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A glicosilação é uma das modificações mais comuns ocorridas naturalmente nas cadeias polipeptídicas. As glicoproteínas exercem papéis essenciais para os seres vivos desde o ínicio vida e, por essa razão, qualquer mutação nos resíduos de açúcares a elas ligados causam diversos efeitos não desejados ao indivíduo. O padrão de glicosilação de proteínas é regido tanto por fatores genéticos quanto por fatores externos. Em relação aos defeitos de glicosilação hereditários, diversas mutações em genes específicos causam anormalidades na síntese de glicoproteínas. No grupo de doenças causadas por defeitos de glicosilação hereditários estão incluídas algumas distrofias musculares relacionadas a mutações em proteínas que são glicosiltransferases comprovadas ou putativas. O uso de modelos animais facilita o estudo dessas doenças neuromusculares e, por isso, o presente trabalho foi desenvolvido utilizando tecidos de camundongos controle (C57Black6) e LARGE. O camundongo LARGE possui características fenotípicas semelhantes às de humanos afetados pela distrofia muscular congênita tipo 1D. Diferentes estratégias de análise e de instrumentação foram empregadas para a obtenção de informações relacionadas tanto ao conjunto de glicoproteínas em geral quanto à alfa-distroglicana especificamente. A alfa-distroglicana mostra-se modificada em relação aos resíduos de açúcares nela ligados em animais com mutação no gene LARGE, resultando em diversos problemas de saúde. A técnica de eletroforese bidimensional, aliada à pré-purificação das glicoproteínas por colunas de lectinas e posterior identificação por espectrometria de massas, não garantiu a obtenção de resultados adequados para esta classe de estruturas. Portanto, a comparação glicoproteômica de tecidos musculares de animais controle e LARGE não foi bem sucedida por esta estratégia instrumental. Técnicas imunoanalíticas, em destaque o western blot, por sua vez, garantiram a visualização das diferenças de glicosilação da alfa-distroglicana, e experimentos de cromatografia de imunoafinidade iniciados neste trabalho mostraram o potencial da especificidade de interação anticorpo-antígeno no isolamento desta glicoproteína para estudos futuros de seus resíduos de oligossacarídeos. Finalmente, análises de espectrometria de massas dos resíduos de oligossacarídeos isolados das glicoproteínas foram realizadas. Os resultados obtidos indicaram a necessidade de otimização do preparo e purificação mais eficiente dessas amostras, mas alguns íons puderam ser relacionados a N- e O-glicanas. / Glycosylation is one of the most common modifications that occur naturally in the polypeptide chains. Glycoproteins play key roles in living organisms from the beginning of life and, therefore, any mutation in the sugar residues attached to them may cause many undesirable effects. The glycosylation pattern of proteins is regulated by both genetic and external factors. Regarding hereditary defects of glycosylation, different mutations in specific genes cause abnormalities in the synthesis of glycoproteins. In the group of diseases caused by defective glycosylation are included some hereditary muscular dystrophies, related to mutations in proteins that are proven or putative glycosyltransferase. The use of animal models facilitates the study of neuromuscular diseases and, therefore, this study was conducted using tissues from control mice (C57Black6) and LARGE. The LARGE mouse has phenotypic characteristics similar to those of humans affected by congenital muscular dystrophy type 1D. Different strategies for analysis and instrumentation were employed here to obtain information related both to the set of glycoproteins in general and specifically to alpha-dystroglycan. The alpha-dystroglycan is modified in relation to its linked sugar residues in animals with LARGE gene mutation, resulting in several health problems. Twodimensional electrophoresis technique, coupled with the pre-purification of glycoproteins by lectin column and subsequent identification by mass spectrometry, did not guarantee resultssuited for this class of structures. Therefore, the glycoproteomic comparison of muscle tissues from LARGE and control animals was not effective by this instrumental strategy. Immunoanalytical techniques, highlighting here the western blot, in turn, assured the visualization of the differences in glycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan, and immunoaffinity chromatography experiments undertaken in this work indicate the potential of the specific antibody-antigen interaction in isolation of this glycoprotein for the future study of their attached oligosaccharides. Finally, mass spectrometer analyses of the isolated oligosaccharides residues of the glycoproteins were performed. The results indicated the need for optimization of preparation and purification of these samples more efficiently, but some ions could be related to N-and O-glycans.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

