the levee height controlling the ability of turbidity currents to spill out from the channel onto the levee, and 2) climatic variations affecting the drainage basin, in particular changes in glacial condition since late Last Glacial Maximum to early Holocene. Compared to other deep-water areas, this study confirms the ability of turbiditic systems to record past climatic events on millennial timescales, and underlines the influence of European deglaciation on the observed decrease in turbidite activity in the Var canyon. The presence of a very narrow continental shelf and a single, large channel-levee system makes the Var Sedimentary Ridge a unique example of climate-controlled turbiditic accumulations. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Marine Geology (0025-3227) (Elsevier Science Bv), 2011-01 , Vol. 279 , N. 1-4 , P. 148-161

Droits : 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00030/14104/11370.pdf
DOI:10.1016/j.margeo.2010.10.021
http://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00030/14104/

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
The Hedgehog (Hh) family of secreted proteins act as morphogens to control embryonic patterning and development in a variety of organ systems. Post-translational covalent attachment of cholesterol and palmitate to Hh proteins are critical for multimerization and long range signaling potency. However, the biological impact of lipid modifications on Hh ligand distribution and signal reception in humans remains unclear. In the present study, we report a unique case of autosomal recessive syndromic 46,XY Disorder of Sex Development (DSD) with testicular dysgenesis and chondrodysplasia resulting from a homozygous G287V missense mutation in the hedgehog acyl-transferase (HHAT) gene. This mutation occurred in the conserved membrane bound O-acyltransferase (MBOAT) domain and experimentally disrupted the ability of HHAT to palmitoylate Hh proteins such as DHH and SHH. Consistent with the patient phenotype, HHAT was found to be expressed in the somatic cells of both XX and XY gonads at the time of sex determination, and Hhat loss of function in mice recapitulates most of the testicular, skeletal, neuronal and growth defects observed in humans. In the developing testis, HHAT is not required for Sertoli cell commitment but plays a role in proper testis cord formation and the differentiation of fetal Leydig cells. Altogether, these results shed new light on the mechanisms of action of Hh proteins. Furthermore, they provide the first clinical evidence of the essential role played by lipid modification of Hh proteins in human testicular organogenesis and embryonic development.
ISSN: 1553-7390

hal-01063929
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01063929
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004340
PUBMED : 24784881

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Endocrine Society
Résumé : International audience
Sertoli cells (SCs), the only somatic cells within seminiferous tubules, associate intimately with developing germ cells. They not only provide physical and nutritional support but also secrete factors essential to the complex developmental processes of germ cell proliferation and differentiation. The SC transcriptome must therefore adapt rapidly during the different stages of spermatogenesis. We report comprehensive genome-wide expression profiles of pure populations of SCs isolated at 5 distinct stages of the first wave of mouse spermatogenesis, using RNA sequencing technology. We were able to reconstruct about 13 901 high-confidence, nonredundant coding and noncoding transcripts, characterized by complex alternative splicing patterns with more than 45% comprising novel isoforms of known genes. Interestingly, roughly one-fifth (2939) of these genes exhibited a dynamic expression profile reflecting the evolving role of SCs during the progression of spermatogenesis, with stage-specific expression of genes involved in biological processes such as cell cycle regulation, metabolism and energy production, retinoic acid synthesis, and blood-testis barrier biogenesis. Finally, regulatory network analysis identified the transcription factors endothelial PAS domain-containing protein 1 (EPAS1/Hif2α), aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator (ARNT/Hif1β), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) as potential master regulators driving the SC transcriptional program. Our results highlight the plastic transcriptional landscape of SCs during the progression of spermatogenesis and provide valuable resources to better understand SC function and spermatogenesis and its related disorders, such as male infertility.
ISSN: 0888-8809

hal-01146846
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01146846
DOI : 10.1210/me.2014-1356
PUBMED : 25710594

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD American Society for Investigative Pathology
Résumé : International audience
Recent studies suggest that psoriasis may be more severe in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, particularly in those with the inflammatory stage of steatohepatitis [nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)]. Herein, we investigated the impact of diet-induced steatohepatitis on the severity of imiquimod-induced psoriasiform dermatitis. Mice fed with a high-fat diet developed steatohepatitis reminiscent of human NASH with ballooning hepatocytes and significant liver fibrosis. Mice with steatohepatitis also displayed moderate cutaneous inflammation characterized by erythema, dermalinfiltrates of CD45(+) leukocytes, and a local production of IL-17A. Moreover, steatohepatitis was associated with an epidermal activation of caspase-1 and cutaneous overexpression of IL-1 beta. Imiquimod-induced psoriasiform dermatitis was exacerbated in mice with steatohepatitis as compared to animals fed with a standard diet. Scale formation and acanthosis were aggravated, in correlation with increased IL-17A and IL-22 expression in inflamed skins. Finally, intradermal injection of IL-17A in standard diet-fed mice recapitulated the cutaneous pathology of mice with steatohepatitis. The results show that high-fat diet induced steatohepatitis aggravates the inflammation in psoriasiform dermatitis, via the cutaneous production of IL-17A. In agreement with clinical data, this description of a novel extrahepatic manifestation of NASH should sensitize dermatologists to the screening and the management of fatty liver in psoriatic patients.
ISSN: 0002-9440

hal-01390977
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01390977
DOI : 10.1016/j.ajpath.2016.05.012
PUBMED : 27423696

