This thesis describes the development of a high-throughput approach towards the encapsulation of cancer cells in biopolymer microgels with tunable mechanical properties. In particular, this thesis is focused on: i) the high-throughput generation of biopolymer microgels with tunable mechanical properties ii) the measurement of the mechanical properties of the microgels, and iii) the high-throughput encapsulation of a cancer cell line within biopolymer gels. The microgels will be generated by (i) introducing in a microfluidic device two distinct streams of biopolymer solutions; (ii) mixing the streams; (iii) emulsifying the biopolymer and (iv) using thermosetting to transform the droplets in situ into microgels. By applying a compression force to the hydrogel microbead and measuring its deformation, the Young’s modulus and relaxation time of the microgel can be examined. The properties of cells were examined within the gels using various spectroscopic techniques such as absorption (UV-Vis) and fluorescence microscopy (fluorescent microscopy, confocal microscopy).

This thesis describes the development of a high-throughput approach towards the encapsulation of cancer cells in biopolymer microgels with tunable mechanical properties. In particular, this thesis is focused on: i) the high-throughput generation of biopolymer microgels with tunable mechanical properties ii) the measurement of the mechanical properties of the microgels, and iii) the high-throughput encapsulation of a cancer cell line within biopolymer gels. The microgels will be generated by (i) introducing in a microfluidic device two distinct streams of biopolymer solutions; (ii) mixing the streams; (iii) emulsifying the biopolymer and (iv) using thermosetting to transform the droplets in situ into microgels. By applying a compression force to the hydrogel microbead and measuring its deformation, the Young’s modulus and relaxation time of the microgel can be examined. The properties of cells were examined within the gels using various spectroscopic techniques such as absorption (UV-Vis) and fluorescence microscopy (fluorescent microscopy, confocal microscopy).

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common and aggressive primary brain tumours, with a median patient survival time of 6-12 months in adults. It has been recently suggested that a typically small sub-population of brain tumour cells, in possession of certain defining properties of stem cells, is responsible for initiating and maintaining the tumour. More recent experiments have studied the interactions between this subpopulation of brain cancer cells and tumour microenvironmental factors such as hypoxia and high acidity. In this thesis a computational approach (based on Gillespie’s algorithm and cellular automata) is proposed to investigate the tumour heterogeneities that develop when exposed to various microenvironmental conditions of the cancerous tissue. The results suggest that microenvironmental conditions highly affect the characterization of cancer cells, including the self-renewal, differentiation and dedifferentiation properties of cancer cells.

Members of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family are mitogenic growth factors which have been shown to play critical roles in both normal growth and development, and tumour biology. The IGF system is complex and the biological effects of the IGFs are determined by diverse interactions between many molecules, including interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM). Recent observations have demonstrated that IGFs can associate with the ECM protein vitronectin (VN) and this interaction can modulate IGF-stimulated biological functions. It has been demonstrated previously that IGF-II can bind directly to VN, while IGF-I associates with VN indirectly via the involvement of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) -2, -3, -4 and -5. As the IGF system plays important roles in both normal breast development and in the transformation and progression of breast cancer, this study aimed to describe the effects of substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes on breast cell functions and to dissect the mechanisms underlying these responses. The studies reported in this thesis demonstrate that substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes, containing IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5, are potent stimulators of proliferation and migration in the "normal", non-tumourigenic MCF-10A breast epithelial and MCF-7 breast carcinoma cell lines. Interestingly, substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes were less effective in increasing the migration of the metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. This, however, is due to these cells expressing the αvβ3 integrin which can support a highly migratory phenotype independent of IGF-I-stimulation. Taken together this suggests a particularly important role for these complexes in stimulating a highly migratory phenotype in pre-invasive or poorly metastatic breast cells. Studies using IGF-I analogues were also undertaken to establish if there was a requirement for ternary complex formation and the type-1-IGF receptor (IGF-1R) in the enhanced migration responses observed. These studies determined IGF-I:IGFBP:VN-stimulated migration to be dependent upon both heterotrimeric IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complex formation and activation of the IGF-1R. Furthermore, the enhanced cellular migration was abolished upon incubation of MCF-7 and MCF-10A cells with function blocking antibodies directed at VN-binding integrins and the IGF-IR. In addition, analysis of the signal transduction pathways underlying the enhanced cell migration revealed that the complexes stimulate a transient activation of the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway, while simultaneously producing a sustained activation of the PI3-K/AKT pathway. Optimal intracellular signaling required activation of both the IGF-1R and VN-binding integrins, as antibody mediated inhibition of either receptor led to substantial decreases in both ERK/MAPK and PI3-K/AKT pathway activation. Furthermore, experiments using pharmacological inhibitors of these pathways determined a pivotal role for PI3-K/AKT activation in substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN-stimulated cell migration. In order to confirm an important role for the PI3-K/AKT pathway in these responses, wild-type and activated-AKT was transiently overexpressed in MCF-10A cells. Overexpression of both wild-type and activated-AKT further enhanced cellular migration in response to substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes. However, these responses still required co-activation of the IGF-1R and VN-binding integrins. In an attempt to obtain a global view of the possible molecular mechanisms underpinning IGF-I:IGFBP:VN-stimulated cell migration, oligonucleotide microarrays were used to screen for candidate genes important for the observed migratory responses. The microarray studies identified 165 genes which were differentially expressed in cells migrating in response to substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes. Gene ontology and functional analysis revealed many of these genes to be significantly associated with biological functions relevant to cancer transformation and progression, including cell growth and proliferation, cell death and cellular movement. In regard to cell migration, a number of the genes identified have previously reported roles in cellular movement, migration and metastasis, which may provide future targets to augment IGF-I:IGFBP:VN-stimulated cell migration. Taken together, the studies reported throughout this thesis have provided the first mechanistic insights into the action of IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes and add further evidence to support the involvement of VN-binding integrins and their co-operativity with the IGF-IR in the promotion of tumour cell migration. Importantly, identifying the molecular mechanisms by which IGF:VN complexes enhance breast cell function will lead to not only a better understanding of this critical interaction, but also aid in developing diagnostic tests and therapeutics directed at treating breast cancer.

