As bioconversões executadas com enzimas, que requerem NADP ou NADPH, são limitadas pela eficiência com que esta substância é mantida na forma particular requerida pelo catalisador ao longo de toda a reação, assim como pela sua recuperação no final do processo. Neste trabalho, foram caracterizadas as enzimas Glicose-6-fosfato desidrogenase (G6PDH) e Glutamato desidrogenase (GLUDH), além do estudo do reciclo NADP/NADPH em sistema constituído por essas enzimas. Determinou-se a temperatura (30ºC) e pH ótimo da G6PDH (pH 7,5), assim como a temperatura (40ºC) e o pH ótimo (pH 8,0) da GLUDH, além dos volumes e concentrações dos substratos utilizados na hidrólise enzimática. No caso da reação acoplada descontínua, a duração foi de 90min, às temperaturas de 30ºC e 40ºC, utilizando-se o cofator solúvel ou imobilizado. Em ambas as condições, mais de 85% das concentrações iniciais de G6P e NH4+, respectivamente, substratos da G6PDH e GLUDH, foram convertidas, sendo o reciclo NADP/NADPH mantido durante toda a reação. No caso da reação bienzimática em reator contínuo, não foi possível chegar ao estado estacionário da reação e a conversão dos subsratos G6P e NH4+ variaram de acordo com o período do teste. / The Bioconversion performed with enzymes that require NADPH or NADP are limited by the efficiency with which this substance is maintained in the particular form required by the enzyme throughout the reaction, as well as for his recovery at the end of the process. The main aim of this work was to study the NADP/NADPH recycling through a bienzyme coupled reaction constituted by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLUDH). The reaction was carried out in the discontinuous or continuous mode. The discontinuous process, which was carried out with soluble or immobilized NADP at 30°C or 40°C, had a total duration of 90min. Independently on the temperature used, around 85% of the initial concentration of glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) and ammonia were consumed, being the recycle of NADP/NADPH maintained throughout the reaction. In the continuous process, the addition of G6P and ammonia into the membrane reactor was made by turns of 2h. During the 15h-process the NADP/NADPH recycling was attained and the mean consumption yield of ammonia and G6P neared 30% and 60%, respectively.

As bioconversões executadas com enzimas, que requerem NADP ou NADPH, são limitadas pela eficiência com que esta substância é mantida na forma particular requerida pelo catalisador ao longo de toda a reação, assim como pela sua recuperação no final do processo. Neste trabalho, foram caracterizadas as enzimas Glicose-6-fosfato desidrogenase (G6PDH) e Glutamato desidrogenase (GLUDH), além do estudo do reciclo NADP/NADPH em sistema constituído por essas enzimas. Determinou-se a temperatura (30ºC) e pH ótimo da G6PDH (pH 7,5), assim como a temperatura (40ºC) e o pH ótimo (pH 8,0) da GLUDH, além dos volumes e concentrações dos substratos utilizados na hidrólise enzimática. No caso da reação acoplada descontínua, a duração foi de 90min, às temperaturas de 30ºC e 40ºC, utilizando-se o cofator solúvel ou imobilizado. Em ambas as condições, mais de 85% das concentrações iniciais de G6P e NH4+, respectivamente, substratos da G6PDH e GLUDH, foram convertidas, sendo o reciclo NADP/NADPH mantido durante toda a reação. No caso da reação bienzimática em reator contínuo, não foi possível chegar ao estado estacionário da reação e a conversão dos subsratos G6P e NH4+ variaram de acordo com o período do teste. / The Bioconversion performed with enzymes that require NADPH or NADP are limited by the efficiency with which this substance is maintained in the particular form required by the enzyme throughout the reaction, as well as for his recovery at the end of the process. The main aim of this work was to study the NADP/NADPH recycling through a bienzyme coupled reaction constituted by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLUDH). The reaction was carried out in the discontinuous or continuous mode. The discontinuous process, which was carried out with soluble or immobilized NADP at 30°C or 40°C, had a total duration of 90min. Independently on the temperature used, around 85% of the initial concentration of glucose 6-phosphate (G6P) and ammonia were consumed, being the recycle of NADP/NADPH maintained throughout the reaction. In the continuous process, the addition of G6P and ammonia into the membrane reactor was made by turns of 2h. During the 15h-process the NADP/NADPH recycling was attained and the mean consumption yield of ammonia and G6P neared 30% and 60%, respectively.

