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Au sein du laboratoire, par une stratégie de conception de médicaments par la méthode des fragments, nous avons généré une nouvelle famille d'inhibiteurs de cyclophilines, les SMCypI (« Small-Molecule Cyclophilin Inhibitors »), non liée aux autres inhibiteurs de cyclophilines existants. Les cyclophilines sont des protéines cellulaires impliquées dans un grand nombre de processus biologiques. Toutefois, les inhibiteurs de cyclophilines disponibles possèdent de nombreux inconvénients qui rendent leur utilisation clinique difficile. Au cours de ma thèse nous nous sommes intéressés au développement des SMCypI dans deux domaines en particulier, la Virologie et l’Hépatologie.Dans le domaine de la Virologie, les cyclophilines sont impliquées dans la réplication de plusieurs virus et constituent donc une cible de choix dans le développement d'antiviraux à large spectre. Dans un premier temps, nous nous sommes intéressés à la caractérisation de l’activité antivirale de ces molécules sur le virus de l’Hépatite C, avec comme objectif de démontrer leur activité pangénotypique, leur haute barrière à la résistance, leur mécanisme d’action et leur activité antivirale à large spectre pour d’autres virus de la famille des Flaviviridae.Dans le domaine de l’Hépatologie, les lésions d’ischémie-reperfusion hépatique sont rencontrés pendant la chirurgie hépatique et la transplantation hépatique. La mitochondrie est un acteur majeur via l’ouverture du pore de transition de perméabilité mitochondrial. L’ouverture du pore est modulée par la cyclophiline D. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons étudié les effets des SMCypI sur cette deuxième cible. Cela nous a permis de démontrer leur effet hépatoprotecteur dans un modèle murin d’ischémie-reperfusion hépatique.L’ensemble de ces résultats ouvre la porte pour le concept des antiviraux à large spectre, et l’utilité dans le domaine de l’hépatologie comme molécules hépatoprotectrices.... / In our laboratory we previously reported a rational design of a new family of smallmolecule cyclophilins inhibitors, SMCypI, unrelated to other cyclophilins inhibitors by means of a complex fragment-based drug discovery approach. Cyclophilins are cellular proteins involved in multiple biological processes. Unfortunately, different disadvantages have limited their clinical development. The aim my thesis was to study the SMCypI in two particulars fields, Virology and Hepatology.In the field of Virology, cyclophilins inhibitors are involved in viral replication of multiple viruses, which make them a convenient target for the development of “broad-spectrum antivirals”. Here, we first characterized the pangenotypic anti-HCV activity of this new family of SMCypI, with high resistance barrier. We studied its mechanism of action andits broad antiviral activity on other members of the Flaviviridae family.In the field of Hepatology, ischemia-reperfusion injuries occur during liver surgery and liver transplantation. Mitochondria play a central role in the opening of mitochondrial permeability transition pore. The opening of this pore is mainly regulated by cyclophilin D. The aim of the second part of our work was to demonstrated a hepatoprotective effect of the SMCypl in a murine model of hepatic ischemia reperfusion injury.Overall, these results are leading the way to the development of broad-spectrumantiviral drugs and their use in hepatology as hepatoprotective drugs....

Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es einen geeigneten internen Standard für die linksventrikuläre mRNA-Quantifizierung bei kardialer Hypertrophie und Herzinsuffizienz in der Ratte zu finden. Die mRNA-Expression von GAPDH, 18SrRNA, Cyclophilin and Porphobilinogen-Desaminase (PBGD) wurde vier Wochen nach Induktion von Hypertrophie (kleiner aortokavaler Shunt) und Herzinsuffizienz (großer aortokavaler Shunt bzw. Myokardinfarkt) mit Hilfe des Ribonuklease Protektion Assay (RPA) und der TaqMan PCR bestimmt. Die linksventrikuläre ANP-mRNA-Expression war in allen untersuchten Modellen unabhängig von der angewendeten Detektionsmethode erhöht. Die mRNA-Expression der Housekeeping Gene mit Hilfe des RPA bestimmt, war in allen untersuchten Modellen im Vergleich zu den Kontrollen unverändert (GAPDH: kleiner Shunt: 105.1+-7.4, großer Shunt: 105.2+-6.8, MI: 88.4+-3.7; 18SrRNA: kleiner Shunt: 110.7+-8.2, großer Shunt: 104.4+-8.9, MI: 107.5+-12.0; Cyclophilin: kleiner Shunt: 96.4+-7.9, großer Shunt: 112.9+-4.9, MI: 95.7+-13.8; PBGD: kleiner Shunt: 81.9+-6.3, großer Shunt: 83.7+-4.7, MI: 79.8+-9.7; % Kontrolle). In der sehr sensitiven TaqMan PCR zeigte sich eine veränderte mRNA-Expression von GAPDH, PBGD und Cyclophilin, lediglich 18S wurde unverändert exprimiert (GAPDH: kleiner Shunt: 114.5+-18.7, großer Shunt: 133.6+-19.1, MI: 64.2+-6.2, p / The purpose of this study was to identify an appropriate left ventricular mRNA as internal standard in gene expression analysis in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure in the rat. Expression levels of GAPDH, 18SrRNA, Cyclophilin and porphobilinogen desaminase (PBGD) were measured four weeks after induction of either cardiac hypertrophy (small aortocaval shunt) or heart failure (large aortocaval shunt or myocardial infarction) using Ribonuclease protection assay (RPA) and TaqMan PCR. The left ventricular expression of ANP mRNA was increased in all these experimental models independently of the used method. Using RPA the mRNA expression of all studied housekeeping genes was unchanged in all experimental models compared to controls (GAPDH: small shunt: 105.1+-7.4, large shunt: 105.2+-6.8, MI: 88.4+-3.7; 18SrRNA: small shunt: 110.7+-8.2, large shunt: 104.4+-8.9, MI: 107.5+-12.0; Cyclophilin: small shunt: 96.4+-7.9, large shunt: 112.9+-4.9, MI: 95.7+-13.8; PBGD: small shunt: 81.9+-6.3, large shunt: 83.7+-4.7, MI: 79.8+-9.7; % control). Using the TaqMan PCR as a much more sensitive method only 18SrRNA levels were unchanged whereas GAPDH, PBGD and Cyclophilin mRNA expression was regulated (GAPDH: small shunt: 114.5+-18.7, large shunt: 133.6+-19.1, MI: 64.2+-6.2, p

Die Tomate ist weltweit eines der am meist konsumierten Gemüse, doch der hohe Verzehr erhöht auch das Risiko einer allergischen Reaktion. Zu den Allergenen zählen viele Proteine der Pflanzenabwehr, welche durch verschiedenste biotische und abiotische Stressoren induziert werden. Allerdings ist bis heute der Einfluss biotischer Faktoren auf die Allergenität von Obst und Gemüse weitestgehend unbekannt. Diese Dissertation befasst sich mit den Auswirkungen der symbiontischen Mykorrhiza und des pathogenen Pepino Mosaikvirus auf die Allergenität von Tomaten. Früchte von mykorrhizierten Tomatenpflanzen wiesen eine höhere Expression allergenkodierender Gene auf als die nicht mykorrhizierten Kontrollen, allerdings übertrug sich dies nicht auf die Allergenität der Tomaten. Pepino Mosaikvirus-infizierte Tomatenpflanzen zeigten keine generelle Aktivierung der Allergenexpression und auch keine erhöhte Allergenität. Aufgrund großer individueller Reaktionsunterschiede der Probanden in den klinischen Allergietests konnten einzeln auftretende Unterschiede nicht über die Gesamtheit der getesteten Allergiker abgesichert werden. Die individuellen Reaktionen der Probanden konnten wiederum nicht auf die Anzahl und Identität der Allergene von Tomatenpflanzen mit unterschiedlichen genetischen Hintergründen oder aus verschiedenen Anbauweisen zurückgeführt werden. Während der Experimente wurden 13 neue putative Tomatenallergene identifiziert unter denen das Cyclophilin rekombinant in Escherichia coli hergestellt und seine allergene Aktivität bestätigt wurde. Schlussfolgernd nahmen biotische Faktoren keinen nennenswerten Einfluss auf die Allergenität von kommerziell angebauten Tomaten. Über dies hinaus wurden neue Erkenntnisse über persistente Virus-Pflanzen Interaktionen gewonnen. Schließlich konnte die Liste der putativen Tomatenallergene um einige Kandidaten erweitert werden, von denen das Cyclophilin als Allergen bestätigt wurde. / Tomatoes are now among most consumed vegetables worldwide; unfortunately accompanied by an increasing risk of allergic reactions. Pathogenesis-related proteins can act as allergens and are induced by various biotic and abiotic stresses. Up to now nearly nothing is known about the impact of biotic factors on allergenic potentials. This thesis investigates the allergenicity of symbiotically mycorrhized and Pepino mosaic virus-infected tomato fruits. Although induced allergen-encoding gene expression was detected in the fruits of mycorrhizal tomato plants, there was no impact on allergenicity. In contrast, general induction of defence-related allergens in Pepino mosaic virus-infected tomato fruits was not observed. Consequently, clinical allergy tests did not reveal any generally increased allergenic potential of Pepino mosaic virus-infected tomato fruits. High inter-individual differences in clinical allergy tests made it difficult to make statistically confirmed statements about the allergenicity of colonised tomato fruits. However, the hypothesis that such individual variability is based on differential reactions of individual subjects to particular allergens in tomato fruits, from plants with certain genetic backgrounds or cultivated under distinct conditions, had to be rejected. During these investigations, 13 new putative tomato allergens were identified. One of the candidates, cyclophilin, was recombinantly produced in Escherichia coli and its allergenic activity was confirmed in different clinical allergy tests with tomato-allergic subjects. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that biotic factors are only of minor importance for the allergenic potential of commercially produced tomatoes. Moreover, the experiments revealed new insights into persistent plant-virus interactions. In particular, these extended the list of putative tomato allergens to include new candidates, and confirmed the allergenic activity of one of these, namely cyclophilin.

In the hours and days following acute CNS injury, a secondary wave of events is initiated that exacerbate spinal tissue damage and neuronal cell death. A potential mechanism driving these secondary events is opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) and subsequent release of several cell death proteins. Previous studies have shown that inhibition of cyclophilin D(CypD), the key regulating component in mPTP opening, was protective against insults that induce necrotic cell death. We therefore hypothesized that CypD-null mice would show improved functional and pathological outcomes following spinal cord injury (SCI) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Moderate and severe spinal contusion was produced in wild-type (WT) and CypD-null mice at the T-10 level using the Infinite Horizon impactor. Changes in locomotor function were evaluated using the Basso Mouse Scale (BMS) at 3 days post-injury followed by weekly testing for 4 weeks. Histological assessment of tissue sparing and lesion volume was performed 4 weeks post SCI. Calpain activity, measured by calpain-mediated spectrin degradation, was assessed in moderate injury only by western blot 24 hours post SCI. Results showed that following moderate SCI, CypD-null mice had no significant improvement in locomotor recovery or tissue sparing compared to wild-type mice. Following severe SCI, CypD-null mice showed significantly lower locomotor recovery and decreased tissue sparing compared to WT mice. Calpain-mediated spectrin degradation was not significantly reduced in CypD-null mice compared to WT mice 24h post moderate SCI. The lack of protective effects in CypD-null mice suggests that more dominant mechanisms are involved in the pathology of SCI. In addition, CypD may have a pro survival role that is dependent on the severity of the spinal cord injury.

The immunophilins are a superfamily of proteins comprising the cyclophilins, the FKBPs and the parvulin sub-families. Members are present ubiquitously in plant and animal cells, acting as both prolyl-isomerases and signalling proteins. Some also have chaperone activity. The prolyl isomerase function of the immunophilins has been identified as being central to progression of a large number of diseases, making them tempting drug targets. Whilst there are several assays which can be used to identify inhibitors of the prolyl isomerase function, they are hampered by one or more problems: multistep mechanisms, poor signal-to-noise ratios, expensive, laborious and unamenable to high throughput screening. Multiple fluorescent systems (fluorescence anisotropy, FRET, 2D-FIDA/FCS) and several technologies (solution and solid phase synthesis, solution and solid phase screening, combinatorial synthesis, and stopped-flow spectrometry) were explored to develop a system suitable for fast, efficient screening of immunophilins. The most promising of these is a prototype assay based on the design, cloning, expression and production of fluorescently labelled mutant of cyclophilin B, which shows an increase in fluorescence emission upon cyclosporin ligand binding.