Mitochondrial mutations and heteroplasmy have been associated with disease states that result from inadequate cellular energy production. As mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encodes many of the polypeptides involved in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), mtDNA mutations may lower energy production which is required for cell division and sustained ATP synthesis. In order to test the relationship between mtDNA mutations and the rate of cell division, a mammary epithelial cancer cell line, MCF-7, is used as a model. Nine proliferate single cell clones have been isolated from MCF-7. Population doubling times of six single cell clones and the MCF-7 stock have been determined. Clones with distinctly different growth rates were selected for mutational analysis. Growth rates of these clones appeared to be different from each other. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA sequencing, three cases of heteroplasmy have been identified in the mitochondrial genes of the MCF-7 stock and four single cell clones (ATPase C9119T, ND6 T14300G, Cytb G15807A). Heteroplasmy present in the Cytb gene is differs between single cell clones. Differences between the growth rates may be indicative of metabolic variations in these single cell clones. The OXPHOS enzymes encoded by the mutated genes were quantified by standard enzymatic assays. The assays demonstrated significant differences in specific activity between the clones, but were not correlated with mitochondrial heteroplasmy. This thesis determines that the differences in specific activity observed between clones is of nuclear origin.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The use of toxicity tests to evaluate the quality of streams affected by mixtures such as acid mine drainage (AMD), adds value to assessments whereby site-specific toxicological data may identify toxicants that pose a threat to humans. To successfully evaluate the risk of combined mixtures, an improved understanding of the individual components, their uptake, metabolism, excretion and mode of action is required. This study aimed to identify the extent of AMD toxicity in a dose dependant manner on the MCF-7 cell line. The first study site associated with gold mining was chosen as the Tweelopies Stream situated in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The AMD effluent (un-neutralised) contaminating the Tweelopies Stream had undergone pH-neutralisation using a reactor-bed limestone technology incorporating the use of both calcium carbonate (CaCO3) powder and limestone beds. The second study site, the Kromdraai River, is situated in the eMalahleni region of South Africa where a predominance of coal mining exists. The pH -neutralisation of the AMD (un-neutralised) contaminated Kromdraai River was performed using a caustic soda (NaOH) precipitation technique. This study demonstrated the rapid and effective application of the comet assay as a screening tool for AMD-associated DNA breakages in the human cell line, MCF-7. Moreover, the study analysed parameters of cellular survival, DNA fragmentation and variations in morphologies indicative of cellular death. Collectively, the cyto-genetic aberrations observed in the MCF-7 cells as a result of exposure to gold and coal mining associated AMD, confirms the urgency of incorporating high-throughput screening in ecological toxicity assessment to evaluate cellular damage at genetic levels in low dose exposures where detection might be missed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die gebruik van toksisiteitstoetse om die gehalte van strome te evalueer wat geraak word deur mengsels soos suur mynwater (SM), gee waarde aan spesifieke toksikologiese data van gifstowwe wat 'n bedreiging vir die mens kan identifiseer. Om die risiko van gekombineerde mengsels en hul individuele komponente beter te begrip en suksesvol evalueer, is hul opname, metabolisme, uitskeiding en modus van aksie nodig. Hierdie studie het gepoog om die omvang van SM-toksisiteit in 'n dosis afhanklike wyse op die MCF-7-sellyn te identifiseer. Die eerste studie-area wat gekies is, hou verband met goudmyn-ontginning, en is die Tweelopiesspruit, geleë in die Gauteng-provinsie van Suid-Afrika. Die SM-uitvloeisel (on-geneutraliseerde) wat die Tweelopiesspruit besoedel, het pH-neutralisasie ondergaan met behulp van die integrasie van 'n reaktor-bed kalksorpsietegnologie wat gebruik maak van beide kalsiumkarbonaat (CaCO3) poeier en kalksteenbeddens. Die tweede studie-area, is die Kromdraairivier geleë in die eMalahleni-streek van Suid-Afrika, waar steenkoolontginning die oorheersende aktiwiteit is. Die pH-neutralisasie van die SM (on-geneutraliseerde) in die geval van die Kromdraairivier word met behulp van 'n bytsoda (NaOH) neerslag tegniek, uitgevoer. Hierdie studie het die komeet-toets getoon as 'n vinnige en doeltreffende toepassing vir SM-geassosieerde DNA-breekskade in die menslike sel lyn, MCF-7. Verder het die studie parameters van sellulêre oorlewing, DNA-fragmentasie en variasies in sel morfologieë wat ‘n aanduiding van sellulêre dood is, ontleed. Gesamentlik dui die resultate daarop dat die sitogenetiese afwykings wat in die MCF-7-selle waargeneem is, as 'n gevolg van blootstelling aan goud- en steenkool-geassosieerde SM is. Die studie het verder die dringendheid van die integrasie van hoë-deurset tegnologieë in ekologiese toksisiteitstoetse in selle wat genetiese skade mag ondergaan, na 'n lae dosis blootstelling waar opsporing dalk gemis word, ondersteun.