A glicosilação é uma das modificações mais comuns ocorridas naturalmente nas cadeias polipeptídicas. As glicoproteínas exercem papéis essenciais para os seres vivos desde o ínicio vida e, por essa razão, qualquer mutação nos resíduos de açúcares a elas ligados causam diversos efeitos não desejados ao indivíduo. O padrão de glicosilação de proteínas é regido tanto por fatores genéticos quanto por fatores externos. Em relação aos defeitos de glicosilação hereditários, diversas mutações em genes específicos causam anormalidades na síntese de glicoproteínas. No grupo de doenças causadas por defeitos de glicosilação hereditários estão incluídas algumas distrofias musculares relacionadas a mutações em proteínas que são glicosiltransferases comprovadas ou putativas. O uso de modelos animais facilita o estudo dessas doenças neuromusculares e, por isso, o presente trabalho foi desenvolvido utilizando tecidos de camundongos controle (C57Black6) e LARGE. O camundongo LARGE possui características fenotípicas semelhantes às de humanos afetados pela distrofia muscular congênita tipo 1D. Diferentes estratégias de análise e de instrumentação foram empregadas para a obtenção de informações relacionadas tanto ao conjunto de glicoproteínas em geral quanto à alfa-distroglicana especificamente. A alfa-distroglicana mostra-se modificada em relação aos resíduos de açúcares nela ligados em animais com mutação no gene LARGE, resultando em diversos problemas de saúde. A técnica de eletroforese bidimensional, aliada à pré-purificação das glicoproteínas por colunas de lectinas e posterior identificação por espectrometria de massas, não garantiu a obtenção de resultados adequados para esta classe de estruturas. Portanto, a comparação glicoproteômica de tecidos musculares de animais controle e LARGE não foi bem sucedida por esta estratégia instrumental. Técnicas imunoanalíticas, em destaque o western blot, por sua vez, garantiram a visualização das diferenças de glicosilação da alfa-distroglicana, e experimentos de cromatografia de imunoafinidade iniciados neste trabalho mostraram o potencial da especificidade de interação anticorpo-antígeno no isolamento desta glicoproteína para estudos futuros de seus resíduos de oligossacarídeos. Finalmente, análises de espectrometria de massas dos resíduos de oligossacarídeos isolados das glicoproteínas foram realizadas. Os resultados obtidos indicaram a necessidade de otimização do preparo e purificação mais eficiente dessas amostras, mas alguns íons puderam ser relacionados a N- e O-glicanas. / Glycosylation is one of the most common modifications that occur naturally in the polypeptide chains. Glycoproteins play key roles in living organisms from the beginning of life and, therefore, any mutation in the sugar residues attached to them may cause many undesirable effects. The glycosylation pattern of proteins is regulated by both genetic and external factors. Regarding hereditary defects of glycosylation, different mutations in specific genes cause abnormalities in the synthesis of glycoproteins. In the group of diseases caused by defective glycosylation are included some hereditary muscular dystrophies, related to mutations in proteins that are proven or putative glycosyltransferase. The use of animal models facilitates the study of neuromuscular diseases and, therefore, this study was conducted using tissues from control mice (C57Black6) and LARGE. The LARGE mouse has phenotypic characteristics similar to those of humans affected by congenital muscular dystrophy type 1D. Different strategies for analysis and instrumentation were employed here to obtain information related both to the set of glycoproteins in general and specifically to alpha-dystroglycan. The alpha-dystroglycan is modified in relation to its linked sugar residues in animals with LARGE gene mutation, resulting in several health problems. Twodimensional electrophoresis technique, coupled with the pre-purification of glycoproteins by lectin column and subsequent identification by mass spectrometry, did not guarantee resultssuited for this class of structures. Therefore, the glycoproteomic comparison of muscle tissues from LARGE and control animals was not effective by this instrumental strategy. Immunoanalytical techniques, highlighting here the western blot, in turn, assured the visualization of the differences in glycosylation of alpha-dystroglycan, and immunoaffinity chromatography experiments undertaken in this work indicate the potential of the specific antibody-antigen interaction in isolation of this glycoprotein for the future study of their attached oligosaccharides. Finally, mass spectrometer analyses of the isolated oligosaccharides residues of the glycoproteins were performed. The results indicated the need for optimization of preparation and purification of these samples more efficiently, but some ions could be related to N-and O-glycans.

The gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are the final output neurons of a complex neuronal network that controls fertility in all mammals. The GnRH neurons reside in a scattered continuum throughout the anterior hypothalamus. The majority of GnRH neurons project an axon to the median eminence where GnRH is secreted into the hypophyseal-pituitary portal vessels from whence it travels to the anterior pituitary gland. GnRH acts on the gonadotrophs of the anterior pituitary gland to cause the secretion of luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) into the peripheral circulation. LH and FSH act on the gonads to control gametogenesis and steroidogenesis. This thesis focuses on two unanswered questions in reproductive neurobiology that are fundamental to fertility 1) how the GnRH neurons become activated at puberty to produce patterned GnRH secretion and 2) the nature of the positive feedback mechanism that drives the preovulatory GnRH and LH surges. Recently, a novel neuropeptide called kisspeptin and its G-protein coupled receptor GPR-54 were found to be essential for pubertal activation of GnRH neurons, with GPR-54 mutation or deletion resulting in failed puberty and infertility in humans and mice. In addition, kisspeptin administration potently stimulates GnRH neuron-mediated gonadotropin secretion and advances the onset of pubertal maturation suggesting an important role for kisspeptin in the activation and perhaps post-pubertal modulation of GnRH neurons. In this thesis I have used immunocytochemical, whole animal manipulations and knockout mouse approaches to investigate the role of kisspeptin in both the activation of GnRH neurons at puberty and in the estrogen positive feedback mechanism in the mouse. I have demonstrated that kisspeptin neurons are located principally in the rostral periventricular area of the third ventricle (RP3V) and the arcuate nucleus (ARN), which are both known to be important areas for the modulation of GnRH neuronal activity. Kisspeptin fibres are found in abundance throughout the hypothalamus, but of particular interest are the kisspeptin fibres found in close apposition with a subset of GnRH neurons in the rostral preoptic area (rPOA). The kisspeptin neurons in the RP3V are sexually dimorphic with up to ten times more neurons in the female than the male. The number of kisspeptin neurons in the RP3V increases throughout pubertal development reaching adult levels at the time of puberty in both males and females. In concert with the increase in the number of kisspeptin neurons in the RP3V there is an increase in the percentage of GnRH neurons in the rPOA which exhibited a close apposition with a kisspeptin fibre indicating that kisspeptin neurons may target GnRH neurons to activate them at puberty. Additionally, I demonstrate that the increase in the number of neurons in the RP3V of the female mouse approaching puberty is driven by estrogen secreted from the ovary. A significant number of kisspeptin neurons in the RP3V were shown to express tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). The number and percentage of kisspeptin cells colocalised with TH cells in the RP3V did not change throughout the estrous cycle. Some colocalisation of kisspeptin and TH was observed at terminal appositions with GnRH neurons in the rPOA, though the magnitude of colocalisation also did not change throughout the estrous cycle. I demonstrate that RP3V kisspeptin neurons are a critical part of the estrogen positive feedback mechanism which drives the preovulatory GnRH and LH surges. Kisspeptin neurons in the RP3V express steroid receptors and are activated by estrogen positive feedback. Loss of kisspeptin-GPR-54 signalling prevents the GnRH neurons from being activated by estrogen positive feedback indicating that the RP3V kisspeptin neurons not only contribute to the estrogen positive feedback mechanism, but are a critical component of the mechanism. The results of these studies demonstrate that kisspeptin is an integral component in both the activation of GnRH neurons at puberty and in the estrogen positive feedback mechanism which drives the preovulatory GnRH and LH surges. Therefore, kisspeptin plays an important role in the neuroendocrine control of reproduction in the mouse.

