Orientador: Fabio Papes / Texto em português e inglês / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T08:04:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Nakahara_ThiagoSeike_M.pdf: 27685441 bytes, checksum: c755af1be54c3ba9b204bed05559dd88 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: O Sistema Olfativo é um Sistema Sensorial complexo, composto por diversos subsistemas cuja integração no cérebro resulta na interação entre os animais e seus respectivos ambientes de maneira adequada. Essa adequação pode significar respostas comportamentais e fisiológicas distintas para situações diversas a que esses animais tenham sido expostos. Esse Sistema exibe compartimentos especializados na detecção de estímulos de uma mesma natureza e nesse contexto, o Sistema Olfativo Principal é responsável pela detecção de odorantes voláteis em geral e o Sistema Olfativo Acessório é responsável pela detecção de feromônios. Apesar dessa divisão formal, estudos recentes questionam essa divisão e propõem sobreposição entre a função desses subsistemas. Nesse estudo investigamos a expressão de receptores OR sendo expressos no Órgão Vomerosasal em níveis comparáveis aos receptores V2R ("endógenos"). Desses receptores, isolamos o receptor Olfr692 que possui o nível de expressão mais alto entre os OR estudados ou relatados anteriormente na literatura. As células que expressam o receptor Olfr692 foram caracterizadas molecularmente e foram feitos estudos preliminares a fim de investigar a função do receptor Olfr692 frente a possíveis funções biológicas que fossem capazes de explicar a expressão robusta de um receptor de classe OR no Órgão Vomeronasal / Abstract: The Olfactory System is a complex Sensorial System, comprised of some subsystems whose integration in the brain results in the appropriated interaction between animals and their environment, that is, proper behavioral or physiological answers to diverse situations to which these animals are exposed. This System exhibits specialized features for detection of a given kind of stimuli. The Main Olfactory System detects volatile odorants in general while the Accessory Olfactory System detects pheromones. Apart from this formal distinction, recent studies have questioned this division and propose some overlap between them. In the present study, we have investigated the expression of OR receptors in the Vomeronasal Organ whose expression level is compared to V2R Receptors (endogenous). We have isolated from these genes the Olfr692, which has the higher levels among the VNO-OR here studied and those discussed in the literature. These cells have been molecularly characterized and preliminary functional studies were also performed, searching for the possible biological functions of this Receptor, which could explain its expression in the Vomeronasal Organ / Mestrado / Genetica Animal e Evolução / Mestre em Genética e Biologia Molecular

Orientador: Fabio Papes / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-20T21:10:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Cardozo_LeonardoMinete_M.pdf: 30220846 bytes, checksum: 6793ed2dd7e959cbc81a5c912cd1c987 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Uma propriedade fundamental do sistema nervoso em todas as espécies animais e a transformação dos estímulos sensoriais em atividade neural, levando a mudanças comportamentais e endócrinas. Dentre os sistemas sensoriais, o Sistema Olfatório destaca-se por sua complexidade molecular, capacidade de detecção de odores e modulação de comportamentos inatos. Entretanto, ainda muito pouco e conhecido sobre como este Sistema detecta, processa e interpreta as informações químicas que recebe do meio externo... Observação: O resumo, na íntegra, poderá ser visualizado no texto completo da tese digital / Abstract: A fundamental property of the nervous system in all animal species is the transformation of sensory stimulation into neural activity, leading to endocrine and behavioral changes. Among the sensory systems, the olfactory system stands out due to its molecular complexity, detection capacity and the modulation of innate behaviors. However, little is known about how this system detects, processes and interprets chemosignals from the environment... Note: The complete abstract is available with the full electronic document / Mestrado / Genetica Animal e Evolução / Mestre em Genética e Biologia Molecular

GPCRs form the largest family of membrane proteins in human genome and mediate signal transmission in a wide panel of essential physiological processes, and they are thus a major source of pharmaceutical targets. Investigating GPCR interactions with their cognate ligands and their membrane environment is crucial to understand their function at a molecular level. While major breakthroughs in the determination of high resolution structures of GPCRs in inactive and active states have shed a new light on the structural basis of GPCR activation process, complementary approaches are needed to investigate its dynamic aspects in the context of a native lipid environment. Our research work falls within this scope and hinges on two main issues: on the one hand, understand which structural features of the agonist underlie the activation of S1P receptors; on the other hand determine if membrane lipids modulate the structure and the function of the vasopressin V2 receptor (V2R). First, we investigated the functional response of S1P1, S1P2, S1P4 and S1P5 receptors expressed in mammalian cells to a series of synthetic derivatives of the native ligand sphingosine-1-phosphate, of variable alkyl chain length. Our data demonstrated that the hydrophobic tail of the ligand is crucial to induce activation in S1P receptors family, and revealed subtype-specificities regarding the influence of the alkyl chain length. Our experimental results combined with molecular dynamics simulation lead us to propose an activation mechanism for S1P receptors family. In the second part of our work, we reconstituted purified V2R into systems of controlled lipid composition, mimicking the membrane bilayer. Structural and functional characterization of the receptor in different lipid environments, using infrared and fluorescence spectroscopy approaches, revealed that the lipid composition affects V2R conformation and its interaction with a specific ligand. Taken together, our research work contributes to a better understanding of GPCRs activation mechanism and its regulation by lipid environment. / Les récepteurs couplés aux protéines G (GPCRs) forment la plus grande famille de protéines membranaires du génome humain et contribuent à une kyrielle de processus physiologiques essentiels, qui leur confèrent un intérêt pharmacologique majeur. Étudier l'interaction de ces protéines avec leurs ligands et leur environnement membranaire est primordial pour appréhender leur fonctionnement à l’échelle moléculaire. Bien que de remarquables avancées dans la détermination de structures à haute résolution de GPCRs à l'état inactif et actif aient permis de comprendre certaines bases structurales du fonctionnement des récepteurs, des approches complémentaires donnant un aperçu des aspects dynamiques et dans un environnement natif sont nécessaires pour cerner pleinement leur mécanisme d'activation. Notre travail de thèse s'inscrit dans cette problématique et s'articule autour de deux sujets: d'une part, comprendre quelles caractéristiques structurales du ligand sous-tendent l'activation de la famille des récepteurs au sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P); d'autre part, déterminer si les lipides de la membrane plasmique modulent la structure et la fonction du récepteur à la vasopressine V2. Pour répondre à notre première question, nous avons étudié la réponse fonctionnelle en système cellulaire des récepteurs S1P1, S1P2, S1P4 et S1P5 à des composés synthétiques dérivés du S1P, portant des chaînes alkyles de longueur variable. Nos données mettent en évidence que la longueur de la chaîne hydrocarbonée du ligand est un paramètre crucial dans sa capacité d'induire l'activation du récepteur et ce pour l'ensemble des sous-types étudiés. De plus, nos résultats suggèrent que le comportement vis-à-vis de la longueur de chaîne dépend du sous-type de récepteur considéré. Nos résultats expérimentaux, combinés à une approche de modélisation dynamique, ont abouti à proposer un mécanisme d'activation pour la famille des récepteurs au S1P. Dans le second volet de notre travail, nous avons reconstitué le récepteur V2 purifié dans des systèmes de composition lipidique contrôlée, mimant la bicouche membranaire. Nous avons procédé à la caractérisation structurale et fonctionnelle du récepteur inséré dans différentes types de lipides, par des méthodes spectroscopiques infrarouge et de fluorescence. Les données obtenues suggèrent que la composition lipidique affecte la conformation et la fonction du récepteur. L'ensemble de nos travaux contribue ainsi à une meilleure compréhension du mécanisme d'activation des GPCRs et de leur régulation par l'environnement lipidique. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

To preserve homeostasis and proper function in every living organism, it is important for cells to communicate with each other and their environment. Cells are constantly processing a huge amount of extracellular stimuli through proteins called receptors. Receptors can transduce the signal from extracellular to intracellular compartments. G- protein coupled receptors are the biggest group, in which also belongs Cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R). Endocannabinoid system regulates many biological processes such as learning, food intake, and movement. Obesity is a serious issue nowadays and in cases of claryfing its molecular-genetic basis, there was found Src homology 3-domain growth factor receptor-bound 2-like (endophilin) interacting protein 1 (SGIP1). SGIP1 has a role in the regulation of energetic balance and its overexpression is leading to a development of obesity. SGIP1 was detected as an interaction partner of CB1R and it had been found that it is involved in internalization via clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Key proteins for initiation and early phase of CME are FCHO1/2, with which SGIP1 shares high sequential homology. However, effect of SGIP1 on internalization of activated CB1R is inhibitory unlike FCHO1/2,wheras detailed mechanism of its function remains unclear. The aim of this...