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-05-31Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:41:52Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 duarte_ra_dr_arafcf.pdf: 4649782 bytes, checksum: 99bc00374a88b89ba36ff755fc732fa3 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / O câncer de mama é a maior causa de morbidade e mortalidade entre as mulheres no mundo. Pesquisas revelam vários fatores prognósticos e preditivos para a identificação de pacientes com alto risco de agressividade, metastases e doença recorrente na condição de combater estas estatísticas. Por esta razão, é evidente a necessidade do desenvolvimento de estratégias de tratamento mais eficazes. Estudos prévios com Pterogyne nitens Tul. (Fabaceae-Caesalpinioideae), uma planta nativa do Brasil resultou o isolamento de dois alcalóides guanidínicos. Exibiram atividade seletiva direcionada a DNA deficiente de reparo, sugerindo potencial atividade anticâncer. Objetivo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar a citotoxicidade e apoptose induzidas pelos alcalóides pteroginina (PGN) and pteroginidina (PGD) em linhagem de adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) e carcinoma ductal invasivo (ZR-7531). Materiais e Métodos: As duas linhagens celulares foram tratadas pelos alcalóides em várias concentrações (0.25 – 10 mM) em dois tempos, t0 (24h) e t24 (24h seguido por 24h pós-tratamento). O ensaio de citotoxicidade foi determinado pelo teste de MTT; a morte celular (apoptose e necrose) foi analisada usando os métodos Hoechst 33342/iodeto propídio, Kit de Anexina V-FITC e atividade de Caspases 3/7. Resultados: Os tratamentos com os alcalóides demonstraram citotoxicidade concentração-resposta nas linhagens de câncer de mama. Para avaliação da apoptose foi observado um intense efeito concentraçãoresposta em apoptose tardia/necrose e discreto sinal para apoptose precoce em todas concentrações (p<0,01). No ensaio Hoechst/iodeto, observou diferença significante entre os estágios de apoptose precoce e tardia de ambas linhagens. A pteroginina no período t0 e t24, e pteroginidina no período t0 demonstraram possuir intenso efeito concentração... / Breast cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women worldwide. Research has elucidated several specific prognostic and predictive factors to identify patients at high risk of the aggressive disease, metastasis and recurrence of the disease in order to combat these statistics. For this reason, there is an obvious need to develop more efficacious treatment strategies. Previous studies on Pterogyne nitens Tul. (Fabaceae-Caesalpinioideae), a native plant of Brazil, resulted in the isolation of two guanidine alkaloids, exhibited selective activity towards a DNA repair-deficient, suggesting potential anti-cancer activity. Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the citotoxicity and apoptosis induced by alkaloids pterogynine (PGN) and pterogynidine (PGD) in human adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) and human invasive ductal carcinoma cell line(ZR-7531). Material and Methods: The two cell lines were treated by both alkaloids at several concentrations (0.25 – 10 mM) and two time points, 24h (t0) and 24h followed by 24h pos-treatment (t24). The cytotoxicity assay was determined by MTT assay; the cell death (apoptosis and necrosis) were analyzed using the dye Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide, Annexin V-FITC and Caspase 3/7 activity. Results: The treatments with the alkaloids demonstrated citotoxicity effect concentrationresponse in breast cell lines. Apoptosis evaluation, pterogynine and pterogynidine has an intense effect concentration-response of late apoptosis/necrosis and a discrete signal of early apoptosis in all of the concentrations (p<0.01). Hoechst/iodide assay, it was observe significant difference among the stages of early and late apoptosis in the both cells lines. Pterogynine for the period of t0 and t24, and pterogynidine for the period of t0 demonstrated to possess an intense concentrationresponse... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. The principal cause of cervical cancer is infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV-16 is a high-risk virus and it is responsible for a high portion of all HPV-caused cancers. The HPV-16 genome consists of early and late genes. The virus initially infects basal cells of the cervix epithelium and in these cells early genes are expressed, whilst late genes, L1 and L2, are only expressed in the upper cell layers of the epithelium. Proteins encoded by the late genes are highly immunogenic, thus it is speculated that expression of the late genes earlier in the virus life cycle could lead to clearance of the virus due to interference of the immune system.     