La protéine de la nucléocapside (NC) possède un rôle important dans le cycle de viral du VIH-1 grâce à sa propriété chaperone des acides nucléiques (NA) qui implique la reconnaissance de son résidu Trp37 avec un résidu Guanine de l'acide nucléique cible. Nous avons caractérisé cette reconnaissance dynamique Trp37-G en utilisant des séquences impliquées dans la transcription inverse et l'assemblage de l'ARN génomique. En utilisant les analogues nucléosidiques fluorescents thienoguanosine (thG) et 2-thiényl-3-hydroxychromone (3HCnt), nous avons déterminé l'ensemble des constantes de vitesse cinétiques du mécanisme d’hybridation de la séquence (-)PBS avec (+)PBS en absence et en présence de NC. Nous avons également étudié le rôle du NA sucre dans les complexes NC-ARN et NC-ADN, puisque la protéine NC se lie avec la polarité opposée aux séquences d'ADN et d'ARN. Nous avons confirmé que l'interaction du résidu Trp37 avec les amino-acides de type guanines était critique lors de la formation des complexes avec les deux mutants d’ARN et d’ADN de PBS et de SL3. Enfin, nous avons réalisé un criblage de potentiels inhibiteurs de la protéine NC et examiné les touches identifiées à partir d’un test basé sur la fluorescence de la sonde thG. / Nucleocapsid protein (NC) plays crucial roles in HIV-1 life cycle through its nucleic acid (NA) chaperoning property that involves recognition of it’s Trp37 residue with a Guanine residue of the target nucleic acid sequences. Herein, we characterized this dynamic Trp37-G recognition with sequences involved in reverse transcription and genomic RNA packaging. Using the fluorescent thienoguanosine (thG) and 2-thienyl-3-hydroxychromone (3HCnt) nucleoside analogues, we determined the whole set of kinetic rate constants for annealing of (-)PBS with (+)PBS in the absence and presence of NC. We also investigated the role of NA sugar in NC-RNA and NC-DNA complexes, as NC binds with opposite polarity to DNA and RNA sequences. We confirmed that the interaction of the Trp37 residue with guanines was critical for the formation of complexes with both RNA and DNA variants of PBS and SL3. Finally, we performed screening of NC inhibitors and tested the selected hits on a thG-based assay.

This work investigates the correlation of structural and photovoltaic properties of dyes used in dye-sensitized solar cells. Experimental methods, including ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy are employed to study optical and electrochemical properties of dye molecules. Computational methods, including density functional theory and time-dependent density functional theory, are used to validate and predict the optical and electronic properties of dye molecules, in their isolated state and once embedded into a working electrode device environment that comprises a dye...TiO2 interface. The results chapters begin with the presentation of a series of quinodimethene dyes that are experimentally validated for their photovoltaic application, and associated computational studies reveal that an inner structural factor - a phenyl ring rotation occurring during the optical excitation process - leads to the competitive photovoltaic device performance of these dyes. Carbazole-based dyes are then systematically studied by computation, especially considering charge transfer paths and binding modes of these dyes on a titania surface. The theoretical models for the basic building block of this chemical family of dyes, known as MK-44, successfully support and explain structural discoveries from X-ray diffraction and reflectometry that impact of their function. A benzothiadiazole-based dye, RK-1, is then systematically studied by both experimental and computational methods, and the results show that the π-bridge composed of thiophene, benzothiadiazole and benzene rings leads to excellent charge separation; and the rotation of these rings during the optical excitation process may well be consistent with the fluorescence spectrum. Finally, the well-known ruthenium-based dyes are theoretically studied to determine the properties of different ligands connected to the metal core of the complex. Conformations with different NCS ligands are calculated in terms of energy and explain well the corresponding results from X-ray diffraction. Acid-base properties of carboxyl groups connected to pyridine ligands in N3 and N749 are theoretically calculated based on thermodynamics and density functional theory. Implicit and explicit models are both adopted to predict these acid dissociative constant values, which are generally in a good agreement with the reported experimental data. The thesis concludes with conclusions and a future outlook.

