Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:33:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-07-24Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:45:17Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 ferraz_alj_dr_jabo.pdf: 613372 bytes, checksum: 0c16778d62f1e6d94f350b8efbbbd6d8 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / A divergência genética entre Bos taurus taurus e Bos taurus indicus é estimada em ~ 250.000 anos mas, apesar dessa proximidade filogenética, estes dois grupos de bovinos apresentam diferenças marcantes em relação à taxa de crescimento muscular e a maciez da carne. De maneira que este estudo foi delineado para avaliar perfil da expressão gênica diferencial no musculo Longissimus dorsi das raças Nelore e Aberdeen Angus com o objetivo de identificar conjuntos de genes cuja expressão está associada à manifestação das características acima mencionadas. Vinte bezerros machos de cada raça foram criados e terminados em regime de confinamento, metade dos quais foi abatida aos 15 e a metade restante aos 19 meses de idade. Nossos resultados sugerem fortemente que a ação autócrina e/ou parácrina do IGF-1 produzido no tecido muscular deve exercer um papel crucial na modulação da taxa de crescimento muscular e na maciez da carne de bovinos. Por outro lado, nossa análise das redes de interação gênica mostrou um grande número de genes que codificam proteínas que agem na proteólise muscular, pequeno número de inibidores e reguladores de proteases, assim como diversos genes relacionados com a morte celular programada nos animais que apresentaram maior maciez da carne, reforçando a hipótese do envolvimento de um complexo multi-enzimático (incluindo as calpaínas e outras proteases) no processo de amaciamento da carne, o qual seria semelhante ao processo de apoptose. / The genetic divergence between Bos taurus taurus and Bos taurus indicus is estimated to be ~ 250.000 years but, in despite of their phylogenetic proximity, this two bovine groups show remarkable differences in regard to the muscle growth rate and meat tenderness. Thus, this study was aimed to evaluate the differential gene expression profile in Longissimus dorsi muscle of Nellore and Aberdeen Angus breeds in order to identify set of genes whose expression is associated with the manifestation of the above-mentioned traits. Twenty male calves of each breed were grown and finished in the feedlot system, half of which was slaughtered at 15 and the remaining half at 19 months of age. Our results strongly suggest that the autocrine and/or paracrine action of the IGF-1 produced in the muscle might play a crucial role in the modulation of muscle growth rate and meat tenderness in beef cattle. On the other hand, our gene interaction network analysis revealed a large number of genes encoding proteins acting in the skeletal muscle proteolysis, a small number of inhibitors and regulators of proteases, as well as several genes related to the programmed cell death in animals that had greater tenderness of meat, reinforcing the hypothesis of the involvement of a multi-enzymatic complex (including calpains and other proteases) in the meat tenderization process, which resembles the apoptosis process.

Uma das principais áreas de pesquisa em Biologia de Sistemas refere-se à descoberta de redes biológicas a partir de conjuntos de dados de microarrays. Estas redes consistem de um grande número de genes cujos níveis de expressão afetam os outros genes de vários modos. Nesta tese, apresenta-se uma nova maneira de analisar os conjuntos de dados de microarrays, com base nos diferentes tipos de ciclos encontrados entre os genes das redes de co-expressão construídas com dados quantificados obtidos a partir dos microarrays. A entrada do método de análise é formada pelos dados brutos, um conjunto de genes de interesse (por exemplo, genes de uma via conhecida) e uma função (ativador ou inibidor) destes genes. A saída do método é um conjunto de ciclos. Um ciclo é um caminho fechado com todos os vértices (exceto o primeiro e o último) distintos. Graças à nova forma de encontrar relações entre os genes, é possível uma interpretação mais robusta das correlações dos genes, porque os ciclos estão associados a mecanismos de feedback, que são muito comuns em redes biológicas. A hipótese é que feedbacks negativos permitem encontrar relações entre os genes que podem ajudar a explicar a estabilidade do processo regulatório dentro da célula. Ciclos de feedback positivo, por outro lado, podem mostrar a quantidade de desequilíbrio de uma determinada célula em um determinado momento. A análise baseada em ciclos permite identificar a relação estequiométrica entre os genes da rede. Esta metodologia proporciona uma melhor compreensão da biologia do tumor. Portanto, as principais contribuições desta tese são: (i) um novo método de análise baseada em ciclos; (ii) um novo método de classificação; (iii) e, finalmente, aplicação dos métodos e a obtenção de resultados práticos. A