INTRODUÇÃO: O tamanho ideal do fígado varia entre 0,8% a 4% do peso do receptor (graft to body weight ratio - GBWR). Em crianças com menos de 10 kg submetidas a transplante hepático com doador vivo encontramos frequentemente uma situação denominada large-for-size, que ocorre ao se implantar um enxerto com peso maior que 4% do peso corpóreo do receptor. A lesão de isquemia/reperfusão (LIR) é uma resposta inflamatória mediada pelas células de Kupffer, principais responsáveis pela liberação de espécies reativas de oxigênio no parênquima hepático. Além disso, a célula de Kupffer libera citocinas pró-inflamatórias como TNF-alfa, IL-1 e IL-6 que recrutam polimorfonucleares sistêmicos e linfócitos T-CD4+ perpetuando a lesão mesmo após o fluxo sanguíneo estar restabelecido. O hipofluxo portal pode piorar a LIR na situação large-for-size. Desta forma, um shunt mesentérico-cava tentando direcionar o fluxo para a veia porta poderia ser benéfico nesta situação. MÉTODOS: Dezesseis porcos LandraceLargewhite pesando entre 17 - 38 kg foram submetidos a transplante de fígado. Foram distribuídos em três grupos: controle (CTRL), large-for-size (LFS) e shunt (SHUNT). Foi aferido o fluxo venoso portal, arterial hepático e colhido material para estudo histológico e biomolecular uma hora após a reperfusão. A relação entre o fluxo venoso portal do receptor para o fluxo venoso portal doador (rFVP) foi utilizada para se correlacionar com a gravidade da isquemia/reperfusão. Foram realizadas biópsias uma hora após o transplante para microscopia óptica e TUNEL além de quantificar a expressão dos genes da iNOS, eNOS, IL-6, BAX e BCL, c-fos/c-jun, ICAM e TNF-?. RESULTADOS: O GBWR foi maior nos grupos LFS e SHUNT (3,45 vs. 5,06 e 6,03; p=0,009). Quando comparamos isoladamente receptores e doadores por grupo houve diferença no fluxo portal somente nos grupos LFS (890 ± 203 mL / min vs. 458 ± 119 mL / min, p=0.0034) e SHUNT (1003 ± 5,3 mL/min vs. 495 ± 277 mL/min; p=0,0031). A rFVP foi próxima de 1 no grupo CTRL e significativamente maior que nos grupos LFS e SHUNT (p=0,03). O fluxo arterial hepático foi significativamente menor no grupo SHUNT (62,16 ± 31 mL / min) quando comparado com grupo CTRL (140.4 ± 53.88 mL / min) e LFS (142 ± 55.41 mL / min), p=0,02. A IL-6 e BAX foram menos expressas no grupo CTRL (p=0,05 e p=0,002). Houve uma relação linear entre a expressão dos genes BAX, TNF-alfa e eNOS com a rFVP (p=0,02; p=0,02 e p=0,009 respectivamente). Na avaliação histológica observou-se índice de isquemia e reperfusão semelhante entre os grupos CTRL e SHUNT mas menor em relação ao LFS, 3, 3,5 e 7 respectivamente (p=0,04). CONCLUSÕES: O transplante large-for-size acarreta hipofluxo portal relativo, e isto pode estar relacionado a um maior dano hepatocitário com acentuação da lesão de isquemia-reperfusão. A presença de um shunt entre a veia cava inferior e a veia mesentérica superior não conseguiu aumentar o influxo de sangue para o fígado de maneira persistente e pode estar implicado na diminuição do fluxo arterial hepático. No entanto, o aumento temporário do influxo portal pode estar relacionado a atenuação de algumas características da LIR no transplante large-for-size / INTRODUCTION: The optimum size of the liver graft for transplantation varies between 0.8% and 4% of the weight of the recipient (graft to body weight ratio - GBWR). In children with less than 10 kg who undergo liver transplantation with living donor a disorder called large-for-size (LFS) often occurs, when a graft weighing more than 4% of body weight of the recipient is implanted. Ischemia / reperfusion injury (IRI) is an inflammatory response mediated by Kupffer cells, mainly responsible for the release of reactive oxygen species in the liver parenchyma. In addition, Kupffer cells releases proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-alfa, IL-1 and IL-6 that recruit systemic polymorphonuclear cells and T-CD4 + perpetuating this injury even after the blood flow is restored. Low portal flow may worsen IRI in LFS situation. So, a mesocaval shunt directing the flow to portal vein should be beneficial in this condition. METHODS: Sixteen Landrace/Largewhite pigs weighing approximately 20 kg (17-38 kg) underwent liver transplantation. They were divided into three groups: control (CTRL), large-for-size (LFS) and shunt (SHUNT). Portal venous flow was measured and liver and blood collected for histological and biomolecular study one hour after reperfusion. The relationship between the portal venous flow from the recipient to the donor portal venous flow (rFVP) was used to establish correlations with the parameters of ischemia and reperfusion. Biopsies were performed one hour after transplant to assess