Transcription factors GATA-1, Fli-1 and FOG-1 are essential proteins for normal megakaryopoiesis, however, the detailed analyses of their functions within developmental stages of megakaryopoiesis are lacking. In my thesis, over expression of gene in target cells was adopted as the main strategy to study the biological functions of these proteins, therefore, an efficient gene delivery method was first developed by using retrovirus.This approach was then utilized to over express GATA-1, Fli-1 and FOG-1 in murine leukemia M1 cells and mouse hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), and their effects on different developmental stages of megakaryopoiesis were investigated. In the transduced M1 cells, enforced expression of GATA-1 and Fli-1 was found to induce the megakaryocytic development, which was associated with the formation of megakaryocyte (Mk) and the increased expression of Mk specific genes c-Mpl and GPIX. In the transduced mouse HSCs, it was found that the expression of endogenous GATA-1, Fli-1 and FOG-1 was up-regulated throughout Mk differentiation; enforced expression of these transcription factors led to the significantly enhanced Mk development. Megakaryocytes over expressing GATA-1, Fli-1 and FOG-1 were characterized by the increased expression of various Mk-specific genes including GPIX, c-Mpl, platelet factor 4 (PF4), acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and NF-E2, an important transcription factor for terminal megakaryopoiesis; however, GATA-1, Fli-1 and FOG-1 displayed the different abilities in promoting the proliferation of hematopoietic cells and MK differentiation, as well as regulating other transcription factors involved in hematopoiesis. To further elucidate the role of the functional domains of Fli-1, various mutants of Fli-1 were also over expressed in mouse HSCs. The results demonstrated that first, the combination of the activation domain of Fli-1 and its Ets domain is required for early megakaryopoiesis but not sufficient for terminal megakaryopoiesis; second, DNA binding of Fli-1 was not the only requirement for early Mk enhancement, moreover, the interaction between Fli-1 and GATA-1 through the Ets domain and the resultant transcriptional synergy was the essential determinant for Fli?1 ability in Mk development. Taken together, the studies presented in this thesis provided strong in vitro evidence that GATA-1, Fli-1 and FOG-1 indeed play the critical roles in normal megakaryopoiesis.

Every year, several thousand individuals suffer spinal cord injury (SCI) in North America, while 1.5 million suffer traumatic brain injury in the U.S.A. alone. Primary mechanical trauma to the CNS is followed by a complex pathology, including vascular dysregulation, ischemia, edema and traumatic hemorrhage. Secondary damage is to a large extent caused by oxidative stress and inflammatory processes, resulting in necrosis and apoptosis of neural cells. If secondary tissue injury could be limited by interference with any of the pathomechanisms involved, preservation of structure and function would increase the potential for functional recovery. Experiments performed in other laboratories have shown that the polyphenolic flavonoid quercetin acts as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, reduces edema formation and apoptotic cell death. Quercetin is also an excellent iron chelator. This action profile suggested a high therapeutic potential for acute CNS trauma. Therefore, I used models of both spinal cord injury and head trauma in adult male rats to test the hypothesis that administration of quercetin is beneficial for the therapy of acute traumatic CNS injury. While the primary focus of my work was on therapy of acute traumatic spinal cord injury, quercetin was also evaluated in the settings of chronic SCI and acute head trauma. I found that, in a rat model of mid-thoracic spinal cord compression injury, 1) administration of quercetin, starting 1 hr after injury and continued every 12 hr, improved recovery of motor function in the hind limbs in more than half of the injured animals to a degree that allowed previously paraplegic animals to step or walk. The minimum quercetin dose that was efficacious was 5 µmol/kg. The minimum treatment duration for optimal outcome was determined to be 3 days. In control animals, some spontaneous recovery of motor function did occur, but never to an extent that allowed animals to step or walk. Quercetin administration was associated with more efficient iron clearance from the site of injury, decreased inflammatory response as reflected in decrease of myeloperoxidase activity and decreased apoptosis of neural cells at the site of injury. 2) Quercetin administered in the same injury model as late as 2 weeks after injury, given in a higher dose than that used for treatment in the acute phase, still resulted in significant recovery of motor function in 40% of the injured animals, although at a lower level of performance, when compared to early onset of treatment. 3) Quercetin administered after moderate fluid percussion brain injury resulted in decreased oxidative stress, as reflected in higher tissue glutathione levels at the site of injury. In animals receiving quercetin, the amplitude of compound action potentials was significantly better maintained at 24 hr and 72 hr after injury than in saline-treated control animals. My experiments have shown that the flavonoid quercetin is neuroprotective in a rat model of brain trauma and in a rat model of spinal cord injury. My data show that administration of quercetin after CNS trauma promotes iron clearance, decreases oxidative stress and inflammation. Quercetin also decreases apoptotic cell death following neurotrauma. These results suggest that quercetin may be a valuable adjunct in the therapy of acute CNS trauma. There is a possibility that administration of quercetin may be beneficial even in certain settings of chronic CNS trauma. These conclusions are based solely on the results from animal experiments. However, the fact that few adverse reactions have been noted to date in either animal experiments or human trials targeting other diseases is encouraging for the progression to human clinical trials for patients with spinal cord injury.

Graduation date: 1992

Every year, several thousand individuals suffer spinal cord injury (SCI) in North America, while 1.5 million suffer traumatic brain injury in the U.S.A. alone. Primary mechanical trauma to the CNS is followed by a complex pathology, including vascular dysregulation, ischemia, edema and traumatic hemorrhage. Secondary damage is to a large extent caused by oxidative stress and inflammatory processes, resulting in necrosis and apoptosis of neural cells. If secondary tissue injury could be limited by interference with any of the pathomechanisms involved, preservation of structure and function would increase the potential for functional recovery. Experiments performed in other laboratories have shown that the polyphenolic flavonoid quercetin acts as an anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory, reduces edema formation and apoptotic cell death. Quercetin is also an excellent iron chelator. This action profile suggested a high therapeutic potential for acute CNS trauma. Therefore, I used models of both spinal cord injury and head trauma in adult male rats to test the hypothesis that administration of quercetin is beneficial for the therapy of acute traumatic CNS injury. While the primary focus of my work was on therapy of acute traumatic spinal cord injury, quercetin was also evaluated in the settings of chronic SCI and acute head trauma. I found that, in a rat model of mid-thoracic spinal cord compression injury, 1) administration of quercetin, starting 1 hr after injury and continued every 12 hr, improved recovery of motor function in the hind limbs in more than half of the injured animals to a degree that allowed previously paraplegic animals to step or walk. The minimum quercetin dose that was efficacious was 5 µmol/kg. The minimum treatment duration for optimal outcome was determined to be 3 days. In control animals, some spontaneous recovery of motor function did occur, but never to an extent that allowed animals to step or walk. Quercetin administration was associated with more efficient iron clearance from the site of injury, decreased inflammatory response as reflected in decrease of myeloperoxidase activity and decreased apoptosis of neural cells at the site of injury. 2) Quercetin administered in the same injury model as late as 2 weeks after injury, given in a higher dose than that used for treatment in the acute phase, still resulted in significant recovery of motor function in 40% of the injured animals, although at a lower level of performance, when compared to early onset of treatment. 3) Quercetin administered after moderate fluid percussion brain injury resulted in decreased oxidative stress, as reflected in higher tissue glutathione levels at the site of injury. In animals receiving quercetin, the amplitude of compound action potentials was significantly better maintained at 24 hr and 72 hr after injury than in saline-treated control animals. My experiments have shown that the flavonoid quercetin is neuroprotective in a rat model of brain trauma and in a rat model of spinal cord injury. My data show that administration of quercetin after CNS trauma promotes iron clearance, decreases oxidative stress and inflammation. Quercetin also decreases apoptotic cell death following neurotrauma. These results suggest that quercetin may be a valuable adjunct in the therapy of acute CNS trauma. There is a possibility that administration of quercetin may be beneficial even in certain settings of chronic CNS trauma. These conclusions are based solely on the results from animal experiments. However, the fact that few adverse reactions have been noted to date in either animal experiments or human trials targeting other diseases is encouraging for the progression to human clinical trials for patients with spinal cord injury.

published_or_final_version / Medicine / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy