A biogênese do ribossomo é um processo complexo, altamente ordenado e regulado, no qual o transcrito primário é processado por endo e exonucleases para gerar os RNAs ribossomais maduros. Este processo foi melhor caracterizado em Saccharomyces cerevisiae, porém alguns fatores atuantes em humanos tiveram uma função divergente descrita. Um desses fatores é a proteína NIP7, altamente conservada em eucariotos, que atua na formação da subunidade ribossomal 60S, em levedura, e 40S, em humanos. Assim, esse trabalho propôs a caracterização funcional da proteína CrNIP7, homóloga a NIP7, presente em Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. C. reinhardtii é uma alga verde unicelular ancestral a plantas, utilizada como modelo eucarioto para estudos de fotossíntese e de flagelos. Nesse trabalho, um estudo de complementação funcional foi realizado utilizando duas linhagens de Saccharomyces cerevisiae diferentes e em ambas CrNIP7 complementou a função de Nip7p de leveduras, indicando uma participação na síntese da subunidade 60S do ribossomo. Uma busca por parceiros de interação de CrNIP7 foi também realizada, utilizando CrNIP7 como isca para rastrear uma biblioteca de cDNA de C. reinhardtii em sistema de duplo híbrido em leveduras, o que resultou em dois novos potenciais parceiros de interação. Esses parceiros foram identificados como proteínas preditas conceitualmente no genoma de C. reinhardtii, denominadas Predicted e G-patch. Adicionalmente, a interação entre CrNIP7 e CrSBDS, proteína homóloga a Sdo1 (de levedura) e HsSBDS (de humanos), foi confirmada através de um experimento de duplo híbrido dirigido. A interação entre as proteínas CrNIP7 e CrSBDS foi validada por pull down e um teste preliminar sugeriu que CrNIP7 e Predicted também interagem in vitro. Análises de bioinformática indicam que Predicted, G-patch e CrSBDS tenham regiões intrinsicamente desordenadas, as quais podem se estruturar na interação com seus parceiros. Em conjunto, os resultados desse trabalho contribuem para entendimento do papel de CrNIP7 na biogênese de ribossomos em Chlamydomonas reinhardtii em comparação com outros modelos eucarióticos. / Ribosome biogenesis is a complex, highly regulated and ordered process in which the primary transcript is processed by endo- and exonucleases to generate the mature ribosomal RNAs. This process was best characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but some factors have been described in humans with different function. One of these divergent factors is NIP7, a highly conserved protein in eukaryotes, which acts in the formation of ribosomal 60S subunit, in yeast, and 40S, in humans. Based on this, this work proposed the functional characterization of CrNIP7 protein, homologous to NIP7, from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. C. reinhardtii is a green alga, ancestral to plants, that is used as an eukaryote model for photosynthesis and flagella studies. In this study, a functional complementation assay was performed using two different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and, in both approaches, CrNIP7 protein complemented the function of Nip7p from yeast, indicating its participation in the synthesis of the 60S ribosomal subunit. A two-hybrid assay was carried out using CrNIP7 as bait to screen a C. reinhardtii cDNA library in order to find out CrNIP7 interaction partners, wich resulted in two novel potentially partners. The interacting proteins were identified as conceptually predicted proteins in the genome of C. reinhardtii and were called Predicted and G-patch. Additionally, the interaction between CrNIP7 and CrSBDS, a protein homologous to Sdo1 (yeast) and HsSBDS (humans), was confirmed by a direct two-hybrid assay. The interaction between CrNIP7 and CrSBDS proteins was validated by pull down and a preliminary test suggested that CrNIP7 and Predicted also interact in vitro. Bioinformatics analyzes indicate that Predicted, G-patch and CrSBDS have intrinsically disordered regions, which can be ordered in the moment of interaction. Taken together, the results of this work contribute to understand the role played by CrNIP7 in ribosome biogenesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii compared to other eukaryotic models.

No description available.