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Em face ao bom desempenho da agricultura brasileira, cresce também a responsabilidade por uma produção sustentável. Particularmente, o sistema produtivo da cana-de-açúcar vem se adaptando a uma produção sem queima, e busca formas alternativas de manejo dos resíduos da produção que sejam sustentáveis tanto economicamente, quanto ambientalmente. Neste trabalho apresentamos resultados dos tratamentos de solo agriculturável com resíduos de i) cinzas de bagaço de cana aplicado em cobertura e ii) torta de filtro na entrelinha da cultura, em diferentes doses. Avaliamos o impacto desses tratamentos no conteúdo de carbono e na matéria orgânica do solo. Para determinar se os tratamentos podem ser considerados sequestradores de carbono e ambientalmente sustentáveis nos detemos na preservação seletiva como mecanismo de retenção da matéria orgânica do solo, a qual leva a acumulação de componentes orgânicos químicos mais recalcitrantes. Utilizamos as técnicas espectroscópicas de fluorescência de luz UV-Visível, espectroscopia de fluorescência matriz excitação-emissão para avaliar a fração de ácido húmico do solo e o aumento da recalcitrância química, a fluorescência induzida por laser (FIL) para observar a matéria orgânica como um todo e a espectroscopia de emissão ótica com plasma induzido por laser (LIBS) utilizada como uma nova ferramenta para avaliar o conteúdo de carbono do solo. No tratamento de solo com adição de cinza de bagaço de cana tivemos potencial de estoque de carbono na dose 40 t/ha. Quanto a torta de filtro, o carbono total do solo aumenta menos significativamente que na cinza, mas não houve potencial de estoque de carbono. Na fração ácido húmico não observamos modificação do grau de humificação do solo com os tratamentos, mesmo a torta sendo um produto rico em matéria orgânica, porém houve um aumento de grupos carbonílicos, que estão associados ao aumento das interações intermoleculares favorecendo por exemplo a complexação do ácido húmico com metais. Nossos resultados de fluorescência induzida por laser apontam que a cinza possivelmente ofereceu melhora nas condições de crescimento da cultura havendo aumento de grupos alifáticos na MOS. Concluímos portanto, que não houve impacto negativo para o estoque de carbono no solo e qualidade da matéria sob tratamento de adição de cinza de bagaço de cana e torta de filtro. / Given the good performance of Brazilian agriculture, grows the responsibility for sustainable production. Particularly, the sugarcane production system has been adapting to a production without burning, and seeks alternative forms of waste management in production that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. We present results of arable soil treatments with i) sugarcane bagasse ash applied in coverage soil and ii) filter cake applied between the lines of culture in different doses. We assess the impact of these treatments on the content and quality of soil organic matter and carbon sequestration capacity. To determine if treatments can be considered environmentally sustainable and carbon sequestration we embrace the selective preservation as a retention mechanism of soil organic matter, which leads to accumulation of chemical organic compounds recalcitrant. We use bidimensional fluorescence UV-Visible spectroscopy and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix to assess the fraction of soil humic acid, the laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (LIF) for observing the whole organic matter and laser breakdown induced spectroscopy (LIBS) used as a new tool to assess the soil carbon content. The soil treatment with sugarcane bagasse ash had increased carbon stock in dose 40 t / ha. In humic acid fraction did not observe any change in the degree of humification treatment with AML, but there was an increase of carbonyl groups, which are associated with increased intermolecular interactions and enhancing the complexation of metals with humic acid. Our results suggest a possible improvement in crop growth conditions with an increase of aliphatic groups in MOS. The filter cake is no carbon content recorded, also did not observe any impact on soil organic matter with the incorporation of filter cake although this is a product rich in organic matter. In this context, we conclude that there was no negative impact on the carbon stock and quality of soil organic matter under treatment addition of sugarcane bagasse ash and filter cake.

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Downstream regulatory element antagonist modulator (DREAM) is involved in various interactions with targets both inside and outside of the nucleus. In the cytoplasm, DREAM interacts with the C-terminal fragments of presenilins to facilitate the production of β-amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. In the nucleus, Ca2+ free DREAM directly binds to specific downstream regulatory elements of prodynorphin/c-fos gene to repress the gene transcription in pain modulation. These interactions are regulated by Ca2+ and/or Mg2+ association at the EF-hands in DREAM. Therefore, understanding the conformational dynamics and stability associated with Ca2+ and/or Mg2+ binding to DREAM is crucial for elucidating the mechanisms of interactions of DREAM with DNA or presenilins. The critical barrier for envisioning the mechanisms of these interactions lies in the lack of NMR/crystal structures of Apo and Mg2+DREAM. Using a combination of fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism, isothermal titration calorimetry, photothermal spectroscopy, and computational approaches, I showed that Mg2+ association at the EF-hand 2 structurally stabilizes the N-terminal alpha-helices 1, 2, and 5, facilitating the interaction with DNA. Binding of Ca2+ at the EF-hand 3 induces significant structural changes in DREAM, mediated by several hydrophobic residues in both the N- and C-domains. These findings illustrate the critical role of EF-hand 3 for Ca2+ signal transduction from the C- to N-terminus in DREAM. The Ca2+ association at the EF-hand 4 stabilizes the C-terminus by forming a cluster consisting of several hydrophobic residues in C-terminal domain. I also demonstrated that association of presenilin-1 carboxyl peptide with DREAM is Ca2+ dependent and the complex is stabilized by aromatic residues F462 and F465 from presenilin-1 and F252 from DREAM. Stabilization is also provided by residues R200 and R207 in the loop connecting a7 and a8 in DREAM and the residues D450 and D458 in presenilin-1. These findings provide a structural basis for the development of new drugs for chronic pain and Alzheimer’s disease treatments.

In dieser Arbeit wird ein industriell genutzter Metallreiniger auf Basis nichtionischer Tenside untersucht. Dabei werden ausschließlich Messmethoden verwendet, die sich auch für eine industrielle Fertigung eignen. Zu Anfang enthält die Arbeit kurze Abrisse zum gegenwärtigen Kenntnisstand bezüglich der Inhaltstoffe industriell genutzten Reiniger, der Analytik von Tensiden in Reinigern und der Adsorption der Tenside auf Feststoffoberflächen. Im Mittelpunkt der Arbeit steht neben der Charakterisierung und Analyse des Reinigers die quantitative Bestimmung der im Reiniger enthaltenen Tenside in industriellen Reinigungsbädern. Mit Hilfe der Hochleistungsflüssigkeitschromatografie mit einem Verdampfungs - Lichtstreudetektor wird die quantitative Verteilung der Tenside in Reinigungsbädern unter verschiedenen der industriellen Fertigung entsprechenden Bedingungen untersucht. Die Adsorption der im Reiniger enthaltenen Tenside auf der Metalloberfläche unter Fertigungsbedingungen wird mit Fluoreszenzspektroskopie und IR-Spektroskopie quantitativ bestimmt. Im letzten Kapitel wird auf die Umsetzung der gefundenen Ergebnisse in die industrielle Praxis eingegangen.

"Laser flash spectroscopy of photosystem II" Photosystem II (PS II) of plants and cyanobacteria oxidizes water in a light-powered reaction. Thereby, this protein is the ultimate source of the atmospheric oxygen. The capacity to oxidize water is owed to two properties of PS II: (i) The midpoint potential of the oxidizing chlorophyll moiety is increased by 0.6 V compared to photosystem I or photochemical reaction centers of anoxygenic bacteria, and (ii) the energy requirements of the four steps needed for the tetravalent oxidation of water are adapted to the energy of red light quanta. This thesis deals with two particular aspects, namely: 1. The coupling of the electron transfer from tyrosine Z (YZ) to the primary donor (P680+) to proton transfer, and an inquiry on the role of a positive charge on YZox (plus base cluster) in increasing the oxidizing potential at the catalytic site. 2. The localization of the electron hole, P680+, among the excitonically coupled four inner chlorophyll a molecules, and an estimation of the midpoint potential differences between them. Electron-proton-coupling by YZ This study was carried out with PS II core complexes from spinach or pea with a deactivated (removed) manganese cluster. The reduction of P680+ was investigated as a function of pH by detecting the laser flash induced absorption changes with nanosecond resolution. Two kinetic components were found with different pH-dependence and activation energies. The alteration of kinetic parameters by H/D isotope substitutions or by addition of divalent cations implied two different types of YZ-oxidation: At acidic pH the electron transfer was coupled with proton transfer, whereas in the alkaline region it was more rapid and no longer controlled by proton transfer. The conversion between both mechanisms occured at pH 7.4. This value corresponds either to the apparent pK of YZ itself (i.e. of the hydroxy group of the phenol ring) or to the pK of an acid-base-cluster, which includes YZ. Independent measurements of pH-transients by following the absorption changes of hydrophilic proton indicators corroborated this notion. The data were interpreted as indicating that the phenolic proton of YZ was released into the medium at acidic, but not at alkaline pH. The electron transfer and proton release characteristics of intact, oxygen-evolving PS II resembled those in deactivated samples kept at alkaline pH. We concluded that the electron transfer from YZ to P680+ in the native system was not coupled with proton transfer into the bulk. This has shed doubt on a popular hypothesis on the role of YZ as 'hydrogen abstractor' from bound water. On the other hand, the energetic constraints of water oxidation could be eased by the positive upcharging during oxidation of YZox plus its base cluster. On the localization of the electron hole of P680+ Photooxidation of PS II oxidizes the set of four innermost chlorophyll a molecules giving rise to the only spectroscopically defined species P680+. The deconvolution of difference spectra into bands of pigments is ambiguous. By using photoselective excitation of antennae, i.e. chl a molecules with site specific energies at the long wavelength border of the mean Qy-band, and by polarized detection, it was possible to tag P680+QA-/P680QA and 3P680/P680 difference spectra with a further parameter, the (wavelength-dependent) anisotropy r. Results obtained at liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K) can be clearly interpreted in terms of two chl a monomer bands. The two main components of the P680+QA-/P680QA difference spectrum were marked by two distinct values of the anisotropy and could be interpreted in a straightforward manner: the bleaching of a band at 675 nm belonging to the charged species (chl a+) and an electrochromic blue-shift of a nearby chl a from 684 to 682 nm. The main bleaching band of the 3P680/P680 spectrum (at 77 K) can be apparently attributed to a third (or several) chl a component(s). The analysis of the P680+QA-/P680QA spectrum at cryogenic temperature is compatible with monomeric chl a bands. On the other hand, one could assume a system of excitonically coupled core pigments, as it was recently introduced in the literature on the basis of energy transfer studies ('multimer model'). However, in view of the clear indications for an electrochromic band shift and the location of the bleaching band, which absorbs in a wavelength region of monomeric chl a, one assumption of the 'multimer model' should be questioned. Presumably, the excitonic couplings are rather weak, in particular between each of the two central chl a-molecules (PA/PB) and its respective accessory chl a (BA/BB), because of (i) the distances and (ii) different site energies of the monomeric chromophores. At room temperature, the absorption difference and anisotropy spectra of P680+QA-/P680QA were clearly altered. The anisotropy data indicated that the changes could no longer exclusively be ascribed to thermal broadening of individual bands. The localization of the positive charge on one pigment, analogous to the situation at 77 K, was now unlikely. Hence, the midpoint potential differences between the inner four chlorophyll a molecules were small and were estimated as approximately 15 meV.

The concept of a self-incompatible solvent is introduced as a molecule composed of two parts (compound 1 and 2) with unfavourable interactions. A third compound will be readily dissolved in this solvent to diminish this unfavourable interaction by dilution. The more incompatible compounds 1 and 2 are, the stronger this behaviour is expected to be. In this work, ionic liquids comprising non-polar carbon chain and polar ionic group are chosen to serve as a model of self-incompatible solvent. The interactions parameters k of the ionic liquids with active ingredients are investigated to examine the effect of self-incompatibility of the ionic liquid molecule. On the other hand, phase separation between compounds 1 and 2 will reduce the positive effect of self-incompatibility. The tendency of phase separation is increasing with increasing size of the two compounds. Thus, if compounds 1 and 2 are blocks tied together into a block copolymer, one expects a decreasing ability of the block copolymer to dissolve an active ingredient with increasing block length. In this work the ability of polybutadiene-block-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PB-b-P2VP) block copolymers to dissolve the model compound anthracene is investigated. As expected, the solubility indeed decreases with increasing block length.

Caractériser la fonction des protéines est crucial pour notre compréhension des mécanismes moléculaires de la vie, des maladies, et aussi pour inspirer de nouvelles applications en bionanotechnologie. Pour y arriver, il est nécessaire de caractériser la structure et la dynamique de chaque état occupé par la protéine durant sa fonction. La caractérisation expérimentale des états transitoires des protéines représente encore un défi majeur parce que les techniques à haute résolution structurelle, telles que la spectroscopie RMN et la cristallographie aux rayons X, peuvent difficilement être appliquées à l’étude des états de courte durée. De plus, les techniques à haute résolution temporelle, telles que la spectroscopie de fluorescence, nécessitent généralement une chimie complexe pour introduire des fluorophores à des endroits spécifiques dans la protéine. Dans cette thèse nous introduisons l’utilisation des nanoantennes fluorescentes en tant que nouvelle stratégie pour détecter et signaler les changements de conformation des protéines via des interactions non covalentes entre des fluorophores spécifiques et la surface de la protéine. En utilisant des expériences et des simulations moléculaires, nous démontrons que des fluorophores chimiquement divers peuvent se lier et être utilisés pour sonder différentes régions d’une enzyme modèle, la phosphatase alcaline (PA). Ces nanoantennes peuvent être fixées directement aux protéines ou utilisées à l'aide du système de fixation simple et modulaire, le complexe biotine-streptavidine (SA), qui permet un criblage rapide et efficace de la nanoantenne optimale tant dans sa composition que sa longueur. Dans le cas de la PA, nous montrons que nos nanoantennes permettent la détection et la caractérisation des conformations distinctes incluant les changements conformationnels nanoscopiques produisant durant la catalyse du substrat. Nous démontrons également que les signaux fluorescents émis par la nanoantenne peuvent également permettre de caractériser la cinétique enzymatique d’une protéine en une seule expérience tout en incluant la détermination des paramètres « Michaelis-Menten » de ses substrats et inhibiteurs. Nous avons également exploré l'universalité de la stratégie ces nanoantennes fluorescentes en utilisant une autre protéine modèle, la Protéine G et son interaction avec les anticorps, et avons démontré son utilité pour mettre au point un essai permettant de détecter les anticorps. Ces nanoantennes simples et faciles à utiliser peuvent être appliquées pour détecter et analyser les changements conformationnels de toutes tailles et nos résultats suggèrent qu'elles pourraient être utilisées pour caractériser n’importe quel type de fonction. / The characterisation of protein function is crucial to understanding the molecular mechanisms of life and disease, and inspires new applications in bionanotechnology. To do so, it is necessary to characterise the structure and dynamics of each state that proteins adopt during their function. Experimental study of protein transient states, however, remains a major challenge because high-structural-resolution techniques, including NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography, can often not be directly applied to study short-lived protein states. On the other hand, high-temporal-resolution techniques, such as fluorescence spectroscopy, typically require complicated site-specific labelling chemistry. This thesis introduces the use of fluorescent nanoantennas as a new strategy for sensing and reporting on protein conformational changes through noncovalent dye-protein interactions driven by a high local concentration. Using experiments and molecular simulations, we first demonstrate that chemically diverse dyes can bind and be used to probe different regions of a model enzyme, intestinal alkaline phosphatase (AP). These nanoantennas can be attached directly to proteins or employed using the simple and modular biotin-streptavidin (SA) attachment system, which enables rapid and efficient screening for high sensitivity by tuning their length and composition. We show that these nanoantennas enable the detection and characterisation of distinct conformational changes of AP, including nanoscale conformational changes that occur during substrate catalysis. We also show that the fluorescent signal emitted by the nanoantenna enables complete characterisation of enzyme kinetics in one experiment, including determination of Michaelis-Menten parameters of substrates and inhibitors of AP. We then explored the universality of the nanoantenna strategy by using a different model protein system. Protein G was shown to interact with antibodies, using a rapid screening strategy for antibody detection. These effective and easy-to-use nanoantennas could potentially be employed to monitor various conformational changes, and our results offer potential for characterising various protein functions.