To preserve homeostasis and proper function in every living organism, it is important for cells to communicate with each other and their environment. Cells are constantly processing a huge amount of extracellular stimuli through proteins called receptors. Receptors can transduce the signal from extracellular to intracellular compartments. G-protein coupled receptors are the biggest group, in which also belongs Cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1R). Endocannabinoid system regulates many biological processes such as learning, food intake, and movement. Obesity is a serious issue nowadays and in cases of searching for candidate molecules, there was found Src homology 3-domain growth factor receptor-bound 2-like (endophilin) interacting protein 1 (SGIP1). SGIP1 has a role in the regulation of energetic balance and its overexpression is leading to a development of obesity. SGIP1 was detected as an interaction partner of CB1R and it had been found that it is involved in internalization via clathrin-mediated endocytosis. SGIP1 is very homological with FCHO1/2 - important proteins which participate on early stages of endocytosis. Mechanism of inhibitory effect of SGIP1 on internalization remains unclear. The aim of this study is to clarify the role of distinct domains of SGIP1 in context of endocytosis. Key...

The D1-class receptors (D1R, D5R) each possess distinct signaling characteristics; however, pharmacological selectivity between them remains elusive. The third intracellular loops (IL3) of D1R and D5R harbour divergent residues that may contribute to their individual signalling phenotypes. Here we probe the function of central region of IL3 of D1R and D5R using deletion mutagenesis. Radioligand binding and whole cell cAMP assays suggest that the N-terminal and C-terminal moieties of the central IL3 oppositely contribute to the constitutive and agonist-dependant activity of D1-Class receptors. Whereas the N-terminal deletions ablated constitutive activity and decreased DA-induced activation, C-terminal deletions induced robust increases. These data, interpreted in concert with structural predictions generated from homology modeling implicate the central IL3 as playing an important role in the activation and subtype-specific characteristics of the D1-class receptors. This study may serve as a basis for the development of novel drugs targeting the central IL3 region.

UDP-sugars were identified as extracellular signaling molecules, assigning a new function to these compounds in addition to their well-defined role in intracellular substrate metabolism and storage. Previously regarded as an orphan receptor, the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) P2Y14 (GPR105) was found to bind extracellular UDP and UDP-sugars. Little is known about the physiological functions of this GPCR. To study its physiological role a gene-deficient (KO) mouse strain expressing the bacterial LacZ reporter gene was used to monitor the physiological expression pattern of P2Y14. P2Y14 is mainly expressed in pancreas and salivary glands and in subpopulations of smooth muscle cells of the gastrointestinal tract, bronchioles, blood vessels and uterus. Among other phenotypical differences KO mice showed a significantly impaired glucose tolerance following oral and intraperitoneal glucose application. An unchanged insulin tolerance points towards an altered pancreatic islet function. Transcriptome analysis of pancreatic islets showed that P2Y14 deficiency significantly changed expression of components involved in insulin secretion. Insulin secretion tests revealed a reduced insulin release from P2Y14-deficient islets highlighting P2Y14 as a previously unappreciated modulator of proper insulin secretion.

Protein-protein interaction dominates all major biology processes in living cells. Recent studies suggestthat the surface expression and activity of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which are the largestfamily of receptors in human cells, can be modulated by receptor activity–modifying proteins (RAMPs). Computational tools are essential to complement experimental approaches for the understanding ofmolecular activity of living cells and molecular dynamics simulations are well suited to providemolecular details of proteins function and structure. The classical atom-level molecular modeling ofbiological systems is limited to small systems and short time scales. Therefore, its application iscomplicated for systems such as protein-protein interaction in cell-surface membrane. For this reason, coarse-grained (CG) models have become widely used and they represent an importantstep in the study of large biomolecular systems. CG models are computationally more effective becausethey simplify the complexity of the protein structure allowing simulations to have longer timescales. The aim of this degree project was to determine if the applications of coarse-grained molecularsimulations were suitable for the understanding of the dynamics and structural basis of the GPCRRAMP interactions in a membrane environment. Results indicate that the study of protein-proteininteractions using CG needs further improvement with a more accurate parameterization that will allowthe study of complex systems.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第19048号 / 農博第2126号 / 新制||農||1032(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H27||N4930(農学部図書室) / 31999 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科応用生命科学専攻 / (主査)教授 植田 充美, 教授 植田 和光, 教授 小川 順 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第24525号 / 医博第4967号 / 新制||医||1065(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 渡邊 直樹, 教授 中川 一路, 教授 秋山 芳展 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM