This project deals with the fabrication of electronic devices based on silicon nanowires (SiNWs). The main objective is to achieve innovative sensors for biological/chemical applications. This project is in keeping with the development of a new research activity called 'electronic devices based on silicon nanowires' within the 'Groupe Microélectronique' (GM) of the 'Institut d'Electronique et des Télécommunications de Rennes'(IETR), UMR-CNRS 6164 of the University of Rennes 1. The research activities will take place within the clean room platform of microelectronics and microtechnology of the 'Centre Commun de Microélectronique de l'Ouest (CCMO) for which the GM-IETR has the responsibility. This clean room has the use of all necessary equipments for technological fabrication of microelectronics integrated devices and basic microtechnical elements for MEMS applications. This is a strong advantage of the IETR for the emergence and the development of new processes for silicon nanowires based sensors. Owing to their physical and electrical properties, SiNWs represent a promising material with strong potential for the fabrication of sensors with high sensitivity. The success of this project is related to the control of all steps leading to the fabrication of SiNWs based sensors. Key parameters are synthesis of poly-SiNWs, conception of new hard masks, technological achievement of the sensors in clean room and electrical characterizations of these devices. Poly-SiNWs will be synthesized by using the sidewall spacer formation technique. This technique, frequently used in microelectronic technology, exploits a combination of conventional photolithography, anisotropic etchings and the excellent homogeneity and reproducibility of conformal CVD processes. This technique takes the advantage to be suitable with classical silicon technology. Moreover, it does not require advanced and costly lithographic tools. In this project, we propose three different structures for the fabrication of a biological sensor. All steps described highlight the technical and technological feasibilities of the project. Indeed, a part of the technical knowledge on large area silicon technology can be used for the fabrication of SiNWs based sensors (for example, LPCVD, RIE'). The objective is to fabricate a sensor for biological or chemical detection. In this way, we will rest on the experience of the laboratory in this field. Indeed, laboratory acquired knowledge and practical experience for testing suspended gate field effect transistor for DNA hybridization recognition. The goal is to transfer to our devices test protocols already defined to study DNA hybridization recognition. So, this topic will be the first biological application of our sensors. Because poly-SiNWs sensor is based on an electronic signal detection, target molecules do not have to be chemically tagged with fluorescent molecules and then observed through optical readers. Such sensor could be simpler to use than standard optical-based detectors. This is a multidisciplinary project including all steps from conception to final tests.

Our project takes place in the current debate about the origins of language. It is now internationally recognized that the evolution of vocal communication is a tractable problem if approached in an interdisciplinary way (human/life sciences). Despite their proximity to human, nonhuman primates (NHP) have surprisingly rarely been considered as good models for animal'human comparison. The reason comes from old studies that have suggested that NHP calls were genetically fixed whereas birds, cetaceans and humans presented analogies of acoustic flexibility. This creates an intriguing 'phylogenetic gap' in mammals for theorists dealing with language evolution. Language and animal vocal communication are social acts and we believe that social pressures may have been crucial in their evolution. Moreover, finding precursors of human language in animal vocal communication requires investigating in all the facets of language, i.e. production ' usage ' perception. We propose to challenge or to moderate the suspected 'phylogenetic gap' through a comparative analysis of the social influences on the communication of human infants and mammals more (guenons) or less (dolphins) phylogenetically related to humans. Forest guenons and dolphins are ideal for this study since they rely mostly on calls to communicate given their visually-close habitat. Moreover, studies on forest-dwelling NHP are rare and this might have contributed to underestimate NHP communicative abilities. Recent studies on vocal production, including mine on Campbell's monkeys, are challenging the dichotomy between innately guided NHP calls and acquired human speech. I demonstrated vocal sharing of acoustic signatures between some affiliative partners, regardless of age, relatedness and status. This was the first description of such a phenomenon in NHP while vocal sharing has been well documented in dolphins and humans (notably studied in children by one of our team member). Also, to some extent, vocal plasticity has been described in NHP at the time of unusual social events (disturbance of the group composition). But, the precise social factors structuring the individual repertoires are still largely unknown in dolphins, guenons but also in human infants since most studies concern adults. Three complementary research axes are proposed. Axe 1 will consist in analyzing the social influences on vocal production. We will perform long-term developmental observations in various environmental circumstances to investigate how individual characteristics (sex, age) and/or social characteristics modulate vocal production conducting sometimes to vocal sharing. Children will be observed at school and at home. Dolphins and guenons will be observed in captivity and in the wild, thanks to the collaboration with K. Zuberbühler an internationally-fame specialist of wild guenons leading a field station in Ivory Coast. Moreover, three closely-related NHP forest species, differing in their natural social structures (family, harem, multimale multifemale), will be compared in socially stable contexts and at the time of new social network formations. But focusing the comparison among mammals on abilities other than those associated to production can also show how human and nonhuman primates are alike. Axe 2 will consist in analyzing the social influences on vocal usage and perception. Our previous investigations in guenons have also highlighted the potential existence of primitive forms of language-like properties, i.e. referential communication, proto-syntax and proto-conversation. Field experiments, including guenon call playbacks and predator-simulations, are now needed to confirm that the variability and the communicative rules observed are meaningful to animals. Almost nothing is known in dolphins on that topic so we will extend our investigations at this phylogenetical level. Theoretical discussions will be conducted concerting ethologists, psychologists and linguists to see to which extent these abilities can be seen as precursors of some human language characteristics. The role played by social factors on the acquisition of these abilities in humans will be evaluated by comparing typically and atypically developing children presenting different degrees of social disorders (Williams syndrome, autism). Axe 3 proposes a concrete evolutive biology approach. Forest guenons are interesting because they represent a family of 26 species with a large variety of social systems. We will study the relative weight of phylogeny and social factors (group composition, social network) on the vocal repertoire (size, variability). We expect from this program cross-disciplinary benefits providing important insights for newly emerging theories.

A major breakthrough in research on eukaryotic transcription is the recent recognition that cell-specific transcription programs utilize, in addition to genetic information, nuclear components originally thought to be mere 'architectural' material with poor regulatory contribution. Dynamic engagements of given protein complexes, histones and chromatin modifications, as well as DNA methylation assume indeed important regulatory roles in transcription. This additional level of regulatory information beyond the linear DNA sequence is the epigenome, and can be considered as a three-dimensional framework that specifies and organizes the expression of the genome. The spatio-temporal coordination of gene transcription is orchestrated by transient bindings of transcription factors, inducing in turn a cascade of enzymatic reactions via an ordered recruitment of various cofactors that modulate epigenome marks. This is exemplified by the combinatorial and cyclical recruitment of proteins on promoters regulated by the estrogen receptor (ER). Promoter-specific variations in the temporal recruitment of ER diverse cofactors during gene transcriptional activation are important parameters for introducing variations in gene response to estradiol (E2). However, the mechanisms underlying these processes are still poorly understood, notably those considering the interplays between chromatin organization, epigenome and cofactors recruitment. Within this context, our main objective is to elucidate mechanisms that govern chromatin dynamics during transcriptional regulation. This will be addressed within the context of isolated E2-regulated genes but also in the case of clustered co-regulated genes. In combinations with other methods, kinetic Chromatin ImmunoPrecipitation (ChIP) experiments will generate data to correlate promoter structure and organization (cis elements, chromatin structure, inclusion within gene clusters') to the specific patterns of cofactors recruitment. Planned experiments will (i) provide information on promoter-specific mechanisms engaged by ER when regulating transcription; (ii) consider individual and clustered target genes chromatin structure in correlation with these activities.

ABSTRACT: Chromosome segregation is a key process that maintains genomic stability. Defects in chromosome segregation can produce aneuploidy a phenomenon that is frequently observed in many cancer cell lines and tumours. That's why the mechanism by which the cells segregate their chromosomes is very important. Our group is highly focused on the chromosome segregation process and its regulation by phosphorylation. The CDK11(Cyclin Dependant Kinase 11), is playing a key role during mitosisand its mitotic function has first been described in our laboratory. Indeed, we demonstrated that CDK11 is required for proper cell cycle progression. Following CDK11 RNAi, the cells are blocked in mitosis and these mitotic-arrested cells show many mitotic abnormalities indicating a role for mitotic spindle organisation. This arrest also suggests that CDK11 could be a target for anti-cancer drugs in the future. We plan to continue our work on CDK11 using two different systems. First, we will analyse and select hsCDK11 interacting genes that were isolated after a yeast two hybrid screen. The most interested genes will be selected by RNAi. We also want to isolate and identify CDK11 protein complexes from dividing cells expressing a tagged but functional version of CDK11. We would also like to study the Drosophila CDK11 homologue. Preliminary work on a P element line inserted in the CDK11 gene suggests that mutation in CDK11 leads to mitotic defects in this organism. Unlike human cells, studying CDK11 in fly will permit to analyse the function of this gene in a developmental context and in different genetic backgrounds. In addition, we will develop transgenic flies with tags (GFP, Myc) to image Fluorescent version of CDK11. CDK11 complexes from mitotic embryos will also be isolated and identified from mitotic embryos. Using both systems, the identification of CDK11 candidate interacting proteins will be validated in vivo and in vitro.

Initiated by Fontaine in 70's, p-adic Hodge theory is some part of arithmetics who has known an important growing for several years. It has nowadays a central position in many domains in arithmetics as theory of modular forms (on which is based the famous proof by Wiles of Fermat's last theorem) or the new and very promising p-adic Langlands correspondance. This growing is characterised by an important increasing of the quantity of objects involved in the theory: one have filtered (phi,N)-modules, strongly divisible modules, (phi,Gamma)-modules, p-adic differential equations, and so on. These objects are often modules over series rings (whose structure is in general quite complicated) together with additional operators. Although they are quite well understood theorically, it remains very difficult to do explicit computations with them. Via this ANR project, we would like to fill the gap by conceive -- and implement -- algorithms to lead to end very concretly a lot of problematic calculations. In a second step, we would like to achieve a database of examples (of usual objects appearing in p-adic Hodge theory) and to make it available to the community.