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Society for the Study of Reproduction
Résumé : International audience
Mammalian spermatogenesis is a complex and highly orchestrated combination of processes in which male germline proliferation and differentiation result in the production of mature spermatozoa. If recent genome-wide studies have contributed to the in-depth analysis of the male germline protein-encoding transcriptome, little effort has yet been devoted to the systematic identification of novel unannotated transcribed regions expressed during mammalian spermatogenesis. We report high-resolution expression profiling of male germ cells in rat, using next-generation sequencing technology and highly enriched testicular cell populations. Among 20 424 high-confidence transcripts reconstructed, we defined a stringent set of 1419 long multi-exonic unannotated transcripts expressed in the testis (testis-expressed unannotated transcripts [TUTs]). TUTs were divided into 7 groups with different expression patterns. Most TUTs share many of the characteristics of vertebrate long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). We also markedly reinforced the finding that TUTs and known lncRNAs accumulate during the meiotic and postmeiotic stages of spermatogenesis in mammals and that X-linked meiotic TUTs do not escape the silencing effects of meiotic sex chromosome inactivation. Importantly, we discovered that TUTs and known lncRNAs with a peak expression during meiosis define a distinct class of noncoding transcripts that exhibit exons twice as long as those of other transcripts. Our study provides new insights in transcriptional profiling of the male germline and represents a high-quality resource for novel loci expressed during spermatogenesis that significantly contributes to rat genome annotation.
ISSN: 0006-3363

hal-01063924
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01063924
DOI : 10.1095/biolreprod.114.118166
PUBMED : 24740603

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Endocrine Society
Résumé : International audience
: Context:Masculinization depends on the fetal testis. Exposure of the human fetus during pregnancy to paracetamol or/and to other mild-analgesics is associated with an increased risk of cryptorchidism.Objective:We aimed at determining whether mild analgesics disrupted the morphology and endocrine function of the human testis.Design:We used an in vitro system based on the culture of human fetal testes exposed or not to paracetamol, its metabolite AM404, aspirin, indomethacin, ketoconazole at 10(-4) M to 10(-7) M.Setting:The study was conducted at the University of Rennes I.Patients/Participants:Human fetal testes were from pregnant women following induced abortion, between 7 and 12 weeks of gestation (GW).Main Outcome Measures:Testosterone (radioimmunoassay: RIA), Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH; ELISA), insulin-like factor 3 (INSL3; RIA), prostaglandin D2 and E2 (PGD2 and PGE2, respectively; ELISA), were assayed in the media. Testicular cells were counted using histology and image analysis. The possible nuclear receptor-mediated activities of the analgesics were investigated using reporter cell lines expressing estrogen (ERs), androgen (AR) and peroxysome proliferator-activated γ ( PPARγ) receptors.Results:Indomethacin and aspirin stimulated testosterone production, particularly by the younger testes (8-9 GW vs 10-12 GW). Paracetamol, AM404 and ketoconazole decreased INSL3 levels. Aspirin stimulated, whereas ketoconazole inhibited AMH production. PGE2 levels were inhibited by paracetamol, and aspirin in the 7-12 GW testes, and by indomethacin but only in 7-9.86 GW old testes. The inhibitory trends seen for PGD2 were not statistically significant.Conclusions:Analgesics at concentrations relevant to human exposure cause endocrine disturbances in the fetal testis. We suggest that the fetal human testis displays slight critical age windows for sensitivity to direct exposure to aspirin, indomethacin and paracetamol. The analgesic-induced inhibition of INSL3 may be the mechanism by which analgesics increase the risk of cryptorchidism. Greater caution is required concerning consumption of analgesics during pregnancy.
ISSN: 0021-972X

inserm-00876125
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00876125
DOI : 10.1210/jc.2013-2531
PUBMED : 24030937

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: Numerous chemicals are capable of disrupting androgen production, but the possibility that they might act together to produce effects greater than those of the most effective component in the mixture has not been studied directly in human tissues. Suppression of androgen synthesis in fetal life has been associated with testis maldescent, malformations of the genitalia at birth, and poor semen quality later in life. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to investigate whether chemicals can act together to disrupt androgen production in human fetal testis explants and to evaluate the importance of mixture effects when characterizing the hazard of individual chemicals. METHODS: We used an organotypic culture system of human fetal testes explants called FEtal Gonad Assay (FEGA) with tissue obtained at 10 and 12 gestational wk (GW 10-12), to screen 27 chemicals individually for their possible anti-androgenic effect. Based on the results of the screen, we selected 11 compounds and tested them as mixtures. RESULTS: We evaluated mixtures composed of four and eight antiandrogens that contained the pharmaceuticals ketoconazole and theophylline and several previously untested chemicals, such as the pesticides imazalil and propiconazole. Mixtures of antiandrogens can suppress testosterone synthesis in human fetal testicular explants to an extent greater than that seen with individual chemicals. This revealed itself as a shift towards lower doses in the dose-response curves of individual antiandrogens that became more pronounced as the number of components increased from four to eight. CONCLUSIONS: Our results with the FEGA provide the foundations of a predictive human mixture risk assessment approach for anti-androgenic exposures in fetal life. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1014.
Environmental Health Perspectives

hal-01579609
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01579609
DOI : 10.1289/EHP1014
PUBMED : 28796631