INTRODUÇÃO: A tuberculose é um problema grave de saúde pública, acometendo indivíduos em todas as faixas etárias e em todos os estratos socioeconômicos. Apesar de estarem sob grande risco de adoecimento, as crianças carecem de meios diagnósticos sensíveis e específicos. Neste estudo avaliou-se em crianças a acurácia de um teste baseado na dosagem de interferon-gama liberado por linfócitos após estímulo com antígenos específicos do Mycobacterium tuberculosis (QuantiFERON-TB Gold In Tube® [Cellestis, Carnegie, Austrália] ).MÉTODO: Foram incluídas no estudo 184 crianças não infectadas e 11 crianças com infecção pelo Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Todas as crianças receberam previamente o BCG. Foram excluídas crianças com comprometimento do sistema imunológico. Obteve-se amostra de sangue de cada criança, e o material foi processado conforme as instruções do laboratório fabricante. O desempenho do teste foi avaliado pela construção de uma curva de características operacionais (ROC). RESULTADOS: Do total de 184 crianças sem infecção pela micobatéria, 74 (40,2%) eram do sexo feminino, e 130 (70,6%) tinham menos de quatro anos de idade. A idade média neste grupo foi de 35 meses. Seis (3,2%) crianças apresentaram resultado indeterminado do teste, uma criança (0,5%) apresentou um resultado positivo e 177 (96,2%) apresentaram resultado negativo. No grupo de 11 crianças infectadas, sete (63,0%) eram meninas, e a idade média era de 58,5 meses. Duas (18,0%) crianças neste grupo apresentaram resultado negativo do teste. A curva ROC obtida evidenciou uma área sob a curva de 0,876 (I. C 95% - 0,82 a 0,92; p<0,001), refletindo o desempenho preditivo elevado do teste. A sensibilidade do teste foi de 81,8% (IC 95% - 48,2% a 97,2%) e a especificidade de 98,8% (IC 95% - 96,0 a 99,8%), o valor preditivo positivo foi de 81,8% (IC 95%: 46,3% a 97,4%) e o valor preditivo negativo foi de 98,9% (IC 95%: 96,0% a 99,8%). CONCLUSÕES: Neste estudo o teste mostrou ter uma boa acurácia no diagnóstico da infecção pelo Mycobaterium tuberculosis em crianças previamente vacinadas com o BCG, e sua utilização rotineira pode contribuir para a melhor avaliação de crianças expostas a um doente bacilífero e na tomada de decisões sobre a introdução de quimioprofilaxia ou tratamento. / BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is a major public health problem, affecting people from all ages and diverse socioeconomic incomes. Despite the high risk that children have to develop the disease, accurate methods for diagnosis are not yet available. In this study the accuracy of an interferon-gamma release assay (QuantiFERON-TB Gold In Tube® [Cellestis, Carnegie, Australia]) was evaluated for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children. METHODS: 195 children were evaluated, 184 children without mycobacterial infection, and 11 children infected by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis. All the children had been previously vaccinated with BCG. Immunocompromised children were excluded from the study. A blood sample was obtained from each child, and it was processed according the manufacturer´s instructions. The performance of the assay was evaluated by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: In the group of 184 noninfected children, 74 (40.2%) were female and 130 (70.6%) were younger than four years old. The mean age in this group was 35 months. Six children (3.2%) had indeterminate test result, one child (0.5%) had a positive test result, and 177 (96.2%) children had negative test results. In the group of 11 infected children, seven (63.0%) were female, and the mean age in this group was 58.5 months. Two children (18.0%) in this group had a negative test result. The ROC curve determined an area under the curve of 0.876 (95% CI 0.82 to 0.92; p< 0.001), disclosing a high positive predictive value for the test. The assay sensibility was 81.8% (95% CI, 48.2% to 97.2%) and the assay specificity was 98.8% (95% CI, 96.0% to 99.8%), the positive predictive value was 81.8% (95% CI: 46.3% to 97.4%) and the negative predictive value was 98.9% (95% CI: 96.0% to 99.8%). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the accuracy of the assay was high for the diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection in children previously vaccinated with BCG. The use of this assay for the routine evaluation of children exposed to the disease may help physicians to decide on whether to start chemoprophylaxis or tuberculosis treatment.