The enzyme phospholipase A2 (PLA2) specifically hydrolyzes the 2-acyl ester bond of 1,2-diacyl-3-sn-phosphoglycerides releasing fatty acids and lysophospholipids in the presence of Ca2+. Both products represent precursors for signaling molecules that can exert a multitude of biological functions including phospholipid metabolism, exocytosis and inflammation. Consequently, PLA2 not only plays a role in regulating physiological processes, but also exhibits pharmacological effects in inflammatory diseases. Nevertheless, the signaling pathway leading to cell death still remains elusive. In the present study, the cytotoxicity of Naja naja atra PLA2 toward human neuroblastoma SK-N-SH cells and leukemia K562 cells were respectively evaluated to explore the signaling pathway of PLA2-induced cell death. Upon exposure to PLA2, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation, extracellularsignal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) inactivation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (£G£Zm), cytochrome c release and upregulation of Fas/FasL were found in SK-N-SH or K562 cells. N-Acetylcysteine (ROS scavenger), BAPTA-AM (Ca2+ chelator), SB202190 (p38 MAPK inhibitor) or SP600125 (JNK inhibitor) abrogated p38 MAPK or JNK activation and rescued cell viability, £G£Zm, cytochrome c release and suppressed Fas/FasL upregulation of PLA2-treated cells, but restored phosphorylation of ERK. Activated ERK was found to attenuate p38 MAPK-mediated upregulation of Fas/FasL. Besides, sustained JNK activation was also observed in SB202190/PLA2-treated K562 cells after exterminating p38 MAPK activation, but also retained the cytotoxicity of PLA2. Knockdown of p38 MAPK or JNK1 by siRNA proved that PLA2 induced Fas/FasL upregulation through p38 MAPK/ATF-2 or JNK1/c-Jun pathways in K562 cells. Furthermore, deprivation of catalytic activity could not diminish PLA2-induced cell death and Fas/FasL upregulation. The cytotoxicity of arachidonic acid (AA) and lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) was not related to the expression of Fas/FasL. The results showed that the cytotoxicity of AA is mediated through mitochondria-dependent death pathway, eliciting by AA-induced ROS generation and Ca2+-evoked activation of p38 MAPK and JNK. Besides, ERK activation abrogated by U0126 improved the ability of AA-mediated Fas/FasL upregulation in K562 cells. Taken together, our results indicate that PLA2-induced cell death is through Ca2+- and ROS evoked p38 MAPK or JNK activation. Upregulation of Fas/FasL partially involves in cytotoxicity of PLA2.

The thesis "The proteomic analysis in hematology: Identification of alfa2- macroglobulin as a specific carrier for the hormone hepcidin and proteomic analysis of the leukemic K562 cell differentiation induced by sodium butyrate" describes proteomic approaches, used for the identification and functional characterisation of proteins, which are binding and transporting the iron metabolism regulating hormone hepcidin. Proteomic techniques are also exploited for the identification of proteins, participating in erythroid differentiation of the model cell line K562. In the first section of the thesis, non-denaturing, native techniques, such as chromatography and native electrophoresis are used, in the second section, the control and butyrate - induced K562 cell proteomes are compared using the classical 2D - SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis approach. The methods, described in the thesis are broadening the spectrum of available techniques in experimental hematology. The results, described in this thesis together with the accompanying published manuscripts broaden our knowledge in the function of proteins of iron metabolism and proteins, functioning in erythroid differentiation. Key words: proteomic analysis, hepcidin, alfa2-macroglobulin, iron metabolism, CML, K562, sodium butyrate

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:03:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 GiocondaEDDM.pdf: 827312 bytes, checksum: dd690ec78d2921013aa0e24b334bac19 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-12-14 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / In this study, a BCR-ABL expressing human chronic myelogenous leukaemia cell line (K562) was used to investigate the antitumoral potential of a novel lectin (CvL) purified from the marine sponge Cliona varians. CvL inhibited the growth of K562 cells with an IC50 value of 70 g/ml, but was ineffective to normal human peripheral blood lymphocytes in the same range of concentrations tested (180 g/ml). Cell death occurred after 72 h of exposure to the lectin and with sign of apoptosis as analysed by DAPI staining. Investigation of the possible effectors of this process showed that cell death occurred in the presence of Bcl-2 and Bax expression, and involved a caspase-independent pathway. Confocal fluorescence microscopy indicated a major role for the lysosomal protease cathepsin B in mediating cell death. Accordingly, pre-incubation of K562 cells with the cathepsin inhibitor L-trans-epoxysuccinyl-L-leucylamido-(4-guanidino)butane (E-64) abolished the cytotoxic effect of CvL. Furthermore, we found upregulation of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 (TNFR1) and down-modulation of p65 subunit of nuclear factor kappa B (NFB) expression in CvL-treated cells. These effects were accompanied by increased levels of p21 and downmodulation of pRb, suggesting that CvL is capable of cell cycle arrest. Collectively, these findings suggest that cathepsin B acts as death mediator in CvL-induced cytotoxicity possibly in a still uncharacterized connection with the membrane death receptor pathway / Neste trabalho, a linhagem K562 de c?lulas de leucemia miel?ide cr?nica, expressando a prote?na oncog?nica BCR-ABL, foi usada como modelo para investigar a atividade antitumoral da lectina CvL purificada da esponja marinha Cliona varians. CvL inibiu o crescimento de c?lulas K562 com um IC50 de 70 g/mL, mas n?o afetou a viabilidade celular de linf?citos normais de sangue perif?rico humano no mesmo intervalo de concentra??es testadas (1 80 g/mL). A morte celular ocorreu ap?s 72 horas de exposi??o ? lectina e com altera??es nucleares t?picas de apoptose como analisado pela fluoresc?ncia de DAPI. Investiga??o dos poss?veis efetores deste processo mostrou que a morte celular ocorreu sem ativa??o de caspases e na presen?a de express?es aumentadas de Bcl-2 e Bax. O fato de CvL desencadear a libera??o de catepsina B, como evidenciado pela microscopia de fluoresc?ncia, e do inibidor E-64 bloquear completamente a morte celular induzida por CvL, sugerem papel central dessa protease lisossomal na ativa??o de uma via alternativa de morte celular. CvL tamb?m induziu o aumento de express?o do receptor de morte TNFR-1 e a diminui??o dos n?veis de NFκB. Estes efeitos foram acompanhados pelo aumento significativo na express?o de p21 e pela modula??o negativa de pRb, mostrando que CvL foi capaz de bloquear a progress?o do ciclo celular. Juntos, estes dados sugerem que catepsina B age como mediador da citotoxicidade induzida por CvL possivelmente atrav?s de uma conex?o ainda n?o caracterizada com a via dos receptores de morte

Immunotherapy has emerged as a current and future paradigm of cancer treatment, which utilizes the body’s immune system to eradicate cancer. Natural Killer (NK) cells as part of the innate immune system have immense potential in their anti-tumor cytotoxic activities and host cell surveillance properties. NK cells comprise approximately five to fifteen percent of peripheral blood lymphocytes and can be proliferated in vitro using recently developed methods with co-cultures with feeder cells (derived from engineered tumor cells) or plasma membrane (PM) particles, produced from the fore mentioned feeder cells, in combination with soluble cytokines. For efficient growth and maintenance of these NK cells, Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is utilized. IL-2 in solution, through receptor mediated signaling, stimulates proliferation of T-cells and NK cells. NK cells have lower responsiveness to IL-2 and consequently require a larger systemic dose to stimulate them as opposed to competing cell populations that have higher expression of receptors for IL-2, such as T-cells, which can have the effect of lower effective stimulation of NK cell growth. Such difference in the stimulatory capability of IL-2 toward NK cells and the short circulation lifetime of soluble IL-2 require higher dosages of soluble IL-2 for effective in vivo NK cell proliferation for therapeutic application against cancer, but is toxic. Therefore establishing another form of IL-2 delivery that improves its specific targeting to NK cells would be beneficial and may be crucial for novel therapeutic improvement. The Copik Laboratory has made an IL-2 fusion protein construct having a membrane anchor for expression of membrane-bound IL-2 on K562-41bbl-21 cells (K562-IL21). K562-IL21 cells are selectively recognized by NK cells and stimulate their proliferation and cytotoxicity. Hence, a K562-IL21 membrane–bound IL-2 form should be targeted to NK cells with IL-2 delivery. K562-IL21-2 cells were then used to prepare PM21-2 particles which have the potential to provide NK cell targeted, long-lived form of IL-2 for use as an injectable drug for in vivo adjuvant stimulation of NK cells. The presence of IL-2 on the in the PM21-2 particle product was verified by Western blot, and ELISA. Particle preparations from the modified K562 cells should possess characteristics that allow them to possibly replace soluble IL-2 and more specifically increase the numbers or anti-tumor activity of NK cell populations. The effect of PM21-2 particles was studied in in vitro culture based experiments, which tested the effectiveness the PM21-2 particles to induce selective NK cells expansion as compared to PM21 particles in the presence or absence of soluble IL-2.

Différentes translocations génomiques sont fréquemment associées à l'apparition de leucémies myéloïdes aiguës (LMA). Ces translocations génomiques résultent de l’assemblage de deux gènes conduisant à la production d'une protéine de fusion. C'est le cas de la translocation t (3; 5) (q25.1; q34) impliquant le suppresseur tumoral NPM et l'oncogène MLF1 donnant naissance à la protéine de fusion NPM-MLF1. Généralement, les gènes impliqués dans ces translocations contrôlent la croissance cellulaire, la différenciation ou la survie cellulaire. Cependant, pour NPM-MLF1 les causes du gain ou de la perte de fonction associée à la translocation demeurent inconnues car nous ne savons pas comment cette translocation peut favoriser ou participer à l'avènement de la LMA. Le but de ce travail est d’analyser le rôle de NPM-MLF1 dans le cancer et d’examiner comment son activité contribue à la leucémie en faisant des études d’interactions protéine/protéine. En effet, l’étude de la fonction d’une protéine implique souvent de connaître ses partenaires d’interactions. Pour ce faire, la technique de double hybride dans la souche de levure AH109 a été utilisée. Tout d’abord, les ADN complémentaires (ADNc) de MLF1, NPM1 et de NPM-MLF1, MLF1-Like (une partie de MLF1 de l’acide aminé 94 à 157) normaux et mutés du domaine MTG8-Like constitué des acides aminés (a.a.) 151 à 164 de MLF1 (excepté NPM) ont été clonés dans un vecteur d'expression de levure pGBKT7. Les ADNc de GFI-1, mSin3A, PLZF, HDAC1 et HDAC3 ont été clonés dans le plasmide pGADT7 de façon à créer des protéines de fusion synthétiques avec le domaine de liaison à l'ADN et de trans-activation de la protéine GAL4. Le plasmide pGBKT7 possède un gène TRP1 et pGADT7 un gène LEU2 qui permettent la sélection des clones insérés dans la levure. Aussi, le pGBKT7 a un épitope c-myc et pGADT7 un épitope HA qui permet de voir l’expression des protéines par buvardage de type Western. Après la transformation des levures les interactions protéine/protéine ont été observées en vérifiant l’expression des gènes rapporteurs HIS3, LacZ, MEL1, ADE2 de la levure en utilisant des milieux de sélection YPD/-Leu/-Trp, YPD/-Leu/-Trp/-His, YPD/-Leu/-Trp/-His/-Ade, YPD/-Leu/-Trp/+ X-Gal, YPD/-Leu/-Trp/ + X-α-Gal. Ensuite, les interactions trouvées par double-hybride ont été vérifiées dans les cellules érythroleucémiques K562 par immuno-précipitation (IP) de protéines suivies de buvardages Westerns avec les anticorps appropriés. NPM-MLF1, MLF1, MTG8, MLF1-Like surexprimés dans les cellules K562 ont été clonés dans le plasmide pOZ-FH-N. pOZ-FH-N possède un récepteur IL-2 qui permet de sélectionner les cellules qui l’expriment ainsi qu’un tag Flag-HA qui permet de voir l’expression des protéines par buvardage-Western. Les résultats du double-hybride suggèrent une interaction faible de NPM-MLF1 avec HDAC1, HDAC3 et mSin3A ainsi qu’une interaction qui semble plus évidente entre NPM-MLF1 et PLZF, GFI-1. NPM interagit avec GFI-1 et mSin3A. Aussi, MLF1 et MLF1-Like interagissent avec HDAC1, HDAC3, GFI-1, PLZF mais pas avec mSin3A. Les IP suggèrent que NPM-MLF1 interagit avec HDAC1, HDAC3, mSin3A et PLZF. MLF1 et MLF1-Like interagissent avec HDAC1, HDAC3 et mSin3A. L’interaction de NPM-MLF1 avec GFI-1, MLF1 et MLF1-Like avec PLZF et GFI-1 n’a pas encore été vérifiée par IP. Ainsi, nos observations permettent de suggérer que NPM-MF1, MLF1 et NPM pourraient jouer un rôle dans la transcription et la régulation de l’expression de certains gènes importants dans l’hématopoïèse et une variété de processus cellulaires parce qu’ils interagissent avec différents corépresseurs. En déterminant les partenaires protéiques de MLF1, NPM et NPM-MLF1, leurs fonctions et comment NPM-MLF1 influence et modifie le fonctionnement cellulaire normal; il sera possible de renverser le processus de LMA favorisé par la t (3; 5) NPM-MLF1 par la technologie d’interférence à l’ARN. / Abstract Different genomic translocations are frequently associated with the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Genomic translocations can result in the fusion of two genes leading to the formation of a fusion protein. This is the case of the T (3; 5) (q25.1; q34) translocation that implicates the tumour suppressor NPM1 and the oncogene MLF1, giving rise to the fusion protein NPM-MLF1. Generally the genes implicated in these translocations control cell growth, differentiation and survival. However, for NPM-MLF1 the reasons behind the gain or loss of function associated with the translocation are still unknown as we still ignore how this translocation can enhance or take part in the AML development. The goal of my master degree project was to analyse in part the role of NPM-MLF1 in cancer and to examine how its activity can contribute in leukemia through protein/protein interaction assays. The usual study of a protein function implicates the investigation of interacting partners. For this purpose, we used the yeast AH109 to conduct a two-hybrid screen assay. The MLF1, MLF1-Like (amino acid 94 to 157 of MLF1), NPM1 and NPM-MLF1 cDNAs, normal and mutated in the MTG8-Like domain from the amino acid (a.a.) 151 to 164 of MLF1 (with the exception of NPM1) were cloned into the yeast expression vector pGBKT7. The GFI-1, mSin3A, PLZF, HDAC1 and HDA3 cDNAs were cloned into the vector pGADT7. These clones were developed to creat synthetic fusion proteins with the DNA binding or trans-activation domain(s) of the protein Gal4. The pGBKT7 vector contains the TRP1 gene and the pGADT7 the LEU2 gene. These genes were used for the selection of the yeast clones transformed with the plasmids mentioned above. In addition, the pGBKT7 vector has c-myc-tag and the PGADT7 vector the HA-tag allowing the assessment of protein expression through Western Blot analysis. After yeast transformation, the protein/protein interaction were studied while verifying the expression of the reporter genes HIS, LacZ, MEL1, ADE while using the following selective medias YPD/-Leu/-Trp, YPD/-Leu/-Trp/-His, YPD/-Leu/-Trp/-His/-Ade, YPD/-Leu/-Trp/+ X-Gal, YPD/-Leu/-Trp/ + X-α-Gal. The interactions determined by the two-hybrid screening were verified in the erythroleukemic cells K562 using immuno-precipitation (IP) of the proteins followed by western blot using the appropriate antibodies. To achieve this, NPM-MLF1, MLF1, ETO, MLF1-Like cDNAs were cloned into the pOZ-FH-N vector that possess an IL2 receptor, which allows the selection of the positive transformed clones in the cell and a Flag-HA tag that permit the verification of protein expression through Western-blot. The two-hybrid screen results suggest that NPM-MLF1 interacts with HDAC1, HDAC3, PLZF, GFI and mSin3A. NPM interacts with GFI-1 and mSin3A. This has not been yet verified using the IP method. As in the case of MLF1, MLF1-Like interacts with HDAC1, HDAC3, GFI-1 and PLZF. However, no interaction was observed with Sin3A. The IP experiments suggest that NPM-MLF1 interacts with HDAC1, HDAC3, mSin3A and PLZF. MLF1 and MLF1-Like interact with HDAC1, HDAC3 and mSin3A. The interaction of NPM-MLF1 with GFI1 as well as MLF1 and MLF1-Like with PLZF and GFI-1 are not yet verified by IP. Therefore, our observations led to the suggestion that NPM-MLF1, MLF1 and NPM can play a role in the transcription and the regulation of the expression of certain genes that are important for hematopoiesis and a variety through the determination of the protein partners of MLF1, NPM and NPM-MLF1, their functions and how NPM-MLF1 influence/modify the normal cellular function, and by focusing on this study, it might become possible to reverse the AML process that is by the t(3;5) NPM-MLF1 while using the RNA interference technology.

No description available.

Omkring 20 miljoner nya cancerfall inträffar över hela världen varje år, och under 2020 uppskattades det att 10 miljoner dödsfall var förknippade med cancer. En av de vanligaste behandlingarna för cancer är cytostatika (cellgifter) som angriper alla snabbväxande celler. Detta kan i sin tur leda till allvarliga biverkningar, exempelvis hematologiska toxicitetsreaktioner som kan vara livshotande och till och med dödliga, men hur allvarligt en patient kommer att reagera på behandlingen är mycket individuellt. För närvarande finns det ingen definitiv förklaring på vad som är den bakom- liggande orsaken till dessa allvarliga toxicitetsreaktioner. Det kan vara en genetisk komponent och det antas att genetiska variationer finns i genomets regulatoriska sekvenser som kan vara bidragande faktorer. För detta examensarbete har det identifierats varianter som finns inom eller nära någon enhancer där motsvarande enhancer kan vara kopplad till gener relevanta för de allvarliga toxicitetsreaktioner som vissa patienter upplever. Syftet är att validera att dessa enhancers faktiskt reglerar genuttrycket av dessa gener genom CRISPR-interferens (CRISPRi). Genom att rikta in sig på de identifierade enhancer-varianterna med CRISPRi-systemet, med hjälp av flera olika sgRNA, skulle en mätbar förändring i genuttryck kunna uppnås. Den slutliga valideringen av dessa enhancers, om de faktiskt modulerar genuttrycket, har inte utförts på grund av tidsbrist. Dock  har  alla  nöd- vändiga komponenter förberetts såsom att integrera de erforderliga sekvenserna för CRISPRi till genomet av cancercellinjen K562 och sorterat ut de celler med framgångsrik integrering, därigenom skapat en stabil cellinje. / Around 20 million new cancer cases occur worldwide every year, and in 2020 alone it was estimated that 10 million deaths were associated with cancer. One of the most common treatments for cancer is the use of chemotherapy drugs which are nonspecific and target all fast dividing cells. This in turn can lead to serious haematological toxicity reactions among other adverse side effects that could be life threatening and even fatal, but how severely a patient will react to the treatment is very individual.  As of now there is no definite answer to what the underlying cause for these severe toxicity reactions is.  There could be a genetic component and it is hypothesised that there are variants residing in the regulatory sequences of the genome that could be contributing factors. For this degree project, variants that are located within or near an enhancer have been identified where the corresponding enhancer might be linked to genes relevant for why some patients might experience severe toxicity re- actions. The aim is to validate that these enhancers do in fact regulate the gene expression of these genes through the use of CRISPR-interference (CRISPRi). By targeting around the identified enhancer variants with the CRISPRi system, using several different sgRNA, there could be a measur- able change in gene expression. The final validation of the enhancers, if these do in fact modulate the gene expression, was not performed due to lack of time. However, all necessary components were prepared such as integrating the required sequences for CRISPRi into the genome of the cancer cell line K562 and sort for successful integration, thereby creating a stable cell line.

Οι αυτοαναπαραγόμενοι επισωματικοί φορείς γονιδιακής μεταφοράς αποτελούν πολλά υποσχόμενους φορείς γονιδιακής θεραπείας. Στην παρούσα εργασία δημιουργήθηκε ο φορέας Zif-VP64-EP2 στα πλαίσια των μελετών γονιδιακής θεραπείας για τις αιμοσφαιρινοπάθειες. Πρόκειται για ένα κυκλικό πλασμίδιο, που φέρει το γονίδιο ενός τεχνητού μεταγραφικού παράγοντα της γ-σφαιρίνης του Zif-VP64 υπό την επενέργεια του ισχυρού υποκινητή pSFFV καθώς και τo γονίδιο της eGFP με το S/MAR στοιχείο από την περιοχή 5’ του γονιδίου της ανθρώπινης ιντερφερόνης β υπό την επενέργεια του υποκινητή pCMV. Διαπιστώθηκε ότι το Zif-VP64-EP2 μεσολαβεί γονιδιακή μεταφορά σε διαμολυσμένα κύτταρα της ανθρώπινης κυτταρικής σειράς Κ562. Η μακράς διάρκειας διαμολυσμένη καλλιέργεια (3 μήνες) καταδεικνύει ότι το όχημα είναι λειτουργικό και διατηρείται ως επισωματικό σε Κ562 κύτταρα διαμολυσμένα κύτταρα με το Zif-VP64- ΕΡ2. / Self-replicating episomal vectors for gene transfer are a new and very promising experimental approach to gene therapy. In this study, it was created the vector Zif-VP64-EP2, within the context of developing self-replicating episomal vectors for the gene therapy of hemoglobinopathies. Zif-VP64-EP2 is a circular plasmid which includes the gene of an artificial transcription factor for gamma globin: Zif-VP64 under the control of pSFFV promoter and the gene of eGFP with the S/MAR element from the region 5’ of the human interferon β gene under the control of pCMV promoter. It was established that Zif-VP64-EP2 was retained within the transfected Κ562 hematopoietic progenitor cell. Its episomal situation for a long time (3 months) and its normal expression in K562 human cells constitutes a proof of the utility of Zif-VP64- ΕΡ2 system in gene therapy applications.

Submitted by Maike Costa (maiksebas@gmail.com) on 2016-08-29T12:39:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivo total.pdf: 2695338 bytes, checksum: a378ea64a8ee3f1da67dc243ed293db5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-29T12:39:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivo total.pdf: 2695338 bytes, checksum: a378ea64a8ee3f1da67dc243ed293db5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-29 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / Despite advances in research oncology field, has been an increased incidence and mortality caused by cancer, consisting in a major public health problem. Literature reports, that Morita-Baylis Hillman adducts (MBHA) show promising biological activities, such as: antiparasitic, against Leishmania, Plasmodium sp. and Trypanosomes, as well as effect on sea urchin embryo development. To assess anticancer and anti-inflammatory potential of three AMBH: A2CN, and A3CN, A4CN, we used various biological models. In MTT assay, the adducts were potentially toxic to eight cancer cell lines tested (HL-60, MOLT-4, K562, K562-Lucena, MCF-7, HT- 29, L929 and B16F10), however A2CN was the most cytotoxic, with IC50 lower for most cells. Acute myeloid leukemia cells, HL-60 and MOLT-4, were more sensitive and A2CN had IC50 22 and 21 μM in these cells. In chronic myelogenic leukemia cells, K562 and Lucena, A2CN presented IC50 of 58 and 60 μM, respectively. A2CN has been less cytotoxic to normal cells in peripheral blood and normal human fibroblasts (FN1), and IC50 was 78 and 126 μM, respectively. The action mechanism induced by A2CN in K562 cells was studied at 15, 30 and 60 μM. The cell viability has not altered when analyzed with propidium iodide, using flow cytometry, showing that A2CN not induced necrosis in these cells. A2CN increased mitochondrial membrane depolarization by 20 % at highest concentration tested. Cytotoxicity of A2CN in K562 cells were related to cell cycle arrest in G1-phase at 15 μM, and Sphase at highest concentration (60 uM) and ROS production increased at the highest concentration tested. Cell cycle arrest in S-phase was related to high expression mRNA of p21, p27 and p53, together with decreased expression of cyclin D1. A2CN also augmented expression of Kv1.3 and Kv3.1 genes in K562 cells treated with 60 μM. In electrophysiological assays, using the whole-cell "patch clamp", A2CN (120 μM) promoted increase total K+ current in K562, and conductance K+ ion was elevated. The potassium channel blocker, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) (1 mM) decreased the A2CN cytotoxicity in K562 cells analyzed by MTT reduction, indicating that K+ channels have been involved in its cytotoxicity. The in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of A2CN, A3CN and A4CN was evaluated in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. AMBHs did not reduced cell viability to concentration 20 μM, however, inhibited NO and ROS production induced by LPS. IL-1 β and IL-6 production was completely inhibited by 10 μM of AMBH, but no change in TNF-α levels. Expression of IL-1β and IL-6 genes were also altered by A2CN, A3CN and A4CN, but only A2CN was able to inhibit gene expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Therefore, it can be concluded that A2CN showed be potent anticancer activity, acting on molecular targets that are objects preclinical and clinical studies in oncology, such as p53, p21, p27 and cyclin D1, and proved to be a potent activator of potassium channels. Furthermore, adducts showed remarkable anti-inflammatory potential, a reduction of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1 β and IL-6 and COX-2 expression by A2CN. / Apesar dos avanços das pesquisas no campo da oncologia, existe um aumento na incidência do câncer e na mortalidade por esta doença, consistindo em um dos principais problemas de saúde pública. A literatura relata que os Adutos de Morita Baylis-Hillman (AMBH) apresentam atividades biológicas promissoras, tais como: antiparasitária, contra Leishmania sp., Plasmodium sp., e Trypanosoma cruzi, bem como, efeito no desenvolvimento de células embrionárias de ouriço-do-mar. Para avaliar o potencial anticâncer e anti-inflamatório de três AMBH: A2CN, A3CN e A4CN, utilizou-se vários modelos biológicos. Os resultados mostraram que no teste de redução do MTT, os adutos foram potencialmente citotóxicos para as oito linhagens cancerígenas testadas (HL-60, MOLT-4, K562, K562-Lucena, MCF-7, HT- 29, L929, B16F10), contudo A2CN foi o AMBH mais citotóxico, apresentando menor CI50 para a maioria das linhagens. As linhagens de leucemia mielóide aguda HL-60 e MOLT-4 foram as mais sensíveis, e A2CN apresentou CI50 de 22 e 21 μM nestas células. Nas células de leucemia mielóide crônica K562 e Lucena, A2CN apresentou CI50 de 58 e 60 μM, respectivamente. A2CN foi menos citotóxico para as células normais do sangue periférico e para a linhagem de fibroblastos humano normal (FN1), cuja CI50 foi de 78 e 126 μM, respectivamente. O mecanismo de ação de A2CN foi estudado nas células K562, nas concentrações de 15, 30 e 60 μM. A viabilidade da membrana celular não foi alterada, quando analisada com iodeto de propídeo em citômetro de fluxo, mostrando que, a molécula não induziu necrose nestas células. A2CN promoveu um aumento da despolarização da membrana mitocondrial em 20 %, na maior concentração testada, caracterizando um envolvimento da via intrínseca da apoptose. A atividade citotóxica de A2CN em K562 está relacionada à parada no ciclo celular na fase G1, a partir de 15 μM, e na fase S na maior concentração testada de 60 μM. A produção de ROS foi aumentada na maior concentração testada. A parada no ciclo celular na fase S está relacionada com o aumento na expressão do RNAm de p21, p27 e p53 e diminuição na expressão de ciclina D1. A expressão dos genes para Kv1.3 e Kv3.1 também foi aumentada nas células K562, tratadas com 60 μM. Nos ensaios eletrofisiológicos usando a técnica de whole-cell, “patch clamp”, A2CN (120 μM) promoveu um aumento na corrente total de K+ em K562, bem como, aumentou a condutância ao íon K+. O bloqueador de canal de potássio, 4-aminopiridina (4-AP) (1 mM) reduziu a citotoxicidade de A2CN nas células K562, analisadas pela redução do MTT, indicando que os canais de K+ estão envolvidos na citotoxicidade desta molécula. A atividade anti-inflamatória de A2CN, A3CN e A4CN, foi avaliada in vitro na linhagem de macrófagos Raw 264.7, estimulada com (1 μg/ml) de LPS. Os AMBH não reduziram a viabilidade das células até a concentração de 20 μM, contudo inibiram a produção de NO e a produção de ROS induzida pelo LPS a partir da menor concentração dos AMBH, de 2,5 μM. A produção das citocinas IL-1 e IL-6 foi completamente inibida por 10 μM dos AMBH, mas não houve alteração nos níveis de TNF-α. A expressão nos genes das citocinas IL-1 e IL-6, também foram alteradas por A2CN, A3CN e A4CN, porém, apenas A2CN foi capaz de inibir a expressão do gene da Ciclo-oxigenase-2 (COX-2). Isto posto, pode-se concluir que A2CN apresentou potente atividade anticâncer, atuando em alvos moleculares que são objetos de estudos pré-clínicos e clínicos na área oncológica, como p53, p21, p27 e ciclina D1, bem como demonstrou ser um potente ativador de canais de potássio. Além disso, os adutos apresentaram notável potencial anti-inflamatório, com diminuição de citocinas pró-inflamatórias como IL-1 e IL-6, e inibição da expressão de COX-2 por A2CN.

<p dir="ltr">The genetic perturbations caused by spaceflight on biological systems tend to have a system-wide effect which is often difficult to deconvolute into individual signals with specific points of origin. Single cell multi-omic data can provide a profile of the perturbational effects but does not necessarily indicate the initial point of interference within a network. The objective of this project is to take advantage of large scale and genome-wide perturbational or Perturb-Seq datasets by using them to pre-train a generalist machine learning model that is capable of predicting the effects of unseen perturbations in new data. Perturb-Seq datasets are large libraries of single cell RNA sequencing data collected from CRISPR knock out screens in cell culture. The advent of generative machine learning algorithms, particularly transformers, make it an ideal time to re-assess large scale data libraries in order to grasp cell and even organism-wide genomic expression motifs. By tailoring an algorithm to learn the downstream effects of the genetic perturbations, we present a pre-trained generalist model capable of predicting the effects of multiple perturbations in combination, locating points of origin for perturbation in new datasets, predicting the effects of known perturbations in new datasets, and annotation of large-scale network motifs. We demonstrate the utility of this model by identifying key perturbational signatures in RNA sequencing data from spaceflown biological samples from the NASA Open Science Data Repository.</p>