Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 91 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Orientador: Artur Torres Cordeiro / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-22T07:11:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ranzani_AmericoTavares_M.pdf: 3887425 bytes, checksum: 3ae590890f0f321ec227cb9c0967c6de (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Tripanossomíases são enfermidades associadas à infecção por protozoários do gênero Trypanosoma. Estas doenças são normalmente tratadas com medicamentos de alta toxicidade e baixa eficiência. A pesquisa de novos compostos que atuem de maneira específica contra alvos metabólicos pré-estabelecidos pode levar ao desenvolvimento de fármacos mais eficientes no tratamento destas enfermidades. A enzima glicose-6-fosfato desidrogenase (G6PD) é um alvo metabólico validado experimentalmente em Trypanosoma brucei. A G6PD catalisa o primeiro passo da via de síntese de pentoses que supre a célula com ribose-5-fosfato para síntese de bases nitrogenadas e NADPH para biosíntese de lípideos, colesterol e neutralização de espécies reativas de oxigênio. O esteróide desidroepiandrosterona (DHEA) e seus análogos são conhecidos inibidores incompetitivos da enzima humana e recentemente foram caracterizados também como potentes inibidores da G6PD de T. brucei e T. cruzi. Estes esteróides também apresentam efeito citotóxico à forma sanguínea de T. brucei e à forma epimastigota de T. cruzi. Em conjunto, estes resultados sugerem que esteróides análogos do DHEA devam ser explorados como uma nova classe de fármacos antiparasitários. Apesar de já haver estruturas da enzima, o sítio de ligação destes esteróides não é conhecido, informação que ajudaria no desenho racional de novos inibidores. Assim, este projeto teve como objetivo principal a identificação do sítio de inibição por cristalografia. Conseguiu-se estabelecer um protocolo de expressão, purificação e cristalização para a G6PD humana. Testou-se a co-cristalização, seeding e soaking com os esteróides DHEA, epiandrosterona (EA) e 16-bromo-epiandrosterona (16BrEA) com os substratos da enzima, além de outros complexos com frutose-6-fosfato, glucosamina-6-fosfato e NADPH. Na tentativa de diminuir a atividade da enzima para facilitar a cristalização com os substratos e os esteróides, fez-se o mutante D200N, que além de ser menos ativo, também apresentou uma menor inibição pelos esteróides. A enzima humana se apresenta como um equilíbrio de dímero e tetrâmero, não se sabendo a influência destes estados na atividade da enzima. Assim, para favorecer somente um estado oligomérico, foram avaliadas mutações na interface do tetrâmero. A mutação A277C permite a formação de uma ponte dissulfeto com a C294, estabilizando o tetrâmero. A mutação E347A é capaz de desestabilizar o tetrâmero, favorecendo a forma dimérica. Embora não tenha sido possível obter a estrutura da enzima com os esteróides, conseguiu-se pela primeira vez apontar para um resíduo importante para a inibição, o que abre oportunidade para investigações futuras que podem levar à descrição do sítio de inibição / Abstract: Trypanosomiases are infectious diseases caused by protozoan parasites from genus Trypanosoma. Such diseases are currently treated with low effective and highly toxic drugs. The research of novel compounds which inhibits validated metabolic targets might lead to the development of more efficient drugs to such neglected diseases. The enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) was experimentally validated as a metabolic target in T. brucei bloodstream form. G6PD catalyzes the first step of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), which supplies the cell with ribose-5-phosphate for synthesis of nucleotides and NADPH for biosynthesis of lipids, cholesterol and detoxification of reactive oxygen species. The steroid Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and analogues are known uncompetitive inhibitors of the human G6PD and recently they were also characterized as potent inhibitors of T. brucei and T. cruzi G6PD. It was also demonstrated that these steroids are toxic to cultured T. brucei bloodstream form and T. cruzi epimastigote form. Together these results suggest that DHEA derivatives must be explored as a novel anti-parasite drug class. Although the structure of the enzyme is solved, the binding site of these steroids is unknown, information that would help in the rational design of new inhibitors. So, the main goal of this project was the identification of the inhibition site by crystallography. It was established an expression, purification and crystallization protocol for the human G6PD. It was tried the co-crystallization, seeding and soaking of the steroids DHEA, epiandrosterone (EA) and 16-bromo-epiandrosterone (16BrEA) with the substrates of the enzyme, beyond other complexes with fructose-6-phosphate, glucosamine-6-phosphate and NADPH. Attempting to diminish the enzyme activity to facilitate the crystallization with the substrates and the steroids, it was made the mutant D200N, which not only is less active, but it's also less inhibited by the steroids. The human enzyme is in equilibrium between dimer and tetramer, being unknown the effect of these states to the enzyme activity. This way, to favor one oligomer state, it was assessed mutations at the tetramer interface. The mutation A277C allows the formation of a disulfide bond with the C294, stabilizing the tetramer. The mutation E347A is able to destabilize the tetramer, favoring the dimer. Although it was not possible to determine the structure of the enzyme with the steroids, for the first time it was shown the involvement of a residue in the steroid inhibition, which makes possible future investigations that can lead to the inhibition site description / Mestrado / Fármacos, Medicamentos e Insumos para Saúde / Mestre em Biociências e Tecnologia de Produtos Bioativos