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:18:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ELISE MIYUKI YAMASAKI.pdf: 7116323 bytes, checksum: 0698deb473a21808a4e19ade2a6072b4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-01-21 / The epidemic and clinic-pathological aspects of paratuberculois in a dairy cattle herd in the Rio Claro county, southern Rio de Janeiro region, are described. In the years 2006-2009, eight adult cows presented chronic-intermittent diarrhea, chronic weight loss and normal appetite. At necropsy, the subserosal lymphatics were proeminent and dilated, mesenteric nodes were enlarged, and intestinal mucosa was corrugated, thickened and of microgranular aspect. Especially, in duodenum, was observed polipoids lesions in mucosa surface. Histopathology revealed, from the duodenum to the rectum, severe and diffuse granulomatous inflammation of the lamina propria and submucosa, broadened and distorced villi, marked dilatation of the lymphatic vessels in their apex, lymphangioectasia and granulomatous lymphangitis in the submucosa. Ziehl-Neelsen stain revealed variable amounts of acid-fast bacilli in macrophages, Langhan s giant cells and freely in the musosa and submucosa of the small intestine and colon, and in lymphnodes. Lesions in the lamina propria, particularly in the jejun and ileum, in some animals, were severe hypertrophy; polipoids lesions observed in duodenum mucosa was markedly muscularis mucosa hipertrophy , intestinals and duodenal glands hiperplasia. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberulosis was isolated by bacterial cultivation of samples from feces, intestinal mucosa and milk, and identified through IS900 PCR. From 298 cows, older than three years, the percentage of reactive animals was 40%, in indirect ELISA test. The diagnosis of paratuberculosis was based on clinic-epidemiological data, sorology, bacterial isolation and IS900 PCR. After the adoption of control measures, as slaughter of sick cows and selective slaughter of soropositive animals, was observed reduction of clinical cases in the herd, from six cases to one case per year, in three years of study. / Descreve-se os aspectos epidemiol?gicos e cl?nico-patol?gicos da paratuberculose em um rebanho bovino leiteiro no munic?pio de Rio Claro, regi?o Sul-Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro. No per?odo de 2006 a 2009, oito vacas adultas da ra?a Girolanda apresentaram diarreia cr?nico-intermitente, perda de peso progressivo e apetite normal. ? necropsia observou-se vasos linf?ticos subserosos proeminentes, linfonodos mesent?ricos aumentados de volume, ?midos ao corte, serosa do intestino com aspecto anelado e cerebr?ide, mucosa espessada, pregueada e com aspecto microgranular. Em especial, no duodeno havia les?es polip?ides na supef?cie da mucosa. ? microscopia, desde o duodeno at? o intestino grosso, havia acentuada inflama??o granulomatosa difusa, marcada dilata??o dos vasos linf?ticos no ?pice das vilosidades, linfangiectasia e linfangite granulomatosa na submucosa, muscular e serosa, altera??es tamb?m vistas nos linfonodos mesent?ricos. A colora??o de Ziehl-Neelsen revelou, vari?vel quantidade de bacilos ?lcool-?cido resistentes no interior de macr?fagos, c?lulas gigantes de Langhans e livres na mucosa e submucosa do intestino delgado e grosso e em linfonodos mesent?ricos. A l?mina pr?pria da mucosa, principalmente do jejuno e ?leo de alguns animais, apresentava acentuada hipertrofia; as les?es polip?ides correspondiam ? marcada hipertrofia da muscular da mucosa, hiperplasia de gl?ndulas duodenais e intestinais. Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis foi isolado em cultivo bacteriano a partir de amostras de fezes, raspado de mucosa intestinal e leite e identificado pela t?cnica de PCR IS900. Atrav?s da avalia??o sorol?gica semestral, foram analisadas 298 vacas, a partir de tr?s anos de idade, e observou-se cerca de 40% de animais reagentes ao teste ELISA indireto no per?odo estudado. O diagn?stico da paratuberculose foi baseado nos dados cl?nicopatol?gicos, sorologia, isolamento e identifica??o do agente em amostras de fezes, raspado de mucosa e leite, atrav?s do cultivo bacteriano e PCR IS900. Ap?s implementa??o de medidas de controle, tais como elimina??o de animais doentes, abate seletivo dos soropositivos, separa??o dos bezerros ao nascer com utiliza??o de banco de colostro, observou-se diminui??o da ocorr?ncia de casos cl?nicos no rebanho, de seis casos por ano para cerca de um caso por ano, em tr?s anos de estudo.