ischemia/reperfusion injury, TUNEL and quantify the following genes expression: iNOS, eNOS, IL-6, BAX and BCL c-fos / c-jun, ICAM, and TNF-alfa. RESULTS: GBWR was higher in groups LFS and SHUNT than CTRL (3.45 vs. 5.06 and 6.03; p=0.009). When compared separately by group recipients and donors difference in portal flow was observed only in LFS groups (890 ± 203 mL / min vs. 458 ± 119 mL / min, p=0.0034) and SHUNT (1003 ± 5.3 mL / min vs. 495 ± 277 mL / min, p=0.0031). rFVP was close to 1 in the CTRL group and significantly higher than the LFS and SHUNT groups (p= 0.03). Hepatic artery blood flow was significantly lower in SHUNT group (62.16 ± 31 mL / min) compared with CTRL group (140.4 ± 53.88 mL / min) and LFS (142 ± 55.41 mL / min), p= 0.02. IL-6 and BAX were expressed less in the CTRL group (p=0.05 and p=0.002). There was a linear relationship between the BAX, TNF-alfa and eNOS with rFVP (p=0.02, p=0.02 and p=0.009 respectively). Histological evaluation showed similar ischemia-reperfusion index between CTRL and SHUNT groups but lower values in compare to LFS group, 3, 3.5 and 7 respectively (p=0.04). CONCLUSIONS: The largefor-size liver transplantation leads to a relative low portal venous flow and this can be related to greater hepatocyte damage with accentuation of ischemia-reperfusion injury. The presence of a shunt between the inferior vena cava and the superior mesenteric vein could not increase the inflow of blood to the liver persistently and may be implicated in decreased hepatic artery blood flow. However, the temporary increase in portal inflow may be related to mitigation of some characteristics of IRI in large-for-size liver transplantation

Résumé indisponible / Résumé indisponible

The persistence and propagation of bacterial antibiotic resistance presents significant challenges to the treatment of drug resistant bacteria with current antimicrobial chemotherapies, while a dearth in replacements for these drugs persists. The thiopeptide family of antibiotics may represent a potential source for new drugs and thiostrepton, the prototypical member of this antibiotic class, is the primary subject under study in this thesis. Using a facile semi-synthetic approach novel, regioselectively-modified thiostrepton derivatives with improved aqueous solubility were prepared. In vivo assessments found these derivatives to retain significant antibacterial ability which was determined by cell free assays to be due to the inhibition of protein synthesis. Moreover, structure-function studies for these derivatives highlighted structural elements of the thiostrepton molecule that are important for antibacterial activity. Organisms that produce thiostrepton become insensitive to the antibiotic by producing a resistance enzyme that transfers a methyl group from the co-factor S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) to an adenosine residue at the thiostrepton binding site on 23S rRNA, thus preventing binding of the antibiotic. Extensive site-directed mutagenesis was performed on this enzyme to generate point mutations at key active site residues. Ensuing biochemical assays and co-factor binding studies on these variants identified amino acid residues in the active site that are essential to the formation of the AdoMet binding pocket and provided direct evidence for the involvement of an active site arginine in the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme. Certain bacteria that produce neither thiostrepton nor the resistance methyltransferase express the thiostrepton binding proteins TIP-AL and TIP-AS, that irreversibly bind to the antibiotic, thereby conferring resistance by sequestration. Here, it was found that the point mutation of the previously identified reactive amino acid in TIP-AS did not affect covalent binding to the antibiotic, which was immediately suggestive of a specific, high affinity non-covalent interaction. This was confirmed in binding studies using chemically synthesized thiostrepton derivatives. These studies further revealed structural features from thiostrepton important in this non-covalent interaction. Together, these results indicate that thiostrepton binding by TIP-AS begins with a specific non-covalent interaction, which is necessary to properly orient the thiostrepton molecule for covalent binding to the protein. Finally, the synthesis of a novel AdoMet analogue is reported. The methyl group of AdoMet was successfully replaced with a trifluoromethyl ketone moiety, however, the hydrated form (germinal diol) of this compound was found to predominate in solution. Nevertheless, the transfer of this trifluoroketone/ trifluoropropane diol group was demonstrated with the thiopurine methyltransferase.