High-dose pharmacologic ascorbate has promise as an adjuvant to traditional therapies for cancer. It is hypothesized that the peak plasma concentration is a key determinant in treatment efficacy. From the Phase I clinical trails on the use of pharmacological ascorbate as an adjuvant to Gemcitabine in the treatment of stage IV pancreatic cancer at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, we found that monitoring plasma ascorbate concentration [AscH-]pl with each infusion is both very time consuming and expensive for large scale implementation. A method to determine the amount and protocol to infuse ascorbate to achieve a desired patient [AscH-]pl would be of great benefit. Current models lack flexibility for various infusion proto- cols. Additionally, constructing a model of ascorbate pharmacokinetics would allow investigation of an optimal dosing regime to maintain constant plasma ascorbate levels. A mechanistic model and an empirical model were developed and validated. The mechanistic model suitably replicated the results obtained in the clinical trial but contained too many variables to be useful in a clinical setting. The empirical model showed good results in replicating the trial results and requires only a few easily measured variables to generate predictions High dose ascorbate has been shown to produce hydrogen peroxide. In furthering the studies of how ascorbate affects tumor cells, the action of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) is considered because it supplies NADPH to several peroxide removal pathways. To this end, the kinetics of G6PD were studied using kinetic simulations. G6PD exhibits a reserve capacity, which is the difference between the activity when all intracellular NADP is oxidized to the rate at which is operates when intracellular NADP is at the physiologic 90 % reduced to 10 % oxidized ratio. These simulations yielded an interesting pattern which is also seen by evolutionary biologists. G6PD exhibits a response capacity, which is the difference between the maximum G6PD activity exhibited when there is no demand for NADPH greater than normal cell functions and the activity exhibited when all cellular NADP is oxidized.

Mon travail de thèse est fondé sur la recherche d’une meilleure compréhension de la distribution géographique des polymorphismes érythrocytaires: antigènes de surface des systèmes de groupes sanguins érythrocytaires (GSE) et glucose-6-phosphate déshydrogénase (G6PD) intracellulaire. L’analyse sur 75 populations d’Asie des fréquences de l'allèle DI*01 du système de GSE Diego, des haplotypes C2-M217 et C2-M401 du chromosome Y, des coordonnées géographiques et des langues, a pu montrer la corrélation entre ces marqueurs. La répartition de DI*01 semble suivre les conquêtes mongoles, avec une expansion radiale depuis la Mongolie, porté par les nomades de langue Altaïque présentant C2-M217 et C2-M401. L'étude du gène G6PD chez 80 individus de Guyane Française de la communauté des Noirs Marrons originaire d’Afrique sub-Saharienne, aborde les relations santé-environnement. Les mutations du déficit en G6PD caractéristiques des variants sub-Sahariens ont été retrouvées chez une personne sur huit. La répartition du déficit était inconnue en Guyane Française et est encore mal connue en Amérique Latine et dans les Caraïbes, où sévit encore Plasmodium vivax dont le traitement nécessite l’utilisation de la primaquine pouvant entraîner une hémolyse sévère chez les individus G6PD-déficients. Mon troisième objectif a été de mettre en évidence l’influence de différents facteurs sur la répartition des polymorphismes de 10 systèmes de GSE étudiant 343 populations. Par des modélisations, les fréquences alléliques ont été confrontées aux données environnementales et culturelles. Enfin, une étude a été réalisée sur le système Duffy avec des analyses de détection de la sélection sur données SNP. / My Ph.D. work is based on the search for a better understanding of the geographical distribution of red blood cell polymorphisms: the surface antigens of red cell blood group systems (BGS) and the intracellular glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD). The analysis on 75 Eurasian populations of frequencies of the DI*01 allele coding for Diego a antigen of Diego BGS, the C2-M217 and C2-M401 haplotypes of the Y chromosome, geographic coordinates and languages, has shown a correlation between these markers. The DI*01 distribution seems to follow the Mongol conquests, carried by the Altaic-speaking nomads possessing the C2-M217 and C2-M401 haplotypes with a radial expansion from Mongolia. The study of the G6PD gene in 80 individuals from French Guiana of the Noir Marron community originating from sub-Saharan Africa, addresses health-environment relations. Characteristic mutations of sub-Saharan variants of G6PD deficiency have occurred in one in eight people. The G6PD deficiency distribution was previously unknown in French Guiana and is still poorly known in Latin America and the Caribbean, where Plasmodium vivax still cracks down. Its treatment requires the use of primaquine which may cause severe haemolysis in G6PD-deficient individuals. My third objective was to highlight the influence of different factors on the distribution of polymorphisms of 10 BGS studying 343 populations. Through model adjustments, allelic frequencies have been confronted to environmental and cultural data. Finally, a study has been also conducted on the Duffy BGS by analyses of detection of natural selection on SNP data.

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, a common heritable trait whose prevalence mirrors geographic patterns of historic malaria endemicity, is thought to confer a selective advantage owing to partial protection conferred against malaria. Direct evidence supporting this malaria protection hypothesis in the form of clinical association studies remains controversial, however, as conflicting results have been reported with respect to the strength and specificity of a protective effect, if any, conferred to carriers of G6PD deficiency-associated alleles. This thesis examines genetic diversity at the G6PD locus, and then considers how such variation impacts both immediate molecular phenotypes and multifactorial clinical phenotypes. First, Chapter 3 presents a survey of variation at G6PD in several malaria-endemic areas, while Chapter 4 describes a novel technique for polymorphism discovery using pooled massively parallel sequencing. Next, in Chapters 5 and 6, I evaluate the link between genetic variation at the locus and G6PD enzyme activity, identifying major and minor determinants of G6PD deficiency state in an association study conducted in Kenya, and demonstrating a new technique for assaying G6PD deficiency at the level of an individual erythrocyte in a pilot project in Mali. Finally, Chapter 7 addresses the malaria protection hypothesis directly by conducting a fine-mapping case-control association study of severe malaria in the Gambia, where I found that G6PD deficiency alleles exhibited differential direction of association with respect to two important clinical syndromes-- trending towards risk conferred to severe malarial anemia, and protection with respect to cerebral malaria. Overall, these findings suggest that future clinical association studies should consider heterogeneity at the genetic level, as well as at the level of molecular and clinical phenotypes in order to achieve a better mechanistic understanding of the relationship between G6PD deficiency and severe malaria.

A glicose 6-fosfato desidrogenase (G6PDH) é a primeira enzima do processo oxidativo da via das pentoses fosfato e apresenta diversas aplicações industriais. Foram avaliadas as influências de algumas variáveis sobre a produção de G6PDH. No Processo Descontínuo variaram-se a concentração da fonte de carbono, relação carbono-nitrogênio, concentração de aminoácidos e nucleotídeos , pH e a vazão de ar fornecida. A variação na atividade enzimática indicou que as condições do meio são importantes na obtenção desta enzima, tendo sido obtida atividade específica máxima de 86 U/g cél e produtividade de 10,5 U/L.h. No Processo Descontínuo-Alimentado variaram-se o sistema de adição e os nutrientes alimentados. A atividade específica máxima obtida foi 72 U/g cél e a produtividade foi 47 U/L.h. Os resultados indicaram o controle da concentração de glicose em 5g/L para uma melhor produtividade e a necessidade de maiores estudos a fim de otimizar o processo. / The glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) is the first enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway, converting glucose-6-phosphate into 6-phosphogluconate. Besides its importance in biochemistry and medical studies, this enzyme is used in several analytical methods, industrial and commercial application. In this work the influence of several variables in the production of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase in batch and fed-batch processes were studied. In batch cultures the variables were the glucose concentration (10 and 20 g/L), the C:N ratio (3.5 and 6.7 g/g), the aminoacids and nucleotides concentrations (10 and 20 mg/L), pH (4.6 and 5.7) and the aeration (0, 0.8, 1.7 and 2.2 vvm). It was observed that the G6PDH activity varied according to the conditions of the culture. Specific Activity value of 86 U/g cell and productivity of 10,5 U/L.h were attained when the test was carried out as follows: 30oC, pH 5.7, 400 rpm, 2.2 vvm, C:N ratio of 6.7, glucose concentration of 10 g/L, aminoacids (Tryptophan and Hystidine) and nucleotides (Adenine and Uracil) concentrations of 20 mg/L. Nevertheless, the fed-batch process was more efficient and productive than the batch process. The productivity obtained in the best fed-batch condition (glucose addition by an increasing exponential mode) was 47 U/L.h, more than four folds the productivity of the batch culture. So that, by maintaining the glucose concentration in the medium below 5 g/L, the productivity should be improved. However, more studies are needed for optimizing the G6PDH production in a Fed-Batch process. In the fed-batch cultures the feeding conditions and kind of feeding were studied. It was observed that the best fed-batch G6PDH specific activity (72 U/g of cell when the glucose was added in a decreasing linear mode) was lower than that attained in the batch cultures.

A glicose 6-fosfato desidrogenase (G6PDH) é a primeira enzima do processo oxidativo da via das pentoses fosfato e apresenta diversas aplicações industriais. Foram avaliadas as influências de algumas variáveis sobre a produção de G6PDH. No Processo Descontínuo variaram-se a concentração da fonte de carbono, relação carbono-nitrogênio, concentração de aminoácidos e nucleotídeos , pH e a vazão de ar fornecida. A variação na atividade enzimática indicou que as condições do meio são importantes na obtenção desta enzima, tendo sido obtida atividade específica máxima de 86 U/g cél e produtividade de 10,5 U/L.h. No Processo Descontínuo-Alimentado variaram-se o sistema de adição e os nutrientes alimentados. A atividade específica máxima obtida foi 72 U/g cél e a produtividade foi 47 U/L.h. Os resultados indicaram o controle da concentração de glicose em 5g/L para uma melhor produtividade e a necessidade de maiores estudos a fim de otimizar o processo. / The glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) is the first enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway, converting glucose-6-phosphate into 6-phosphogluconate. Besides its importance in biochemistry and medical studies, this enzyme is used in several analytical methods, industrial and commercial application. In this work the influence of several variables in the production of Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase in batch and fed-batch processes were studied. In batch cultures the variables were the glucose concentration (10 and 20 g/L), the C:N ratio (3.5 and 6.7 g/g), the aminoacids and nucleotides concentrations (10 and 20 mg/L), pH (4.6 and 5.7) and the aeration (0, 0.8, 1.7 and 2.2 vvm). It was observed that the G6PDH activity varied according to the conditions of the culture. Specific Activity value of 86 U/g cell and productivity of 10,5 U/L.h were attained when the test was carried out as follows: 30oC, pH 5.7, 400 rpm, 2.2 vvm, C:N ratio of 6.7, glucose concentration of 10 g/L, aminoacids (Tryptophan and Hystidine) and nucleotides (Adenine and Uracil) concentrations of 20 mg/L. Nevertheless, the fed-batch process was more efficient and productive than the batch process. The productivity obtained in the best fed-batch condition (glucose addition by an increasing exponential mode) was 47 U/L.h, more than four folds the productivity of the batch culture. So that, by maintaining the glucose concentration in the medium below 5 g/L, the productivity should be improved. However, more studies are needed for optimizing the G6PDH production in a Fed-Batch process. In the fed-batch cultures the feeding conditions and kind of feeding were studied. It was observed that the best fed-batch G6PDH specific activity (72 U/g of cell when the glucose was added in a decreasing linear mode) was lower than that attained in the batch cultures.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2002. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 100 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-96).

<p>Apoptosis is a conserved mode of cell death executed by a group of proteases named caspases, which collectively ensure tissue homeostasis in multicellular organisms by triggering a program of cellular "suicide" in response to developmental cues or cellular damage. </p><p>Accumulating evidence suggests that cellular metabolism impinges directly upon the decision to initiate cell death. Several links between apoptosis and metabolism have been biochemically characterized. Using <italic>Xenopus</italic> oocyte extracts, our laboratory previously discovered that caspase-2 is suppressed by NADPH metabolism through an inhibitory phosphorylation at S164. However, the physiological relevance of these findings has not been investigated at the whole organism level. Studies presented in this dissertation utilize both Schneider's <italic>Drosophila</italic> S2 (S2) cells and transgenic animals to untangle the influence of metabolic status on fly apoptosis.</p><p>We first demonstrate a novel link between <italic>Drosophila</italic> apoptosis and metabolism by showing that cellular NADPH levels modulate the fly initiator caspase Dronc through its phosphorylation at S130. Biochemically and genetically blocking NADPH production removed this inhibitory phosphorylation, resulting in the activation of Dronc and the subsequent apoptotic cascade in cultured S2 cells and specific neuronal cells in transgenic animals. Similarly, non-phosphorylatable Dronc was found to be more potent than wild-type in triggering neuronal apoptosis. Moreover, upregulation of NADPH prevented Dronc-mediated apoptosis upon abrogation of <italic>Drosophila</italic> Inhibitor of Apoptosis (IAP) protein 1 (DIAP1) by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) or cycloheximide (CHX) treatment, revealing a novel mechanism of DIAP1-independent apoptotic regulation in <italic>Drosophila</italic>. Mechanistically, the CaMKII-mediated phosphorylation of Dronc hindered its activation, but not its catalytic activity. As NADPH levels have been implicated in the regulation of oocyte death, we demonstrate here that a conserved regulatory circuit also coordinates somatic apoptosis and NADPH levels in <italic>Drosophila</italic>.</p><p>Given the regulatory role of NADPH in the activation of Dronc in <italic>Drosophila</italic> and caspase-2 in vertebrates, we then attempted to further elucidate the underlying signaling pathways. By tracking the catabolic fate of NADPH, we revealed that fatty acid synthase (FASN) activity was required for the metabolic suppression of Dronc, as both the chemical inhibitor orlistat and FASN dsRNA abrogated NADPH-mediated protection against CHX-induced apoptosis in S2 cells. Interestingly, it has been previously demonstrated that blocking FASN induces cell death in numerous cancers, including ovarian cancer; however, the mechanism is still obscure. As our results predict that suppression of FASN activity may prevent the inhibitory phosphorylation of Dronc and caspase 2 (at S130 and S164 respectively), we examined the contribution of caspase-2 to cell death induced by orlistat using ovarian cancer cells. Indeed, caspase-2 S164 was dephosphorylated upon orlistat treatment, initiating the cleavage and activation of caspase-2 and its downstream target, Bid. Knockdown of caspase-2 significantly alleviated orlistat-induced cell death, further illustrating its involvement.</p><p>Lastly, we developed an assay based on bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) to monitor the oligomerization of Dronc in S2 cells, a crucial step in its activation. The sensitivity of this assay has been validated with several apoptotic stimuli. A future whole-genome screen employing this assay is planned to provide new insights into this complex apoptotic regulatory network by unbiasedly identifying novel apoptotic regulators.</p> / Dissertation

Glycolysis is the main metabolic route in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and it is the sequence of enzyme catalyzed reactions that oxidatively convert glucose to pyruvic acid in the yeast cytoplasm. In addition to the basic steps, glycolysis involves branch points providing the intermediary building blocks of the cell (i.e amino acids and nucleotides). One of these pathways is glucose-6-phosphate branch point which is a junction of glycolytic pathway and pentose phosphate pathway. At this point glucose-6-phosphate can be converted to fructose-6-phosphate a metabolite of glycolytic pathway by phosphoglucoisomerase or it can be dehydrogenated to 6-phosphogluconolactone by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase which is the first enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway. In this study, the influence of different nitrogen sources on the flux distribution through the pentose phosphate pathway and glycolysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was examined. For this purpose, four different compositions of nitrogen sources were used in growth media. The growth medium contained one of the following composition of nitrogen sources / only ammonium sulfate, only yeast nitrogen base, ammonium sulfate and histidine, yeast nitrogen base and histidine. Histidine was added because its synthesis branches from pentose phosphate pathway. In order to analyse the effect of the different compositions of nitrogen sources on the physiology of the yeast, specific activities of hexokinase, phosphoglucose isomerase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase enzymes were measured in the crude extracts of the biomass samples taken in the late exponential phase of the cultures. Addition of histidine caused an increase in the specific activities of all the enzymes analysed in medium containing ammonium sulfate. The specific activity of hexokinase, phosphoglucose isomerase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in medium containing yeast nitrogen base and histidine were higher than medium containing yeast nitrogen base. However, the specific activity of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase decreased 3.1% in medium containing yeast nitrogen base and histidine medium with respect to medium with only yeast nitrogen base. The OD value and dry weight in the culture containing histidine aminoacid was higher than the cultures contaning only ammonium sulfate and only yeast nitrogen base. Also the period of the exponential phase was shorter in medium containing ammonium sulfate and histidine and yeast nitrogen base and histidine than medium only ammonium sulfate and only yeast nitrogen base.