A produção de leite e de seus derivados lácteos geram grande impacto no setor agroindustrial. Classificado como um dos alimentos mais completos, o leite é rico em nutrientes essenciais ao crescimento e à manutenção de uma vida saudável. Em contrapartida, os constituintes do leite propiciam excelente meio de cultura para o desenvolvimento de microrganismos, desde o momento da ordenha até a chegada ao consumidor final. Neste contexto, estudos acerca de novas alternativas que auxiliem no controle da qualidade do leite são essenciais. A fotoinativação com luz azul tem surgido como uma alternativa antimicrobiana em potencial na indústria alimentícia, pois exerce atividade antimicrobiana intrínseca, sem o envolvimento de substâncias fotossensibilizadoras exógenas. O objetivo deste estudo foi determinar a efetividade da fotoinativação por luz azul (LED azul, &lambda;&#61; 410 ± 15 nm, 100 mW) sobre Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes e Mycobacterium fortuitum suspensos em leite integral UHT e solução PBS. Os resultados demonstraram a fotinativação de todas as cepas empregadas no estudo pela luz azul, em tempos distintos, independentemente do meio utilizado, isto é, M. fortuitum, S. aureus, E. coli e L. monocytogenes apresentaram cinética de fotoinativação diferentes entre si, quando suspensos no leite ou no PBS (p<0,0001). O fator de resistência R foi menor que 1 (R < 1) em meio leite, sendo 0,82, 0,78, 0,88 e 0,81 para S.aureus, E. coli, L. monocytogenes e M. fortuitum, nesta ordem, apresentando-se, portanto, mais sensíveis à luz azul nos tempos iniciais e ocorrendo fotoinativação em maior proporção neste período. Quando suspensos em PBS, à semelhança do meio leite, L. monocytogenes e E. coli, apresentaram valor de R < 1 (0,87 e 0,81, respectivamente), ao passo que S. aureus e M. fortuitum apresentaram R > 1, isto é, 1,06 e 1,46, respectivamente, demonstrando maior resistência à fotoinativação nos períodos iniciais e tornando-se mais sensíveis conforme o tempo de irradiação progredia. Concluiu-se que a luz azul foi capaz de fotoinativar, in vitro, cepas de S. aureus, E. coli, L. monocytogenes e M.fortuitum, suspensas em PBS e em leite integral UHT. A fotoinativação com luz azul apresenta caráter inovador, sendo uma alternativa potencialmente promissora no controle da contaminação por microrganismos na indústria láctea / The production of milk and its dairy products have great impact on the agro-industrial sector. Considered as one of the most complete foods, milk is full of essential nutrients required for growth and maintenance of a healthy life. On the other hand, the composition of milk makes it an excellent growth medium for many microorganisms, from the moment of milking to its arrival to the final consumer. In this context, studies toward the search for new alternatives are essential for milk quality improvement. The photoinactivation by blue light has emerged as an alternative antimicrobial approach in the food industry due to its intrinsic antimicrobial properties without the involvement of exogenous photosensitizers. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of blue light photoinactivation (blue LED, &lambda; &#61; 410 ± 15 nm, 100 mW) on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Mycobacterium fortuitum strains suspended in UHT whole milk and PBS medium. All used strains was sucesssfully photoinactivated by the blue light, at different moments, regardless of the medium used, i.e., M. fortuitum, S. aureus, E. coli and L. monocytogenes presented different photoinactivation kinetics when suspended in the UHT whole milk or PBS (p < 0.0001). The resistance R factor was less than 1 (R < 1) in milk medium, with 0.82, 0.78, 0.88 and 0.81 for S. aureus, E. coli, L. monocytogenes and M. fortuitum, respectively, meaning that the strains were most sensitive to blue light in the initial times, when the photoinactivation was higher. When suspended in PBS, as occurred in the the milk medium, L. monocytogenes and E. coli presented R < 1 (0.87 and 0.81, respectively), whereas S. aureus and M. fortuitum demonstrated R > 1, i.e., 1.06 and 1.46, respectively, indicating higher photoinactivation resistance in the initial stages and higher sensibility as the irradiation time progressed. We concluded that blue light promoted in vitro photoinactivation of the strains of S. aureus, E. coli, L. monocytogenes and M.fortuitum, suspended in PBS and UHT whole milk. The photoinactivation by blue light presents an innovative approach and a promising and exciting alternative for microbial contamination control in dairy industry