metodologia proposta foi utilizada para analisar os genes de quatro redes fortemente relacionadas com o câncer - apoptose, glicólise, ciclo celular e NF B - em tecidos do tipo mais agressivo de tumor cerebral (Gliobastoma multiforme - GBM) e em tecidos cerebrais saudáveis. A maioria dos pacientes com GBM morrem em menos de um ano, essencialmente nenhum paciente tem sobrevivência a longo prazo, por isso estes tumores têm atraído atenção significativa. Os principais resultados nesta tese mostram que a relação estequiométrica entre genes envolvidos na apoptose, glicólise, ciclo celular e NF B está desequilibrada em amostras de GBM em comparação as amostras de controle. Este desequilíbrio pode ser medido e explicado pela identificação de um percentual maior de ciclos positivos nas redes das primeiras amostras. Esta conclusão ajuda a entender mais sobre a biologia deste tipo de tumor. O método de classificação baseado no ciclo proposto obteve as mesmas métricas de desempenho como uma rede neural, um método clássico de classificação. No entanto, o método proposto tem uma vantagem significativa em relação às redes neurais. O método de classificação proposto não só classifica as amostras, fornecendo diagnóstico, mas também explica porque as amostras foram classificadas de uma certa maneira em termos dos mecanismos de feedback que estão presentes/ausentes. Desta forma, o método fornece dicas para bioquímicos sobre possíveis experiências laboratoriais, bem como sobre potenciais genes alvo de terapias. / One of the main research areas in Systems Biology concerns the discovery of biological networks from microarray datasets. These networks consist of a great number of genes whose expression levels affect each other in various ways. We present a new way of analyzing microarray datasets, based on the different kind of cycles found among genes of the co-expression networks constructed using quantized data obtained from the microarrays. The input of the analysis method is formed by raw data, a set of interest genes (for example, genes from a known pathway) and a function (activator or inhibitor) of these genes. The output of the method is a set of cycles. A cycle is a closed walk, in which all vertices (except the first and last) are distinct. Thanks to the new way of finding relations among genes, a more robust interpretation of gene correlations is possible, because cycles are associated with feedback mechanisms that are very common in biological networks. Our hypothesis is that negative feedbacks allow finding relations among genes that may help explaining the stability of the regulatory process within the cell. Positive feedback cycles, on the other hand, may show the amount of imbalance of a certain cell in a given time. The cycle-based analysis allows identifying the stoichiometric relationship between the genes of the network. This methodology provides a better understanding of the biology of tumors. As a consequence, it may enable the development of more effective treatment therapies. Furthermore, cycles help differentiate, measure and explain the phenomena identified in healthy and diseased tissues. Cycles may also be used as a new method for classification of samples of a microarray (cancer diagnosis). Compared to other classification methods, cycle-based classification provides a richer explanation of the proposed classification, that can give hints on the possible therapies. Therefore, the main contributions of this thesis are: (i) a new cycle-based analysis method; (ii) a new microarray samples classification method; (iii) and, finally, application and achievement of practical results. We use the proposed methodology to analyze the genes of four networks closely related with cancer - apoptosis, glucolysis, cell cycle and NF B - in tissues of the most aggressive type of brain tumor (Gliobastoma multiforme – GBM) and in healthy tissues. Because most patients with GBMs die in less than a year, and essentially no patient has long-term survival, these tumors have drawn significant attention. Our main results show that the stoichiometric relationship between genes involved in apoptosis, glucolysis, cell cycle and NF B pathways is unbalanced in GBM samples versus control samples. This dysregulation can be measured and explained by the identification of a higher percentage of positive cycles in these networks. This conclusion helps to understand more about the biology of this tumor type. The proposed cycle-based classification method achieved the same performance metrics as a neural network, a classical classification method. However, our method has a significant advantage with respect to neural networks. The proposed classification method not only classifies samples, providing diagnosis, but also explains why samples were classified in a certain way in terms of the feedback mechanisms that are present/absent. This way, the method provides hints to biochemists about possible laboratory experiments, as well as on potential drug target genes.

Une analyse multiple des mutations, de l’expression des transcrits et de l’épissage alternatif a été réalisée dans des biopsies de lésions colorectales, correspondant à des stades variés de transformation, afin de rechercher des altérations qui caractériseraient la transformation de la muqueuse normale en adénome, puis en adénocarcinome. Cette analyse est basée sur l’utilisation de différentes technologies de puces à ADN. Des altérations spécifiques à chaque type de lésions colorectales ont été mises en évidence, démontrant que les adénomes et les adénocarcinomes sont des entités distinctes. Cependant, des altérations communes ont aussi été identifiées, confirmant que l’adénome est un état transitoire avant l’adénocarcinome. Une sélection clonale et des effets environnementaux sont sans doute à l’origine de la progression des adénomes en adénocarcinomes. Des voies de signalisation cellulaire caractéristiques de cette transformation ainsi qu’une classification des lésions colorectales ont été recherchées. Une signature de 40 transcrits a été identifiée, qui pourrait permettre de prédire la transformation des adénomes en adénocarcinomes. Des événements d’épissage alternatif ont aussi été détectés dans les adénomes, suggérant l’implication, à un stade précoce, de ces altérations dans le processus de cancérisation. Enfin, une puce à ADN « à façon » a été élaborée, qui s’inscrit dans une perspective d’appui à la mise en oeuvre de thérapeutiques anticancéreuses. Elle permet en effet d’analyser l’épissage alternatif des gènes codant les protéines cibles des nouvelles thérapies ciblées du cancer. / A genome-wide analysis of mutation, gene expression and alternative pre-mRNA splicing was performed in colorectal normal mucosa, adenoma and adenocarcinoma biopsy samples in order to look for some alterations that could characterize the stepwise “colorectal normal mucosa-adenoma-adenocarcinoma” transition. It was conducted through different microarray-based experiments. Alterations specific for either adenomas or adenocarcinomas were identified. Nevertheless, most deregulated genes in adenocarcinomas were shared between adenomas and adenocarcinomas, in agreement with the notion that adenomas are precursor lesions for adenocarcinomas. Adenomas may have different outcomes, depending on environment, some evolving towards cancer, while others could be prone to disappearance. Pathway enrichment in colorectal lesions and classification of colorectal lesions were investigated. A 40-gene set was identified as a gene expression signature that could help predicting patients, at time of adenoma ablation, with a risk for developing colorectal cancer. Splicing profiles were also identified in colorectal lesions, suggesting that alternative splicing may play a major role in cancer outcome. Finally, a custom microarray was designed with the aim to predict the response of patients before treatment. This custom microarray makes it possible to analyze transcript structure and levels for genes involved in the response to targeted anticancer therapies.

Os transtornos do espectro autista (TEA) são condições neuropsiquiátricas caracterizadas por padrões comportamentais estereotipados, ausência ou limitação de comunicação verbal e de interação social recíproca. Diversos estudos têm mostrado que esses transtornos possuem etiologia genética complexa e heterogênea, o que dificulta a identificação dos fatores causais. Estima-se que cerca de 70% dos casos de TEA são idiopáticos. Portanto, com o objetivo de identificar mecanismos etiológicos associados aos TEA, utilizamos as seguintes estratégias: customização de uma lâmina de microarray CGH que possibilite a detecção não só de grandes CNVs, mas também de alterações menores do que 10 kbp, em exons e regiões UTR de genes potencialmente candidatos; a comparação entre os tipos de rearranjos detectados em pacientes sindrômicos e em não sindrômicos e, ainda, a investigação mais detalhada de uma família com indivíduos portadores de transtorno autista e síndrome de Asperger. Foram avaliados 103 portadores de TEA não sindrômicos e 18 sindrômicos, sendo as taxas de detecção de alterações potencialmente patogênicas, respectivamente, de 11,6% e 38,9%. Dentre as alterações detectadas 44,4% são menores do que 10 Kbp. Portanto, a estratégia de usar uma lâmina customizada, com alta densidade de sondas complementares aos exons e regiões não codificantes de genes potencialmente envolvidos na etiologia dos TEA, capaz de detectar tanto alterações grandes quanto pequenas, parece ser relevante na tentativa de elucidar o maior número de casos possíveis e melhor compreender esses transtornos. Além disso, essa lâmina também pode ser utilizada como uma ferramenta para auxiliar o diagnóstico clínico e o aconselhamento genético com um custo mais acessível em comparação a outras comerciais ou ao sequenciamento de última geração. Cerca de 33,3% das CNVs observadas afetam região UTR, sugerindo que mutações nessas regiões podem explicar uma proporção significativa dos casos nos quais não são detectadas alterações através de outros testes genômicos, visto que a maioria desses ainda não exploram adequadamente regiões não codificantes. Entre os pacientes autistas não sindrômicos verificou-se que a maioria dos genes afetados por CNVs estão envolvidos em duas principais funções biológicas - sinapses glutamatérgicas e orientação axonal, sugerindo que TEA não sindrômico pode ser causado por disfunção em genes diferentes envolvidos em processos fisiológicos comuns. Diferente do que observamos entre pacientes não sindrômicos, detectamos mais de uma alteração em um mesmo indivíduo ou alterações que englobam mais de um gene entre os pacientes sindrômicos, reforçando o modelo oligogênico para alguns casos de TEA. Por fim, os dados obtidos no estudo da família com portadores de síndrome de Asperger e transtorno autista sugere que a gravidade do quadro clínico possa estar relacionada ao número de mutações e possivelmente por duas mutações diferentes em ambos os alelos de um mesmo gene. Nossos resultados, além de apoiar o envolvimento dos genes MDGA2, FHIT, HTR2A, SHANK2, GRIA3, ZNF778, PRKCα, CDH15, DIAPH3, GCH1, GRM5, MARK1, SLC17A6, IMMP2L, BZRAP1, SYNGAP1, ANK3, MAP1A, GABRR2 e LAMC3 nos TEA também sugere novos genes candidatos: LRRC7, LRRIQ3, CADPS1, NUFIP, SEMA3A, SNAP29, MBD2, GAD2, DGKH e PARD3 / The autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neuropsychiatric conditions typically characterized by social deficits, communication difficulties, stereotyped or repetitive behaviors and interests. Several studies have shown that these disorders have a complex and heterogeneous genetic etiology, which makes difficult to identify the causal factors. Approximately 70% of cases are idiopathic. In order to identify etiological mechanisms associated with ASD, we have used the following strategies: customized a microarray CGH platform that allows detection not only of large CNVs, but also alterations smaller than 10 kbp in exons and UTR regions of potential candidate genes, the comparison between the types of rearrangements detected in syndromic and non-syndromic patients and further, more detailed investigation of a family segregating both autistic disorder and Asperger syndrome. We evaluated 103 nonsyndromic and 18 syndromic patients by the custom-designed array and the detection rate of possibly pathogenic alterations were, respectively, 11.6% and 38.9%. Among these CNVs, 44.4% are smaller than 10 kbp. Therefore, the strategy of using a custom-designed array, enriched with probes targeted to genes potentially involved in the ASD etiology and able to detect both large and small CNVs, seems to be relevant in an attempt to elucidate the largest number of cases and to better understand these disorders. Furthermore, this platform can also be used as a tool to support the clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling with a more affordable cost compared to conventional other or next-generation sequencing. Approximately 33.3% of the observed CNVs affect UTR region, suggesting that mutations in non-coding regions might explain a significant proportion of ASD cases negative for most genomic screenings, which still do not explore adequately these regions. Among nonsyndromic autistic patients we found that most of the genes affected by CNVs are involved in two main biological functions - glutamatergic synapses and axonal guidance, suggesting that nonsyndromic ASD can be caused by dysfunction in different genes of a few common physiological processes. In contrast to our findings in nonsyndromic patients, we detected more than one alteration in a single individual or alterations that involve more than one gene among the syndromic patients, reinforcing the oligogenic model for some cases of ASD. Finally, the data obtained in the study of the family segregating both Asperger syndrome and autistic disorder suggests that the severity of ASD seems to be modulated by the number of hits and possibly by hits in both alleles of the same gene. Our results support the involvement of genes MDGA2, FHIT, HTR2A, SHANK2, GRIA3, ZNF778, PRKCα, CDH15, DIAPH3, GCH1, GRM5, MARK1, SLC17A6, IMMP2L, BZRAP1, SYNGAP1, ANK3, MAP1A, GABRR2 and LAMC3 in ASD etiology and also suggests new candidates: LRRC7, LRRIQ3, CADPS1, NUFIP, SEMA3A, SNAP29, MBD2, GAD2, DGKH and PARD3

Orientador: Marcelo Menossi Teixeira, Andréa Akemi Hoshino / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T07:51:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mattos_RaphaeldeSouza_M.pdf: 5526068 bytes, checksum: 090cb9f141a5a7dd324df049c18bf9c1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: A cana-de-açúcar é uma das mais importantes espécies vegetais cultiváveis do mundo, sendo o Brasil o principal produtor. É uma fonte eficiente e de baixo custo para a obtenção de açúcar e etanol, que é considerado o mais promissor substituto do petróleo como fonte de energia a médio prazo, especialmente nos transportes. A seca é um dos principais estresses que reduzem a produtividade da cana e a produção de variedades tolerantes não só representa ganhos econômicos como contribui para a sustentabilidade dos canaviais. Embora a base genética da tolerância à seca ainda seja pouco conhecida, variedades desenvolvidas em programas de melhoramento tem apresentado progresso, apesar do ritmo ser mais lento que o desejado. Genômica funcional e desenvolvimento de marcadores colaboram aumentando a eficiência do melhoramento tradicional, mas ainda existem elementos do genoma que podem ser aproveitados de novas formas. Foram descobertos recentemente genes de função regulatória chamados microRNAs (miRNA) que também desempenham um papel na adaptação de plantas a diferentes estresses. Utilizando ESTs de cana-de-açúcar, sequenciamento de nova geração e microarranjos para avaliar a expressão de miRNAs sobre estresse hídrico foram descobertos novos miRNAs associados à seca e possíveis genes de miRNAs ligados à tolerância a este tipo de estresse / Abstract: Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is amongst the most relevant crops in the world and Brazil is the most prominent producer. It is an inexpensive and efficient source for commodities such as sugar and ethanol, the latter being increasingly considered the most promising immediate energy source substitute for oil, mainly in transportation. Apart from being very productive, it is largely affected by stress-related yield losses, notably from abiotic triggers. Drought stress is determinant for every crop field, and this is true for sugarcane as well. Although the molecular basis drought stress tolerance lacks further elucidation, newly developed cultivars have successfully reduced yield loss due to water shortage, albeit not at the desirable pace. Functional genomics and molecular markers development assist new cultivar selection programs by identifying and locating agronomically relevant alleles and QTL's, but there are other elements in the genome which can provide new ways to approach crop field improvement. The recently discovered microRNAs (miRNA) are regulatory genes found to have an important role in plants adaptation under different kinds of stresses. By using sugarcane ESTs, deep-sequencing and microarray technology to access stress induced miRNA expression, we have found novel sugarcane miRNA participating in the drought stress response and identified possible tolerance related miRNA genes / Mestrado / Genetica Vegetal e Melhoramento / Mestre em Genética e Biologia Molecular

O cancro cítrico é uma doença que afeta diversas espécies de Citrus, cujo agente causal é Xanthomonas axonopodis pv citri (XAC). O genoma desta fitobactéria consiste de um cromossomo de ~5 Mpb e dois plasmídeos, que juntos codificam 4313 CDS (seqüências codificadoras), das quais 2710 apresentam similaridade com proteínas conhecidas. Neste trabalho realizamos uma análise comparativa detalhada do genoma de XAC com genomas de três fitopatógenos, Xanthomonas campestris campestris, Xylella fastidiosa 9a5c e Xylella fastidiosa temecula. Com esta análise identificamos genes espécie e gênero-específicos, potencialmente relevantes para adaptação aos seus respectivos nichos ou hospedeiros, além de ilhas de inserção e deleção genômica putativas. Também identificamos vias metabólicas relacionadas com osmoproteção/osmorregulação e com degradação de compostos aromáticos em XAC, que possivelmente são determinantes na eficácia de sua interação com o hospedeiro. Analisamos o nível de expressão de 9 CDS após crescimento de XAC em diferentes concentrações de glicose e verificamos que este açúcar modula positivamente a expressão de CDS relacionadas à síntese de goma e ao sistema de osmoproteção. Além disso, descrevemos a construção de microarranjos de DNA representando 2760 CDS de XAC, constituindo-se uma nova ferramenta para estudos de genômica comparativa e expressão gênica deste fitopatógeno. / Xanthomonas axonopodis pv citri (XAC) is the bacterial pathogen that causes citrus canker disease in several species of Citrus plants. XAC genome consists of a main cromosome of ~5 Mpb and two plasmids that together encode 4313 CDS (coding sequences). Approximately 63% of the CDS have assigned biological functions. In this work, we present a detailed genomic comparison between the genomes of XAC and of three other phytopathogens, X. campestris campestris, Xylella fastidiosa 9a5c and X. fastidiosa Temecula. Based on this analysis, we identified species and genus-specific genes that might be relevant for adaptation to their niches and hosts. We mapped putative insertion/deletion regions in the XAC genome possibly related to gene gains and losses during the divergence of the four bacterial lineages. We have identified the metabolic pathways related to osmoprotection/osmoregulation and aromatic compound degradation important for XAC efficient host colonization and interaction. Expression levels of 9 CDS were analyzed after XAC growth under different glucose concentrations revealing that this sugar upregulates the expression of CDS related to gum synthesis and to osmoregulation. In addition, we describe here the construction of a DNA microarray representing 2760 CDS of XAC as a new tool for comparative genomic and gene expression studies in this phytopathogen.

Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are two severe psychiatric disorders characterized by a complex genetic basis, coupled to the influence of environmental factors. In this thesis, functional genomic analysis tools were used for the study of the underlying pathophysiology of these disorders, focusing on gene expression and function on a global scale with the application of high-throughput methods. Datasets from public databases regarding transcriptomic data of postmortem brain and skin fibroblast cells of patients with either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were analyzed in order to identify differentially expressed genes. In addition, fibroblast cells of bipolar disorder patients obtained from the Biobank of the Neuropsychiatric Research Laboratory of Örebro University were cultured, RNA was extracted and used for microarray analysis. In order to gain deeper insight into the biological mechanisms related to the studied psychiatric disorders, the differentially expressed gene lists were subjected to pathway and target prioritization analysis, using proprietary tools developed by the group of Metabolic Engineering and Bioinformatics, of the National Hellenic Research Foundation, thus indicating various cellular processes as significantly altered. Many of the molecular processes derived from the analysis of the postmortem brain data of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were also identified in the skin fibroblast cells. Additionally, through the use of machine learning methods, gene expression data from patients with schizophrenia were exploited for the identification of a subset of genes with discriminative ability between schizophrenia and healthy control subjects. Interestingly, a set of genes with high separating efficiency was derived from fibroblast gene expression profiling. This thesis suggests the suitability of skin fibroblasts as a reliable model for the diagnostic evaluation of psychiatric disorders and schizophrenia in particular, through the construction of promising machine-learning based classification models, exploiting gene expression data from peripheral tissues.

This thesis investigates the effect of Russian wheat aphid (RWA; Diuraphis noxia) infestation on the defence responses of the bread wheat line, PI 137739, on a molecular level. PI 137739 is known to contain the RWA resistance gene, Dn1. The study was conducted by utilising and combining a vast array of molecular biological techniques. Chapter 1 introduces the reader to a summary of the resistance responses observed within infested plants. A detailed description of the Russian wheat aphid follows and the genes responsible for RWA resistance in wheat is discussed. A brief report of research performed on the bread wheat genome is given and the biochemical defence responses of plants against insect infestation are discussed. This is followed by a concise description of resistance (R) genes and resistance gene categories in plants. The last discussion concerns microarray technology, a molecular tool utilised during this study. Chapter 2 aims at identifying genes involved in resistance against RWA infestation; specifically, genes containing the conserved nucleotide binding site¬leucine rich repeat (NBS-LRR) motif. Genomic, as well as complementary DNA (cDNA), was utilised in order to compare functional gene expression in wheat infested with the RWA. This was executed by employing PCR-based methods, single-pass sequencing and basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) analyses. Chapter 3 introduces suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) as a tool to further identify NBS-LRR or other resistance-related sequences in RWA infested wheat plants. SSH allows the comparative analysis of differential gene expression in RWA infested and uninfested wheat in order to identify resistance-¬related genes expressed in the infested, resistant wheat plants. The effect of RWA infestation on wheat resistance responses was examined further in chapter 4 through microarray analysis. The aim was the introduction and establishment of the microarray technique and to test the feasibility of using microarrays for differential gene expression and regulation studies. Microarray slides were assembled in order to monitor the up- and down¬regulation of genes at different time intervals - day 2, day 5 and day 8 - of RWA infestation. Clones isolated throughout this study were assembled on microarray slides and probed with control and RWA infested RNA. Differential gene regulation was assessed and further confirmed through Northern blot analyses, as well as quantitative real-time PCR. The thesis concludes with a general summary of the results obtained in chapter 5 and future prospects are outlined. / Thesis (PhD(Genetics))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Genetics / unrestricted

Les microorganismes, par leurs fascinantes capacités d’adaptation liées à l’extraordinaire diversité de leurs capacités métaboliques, jouent un rôle fondamental dans tous les processus biologiques. Jusqu’à récemment, la mise en culture était l’étape préliminaire obligatoire pour réaliser l’inventaire taxonomique et fonctionnel des microorganismes au sein des environnements. Cependant ces techniques ne permettent d’isoler qu’une très faible fraction des populations microbiennes et tendent donc à être remplacées par des outils moléculaires haut-débit. Dans ce contexte, l’évolution des techniques de séquençage a laissé entrevoir de nouvelles perspectives en écologie microbienne mais l’utilisation directe de ces techniques sur des environnements complexes, constitués de plusieurs milliers d’espèces différentes, reste néanmoins encore délicate. De nouvelles stratégies de réduction ciblée de la complexité comme la capture de gènes ou les biopuces ADN représentent alors une bonne alternative notamment pour explorer les populations microbiennes même les moins abondantes. Ces stratégies à haut-débit reposent sur la détermination de sondes combinant à la fois une forte sensibilité, une très bonne spécificité et un caractère exploratoire. Pour concevoir de telles sondes plusieurs logiciels ont été développés : PhylGrid 2.0, KASpOD et ProKSpOD. Ces outils généralistes et polyvalents sont applicables à la sélection de sondes pour tout type de gènes à partir des masses de données produites à l’heure actuelle. L’utilisation d’architectures de calculs hautement parallèles et d’algorithmes innovants basés sur les k-mers ont permis de contourner les limites actuelles. La qualité des sondes ainsi déterminées a pu permettre leur utilisation pour la mise au point de nouvelles approches innovantes en écologie microbienne comme le développement de deux biopuces phylogénétiques, d’une méthode de capture de gènes en solution ainsi que d’un algorithme de classification des données métagénomiques. Ces stratégies peuvent alors être employées pour diverses applications allant de la recherche fondamentale pour une meilleure compréhension des écosystèmes microbiens, au suivi de processus de bioremédiation en passant par l’identification de tous types de pathogènes (eucaryotes, procaryotes et virus). / Microorganisms play a crucial role in all biological processes related to their huge metabolic potentialities. Until recently, the cultivation was a necessary step to appraise the taxonomic and functional diversity of microorganisms within environments. These techniques however allow surveying only a small fraction of microbial populations and tend to be consequently replaced by highthroughput molecular tools. While the evolution of sequencing technologies opened the door to unprecedented opportunities in microbial ecology, massive sequencing of complex environments, with thousands of species, still remains inconceivable. To overcome this limitation, strategies were developed to reduce the sample complexity such as gene capture or DNA microarrays.These high-throughput strategies rely on the selection of sensitive, specific and explorative probes. To design such probes several programs have been developed: PhylGrid 2.0, KASpOD and ProKSpOD. These multipurpose tools were implemented to design probes from the exponentially growing sequence datasets in microbial ecology. Using highly parallel computing architectures and innovative k-mers based strategies allowed overcoming major limitations in this field. The high quality probe sets were used to develop innovative strategies in microbial ecology including two phylogenetic microarrays, a gene capture approach and a taxonomic binning algorithm for metagenomic data. These approaches can be carried out for various applications including better understanding of microbial ecosystems, bioremediation monitoring or identification of pathogens (eukaryotes, prokaryotes and viruses).

Schistosoma mansoni é um dos agentes causadores da esquistossomose, doença infecciosa negligenciada que afeta milhões de pessoas no mundo. É um platelminto parasitário dióico, com um complexo ciclo de vida, composto de seis estágios. Nos últimos cinco anos, projetos de seqüenciamento em larga escala de etiquetas de genes expressos (ESTs) de Schistosoma geraram uma quantidade razoável de dados que ainda pode ser mais bem explorada. O objetivo central deste trabalho é analisar computacionalmente a expressão gênica de S. mansoni, sob três focos distintos: (i) micro-arranjos de DNA, para os quais descrevemos o desenho e análise de dados de uma plataforma de cDNA (4,600 elementos) e outra de oligonucleotídeos (44,000 elementos). Estão também descritas diversas ferramentas de análise que implementamos e são amplamente usadas em nosso grupo. Os micro-arranjos têm servido de base para vários projetos, como o estudo da resposta do parasita a hormônios e drogas e expressão gênica durante o ciclo de vida. (ii) Identificação in silico de pares de transcritos senso- antisenso com possível ação em trans, potencialmente importantes na regulação gênica. (iii) Análises da coleção de ESTs existentes sob uma perspectiva evolutiva. Através dessa abordagem encontramos genes importantes como um possível inibidor de angiogênese e um regulador da via do mevalonato, conhecido como essencial para a produção de ovos; estes constituem a principal causa de morbidez da esquistossomose. Os resultados aqui apresentados contribuem para o entendimento da complexa biologia inerente ao ciclo de vida de S. mansoni e para acelerar a busca de futuras possibilidades de tratamento. / Schistosoma mansoni is one of the causative agents of schistosomiasis, a neglected infectious disease which affects millions of people worldwide. It is a dioecious parasitic platyhelminth, with a complex life cycle composed of six stages. In the past five years, large scale sequencing projects have generated a reasonable amount of expressed sequence tag (EST) data that can still be better explored. The goal of this thesis is to computationally analyze the S. mansoni gene expression, under three different focuses: (i) DNA microarrays, for which we describe the design and data analyses of a cDNA (4,600 elements) and an oligonucleotide (44,000 elements) platform. We also describe the implementation of several analysis tools which are widely used in our group. Our microarrays are being used in several projects, such as the study of parasite response to drugs and hormones, as well as its gene expression pattern during the life cycle. (ii) In silico identification of possible trans acting natural sense-antisense pairs, potentially important in gene regulation. (iii) Analyses of the available EST dataset under an evolutionary perspective. We have found interesting genes such as a possible angiogenesis inhibitor and a regulator of the mevalonate pathway, known to be essential for egg production; eggs are the main cause of morbidity of schistosomiasis. The results reported here contribute to the understanding of the complex biology underlying the S. mansoni life cycle and to accelerate the search for future possibilities of treatment.