The aim of this study was to treat reporter cell lines with three different small molecule drugs to see if they had the ability to induce HPV-16 late gene expression. The reporter cell lines used in this study had been previously created by transfecting HeLa-cells with plasmids representing the HPV-16 genome. In these plasmids, L1 is replaced with a CAT reporter gene that encodes the CAT protein, which can be easily quantified using a sandwich ELISA.     Upon treating the reporter cell lines with TPA, a significant induction of late gene expression was detected. Furthermore, treatment with valproic acid showed some induction of late gene expression. In conclusion, TPA and valproic acid was deemed to have potential to act as a candidate drugs for treatment of HPV infections.

Synthetic polymeric materials have gained significant use as biological materials (biomaterials) in biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. As a result, a demand for well-defined polymers with tunable properties has emerged. The synthetic versatility of polymeric biomaterials allows the opportunity to understand the structure-property relationship of materials and their cellular interactions. A novel class of polymeric biomaterials are conjugated polymers (CPs), which possess desirable physicochemical and excellent photophysical properties, including inherent fluorescence. The synthetic versatility of CPs allows easy modification of the conjugated backbone to tune emission and side chain structures to adjust biocompatibility through increased water solubility, controlled biodegradability, and incorporation of targeting units. The aim of this dissertation is to better understand conjugated polymer nanoparticle (CPN) structure and self-assembly in an aqueous environment, and how those structural features affect cellular interactions to establish a structure-function relationship. This work presents the fabrication of several different CPNs for cancer cell targeting and labelling, and differentiation of biologically important molecules. Core−shell nanoparticles were prepared using a semi-flexible cationic CPN complexed with hyaluronic acid (HA), a polyanion. The resulting CPNs exhibited high cancer cell specificity with low adsorption to normal cells, as a result of HA’s affinity towards overexpressed receptors on cancer cell surface. A systematic investigation on the aggregation properties of CPNs that vary by side chain and backbone structures in response to different biologically important anionic polysaccharides in a complex biological medium was conducted. Mitochondria-specific CPNs were fabricated from a semi-flexible CPN modified with the mitochondrial-targeting triphenylphosphonium (TPP) group. The subcellular localization and cellular toxicity were dependent on backbone flexibility, hydrophilicity, and molecular weight. Dual-targeting CPNs grafted with folic acid (FA) side chains and complexed with hyaluronic acid (HA) were fabricated for improved uptake and bioimaging of cancer cells. The work presented here shows how modifications to CPN backbone and side chain structures modulate their cellular interactions. The physicochemical and biophysical properties of CPNs affect biocompatibility and understanding those properties will lead to the development of novel CP-based biomaterials.

An approach to investigating cancer that has recently seen resurgence of interest is the “Warburg effect”. Otto Warburg originally described the altered metabolism of cancer cells and identified that they exhibit an increase in glucose uptake and lactate production. This up-regulation of glycolytic flux and glucose transport is now associated with 90% of cancers. In order to improve the overall understanding of the “Warburg effect” two forms of systems biology have been implemented - comparative in vitro analysis of kinetic activities and dynamic modelling. In this analysis, human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and T47D and a non transformed breast cell line MCF-10A were used to identify key similarities and differences in kinetic activities across the glycolytic pathway. Additionally, activities of key glycolytic enzymes hexokinase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase were compared under hypoxic conditions to further understand regulation of cancer cells. The most prominent feature that arose from comparing the kinetic activities of the three malignant and one non-malignant cell line is that each cell line has its own specific set of activities for glycolysis. This indicates that there are differences in regulation across the glycolytic pathway for each of these cell lines. This is of specific interest in the search for therapeutic targets. Further, we determined that despite the prominence of oncogenic HIF signalling activities of hexokinase, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase were further modulated by growth under hypoxic conditions. Despite the lack of obvious distinct kinetic differences between the non-cancerous and cancerous cells lines some discernible differences are apparent when modelled in silico.