A pasteurização do leite é obrigatória no Brasil e o sistema lento (65ºC/30 minutos) é o mais empregado na fabricação de queijos. Os parâmetros de tempo e temperatura empregados no mundo foram definidos após estudos sobre a resistência térmica do Mycobacterium tuberculosis e da Coxiella burnetti, reconhecidos como os microrganismos patogênicos, não formadores de esporos e que eventualmente podem estar presentes no leite cru, que apresentam a maior resistência térmica. Entretanto, não há estudos sobre a resistência térmica do M. bovis que circula nos bovinos no Brasil. Este estudo propôs-se a avaliar a resistência térmica (65ºC) de cinco espoligotipos de M. bovis, isolados de bovinos abatidos no estado de São Paulo, em leite integral experimentalmente contaminado. Leite UHT foi contaminado com M. bovis e, então, submetido a tratamento térmico em banho-maria a 65ºC por 30 minutos. Cada espoligotipo foi testado 3 vezes. As amostras foram retiradas do banho nos tempos 0 (o momento em que o leite atingiu 65ºC), 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 e 30 correspondendo ao tempo, em minutos, de tratamento térmico. O leite contaminado também foi analisado, para quantificação da carga inicial. O controle do processo envolveu o acompanhamento da temperatura do leite (um tubo com termômetro) e análise das enzimas fosfatase alcalina e peroxidase ao final do tratamento; para tal, amostras de leite cru foram tratadas juntamente com as amostras-teste. Para quantificação, foi realizada a diluição decimal seriada seguida da semeadura em duplicata em meio Stonebrink-Leslie (37ºC/45dias). Os resultados mostraram que foi na fase de aquecimento que ocorreu a maior taxa de morte. Houve diferença de resistência entre os espoligotipos ao processo que simulou a pasteurização lenta e o BR024 foi o mais resistente. Conclui-se que houve diferença da eficácia da pasteurização, de acordo com o espoligotipo testado, mas que os resultados precisam ser melhor investigados. / Milk pasteurization is mandatory in Brazil and the Low Temperature Long Time - LTLT - Pasteurization (62 to 65°C/30 min.) is normally used for cheese making. Permitted parameters were based on the reports of Myconbacterium bovis/tuberculosis inactivation made up to that time. Since then, just a few studies have been done to determine if the M. bovis in circulation nowadays among bovine population still presents the same pattern of inactivation. In this way, this study verified the behavior of recently isolated M. bovis against LTLT Pasteurization parameters reproduced in water bath. M. bovis isolated from bovines slaughtered in São Paulo State, Brazil. When milk reached 65°C the 0 tube was removed and refrigerated while the others taken out after 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes and cooled. For controlling heat treatment a thermometer was adapted to one tube with 5 ml each of raw milk which were submitted together to heat treatment and used for analysis of peroxidase and alkaline phosphatase enzymes after 30 minutes of heat treatment. Milk samples were submitted to serial decimal dilution in peptone water (0.1%) and inoculated in the Stonebrink-Leslie media. After 45 days at 37°C, colonies were counted and the result expressed in CFU/ml. The results showed that heating phase determined more inactivation than the holding phase. The resentence was different between the spoligotypes that simulated the low pasteurization and BR024 was more resentence. The results enable us to speculate that in the worst scenario of natural contamination of the milk.

Les protéines Hsp70 appartiennent à une famille de chaperons moléculaires très conservés qui jouent un rôle essentiel dans le contrôle qualité des protéines et qui protègent les cellules contre diverses agressions de l'environnement. Pour fonctionner comme un chaperon moléculaire, les protéines Hsp70 agissent de concert avec plusieurs co-chaperons et co-facteurs nécessaires au fonctionnement de son cycle ATPasique. Nos travaux montrent que les bactéries du genre Mycobacterium codent pour une nouvelle famille de protéines atypiques apparentées à Hsp70 dont l'architecture s'articule autour d'un domaine ATPase putatif à l'extrémité N-terminale, similaire au domaine de la superfamille Hsp70-actine, d’un segment transmembranaire (TMD) putatif et d'une longue région riche en proline/thréonine (P/T) en sa partie C-terminale. Le but de ce travail de thèse était d’étudier la fonction et la localisation cellulaire des protéines de type Hsp70 chez les mycobactéries. Nous avons d’abord constaté que la protéine Hsp70-Like de M. smegmatis (Msmg_Hsp70-Like) se localisait en foci distincts à la membrane des cellules et que son expression induisait un phénotype d’agrégation cellulaire. Afin d’éclaircir le rôle des domaines putatifs TMD et P/T, nous avons construit un ensemble de mutants dans lesquels ces éléments structurels ont été supprimés. Nous avons constaté que le domaine TMD putatif était important pour la localisation de Hsp70-Like, pour la formation des foci à la membrane et pour le phénotype d'agrégation des cellules. En revanche, le domaine riche en P/T n’a aucun effet sur ces phénotypes. In vitro, le domaine ATPase putatif de Msmg_Hsp70-Like a été purifié et des essais de cristallisation sont en cours. Des expériences supplémentaires restent cependant nécessaires pour évaluer la fonction de cette nouvelle famille de protéines. / Hsp70 belongs to a highly conserved family of molecular chaperone proteins that unambiguously plays essential roles in protein quality control, protecting cells against various environmental insults. To function as a bona fide molecular chaperone, Hsp70 acts in concert with several co-chaperones and nucleotide exchange factors to complete its ATP-dependent chaperone cycle. Our work shows that bacteria from the genus Mycobacterium encode new atypical Hsp70-Like proteins that share a common architecture: a putative ATPase domain at the N-terminus similar to members of the Hsp70-actin superfamily, a single putative transmembrane domain (TMD) in the middle of the protein and a long proline/threonine (P/T) - rich region at the C-terminal. The aim of this thesis work was to shed light on the function and the cellular localization of Hsp70-like proteins in mycobacteria. We first found that Msmg Hsp70-Like protein localizes to discrete foci within cells and that its expression induces a cell aggregation phenotype. To shed light on the role of the putative TMD and P/T- rich domains in Hsp70-Like, we engineered a set of mutants in which these structural elements were deleted. We found that the central putative TMD was important for the cell envelop localization of Hsp70-Like, for the formation of foci and for cell aggregation. In contrast, the P/T-rich had no effect on these phenomena. In vitro the putative ATPase domain of Msmg Hsp70-Like was purified and crystallization trials were performed. Further research is needed to assess the function of this novel family of proteins.