This thesis describes studies directed towards understanding structure-function relationships of triosephosphate isomerase (TIM), from a protozoan parasite Plasmodium falciparum and a thermophilic archaea Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. Triosephosphate isomerase, a ubiquitous glycolytic enzyme, has been the subject of biochemical, enzymatic and structural studies for the last five decades. Studies on TIM have been central to the development of mechanistic enzymology. The present study investigates the role of specific residues in the structure and function of Plasmodium falciparum triosephosphate isomerase (PfTIM). The structure and stability of a tetrameric triosephosphate isomerase from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (MjTIM) is also presented. Chapter 1 provides a general introduction to the glycolytic enzyme triosephosphate isomerase, conservation of TIM sequences, its fold and three dimensional organization. The isomerisation reaction interconverting dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde 3phosphate catalyzed by triosephosphate isomerase is an example of a highly stereospecific proton transfer process (Hall & Knowles, 1975; Rieder & Rose, 1959). This chapter briefly reviews mechanistic features and discusses the role of active site residues and the functional flexible loop 6. Triosephosphate isomerase adopts the widely occurring ( β/ α)8 barrel fold and mostly occurs as a dimer (Banner et al., 1975). Protein engineering studies, related to folding, stability and design of monomeric TIM are also addressed. A brief introduction to thermophilic TIMs and higher oligomeric TIMs is given. The role of this enzyme in disease states like hemolytic anemia and neuromuscular dysfunction is surveyed. The production of methylglyoxal, a toxic metabolite, as a byproduct of the TIM reaction is also considered. Many proteins utilize segmental motions to catalyze a specific reaction. The omega loop (loop 6) of triosephosphate isomerase is important for preventing the ene-diol intermediate from forming the cytotoxic byproduct, methylglyoxal. The active site loop-6 of triosephosphate isomerase moves about 7Ǻ on ligand binding. It exhibits a hinged lid motion alternating between two well defined, “open” and “closed”, conformations (Joseph et al., 1990). Though the movement of loop 6 is not ligand gated, in crystals the ligand bound forms invariably reveal a closed loop conformation. Plasmodium falciparum TIM is an exception which predominantly exhibits “open” loop conformations, even in the ligand bound state (Parthasarathy et al., 2002). Phe 96 is a key residue that is involved in contacts between the flexible loop-6 and the protein body in PfTIM. Notably, in all TIM sequences determined thus far, with the exception of plasmodial sequences, this residue is Ser 96. In Chapter 2 the mutants F96S, F96H and F96W are reported. The crystal structures of the mutant enzymes with or without bound ligand are described. In all the ligand free cases, loop-6 adopts an “open” conformation. Kinetic parameters for all the mutants establish that residue 96 does not play an essential role in modulating the loop conformation but may be important for ligand binding. Structural analysis of the mutants along with WT enzyme reveals the presence of a water network which can modulate ligand binding. Subunit interfaces of oligomeric proteins provide an opportunity to understand protein- protein interactions. Chapter 3 describes biochemical and biophysical studies on two separate dimer-interface destabilizing mutants C13E and W11F/W168F/Y74W of PfTIM. The intention was to generate a stable monomer by disrupting the interaction hubs. C13 is a part of a large hydrophobic patch (Maithal et al., 2002a) at the dimer interface. Introduction of a negative charge at position 13 destabilizes the interface and reduces activity. Y74 is a part of an aromatic cluster of the interface (Maithal et al., 2002b). The Y74W triple mutant was designed to disrupt the aromatic cluster by introducing additional atoms. Tryptophan is also a fluorophore, allowing studies of the dimer disruption by fluorescence, after mutating the two inherent tryptophan residues, W11 and W168 to phenylalanine. The mutants showed reduced activity and were more sensitive than the wild type enzyme to chemical denaturants as well as thermal denaturation. Evidenced for monomer formation is presented. These studies together with previous work reveal that the interface is important for both activity and stability. In order to develop a model for understanding the relationship between protein stabilization and oligomeric status, characterization of the TIM from Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (MjTIM) has been undertaken. Chapter 4 describes the purification and characterization of MjTIM. The MjTIM gene was cloned and expressed in pTrc99A and protein was isolated from AA200 E. coli cells. Hyperexpressed protein was purified to homogeneity and relevant kinetic parameters have been determined. The tetrameric nature of MjTIM is established by gel filtration studies. Circular dichroism (CD) studies establish the stability of the overall fold, even at temperatures as high as 95ºC. A surprising loss of enzyme activity upon prolonged incubation at high temperature was observed. ESI-MS studies establish that oxidation of thiol groups of the protein may be responsible for the thermal inactivation. Chapter 5 describes the molecular structure of MjTIM, determined in collaboration with Prof. MRN Murthy’s group at the Indian Institute of Science (Gayathri et al., 2007). The crystal structure of the recombinant triosephosphate isomerase (TIM) from the archaeabacteria Methanocaldococcus jannaschii has been determined at a resolution of 2.3 Å. MjTIM is tetrameric, as suggested by solution studies and from the crystal structure, as in the case of two other structurally characterised archaeal TIMs. The archaeabacterial TIMs are shorter compared to the dimeric TIMs, with the insertions in the dimeric TIMs occurring in the vicinity of the putative tetramer interface, resulting in a hindrance to tetramerization in the dimeric TIMs. The charge distribution on the surface of archaeal TIMs also facilitates tetramerization. Analysis of the barrel interactions in TIMs suggests that these interactions are unlikely to account for the thermal stability of archaeal TIMs. A feature of the unliganded structure of MjTIM is the complete absence of electron density for the loop 6 residues. The disorder of the loop may be ascribed to a missing salt bridge between residues at the N- and C- terminal ends of the loop in MjTIM. Chapter 6 is a follow up of an interesting observation made by Vogel and Chmielewski (1994), who noticed that subtilisin cleaved rabbit muscle triosephosphate isomerase religated spontaneously upon addition of organic solvents. Further extension of this nicking and religation process with PfTIM emphasizes the importance of tertiary interactions in contributing to the stability of the (β/α)8 barrel folds (Ray et al., 1999). This chapter establishes that subtilisin nicking and religation is also facile in thermophilic MjTIM. Fragments generated by subtilisin nicking were identified using MALDI mass spectrometry at early and late stages of the cleavage for both the dimeric PfTIM and tetrameric MjTIM. This chapter also describes the comparative thermal and denaturant stability of both the enzymes. The accessibility of the Cys residues of MjTIM has been probed by examining the rates of labeling of thiol groups by iodoacetamide. The differential labeling of Cys residues has been demonstrated by mass spectrometry. Chapter 7 summarizes the main results and conclusions of the studies described in this thesis.

La tagatose-1,6-biphosphate aldolase de Streptococcus pyogenes est une aldolase de classe I qui fait montre d'un remarquable manque de spécificité vis à vis de ses substrats. En effet, elle catalyse le clivage réversible du tagatose-1,6-biphosphate (TBP), mais également du fructose-1,6-biphosphate (FBP), du sorbose-1,6-biphosphate et du psicose-1,6-biphosphate, quatre stéréoisomères, en dihydroxyacétone phosphate (DHAP) et en glycéraldéhyde-3-phosphate (G3P). Afin de mettre à jour les caractéristiques du mécanisme enzymatique, une étude structurale de la TBP aldolase de S. pyogenes, un pathogène humain extrêmement versatile, a été entreprise. Elle a permis la résolution de la structure native et en complexe avec le DHAP, a respectivement 1.87 et 1.92 Å de résolution. Ces mêmes structures ont permis de se représenter plus clairement le site actif de l'enzyme en général, et les résidus catalytiques en particulier. Le trempage des cristaux de TBP aldolase dans une solution saturante de DHAP a en outre permis de piéger un authentique intermédiaire iminium, ainsi que sa géométrie particulière en atteste. Des expériences d'échange de proton, entreprises afin d'évaluer le stéréoisomérisme du transfert de proton catalytique, ont également permis de faire une intéressante découverte : la TBP aldolase ne peut déprotoner le coté pro-R du C3 du DHAP, mais peut le protonner. Ce résultat, ainsi que la comparaison de la structure du complexe TBP aldolase-DHAP avec la structure du complexe FBP aldolase de muscle de lapin- DHAP, pointe vers un isomérisme cis-trans autour du lien C2-C3 de la base de Schiff formée avec le DHAP. De plus, la résolution de ces deux structures a permis de mettre en évidence trois régions très mobiles de la protéine, ce qui pourrait être relié au rôle postulé de son isozyme chez S. pyogenes dans la régulation de l’expression génétique et de la virulence de la bactérie. La cristallographie par rayons X et la cinétique enzymatique ont ainsi permis d'avancer dans l'élucidation du mécanisme et des propriétés structurales de cette enzyme aux caractéristiques particulières. / Tagatose-1,6-biphosphate aldolase from Streptococcus pyogenes is a class I aldolase that shows a lack of stereospecificity that is rare in enzymes in general, and in aldolases in particular. This aldolase catalyzes the reversible cleavage of tagatose-1,6-biphosphate (TBP), fructose-1,6-biphosphate (FBP), sorbose-1,6-biphosphate and psicose-1,6-biphosphate, four stereoisomers, in dihydroxyacetone phosphate and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate (DHAP). In order to understand its mechanism, a structural study of TBP aldolase from S. pyogenes, one of the most versatile and virulent human pathogen, was initiated and high resolution crystallographic structures of native and DHAP-liganded TBP aldolase were solved. These structures allowed us to gain informations regarding active site residues implicated in catalysis and that give rise to the apparent lack of specificity. Soaking of TBP aldolase crystals in saturating DHAP solution specifically trapped the iminium intermediate, as demonstrated by its geometry. Furthermore, proton transfer studies uncovered an interesting phenomenon: TBP aldolase from S. pyogenes is unable to detritiate pro-R labelled hydrogen position at C3 of DHAP, yet it is able to tritiate both the pro-R and the pro-S position. These results, taken together with the superposition of the DHAP-TBP aldolase with the DHAP-FBP aldolase from rabbit muscle, suggest a cis-trans isomerism about the Schiff base C2-C3 bond. The resolution of both the native and the liganded structure also proved useful in identifying three very mobile regions in the protein. This trend could be linked to the putative metabolic sensor and genetic expression regulator role of LacD.1 in S. pyogenes. X-rays crystallography and traditional enzymatic kinetics allowed us to gain insights into the catalytic mechanism and others structural properties of this important metabolic enzyme.

The persistence and propagation of bacterial antibiotic resistance presents significant challenges to the treatment of drug resistant bacteria with current antimicrobial chemotherapies, while a dearth in replacements for these drugs persists. The thiopeptide family of antibiotics may represent a potential source for new drugs and thiostrepton, the prototypical member of this antibiotic class, is the primary subject under study in this thesis. Using a facile semi-synthetic approach novel, regioselectively-modified thiostrepton derivatives with improved aqueous solubility were prepared. In vivo assessments found these derivatives to retain significant antibacterial ability which was determined by cell free assays to be due to the inhibition of protein synthesis. Moreover, structure-function studies for these derivatives highlighted structural elements of the thiostrepton molecule that are important for antibacterial activity. Organisms that produce thiostrepton become insensitive to the antibiotic by producing a resistance enzyme that transfers a methyl group from the co-factor S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) to an adenosine residue at the thiostrepton binding site on 23S rRNA, thus preventing binding of the antibiotic. Extensive site-directed mutagenesis was performed on this enzyme to generate point mutations at key active site residues. Ensuing biochemical assays and co-factor binding studies on these variants identified amino acid residues in the active site that are essential to the formation of the AdoMet binding pocket and provided direct evidence for the involvement of an active site arginine in the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme. Certain bacteria that produce neither thiostrepton nor the resistance methyltransferase express the thiostrepton binding proteins TIP-AL and TIP-AS, that irreversibly bind to the antibiotic, thereby conferring resistance by sequestration. Here, it was found that the point mutation of the previously identified reactive amino acid in TIP-AS did not affect covalent binding to the antibiotic, which was immediately suggestive of a specific, high affinity non-covalent interaction. This was confirmed in binding studies using chemically synthesized thiostrepton derivatives. These studies further revealed structural features from thiostrepton important in this non-covalent interaction. Together, these results indicate that thiostrepton binding by TIP-AS begins with a specific non-covalent interaction, which is necessary to properly orient the thiostrepton molecule for covalent binding to the protein. Finally, the synthesis of a novel AdoMet analogue is reported. The methyl group of AdoMet was successfully replaced with a trifluoromethyl ketone moiety, however, the hydrated form (germinal diol) of this compound was found to predominate in solution. Nevertheless, the transfer of this trifluoroketone/ trifluoropropane diol group was demonstrated with the thiopurine methyltransferase.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T13:48:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Vitor de Laia Nascimento - texto.pdf: 8002320 bytes, checksum: d923e8ffb747554b279471742bf9ad9d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-22 / O abacaxizeiro (Ananas comosus var. comosus) é uma das frutíferas tropicais mais produzidas no mundo. O Brasil destaca-se mundialmente na produção desta fruta e o Espírito Santo vem mostrando potencial nacional de produtividade. Doenças e pragas constituem fatores restritivos para o alcance de uma produtividade ideal em qualquer cultura agrícola. O abacaxizeiro é uma planta que pode ser afetada por várias doenças causadas por fungos, bactérias e vírus, destacando-se em importância econômica a fusariose. As respostas de hipersensibilidade são os primeiros eventos que ocorrem nas células das plantas em resposta aos estresses bióticos e abióticos. Há síntese de espécies reativas de oxigênio (EROs) como peróxido de hidrogênio (H2O2), hidroxila (OH-) e superóxido (O2 -) que podem produzir danos oxidativos nos seres vivos como forma de proteção. As plantas possuem um sistema de defesa bem desenvolvido contra as EROs, constituído por uma complexa gama de antioxidantes enzimáticos e não enzimáticos que protegem as células dos danos oxidativos. O processo de infecção de diversos fungos, como o causador da fusariose do abacaxizeiro, é dependente de injúria nos tecidos da planta. O aumento da expressão e atividade das enzimas antioxidantes está correlacionado com a defesa de plantas à fitopatógenos e pragas. O objetivo foi caracterizar a resposta diferencial entre duas cvs de abacaxizeiro, Vitória (resistente à fusariose) e Pérola (susceptível à fusariose), ao estresse oxidativo gerado pela injúria foliar. Para isso foi determinada a concentração de proteínas solúveis totais das duas cvs, Vitória e Pérola, com e sem injúria foliar, quantificado e comparado à atividade das enzimas superóxido dismutase (SOD EC 1.15.1.1), peroxidase do ascorbato (APX EC 1.11.1.11) e catalase (CAT EC 1.11.1.6) após o tratamento de injúria foliar em diferentes tempos e caracterizado os perfis das proteínas solúveis totais e das isoenzimas de SOD e CAT em SDS-PAGE nos tempos em que houver melhor resposta. Como primeiro resultado, temos que não há diferença das proteínas solúveis totais entre as cultivares e os tratamentos nos tempos analisados. Também foi demonstrado que as enzimas antioxidantes da cv Vitória apresentam significativa diferença de atividade em relação às da Pérola. A SOD da cv. Vitória apresentou pico de resposta aos 15 minutos após a injúria. A APX apresentou resposta diferencial, para Vitória, aos 30 e 45 minutos após injúria foliar. Já a CAT da cv. Vitória apresentou um pico de resposta diferencial aos 45 minutos. As análises em SDS-PAGE com padrões de SOD e CAT, aos 15, 30 e 45 minutos após a injúria foliar demonstraram que não há diferença quantitativa entre as enzimas analisadas. Na cv Vitória há correlação entre a atividade de enzimas antioxidantes e a resposta à injúria foliar. Porém a atividade não está diretamente relacionada à concentração das enzimas. Por não haver grande diferença na expressão protéica sugere-se que reguladores e cofatores dessas enzimas apresentem fundamental importância nestes mecanismos / The pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus) is a tropical fruit of the most produced in the world. The Brazil stands out worldwide in the production of this fruit and the Espirito Santo state are showing potential national productivity.Diseases are limiting factors for the achievement of an optimum productivity in any crop. The pineapple is a plant that can be affected by various diseases caused by fungi, bacteria and viruses, especially in economic importance fusariosis. The hypersensitivity responses are the first events that occur in the cells of plants in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. There synthesis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), hydroxyl (OH-) and superoxide (O2 -) that can produce oxidative damage in living beings as a form of protection. The plants have a well-developed defense system against ROS comprising a complex array of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants that protect cells from oxidative damage. The infection process of Fusarium pineapple is dependent on mechanical stress, foliar wound. The literature demonstrates that the cultivar (cv) Vitória, resistant to fusarium wilt has accelerated healing compared to a susceptible cv, Peróla. Increased expression and activity of antioxidant enzymes is correlated with plant defense to pathogens and pests. The objective was to characterize the differential response between two cultivars of pineapple, Vitória and Peróla, to the oxidative stress generated by foliar wound. For it was determined the concentration of total soluble protein of the two cvs, Vitória and Peróla, with and without foliar wound, quantified and compared the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD - EC 1.15.1.1), ascorbate peroxidase (APX - EC 1.11.1.11) and catalase (CAT - EC 1.11.1.6) after treatment of foliar wound at different times and characterized the profiles of total soluble proteins and isozymes of SOD and CAT in SDS-PAGE at the times in which there is better response. Initially we have no difference of total soluble proteins between cvs and treatments for the times analyzed. It was also demonstrated that the antioxidant enzymes cv Vitória exhibit significant difference in activity compared to the Pérola. Vitória/ s SOD showed a peak response at 15 minutes after injury. APX showed differential response to Vitória at 30 and 45 minutes after foliar wound. Already / Vitória/ CAT peaked differential response at 45 minutes. The analysis on SDS-PAGE with patterns of SOD and CAT, at 15, 30 and 45 minutes after foliar wound showed no difference between the enzymes quantitatively analyzed. Cultivar / Vitória/ presents correlation between the activity of antioxidant enzymes and response to foliar wound. However the activity was not directly related to the enzymes concentration. Since there is no difference in protein expression we suggest that enzymes regulators and cofactors are important in these mechanisms

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:39:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1382721 bytes, checksum: 5a1b7a840049538702c0b7c565923ecc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-16 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The study was conducted at the Laboratory of Postharvest of Department of Plant Science in order to evaluate the effects of hydrocooling and packing in the postharvest quality of the leaves of Pereskia aculeata Mill. stored in room temperature (25°C) and cold storage (5ºC). The experiments were conducted in a split plot, with the treatments to the plots and storage time in sub plots in randomized block design. It was evaluated: amount estimated by the SPAD chlorophyll, the loss of fresh mass (LFM), the relative water content (WC), the levels of total soluble sugars (TSS), reducing sugar (RED), non-reducing sugar (NRED) and starch of the leaves. The data were submitted to ANOVA, Tukey test at 5% probability and regression. The shelf life of refrigerated storage was increased by up to seven times depending on the treatment applied. There were no significant effect of treatment or time on the chlorophyll content of leaves. Independent of treatment, the leaves remained green throughout the shelf life. In leaves stored at 25°C the LMF accumulated was greater in the hydrocooled leaves due to evaporation of water absorbed and accumulated in the leaf surface during treatment. The packaging was effective in controlling LFM in both storage temperatures. The greater TRA was provided by perforated plastic bag with or without prior hydrocooling, which prevented for a longer period of time the leaf wilting. The levels of TSS, RED, and starch NRED varied as a function of the treatment in response to the effect of concentration or dilution coupled to TRA. There was no effect of storage time on the levels of AST and starch. The contents of RED decreased with storage time at 25°C, unlike the levels of NRED at both storage temperatures, which increased due to the concentration effect. It is recommended to hydrocooling, perforated plastic bag and cold storage in the postharvest P. aculeata. / O trabalho foi realizado no Laboratório de Pós-colheita do Departamento de Fitotecnia da Universidade Federal de Viçosa com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos do hidroresfriamento e da embalagem plástica perfurada na qualidade pós-colheita das folhas de ora-pro-nobis (Pereskia aculeata Mill.) armazenadas em temperatura ambiente (25ºC) e em ambiente refrigerado (5ºC). Os experimentos foram instalados segundo o esquema de parcelas subdivididas, tendo os tratamentos nas parcelas e o tempo de armazenamento nas subparcelas no delineamento em blocos casualizados. Avaliou-se a quantidade de clorofila estimada pelo SPAD, a perda de massa fresca (PM), o teor relativo de água (TRA), os teores de açúcares solúveis totais (AST), redutores (RED), não redutores (NRED) e amido das folhas. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância, teste Tukey a 5% de probabilidade e regressão. A vida de prateleira em armazenamento refrigerado foi aumentada em até sete vezes, dependendo do tratamento aplicado. Não houve efeito significativo dos tratamentos ou do tempo no teor de clorofila das folhas. Independente do tratamento, as folhas permaneceram verdes durante todo o tempo de prateleira. Nas folhas armazenadas à 25ºC houve maior PM acumulada pelas folhas hidroresfriadas devido à evaporação da água absorvida e acumulada na superfície das folhas durante o tratamento. A embalagem foi efetiva no controle da PM acumulada em ambas as temperaturas de armazenamento. O maior TRA foi proporcionado pelo uso de embalagem plástica perfurada com ou sem o hidroresfriamento prévio, a qual evitou por maior período de tempo o murchamento das folhas. Os teores de AST, RED, NRED e amido oscilaram em função do tratamento aplicado em resposta ao efeito de concentração ou diluição atrelado ao TRA. Não houve efeito do tempo de armazenamento nos teores de AST e amido. Os teores de RED decresceram com o tempo de armazenamento à 25ºC, diferentemente dos teores de NRED em ambas as temperaturas de armazenamento, os quais aumentaram devido ao efeito de concentração. Recomenda-se o hidroresfriamento, a embalagem plástica perfurada e o armazenamento refrigerado na pós-colheita de P. aculeata.