As proteínas que contem domínios ricos em leucina (LRR) mediam interações macromoleculares que estão envolvidas em muitos processos biológicos como infecção bacteriana em células hospedeiras e respostas imunológicas de plantas. Estudos anteriores em nosso laboratório identificaram um gene que codifica uma proteína contendo 6 LRRs (LaLRR17) em L. (L.) amazonensis. O LaLRR17 é um gene com expressão estágio regulada sendo abundantemente expresso na fase amastigota. Seqüências homólogas ao gene LaLRR17 foram encontradas em todas as espécies de Leishmania analisadas. Esse trabalho tem como objetivo a caracterização da proteína homóloga em L. (L.) major (LmLRR17). Anticorpos obtidos contra seqüências conservadas das proteínas LaLRR17 e LmLRR17 permitiram o estudo da abundância protéica em diferentes estágios do parasita. Curiosamente, a proteína LmLRR17 foi encontrada em maior abundância em promastigotas procíclicos em vez de amastigotas. Linhagens hiperexpressoras da proteína LmLRR17 ou expressoras da proteína LaLRR17 em fusão com o epitopo viral myc foram obtidas. As proteínas quiméricas foram expressas seguindo o mesmo padrão observado na cepa selvagem. O fenótipo desses mutantes foi avaliado mediante infecções de macrófagos in vitro. A hiperexpressão da proteína LmLRR17 em L. (L.) major não alterou o fenótipo da infecção in vitro. Por outro lado, a expressão da proteína heteróloga, LaLRR17, em promastigotas de L. (L.) major levou a incremento na virulência com maior número de células infectadas e de parasitas por célula. Esses resultados indicam que a expressão da proteína LmLRR17 em L. (L.) major é fortemente regulada. Esse trabalho também mostra que a expressão da proteína LaLRR17 em L. (L.) major leva a um aumento na infectividade. / Proteins containing leucine rich repeats (LRR) are known to be involved in macromolecular interactions in many processes such as signal transduction, cell-adhesion, RNA processing, apoptosis, disease resistance and immune response. A previous study in our laboratory identified a L. (L.) amazonensis gene encoding a protein containing 6 LRRs (LaLRR17). LaLRR17 is a stage-regulated gene expressed with increased abundance in the amastigote stage. Highly conserved homologues of LaLRR17 were found in all Leishmania species analyzed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the homologous protein of L. major (LmLRR17). Antibodies raised against peptide sequences common to LaLRR17 and LmLRR17 allowed the study of the steady-state protein abundance. Interestingly, LmLRR17 protein was found to be up-regulated in procyclic promastigotes, instead of amastigotes. Mutants of L. (L.) major overexpressing a myc-tagged version of LmLRR17 or of LaLRR17 protein were obtained. In these parasites, the chimeric proteins were expressed following the same pattern of expression observed in the wild type parasites. The phenotype of these mutants was assessed in vitro through macrophage infections. Overexpression of LmLRR17 protein in L. (L.) major resulted in an unaltered phenotype. On the other hand, overexpression of LaLRR17 in L. (L.) major induced an increase in virulence with a higher number of infected cells and intracellular parasites. These results indicate that the expression of LmLRR17 protein in L. major is tightly regulated and the expression of the heterologous LaLRR17 protein increased infectivity in vitro.

This diploma thesis deals with study of the rate-dependence of the magnitude of a current through the heart channel that conducts slowly activating component of delayed rectifier outward current (IKs). This property is very important for the IKs channel function. When other repolarizing currents are insufficient, but also when the heart rate accelerates, especially during elevated sympathetic tone, IKs provides so-called repolarization reserve, which prevents excessive lengthening of cardiac action potential repolarization. The IKs channel structure is encoded by the KCNQ1 (pore-forming -subunit) and KCNE1 (modulatory -subunit) genes. Mutations in these genes disrupt the physiological function of the IKs channel and cause inherited arrhythmogenic syndromes, especially long QT syndrome (LQTS). Such mutations include the c.926C>T (p.T309I) mutation in the KCNQ1 gene, which results in LQTS type 1 in heterozygous carriers. The theoretical part of the thesis provides basic information about the IKs channel and the patch clamp technique, this knowledge is necessary for the practical part. The experimental part is focused on cultivation of the CHO cell line and its transient transfection for subsequent electrophysiological measurements by whole-cell patch clamp technique to study the dependence of the IKs magnitude on stimulation frequency, both in the wild type channels (i.e. without mutation) and in those with cotransfected wild type and T309I subunits.

Recombinant proteins belong to considerable biofarmaceutics products used in biomedical research and in the treatment of human disease. Recombinant protines can be produced by stable transfection in big amount or by faster transient transfection with smaller amounts. To provide regular biological activity, it is necessary for the protein to be properly folded and post-translationally modified. As these modifications can be accurately performed only in mammalian cells, they have become the major host for complex r-protein expression. In this thesis is described transient transfection HEK 293 EBNA1 cells with linear polyethylenimines. These cells has been adapted to suspension cultivation in serum free medium. The cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1, pCI, pEBSV1, pCEP4, pEAK8 a pcDNA5/FRT/TO plasmids, everyone contained repoter gene SEAP. Concentration of SEAP in cell culture supernatants were determined in order to compare efficiencies of individual transfections. DNA:PEI ratio was another factor which was optimised and two different PEIs were compared. Highest achieved expresion was 50 mg per litre with transfection in 24 well plate when DNA:PEI ratio was 1:5. Comparison of six different plasmids give the bigest expresion pCEP4/SEAP, in well plate as well as in scaled up system.

In the beginning of this thesis is a short introduction into plasmid DNA which is in the form of a vector used in molecular biology. Plasmids can be used in the form of fluorescent probes to measure changes in membrane potential. Into their structure is added a dye called fluorophore. As an important representative of this thesis is a fluorescent probe ASAP1 which contains green fluorescent protein whose response to the membrane potential change is the decrease in the intensity of emitted light. The aim of this thesis was to make chemical transfection of this plasmid into the HEK293 cell line and carry out its characterization. In the work is also described the design of a method for the analysis of the time course of changes in fluorescence depending on the cell membrane depolarisation. In the end of this thesis is also desribed realized experiment including the discussion of aquired results.

This thesis deals with the problematice of measuring membrane potential and monitoring the propagation of electrical activity of cells. For this purpose, fluorescence membrane voltage sensors have been developed to detect changes in the membrane potential by changing their fluorescence intensity. The practical part is focused on the study of the properties of the ASAP1 fluorescence probe, which was transfected into the HEK293 cell line, which are kidney cells from the human embryo. Cell membrane potential was changed using the patch-clamp technique.

Natural killer (NK) cells are an intensively studied part of immune system, possessing unique ability to recognize and induce death of tumor and virus-infected cells without prior antigen sensitization. Their function is regulated by a fine balance of signals induced by multiple activating and inhibitory cell surface receptors and their interaction with the ligands present on the target cell. Recent research in their C-type lectin-like receptors repertoire has shown that ligands of some of these previously orphan receptors lie within their own family, describing a lectin-lectin interaction. This is the case of human inhibitory receptor NKRP1 (gene KLRB1) and its ligand LLT1 (gene CLEC2D). Previous studies have shown that overproduction of LLT1 in cancer cells or lower production of NKRP1 in NK cells is connected to cancerous manifestations. This master's thesis shows a successful production of the extracellular part of LLT1 utilizing a mammalian expression system based on transient transfection of modified human embryonic kidney (HEK) cell lines. It was found that the five cystein residues contained within the lectin domain of LLT1 tend to cause misfolding and formation of aggregates. Stabilization of the domain was achieved by restoration of the sixth cystein residue at the evolutionary conserved...