It is generally accepted that global levels of CO2 will roughly double over the next century. Because of their large population sizes and fast generation times, microalgae may adapt to global change through novel mutations fixed by natural selection, such that future populations may be genetically different from contemporary ones. The prediction that microalgae may respond evolutionarily to rising CO2 was tested using populations of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii grown for 1000 generations at increasing CO2. Laboratory populations grown at high CO2 did not show a direct response to selection at elevated CO2, instead evolving a range of non-adaptive syndromes. In addition, populations selected at elevated CO2 often grew poorly at ambient CO2. The same evolutionary responses were seen in natural populations isolated from CO2 springs. CO2 uptake was measured in a subset of the laboratory selection lines, which were found to have cells that either leaked CO2, had lost the ability to induce high-affinity CO 2 uptake, or both. These phenotypes were tentatively attributed to the accumulation of conditionally neutral mutations in genes involved in the carbon concentrating mechanism (CCM). The high-CO2-selected phenotypes were found to be reversible in terms of fitness when populations were backselected in air, though wild-type regulation of the CCM was not regained. It has been suggested that phytoplankton adaptation to changes in CO2 levels is constrained by selective history. This was tested by culturing genetically distinct populations of Chlamydomonas at decreasing levels of CO2. In this case, divergence between lines was attributable to chance rather than selective history.

Univ., Diss.--Regensburg, 1998.

Thesis--Amsterdam. / In Periodical Room.

A biogênese do ribossomo é um processo complexo, altamente ordenado e regulado, no qual o transcrito primário é processado por endo e exonucleases para gerar os RNAs ribossomais maduros. Este processo foi melhor caracterizado em Saccharomyces cerevisiae, porém alguns fatores atuantes em humanos tiveram uma função divergente descrita. Um desses fatores é a proteína NIP7, altamente conservada em eucariotos, que atua na formação da subunidade ribossomal 60S, em levedura, e 40S, em humanos. Assim, esse trabalho propôs a caracterização funcional da proteína CrNIP7, homóloga a NIP7, presente em Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. C. reinhardtii é uma alga verde unicelular ancestral a plantas, utilizada como modelo eucarioto para estudos de fotossíntese e de flagelos. Nesse trabalho, um estudo de complementação funcional foi realizado utilizando duas linhagens de Saccharomyces cerevisiae diferentes e em ambas CrNIP7 complementou a função de Nip7p de leveduras, indicando uma participação na síntese da subunidade 60S do ribossomo. Uma busca por parceiros de interação de CrNIP7 foi também realizada, utilizando CrNIP7 como isca para rastrear uma biblioteca de cDNA de C. reinhardtii em sistema de duplo híbrido em leveduras, o que resultou em dois novos potenciais parceiros de interação. Esses parceiros foram identificados como proteínas preditas conceitualmente no genoma de C. reinhardtii, denominadas Predicted e G-patch. Adicionalmente, a interação entre CrNIP7 e CrSBDS, proteína homóloga a Sdo1 (de levedura) e HsSBDS (de humanos), foi confirmada através de um experimento de duplo híbrido dirigido. A interação entre as proteínas CrNIP7 e CrSBDS foi validada por pull down e um teste preliminar sugeriu que CrNIP7 e Predicted também interagem in vitro. Análises de bioinformática indicam que Predicted, G-patch e CrSBDS tenham regiões intrinsicamente desordenadas, as quais podem se estruturar na interação com seus parceiros. Em conjunto, os resultados desse trabalho contribuem para entendimento do papel de CrNIP7 na biogênese de ribossomos em Chlamydomonas reinhardtii em comparação com outros modelos eucarióticos. / Ribosome biogenesis is a complex, highly regulated and ordered process in which the primary transcript is processed by endo- and exonucleases to generate the mature ribosomal RNAs. This process was best characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but some factors have been described in humans with different function. One of these divergent factors is NIP7, a highly conserved protein in eukaryotes, which acts in the formation of ribosomal 60S subunit, in yeast, and 40S, in humans. Based on this, this work proposed the functional characterization of CrNIP7 protein, homologous to NIP7, from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. C. reinhardtii is a green alga, ancestral to plants, that is used as an eukaryote model for photosynthesis and flagella studies. In this study, a functional complementation assay was performed using two different strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and, in both approaches, CrNIP7 protein complemented the function of Nip7p from yeast, indicating its participation in the synthesis of the 60S ribosomal subunit. A two-hybrid assay was carried out using CrNIP7 as bait to screen a C. reinhardtii cDNA library in order to find out CrNIP7 interaction partners, wich resulted in two novel potentially partners. The interacting proteins were identified as conceptually predicted proteins in the genome of C. reinhardtii and were called Predicted and G-patch. Additionally, the interaction between CrNIP7 and CrSBDS, a protein homologous to Sdo1 (yeast) and HsSBDS (humans), was confirmed by a direct two-hybrid assay. The interaction between CrNIP7 and CrSBDS proteins was validated by pull down and a preliminary test suggested that CrNIP7 and Predicted also interact in vitro. Bioinformatics analyzes indicate that Predicted, G-patch and CrSBDS have intrinsically disordered regions, which can be ordered in the moment of interaction. Taken together, the results of this work contribute to understand the role played by CrNIP7 in ribosome biogenesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii compared to other eukaryotic models.

Le cytochrome b6f est un complexe majeur de la chaîne photosynthétique oxygénique de par son activité quinol:plastocyanine oxydoréductase, qui contribue à la formation d’ATP via un transfert d’électrons couplé à un transfert de protons. La présence d’un hème c particulier lié par une seule liaison covalente, l’hème ci, au sein du site de réduction de quinone Qi du cytochrome b6f constitue une différence notable en comparaison avec son homologue de la chaîne respiratoire, le cytochrome bc1. Un cytochrome b6f dépourvu d’hème ci est dégradé, sa faible accumulation ne permet pas une croissance photosynthétique. Cette observation a donné lieu à une recherche de suppresseurs permettant une plus grande accumulation de cytochrome b6f dont la fonction même altérée, serait suffisante pour assurer une croissance photosynthétique. Cette approche génétique de recherche de suppresseur a été entreprise chez Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Ce travail de thèse a permis l’isolation et la caractérisation d’un mutant de la protéase FtsH1 (mutation R420C qui affecterait l’activité ATPasique). Le mutant ftsh1-1 s’est révélé être un outil puissant pour l’étude fonctionnelle de complexes mutés autrement dégradés. Une approche multidisciplinaire combinant expériences de génétique, biochimie, physiologie et biophysique a démontré notamment que : (i) le mutant QiKO, dont le complexe b6f est dépourvu des hèmes bh et ci, peut pousser de manière phototrophique malgré un Q-cycle cassé, (ii) l’absence d’hème ci lié covalemment, pour le mutant Rccb2, génère une photosensibilité exacerbée en présence d’oxygène, ce qui sous-tend un rôle pour l’hème ci dans un environnement riche en oxygène, (iii) la protéase FtsH exerce un contrôle qualité global des complexes majeurs photosynthétiques. / Central in oxygenic photosynthesis, the cytochrome b6f complex, couples electron transfer to proton translocation across the thylakoid membrane via its quinol:plastocyanin oxidoreductase activity, contributing to ATP formation. Cytochrome b6f complex differs from its respiratory homolog, the bc1 complex, by the presence of an additional heme, heme ci located within the quinone reduction site Qi and attached by a unique thioether bond. Mutants lacking heme ci show low accumulation of partially functional b6f complex and, hence, cannot grow phototrophically. This grounded a screen for suppressor mutations that would restore higher accumulation of b6f complexes whose function, even if compromised, would sustain phototrophic growth.The genetic suppressor approach undertook in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii during this PhD thesis led to the isolation and characterisation of the ftsh1-1 protease mutant (mutation R420C which should affect ATP hydrolysis). The mutant ftsh1-1 proved to be a versatile tool for the functional study of otherwise degraded proteins. The combination of genetic, biochemical, physiological and biophysical experiments demonstrated notably that: (i) a QiKO mutant, whose b6f complexes are devoid of both bh and ci hemes, can grow phototrophically despite a broken Q-cycle, (ii) the absence of covalently bound heme ci, in the Rccb2 mutant, triggers photosensivity enhanced in the presence of O2 supporting a role for heme ci in oxygen rich environment, (iii) FtsH is involved in the maintenance of the main photosynthetic complexes.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Botany / Master / Master of Philosophy

