Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Les principaux transporteurs ABC et cytochromes P450 exprimés au niveau des microvaisseaux cérébraux chez l’homme sont l’ABCB1/P-gp, l’ABCG2/BCRP et le CYP1B1. Au niveau des organes périphériques, la régulation de l’expression de ces trois marqueurs fait intervenir des facteurs de transcription et notamment le récepteur aryl hydrocarbon (AhR). Or les transcrits d’AhR sont très exprimés au niveau des microvaisseaux cérébraux humains. Les travaux de cette thèse ont donc dans un premier temps été consacrés à l’étude de l’implication de la voie du récepteur Ah dans la régulation de l’expression de l’ABCB1, de l’ABCG2 et du CYP1B1 au niveau de la barrière hémato-encéphalique. In vivo, nous avons mis en évidence qu’un traitement aigu par la dioxine (ou TCDD), ligand puissant d’AhR, induisait l’expression génique et protéique du Cyp1b1 au niveau des microvaisseaux cérébraux de rats adultes Srague-Dawley. De même, in vitro, l’exposition au TCDD a fortement induit l’expression du CYP1B1 dans la lignée hCMEC/D3, un modèle in vitro de l’endothélium cérébral humain et le recours à la technique de l’ARN interférence nous a permis de démontrer que le récepteur Ah était impliqué dans les effets observés. En revanche, que ce soit in vivo ou in vitro, l’exposition au TCDD n’a entrainé aucune modification significative de l’expression de l’ABCB1 ou de l’ABCG2. Dans un second temps, nous avons étudié l’interrelation entre la voie AhR et les voies de réponse à l’hypoxie cellulaire. Les différentes expériences réalisées sur la lignée cellulaire hCMEC/D3 ont mis en évidence une interaction non réciproque entre ces deux voies de signalisation : en cas d’activation simultanée, la réponse à l’hypoxie abolit la réponse AhR tandis que l’activation de la voie AhR ne modifie pas la réponse adaptative à l’hypoxie. / ABCB1 (P-gp), ABCG2 (BCRP) and CYP1B1 are the main ABC transporters and cytochrome P450 enzymes expressed at the human blood-brain barrier (BBB). In peripheral tissue, expression of these proteins is regulated by transcription factors such as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Interestingly, high levels of AhR mRNA are detected in human brain microvessels. We therefore investigated the potential implication of AhR in the regulation of ABCB1, ABCG2 and CYP1B1 expression. In vivo, a single dose of TCDD, a highly potent AhR ligand, increased Cyp1b1 transcripts and protein expression in rat brain microvessels. Similarly, exposing hCMEC/D3 cells, an in vitro promising model of human BBB, to TCDD induced CYP1B1 expression. Using small interfering RNA, we established AhR involvement in TCDD effects. However, either in vivo or in vitro TCDD treatment had no effect on ABCB1 or ABCG2 expression. Next, we investigated the crosstalk between AhR and hypoxia signalling pathways in case of simultaneous activation. Our experiments revealed that a crosstalk between these two pathways effectively occurred in hCMEC/D3 cells: hypoxia inhibited AhR response but not the reverse.

<p>Arbetet beskriver en analys av innehållet av membranbundna och periplasmiska c-cytokromer hos perkloratodlade GR-1 och jämförelser med c-cytokrominnehållet hos Ideonella dechloratans och andra kända c-cytokromer, samt med genomet för Dechloromonas aromatica. Den jämförande studien av c-cytokromer gjordes med syftet att undersöka en hypotes om att bakterierna använder olika vägar för elektronöverföring till det periplasmiska enzymet (per)kloratreduktas. Cellmembran från GR-1 renframställdes genom ultracentrifugering och periplasma preparerades fram med hjälp av osmotisk chock. Fraktionerna analyserades sedan med SDS-PAGE och peptider med kovalent bundet hem (c-cytokromer) detekterades med hjälp av en specifik färgreaktion. Även Touchdown PCR med degenererade primrar genomfördes på isolerat DNA från GR-1 i ett försök att finna en gen kodande för ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein. Slutligen kolmonoxidbubblades reducerade membran för att undersöka förekomsten av cbb3-typ oxidas.</p><p>Separation och infärgning av periplasmiska och membranbundna proteiner från GR-1 resulterade i sju respektive åtta peptidband med molekylvikter mellan 8-60 kDa. Inget som framkommit under arbetet talar emot hypotesen om att GR-1 och D. aromatica skulle använda ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein som elektronöverförare till det periplasmiska (per)kloratreduktaset. PCR-analysen resulterade i en produkt som troligtvis är en sekvens från en gen som kodar för ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein och två, eventuellt tre, kandidater för ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein hittades i membranet hos GR-1. Dessutom framkom att GR-1 troligtvis använder cbb3-typ oxidas som terminalt oxidas vid reduktion av syrgas under mikroaerofila förhållanden.</p><p>Vad gäller I. dechloratans och hypotesen om att denna bakterie använder ett lösligt cytokrom c för elektronöverföring till sitt kloratreduktas så har inget framkommit under arbetet som talar emot detta. Tre kandidater för lösliga cytokrom c-proteiner hittades. För teorin talar även att de försök som tidigare gjorts med att påvisa genen för ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein hos denna bakterie gett negativt resultat.</p> / <p>This work describes an analysis of membrane-anchored and periplasmic c-type cytochromes of perchlorate grown GR-1, and a comparison with the c-type cytochrome content of Ideonella dechloratans, other known c-type cytochromes and the genome of Dechloromonas aromatica. The aim of the comparison was to investigate a hypothesis that the bacteria use different routes for electron transfer to the periplasmic enzyme (per)chlorate reductase. Cell membrane from GR-1 was prepared through ultracentrifugation and periplasm was prepared through osmotic chock. The fractions were separated by SDS-PAGE and peptides containing covalently bound heme (c-type cytochromes) were detected by a specific staining reaction. In an attempt to probe a gene coding for a NapC/NirT-like protein Touchdown PCR was performed on isolated DNA from GR-1, using degenerate primers. Finally, reduced membranes were treated with carbon monoxide to investigate the presence of cbb3-type oxidase.</p><p>Separation and detection resulted in seven periplasmic peptides and eight membrane anchored peptides, all with molecular weights in a range of 8-60 kDa. Nothing has been revealed during this work that opposes the hypothesis of GR-1 and D. aromatica using a NapC/NirT-like protein as an electron carrier to their periplasmic (per)chlorate reductase. The PCR resulted in a product that most likely is a sequence from a gene coding for a NapC/NirT-like protein and two, maybe three, candidates for a NapC/NirT-like protein were also found in the membrane of GR-1. Analysis also revealed that GR-1 most likely makes use of a cbb3-type oxidase for reduction of oxygen during microaerofilic conditions.</p><p>Concerning I. dechloratans, nothing has been revealed during this work that opposes the hypothesis of this bacterium using a soluble cytochrome c as an electron carrier to its chlorate reductase. Three candidates for a soluble cytochrome c protein were found. The theory is also supported by the negative result from earlier attempts to probe a gene coding for a NapC/NirT-like protein in this bacterium.</p>

Le diabète de type 2 (DT2) atteint environ 387 millions de personnes à l’échelle mondiale. Ces individus ont souvent recours à une polymédication pour contrôler leur glycémie, mais également pour prévenir et contrôler les comorbidités micro- et macrovasculaires associées au diabète. Or, aux doses usuelles, certains patients atteints de DT2 ont une réponse aux médicaments différente de celle des patients non-diabétiques. Des variabilités dans les dosages et les effets de certains médicaments, tels le clopidogrel, la warfarine, la cyclosporine et la tacrolimus, sont observées chez les patients diabétiques. Cette variabilité interindividuelle dans la réponse aux médicaments chez les patients avec DT2 constitue une problématique importante, car elle peut causer des échecs thérapeutiques, des effets indésirables et des toxicités médicamenteuses. Un des mécanismes sous-jacent proposé afin d’expliquer cette variabilité interindividuelle dans la réponse aux médicaments chez les patients diabétiques est que leur capacité à éliminer les médicaments par métabolisme soit affectée. De fait, des évidences supportent un lien entre les maladies avec composantes inflammatoires et une modulation de l’activité des enzymes du métabolisme. Certains médiateurs inflammatoires peuvent moduler l’expression et l’activité des protéines enzymatiques telles les cytochromes P450 (CYP450s), un système enzymatique majeur dans le métabolisme des médicaments. Plusieurs organes expriment différentes isoenzymes des CYP450s lesquelles peuvent contribuer au métabolisme local des médicaments et ainsi influencer leurs concentrations atteintes dans les organes cibles. L’objectif de cette étude est d’évaluer les effets du DT2 sur l’expression et l’activité des CYP450s afin d’identifier leur contribution à la variabilité interindividuelle dans la réponse aux médicaments en utilisant la souris diabétique sous diète riche en gras (DIO) comme modèle. Les travaux effectués dans le cadre de ce mémoire démontrent que les souris DIO présentent une modulation de l’expression et de l’activité des CYP450s. Nos résultats montrent que cette modulation est spécifique à certaines isoenzymes et variable selon les tissus. Ces travaux supportent que la présence du diabète avec obésité affecte les CYP450s hépatiques et extra-hépatiques, lesquels peuvent ainsi influencer les concentrations systémiques et les concentrations tissulaires, respectivement. D’une perspective future et translationnelle, notre étude mènera à une meilleure compréhension de la capacité d’élimination des médicaments chez les patients diabétiques et par conséquent, à proposer des dosages appropriés pour des médicaments métabolisés par les CYP450s chez les patients diabétiques : une avancée dans l’approche de la médecine personnalisée. / Around 387 million people worldwide suffer from type 2 diabetes (T2D). Patients with T2D often require polypharmacy, not only to ensure glycaemic control, but also to prevent and control micro- and macrovascular comorbidities associated with T2D. However, clinical practice reveals that some diabetic patients show highly variable responses to different drugs in comparison with non-diabetic patients. Variable drug dosages and effects are observed for drugs such as clopidogrel, warfarin, cyclosporine and tacromilus. This intersubject variability in drug response in diabetic patients is an important issue as it may results in treatment failure, adverse effects or even drug toxicity. One of the underlying mechanisms suggested to explain the intersubject variability in drugs responses in diabetic patients is their modified ability to eliminate drugs through metabolism. Evidence support the association between inflammatory diseases, such as T2D, and an activity modulation of metabolism enzymes. It is known that these inflammatory processes can modulate the expression and activity of enzyme proteins, such as the cytochromes P450 (CYP450s), a major enzyme system in drug metabolism. Moreover, several organs express various CYP450s isoenzymes that may contribute to the local drug metabolism, thus influence the drugs concentration within the target organs. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the effects of T2D on the expression and activity of CYP450s in order to identify their responsibility in the intersubject response variability to drugs using diet-induced obesity (DIO) mice as a model. The work carried out as part of this thesis shows that there is a modulation of the expression and activity of CYP450s isoenzymes in the DIO mouse model. Our results indicate that this modulation occurs in an isoenzyme-specific and tissue-dependent fashion. This work supports that the presence of diabetes with obesity affects hepatic and extrahepatic CYP450s, which may influence the systemic and local drug concentrations, respectively. In a future and translational perspective, our study will lead to a better understanding of the drug elimination capacity in diabetic patients, and thus will prompt an appropriate dosage adjustment for drugs metabolized by CYP450s in diabetic patients: a step forward towards a more personalized medicine approach.

Ellipticine is an alkaloid with antitumor activity, whose mechanism of action is based on intercalation into DNA, inhibition of topoisomerase II and formation of covalent adducts with DNA, after its enzymatic activation by cytochromes P450 and/or peroxidases. Ellipticine is oxidized by cytochromes P450 to form up to five metabolites (7-hydroxy-, 9-hydroxy, 12- hydroxy-, 13-hydroxyellipticine and N2 -oxide ellipticine). 9-Hydroxy- and 7- hydroxyellipticine are considered to be detoxification metabolites, whereas 12-hydroxy-, 13- hydroxyellipticine and N2 -oxide of ellipticine are considered as activation metabolites, which are responsible for formation of covalent DNA adducts. The aim of this thesis was to examine the efficiency of human recombinant cytochromes P450 expressed in eukaryotic (SupersomesTM ) and two prokaryotic expression systems (Bactosomes) in oxidation of ellipticine. Cytochromes P450 expressed in prokaryotic systems differed in the amounts of "coexpressed" NADPH:CYP reductase. The resulting ellipticine metabolites were analyzed by HPLC. The results obtained in this thesis demonstrate that human cytochromes P450 2C9/2D6/2C19 expressed in prokaryotic or eukaryotic systems oxidize ellipticine to form up to four metabolites: 9-hydroxy-, 12-hydroxy-, 13-hydroxyellipticine and N2 -oxide...

Cytochromes P450 are diverse group of heme enzymes found in most species on Earth. In humans they are involved in metabolism of foreign compounds or steroids, bacteria employ cytochromes P450 for utilization of various hydrophobic substrates. General reaction catalyzed by cytochromes P450 is monooxygenation, when one atom of oxygen molecule is introduced into the substrate, while the other is reduced producing water. NADPH:cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase or cytochrome b5 usually serves as an electron donor providing electrons needed for activation of oxygen in eukaryotic organisms, in bacteria small FeS proteins or flavoproteins are these electron donors. It was shown earlier that bacterial electron donor flavodoxin could also interact with human cytochromes P450 in vitro. This thesis employs molecular modeling techniques to support a hypothesis that flavodoxin is responsible for reduction of human (1A2, 2A6, 2A13, 2C9, 2C19, 3A4) and bacterial (101A1 a 176A1) cytochromes P450 heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. An initial guess of possible mutual orientations of cytochrome P450 and flavodoxin was predicted using information-driven protein-protein docking. The stability of these complexes was examined by directed dissociation method. The most stable orientation for each cytochrome P450 was further...