Das Harnblasenkarzinom (BCa) stellt in Deutschland die vierthäufigste Tumorneuerkrankung und die zehnthäufigste krebsbedingte Todesursache bei Männern dar. Nichtmuskelinvasive BCa werden organerhaltend aus der Blasenwand entfernt und zur Rezidiv- und Progressionsprophylaxe mittels intravesikaler Chemo- oder Immuntherapien behandelt. Trotz dieser adjuvanten Therapien, die mit starken Nebenwirkungen verbunden sein können, ist nur eine bedingte Minimierung des Rezidivrisikos möglich. Besonders im fortgeschrittenen Stadium weisen Harnblasenkarzinome eine schlechte Prognose auf. Obwohl das BCa eine chemosensitive Erkrankung darstellt, wird das Ansprechen auf lokale oder systemische Chemotherapien häufig durch auftretende Resistenzmechanismen limitiert. Daher stehen sowohl die Verbesserung konventioneller Chemotherapien als auch die Suche nach neuartigen Behandlungsstrategien im Fokus der experimentellen BCa-Forschung. Die Apoptose, eine Form des programmierten Zelltodes, ist ein essenzieller, streng regulierter biologischer Prozess, welcher der Aufrechterhaltung der Gewebshomöostase und der gezielten, entzündungsfreien Eliminierung geschädigter Zellen dient. Fehlregulationen in den Apoptosesignalwegen stellen ein zentrales Ereignis in der Tumorgenese dar und tragen außerdem zur Entstehung von Chemo- und Radiotherapieresistenzen bei. Eine wichtige Rolle in der Apoptoseregulation spielen die Mitglieder der BCL2- und der Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (IAP)-Familien, deren wichtigste antiapoptotische Vertreter BCL2, BCL-XL, XIAP und Survivin häufig in Tumoren, einschließlich des BCa, überexprimiert sind. Unter Verwendung von small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), synthetischen Nukleinsäurekonstrukten zur selektiven Geninhibition, wurde im Rahmen der Arbeit in vitro und in vivo untersucht, ob die Hemmung der Apoptoseinhibitoren BCL2, BCL-XL, XIAP und Survivin – allein und in Kombination mit Chemotherapie – eine Therapieoption zur Behandlung des BCa darstellen könnte. Da zur Tumorentstehung und -progression eine Vielzahl von genetischen Veränderungen beitragen, erscheint der Angriff eines einzelnen Zielgens unzureichend für eine effektive Tumortherapie. Aufgrund dessen wurde untersucht, ob durch simultane Reduktion der ausgewählten Apoptoseinhibitoren in BCa-Zellen stärkere wachstumsinhibitorische Effekte erzielt werden können. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde gezeigt, dass insbesondere die siRNA-vermittelte Hemmung von BCL-XL und Survivin in den BCa-Zelllinien EJ28 und J82 antiproliferative Effekte hervorruft und diese Tumorzellen gegenüber einer nachgeschalteten Chemotherapie mit Mitomycin C oder Cisplatin sensitiviert. Hingegen bewirkte sowohl die transiente als auch die stabile RNAi-induzierte Hemmung von BCL2 und XIAP in den untersuchten BCa-Monolayerzellkulturen, möglicherweise infolge kontinuierlicher Versorgung der Tumorzellen mit Sauerstoff und Nährstoffen, keine Reduktion des Tumorwachstums. Eine gegenüber den Einzelbehandlungen deutliche Verstärkung der antitumoralen und insbesondere der chemosensitivierenden Effekte in den BCa-Zelllinien wurde durch simultane Hemmung von BCL-XL und Survivin erzielt. Beispielsweise stieg der Anteil apoptotischer Zellen von 64 % nach Survivin-siRNA+Cisplatin-Behandlung auf 94 % nach gleichzeitiger BCL-XL+Survivin-Inhibition in Kombination mit Cisplatin. Folglich stellt die simultane Inhibition von BCL-XL und Survivin in Kombination mit Chemotherapeutika eine äußert viel versprechende BCa-Therapieoption dar. Tierexperimentelle Studien belegen die wachstumsinhibitorische Wirkung der Survivin-Reduktion und der kombinierten BCL-XL-siRNA+Chemotherapie-Behandlung, so wurde das Tumorendvolumen im Vergleich zur Kontrollbehandlung um 43 % bzw. um 48 % reduziert.