Considerada a mais comum das doenças lisossômicas, a doença de Gaucher é causada por mutações no gene GBA1 que resultam na síntese defeituosa da enzima glicocerebrosidase (GBA), responsável pela hidrólise dos glicocerebrosídios em glicose e ceramida. A deficiência da enzima provoca o acúmulo desses glicolipídios nos macrófagos, principalmente no fígado, no baço e na medula óssea, levando a um fenótipo complexo. O tratamento da doença consiste na administração da enzima GBA humana (HsGBA) exógena e, apesar de sua eficácia, é extremamente oneroso. Assim como outras espécies de microalgas, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii apresenta alto potencial para a produção de grandes quantidades de proteínas recombinantes de forma rápida e a um custo muito inferior ao dos sistemas de expressão tradicionais. O objetivo proposto para o desenvolvimento deste trabalho foi a expressão do gene codificador da HsGBA a partir do genoma nuclear de C. reinhardtii visando à produção da proteína como possível alternativa para a terapia de reposição enzimática. O gene HsGBA artificial foi projetado com códons adaptados para a expressão nuclear em C. reinhardtii e com sítios de restrição. A sequência nucleotídica foi sintetizada pela empresa GenScript USA Inc. e, após seu recebimento em plasmídeo de clonagem, o gene HsGBA foi inserido no plasmídeo pHsp70A/RbcS2-cgLuc por restrição com endonucleases e ligação. Esse vetor foi combinado com o plasmídeo pKS-aph7``-lox para a transferência do cassete de expressão do gene de interesse por recombinação sítio específica mediada pelo sistema Cre/lox, originando o vetor pKS-aph7``-lox::HsGBA, que contém, assim, os cassetes de expressão em tandem para HsGBA e para o marcador de seleção aph7``, codificador da enzima aminoglicosídeo fosfotransferase e capaz de conferir resistência à higromicina B. A linhagem de C. reinhardtii CC-400 cw15 mt+ foi transformada por eletroporação com o plasmídeo resultante linearizado (clivado com EcoRV) e na forma circular. A integração de HsGBA no genoma de cinco linhagens de C. reinhardtii foi comprovada por PCR e sua expressão foi demonstrada em três dessas linhagens de forma qualitativa por RT-PCR. Como HsGBA é controlado por um promotor induzível, hsp70A, diversas condições foram testadas visando à sua máxima expressão. Entretanto, análises por SDS-PAGE e western blot não permitiram a detecção da proteína recombinante. De modo semelhante, a atividade enzimática da HsGBA avaliada em extratos proteicos de linhagens transformadas não foi diferente da observada para linhagens não transformadas de C. reinhardtii. / Considered the most common lysosomal disorder, Gaucher disease is caused by mutations in GBA1 gene that result in defective synthesis of the enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GBA), responsible for the hydrolysis of glucocerebrosides into glucose and ceramide. When the enzyme is defective, these glycolipids accumulate in the macrophages, mainly in the liver, spleen and bone marrow, leading to a complex phenotype. Current treatment consists of enzyme replacement therapy by the administration of exogenous human GBA (HsGBA) and, in spite of its efficacy, it is exceptionally expensive. As other species of microalgae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has a high potential for production of large amounts of recombinant proteins rapidly and at a much lower cost than traditional expression systems. In the present work we proposed the expression of the HsGBA gene from the nuclear genome of C. reinhardtii aiming the production of the protein as a possible alternative to enzyme replacement therapy. The artificial HsGBA gene, adapted to the nuclear codon usage of C. reinhardtii, was designed with restriction sites and synthesized by GenScript USA Inc. The nucleotide sequence was provided in a cloning vector and the HsGBA gene was inserted into the plasmid pHsp70A/RbcS2-cgLuc by endonuclease digestion and ligation. The resulting vector was fused to the plasmid pKS-aph7``-lox for transferring of the expression cassette of the gene of interest by site-specific recombination mediated by the Cre/lox system, yielding the plasmid pKS-aph7``-lox::HsGBA. As a result, this tandem vector has the expression cassettes for HsGBA and for the selection marker aph7``, which encodes the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase enzyme that confers resistance to hygromycin B. The C. reinhardtii strain CC-400 cw15 mt+ was transformed by electroporation with the resulting plasmid, in the supercoiled and linear (digested with EcoRV) forms. The HsGBA integration into the genome of five strains of C. reinhardtii was confirmed by PCR and their expression was demonstrated qualitatively in three of these strains by RT-PCR. As the HsGBA gene is under the control of the inducible promoter hsp70A, several conditions were tested aiming its higher expression. However, the protein could not be detected by SDS-PAGE and western blot. Likewise, the enzymatic activity of the HsGBA was measured in protein extracts of the transgenic strains but did not differ from the control.

No description available.