Intracellular protein sorting plays a key role in the regulation of cellular metabolism, gene expression, signal transduction and a number of other cellular processes. Proteins targeted to specific cellular compartments contain organelle-specific targeting sequences which interact with various components of the import machinery that are often evolutionarily conserved. For example, proteins targeted to peroxisomes interact with specific receptor proteins through unique peroxisomal targeting signals (PTS) which results in their import into peroxisomal matrix or insertion into peroxisomal membrane. Peroxisomal protein import has been studied in a number of species and several conserved PTS and receptor proteins have been identified. In our study, we report the unexpected finding that cytochrome c (cyt c), which lacks a canonical PTS, is targeted to peroxisomes of the methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastoris. This is a unique feature of P. pastoris and is not observed in other yeast species such as the conventional yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae or other methylotrophic yeasts such as Hansenula polymorpha. Using S. cerevisiae cyc1 null mutant strain as a surrogate model, we demonstrate that P. pastoris cytochrome c (PpCyt c) is targeted to S. cerevisiae peroxisomes indicating that peroxisomal targeting is a unique and inherent property of PpCyt c and the machinery required for this is conserved in S. cerevisiae as well. We further demonstrate that Ppcyt c targeted to the fatty acid-induced peroxisomes of S. cerevisiae is a hemoprotein with covalently attached heme suggesting that PpCyt c synthesized in cytosol is first targeted to mitochondria where heme is added to the apoprotein by cytochrome c heme lyase and the holoprotein is then re-targeted to peroxisomes through an unknown mechanism. Proteins imported into peroxisomes carry specific peroxisomal targeting signals (PTS) known as PTS1 and PTS2. PTS1 is a tripeptide sequence (SKL) at the carboxy terminus of peroxisomal matrix proteins. To investigate whether the carboxy terminus of PpCyt c contain PTS1 or PTS1-like sequences, we made GFP fusion proteins with PpCyt c carboxy terminal amino acids (GFP-ATK, GFP-LAKATK) and examined their ability to localize to peroxisomes. Neither of these two proteins is targeted to peroxisomes indicating that PTS1-like sequences are not involved in peroxisomal targeting of Ppcyt c. Two receptors known as Pex5 and Pex7 are known to be involved in peroxisomal protein import and we therefore examined PpCyt c import into peroxisomes of P. pastoris strains lacking pex5 and pex7. Peroxisomal import of PpCyt c is abolished in pex5 but not pex7 mutant strain indicating that PpCyt c is imported into peroxisomes by a pex5-dependent but PTS1independent pathway. Since we observed significant amino acid differences between PpCyt c and S. cerevisiae cytochrome c (ScCyt c) in their carboxy-and amino-termini, we interchanged these amino acids between PpCyt c and ScCyt c and examined their subcellular localization. Such studies revealed that swapping the N-terminal or C-terminal amino acids of PpCyt c with those of S. cerevisaie cytochrome c (ScCyt c) abolishes peroxisomal localization of PpCyt c. Thus, both N-and C-terminal amino acids of PpCyt c are essential for its import into peroxisomes. Interestingly, in a number of fungal species, the N-and C-terminal amino acid sequences of cytochrome c are identical to those of PpCyt c indicating that peroxisomal targeting of cytochrome c may be observed in other yeast species as well. S. cerevisiae cells expressing PpCyt c exhibit several unique biochemical properties. S. cerevisiae cells expressing PpCyt c grow more rapidly than those expressing ScCyt c when cultured on media containing oleic acid as the sole carbon source and uptake of C-oleic acid from the medium as well as its assimilation into neutral lipids is quantitatively higher in the former. Surprisingly, the phenotype of S. cerevisiae cells expressing PpCyt c is dramatically altered such that the kinetics of growth on fatty acid containing media as well as lipid profile appear to be identical to those of P. pastoris rather than S. cerevisiae. Thus peroxisomal targeting of cytochrome c dramatically alters the kinetics of growth of S. cerevisiae cells in fatty acid containing media as well as the lipid metabolism raising several interesting questions on the molecular mechanisms involved in the alteration of phenotype of S. cerevisiae. It is likely that peroxisomal targeting of cytochrome c results in quantitative as well as qualitative changes in fatty acid metabolism and this opens up new vistas for the bioconversion of fatty acids into value-added lipid products by metabolic engineering. Based on these studies, we propose a new role for cytochrome c in peroxisomal fatty acid metabolism. Our study demonstrates that evolutionarily conserved proteins such as cytochrome c can acquire unique, species-specific functions that may be of great physiological significance to that organism.

Arbetet beskriver en analys av innehållet av membranbundna och periplasmiska c-cytokromer hos perkloratodlade GR-1 och jämförelser med c-cytokrominnehållet hos Ideonella dechloratans och andra kända c-cytokromer, samt med genomet för Dechloromonas aromatica. Den jämförande studien av c-cytokromer gjordes med syftet att undersöka en hypotes om att bakterierna använder olika vägar för elektronöverföring till det periplasmiska enzymet (per)kloratreduktas. Cellmembran från GR-1 renframställdes genom ultracentrifugering och periplasma preparerades fram med hjälp av osmotisk chock. Fraktionerna analyserades sedan med SDS-PAGE och peptider med kovalent bundet hem (c-cytokromer) detekterades med hjälp av en specifik färgreaktion. Även Touchdown PCR med degenererade primrar genomfördes på isolerat DNA från GR-1 i ett försök att finna en gen kodande för ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein. Slutligen kolmonoxidbubblades reducerade membran för att undersöka förekomsten av cbb3-typ oxidas. Separation och infärgning av periplasmiska och membranbundna proteiner från GR-1 resulterade i sju respektive åtta peptidband med molekylvikter mellan 8-60 kDa. Inget som framkommit under arbetet talar emot hypotesen om att GR-1 och D. aromatica skulle använda ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein som elektronöverförare till det periplasmiska (per)kloratreduktaset. PCR-analysen resulterade i en produkt som troligtvis är en sekvens från en gen som kodar för ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein och två, eventuellt tre, kandidater för ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein hittades i membranet hos GR-1. Dessutom framkom att GR-1 troligtvis använder cbb3-typ oxidas som terminalt oxidas vid reduktion av syrgas under mikroaerofila förhållanden. Vad gäller I. dechloratans och hypotesen om att denna bakterie använder ett lösligt cytokrom c för elektronöverföring till sitt kloratreduktas så har inget framkommit under arbetet som talar emot detta. Tre kandidater för lösliga cytokrom c-proteiner hittades. För teorin talar även att de försök som tidigare gjorts med att påvisa genen för ett NapC/NirT-liknande protein hos denna bakterie gett negativt resultat. / This work describes an analysis of membrane-anchored and periplasmic c-type cytochromes of perchlorate grown GR-1, and a comparison with the c-type cytochrome content of Ideonella dechloratans, other known c-type cytochromes and the genome of Dechloromonas aromatica. The aim of the comparison was to investigate a hypothesis that the bacteria use different routes for electron transfer to the periplasmic enzyme (per)chlorate reductase. Cell membrane from GR-1 was prepared through ultracentrifugation and periplasm was prepared through osmotic chock. The fractions were separated by SDS-PAGE and peptides containing covalently bound heme (c-type cytochromes) were detected by a specific staining reaction. In an attempt to probe a gene coding for a NapC/NirT-like protein Touchdown PCR was performed on isolated DNA from GR-1, using degenerate primers. Finally, reduced membranes were treated with carbon monoxide to investigate the presence of cbb3-type oxidase. Separation and detection resulted in seven periplasmic peptides and eight membrane anchored peptides, all with molecular weights in a range of 8-60 kDa. Nothing has been revealed during this work that opposes the hypothesis of GR-1 and D. aromatica using a NapC/NirT-like protein as an electron carrier to their periplasmic (per)chlorate reductase. The PCR resulted in a product that most likely is a sequence from a gene coding for a NapC/NirT-like protein and two, maybe three, candidates for a NapC/NirT-like protein were also found in the membrane of GR-1. Analysis also revealed that GR-1 most likely makes use of a cbb3-type oxidase for reduction of oxygen during microaerofilic conditions. Concerning I. dechloratans, nothing has been revealed during this work that opposes the hypothesis of this bacterium using a soluble cytochrome c as an electron carrier to its chlorate reductase. Three candidates for a soluble cytochrome c protein were found. The theory is also supported by the negative result from earlier attempts to probe a gene coding for a NapC/NirT-like protein in this bacterium.

Thesis (M.S.P.H.)--University of South Florida, 2009. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 114 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Linköping : Linköpings universitet, 2008. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.