Prolactin (PRL) and its receptor (PRLr) have been implicated in the development and progression of human breast cancer. PRL activates its receptor and induces activation of proximal Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) for signal transduction. Here, we sought to determine the role of PRLr-associated peptidyl-prolyl isomerase, cyclophilin A (CypA), in modulating structure/function relationships of the PRLr. It was demonstrated that CypA mediated PRL-induced conformational change of the CFP- and -YFP tagged forms of the PRLr cytoplasmic-tail, whereas CypA inhibition by NIM811 (N-methyl-4-isoleucine cyclosporin) or knockdown blocked the conformational change of the PRLr assessed by Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) signal or efficiency. To further investigate the consequences of CypA inhibition or knockdown on the PRLr/Jak2 complex mediated signaling/functions, analyses of phospho-tyrosine residues that are believed to be important for interactions/signaling were investigated. It was found that NIM811 inhibition or CypA shRNA knockdown significantly reduced prolactin-stimulated phosphorylation of PRLr/Jak2 intermediates and their association with the PRLr in breast cancer cells. A microarray analysis revealed that NIM811 inhibited approximately 66% of the top 50 PRL-induced genes. NIM811 inhibited breast cancer cell proliferation, survival, migration and anchorage-independent growth. Subsequent NIM811 treatment of a triple negative breast cancer xenograft inhibited primary tumor growth, outgrowth of macro-metastasis and induced central tumor necrosis. Furthermore, loss of CypA in the MMTV-PyMT mouse model demonstrated inhibition of tumorigenesis with significant reduction in lung and lymph node metastasis. Overall, CypA modulates PRL-induced conformational change of the C-terminus of the PRLr through its isomerase activity, altering PRLr/Jak2 complex signaling/functions in breast/mammary tumorigenesis and metastasis.

With an estimated incidence of 1.5 million each year, traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States. Opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) is a key event contributing to TBI pathology. Cyclophilin D (CypD), a matrix peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase, is believed to be the regulating component of the mPTP. Cyclosporin A, an immunosuppressant drug, inhibits CypD and blocks mPTP formation and has been shown to be neuroprotective following TBI. However, it is unclear if CsA’s neuroprotective mechanism is due to inhibition of CypD and/or immuno-suppression. Therefore to directly assess the contribution of CypD to TBI pathology, CypD knockout mice were subjected to a controlled cortical impact model of TBI. CypD ablation resulted in increased tissue sparing, hippocampal protection, and improved mitochondrial complex I driven respiration. Next a dose-response study of the Cyclophilin D inhibitor, NIM811, was performed. NIM811 administration following TBI resulted in improved cognition, increased tissue sparing, and improved mitochondrial function. These results suggest a major role for CypD in TBI pathology and validate CypD as a potential therapeutic target for TBI. TBI has been proposed to be the signature injury of the current Middle Eastern conflicts with an estimated prevalence of 15-60 % among combat soldiers. Although the brain does appear to be vulnerable to blast, the exact mechanisms underlying the injury remain unclear. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to a moderate level of blast overpressure. Following blast, blood brain barrier disruption was evident at 3 and 24 h post-exposure, oxidative damage increased at 3 h post-exposure, and microglia were activated in the hippocampus at 5 and 10 days post-exposure. This may widen future neuroprotective avenues for blast since blast brain injury appears to share similar mechanisms of injury with other TBI models.

Cyclophilin A (CypA) is the well-studied member of a group of ubiquitous and evolutionarily conserved families of enzymes called peptidyl–prolyl isomerases (PPIases). These enzymes catalyze the cis-trans isomerization of peptidyl-prolyl bond in many proteins. The distinctive functional path triggered by each isomeric state of peptidyl-prolyl bond renders PPIase-catalyzed isomerization a molecular switching mechanism to be used on physiological demand. PPIase activity has been implicated in protein folding, signal transduction, and ion channel gating as well as pathological condition such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and microbial infections. The more than five order of magnitude speed-up in the rate of peptidyl–prolyl cis–trans isomerization by CypA has been the target of intense research. Normal and accelerated molecular dynamic simulations were carried out to understand the catalytic mechanism of CypA in atomistic details. The results reaffirm transition state stabilization as the main factor in the astonishing enhancement in isomerization rate by enzyme. The ensuing intramolecular polarization, as a result of the loss of pseudo double bond character of the peptide bond at the transition state, was shown to contribute only about −1.0 kcal/mol to stabilizing the transition state. This relatively small contribution demonstrates that routinely used fixed charge classical force fields can reasonably describe these types of biological systems. The computational studies also revealed that the undemanding exchange of the free substrate between β- and α-helical regions is lost in the active site of the enzyme, where it is mainly in the β-region. The resultant relative change in conformational entropy favorably contributes to the free energy of stabilizing the transition state by CypA. The isomerization kinetics is strongly coupled to the enzyme motions while the chemical step and enzyme–substrate dynamics are in turn buckled to solvent fluctuations. The chemical step in the active site of the enzyme is therefore not separated from the fluctuations in the solvent. Of special interest is the nature of catalysis in a more realistic crowded environment, for example, the cell. Enzyme motions in such complicated medium are subjected to different viscosities and hydrodynamic properties, which could have implications for allosteric regulation and function.

Frankfurt (Main), Universiẗat, Diss., 2008. / Erscheinungsjahr an der Haupttitelstelle: 2007.