Introduction: Cryptosporidium parvum is one of the most common causes of diarrhea worldwide in neonatal calves. This pathogen is also life-threatening in malnourished children and immunodeficient patients. There is no vaccine and a single drug nitazoxanide (NTZ), of only the moderate efficacy has been approved by FDA for cryptosporidiosis treatment in human. Octaarginine is known to facilitate the transport of other molecules across cell membranes and has been use to transfect protozoan organisms. It is also proposed to increase the efficacy of drugs against intracellular pathogens. Aims of the study: The capacity of octaarginine to support transfection of C. parvum as an alternative to electroporation was evaluated. Furthermore, it was studied whether octaarginine covalently bound to NTZ (NTZ-R8) improves efficacy against the parasite. Animals, materials and methods: FAM-octaarginine was added to either intact oocysts, short-time excystation exposed (STE) oocysts, excysted sporozoites, intracellular stages of C. parvum to assess the permeability of the Cryptosporidium membrane to the peptide. The optimal conditions for condensation of plasmid for transfection experiments were evaluated by testing different N/P ratios applying by gel retardation assay. The transfection complex octaarginine/polyethyleneimine (PEI)/DNA was also incubated with intact oocysts, STE oocysts, and excysted sporozoites. Transfected parasites were transferred to HCT-8 cell cultures and further incubated for 24 h. Immunoflourescence assay (IFA) was performed to detect successfully transfected parasites. To evaluate the suitability of octaarginine as a vehicle supporting transport of NTZ across membranes, octaarginine was coupled to NTZ to produce NTZ-R8. Cryptosporidium oocysts were inoculated into HCT-8 cell monolayers in the presence of NTZ and NTZ-R8 at concentrations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 or 1000 ng/ml. Parasite growth was monitored by RT- qPCR after RNA extraction from C. parvum exposed HTC-8 cell cultures. RT-qPCR was performed on the target gene 18S rRNA of Cryptosporidium and normalized to the expression of the housekeeping gene 18S rRNA of host cells. To evaluate the efficacy of NTZ-R8 in vivo, IFN-γ knockout mice were orally inoculated with 1000 oocysts each, except for the non-infected controls. Infected mice were treated with NTZ (10 mg/kg BW) or NTZ-R8 (2 mg/kg BW) in 7 days. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated by oocyst excretion, survival rate, clinical symptoms, and histopathological changes in the ileum. Results: Octaarginine easily penetrated into Cryptosporidium sporozoites and STE oocysts, and intracellular stages while the membrane of intact oocysts remained impermeable. The optimal N/P ratio for the full DNA plasmid condensation starts from 10 when octaarginine was also added to the complex. Successful transfection of excysted sporozoites and STE oocysts was observed with only 1µg plasmid in the transfection complex. Transfection was not achieve when intact oocysts were used. The half-maximal inhibition concentration (IC50) of NTZ and NTZ-R8 was 60.54 ng/ml (197 nM) and 4.499 ng/ml (2.9 nM), respectively. Therefore, octaarginine significantly improved inhibition C. parvum growth by NTZ around 68 times (P < 0.05). During in vivo studies, it was observed that infected mice displayed symptoms of cryptosporidiosis such as anorexia, weight loss and ruffled fur. Mice treated with NTZ at 10 mg/kg BW displayed in 40% survival while mice treated with NTZ-R8 at 2 mg/ kg BW showed a distinctly higher survival rate of 80%, albeit non- significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion: DNA condensation by PEI and DNA delivery by octaarginine allows simple and rapid transfection that requires a small amount of plasmid DNA only and does not depend on sophisticated equipment. Best results were obtained using STE oocysts. Octaarginine also successfully transported the anticryptosporidial compound NTZ into extracellular and intracellular stages of C. parvum and is therefore a suitable vehicle for drug delivery, thus being a promising tool for improvement of treatment efficacy.

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