As micobactérias não tuberculosas (NTM) podem ser encontradas em diversos ambientes, como solo, sistemas aquáticos naturais, sistemas de abastecimento de água potável e também em eucariotos. As micobactérias de crescimento rápido são um subgrupo de NTM que têm prevalência significativa em infecções relacionadas a traumas cutâneos, procedimentos cirúrgicos vídeo-assistidos e em infecções pulmonares, sendo Mycobacterium abscessus a espécie mais relevante desse grupo. Durante um pseudo-surto de infecções pulmonares pós-broncoscopia, ocorrido na cidade de São Paulo em 2007, cepas de M. abscessus subsp. bolletii (\"M. massiliense\") pertencentes ao clone epidêmico BRA100 foram detectadas em amostras coletadas do único broncoscópio usado e em amostras de lavado broncoalveolar. Todas as cepas, com exceção da F1660, apresentaram tolerância ao glutaraldeído, uma característica marcante do clone BRA100. Foi realizado o sequenciamento completo do genoma utilizando-se o sistema Illumina com metodologia de pares casados e as sequências obtidas foram comparadas, com enfoque na análise de genes potencialmente envolvidos na tolerância ao glutaraldeído. Encontramos em ambas as cepas cromossomos com 4,6 Mpb, com 64% de conteúdo GC. As sequências de nucleotídeos possuem 99% de identidade entre si. Ambos os cromossomos possuem 4.616 sequências codificantes de proteínas. Elementos de profago, como proteínas de bacteriófagos, estão presentes nos cromossomos. Bem como diversos genes associados à resistência a antibióticos e biocidas. Foram localizados operons mce, associados com a capacidade de sobrevivência em amebas e invasão de macrófagos e componentes da família T7SS, relacionadas à virulência em diversas espécies de micobactérias, como M. tuberculosis e também à transferência genética horizontal em M. smegmatis. Adicionalmente, foi detectada em ambas as cepas uma estrutura extracromossômica circular, de 97 Kbp, com 62,7% de conteúdo GC e 121 sequências codificantes. Embora a maioria das proteínas preditas tenha função desconhecida, foi possível encontrar um bloco de genes que pertencem ao sistema de secreção do tipo sete (T7SS), similar ao encontrado em plasmídeos de micobactérias de crescimento lento, sugerindo a troca de material genético entre essas espécies. Apenas na cepa tolerante ao glutaraldeído - F1725 - foi detectado um plasmídeo do grupo IncP, designado pBRA100, que contém genes que codificam resistência à kanamicina, amônio quaternário, sulfonamidas e estreptomicina, e um novo gene fosI, descrito neste estudo, que confere resistência à fosfomicina. Não foram encontradas nos cromossomos diferenças que possam justificar a tolerância ao glutaraldeído. A diferença marcante entre os dois genomas é a presença do plasmídeo pBRA100 na cepa tolerante ao glutaraldeído / Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) can be found in diverse environments as soil, water plant, natural water systems as well as in Eukaryotes. Among the NTM group, rapid growth mycobacteria (RGM) have a substantial prevalence in infections following cutaneous trauma, lung infection and after video assisted surgeries. Mycobacterium abscessus is considered to be the most relevant pathogen pertaining to the RGM group. During a pseudooutbreak of lung infections occurred in the city of São Paulo in 2007, strains from M. abscessus subsp. bolletii (\"M. massiliense\") pertaining to the BRA100 clone were detected in samples from the biopsy channel of the only bronchoscope in use as well as from bronchoalveolar lavage. All the strains but F1660 exhibited tolerance to glutaraldehyde, which is a remarking characteristic of the BRA100 clone. We report here the complete genome sequences for the strains F1725 and F1660, respectively tolerant and susceptible to glutaraldehyde. The genomes of both strains consist of a 4.6 Mpb chromosome with 4,616 coding sequences and high GC content of 64%. The chromosomes encode diverse proteins related to antibiotic and biocide resistance. Operons involved in virulence, as mce, are present as well as components from T7SS family, related to virulence in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and in horizontal gene transfer in M. smegmatis. Both strains harbored a circular extra-chromosomal structure, with T7SS system elements related to those found in plasmids from slow growing mycobacteria. It is circular, has 97 kbp and 121 open reading frames. Additionally, only F1725 strain has an IncP multidrug resistant plasmid, named pBRA100. It confers resistance to kanamycin, quaternary ammonium, sulfamethoxazole and streptomycin and also has new fosfomycin resistance gene fos I. No differences were found in the chromosomes that could justify tolerance to glutaraldehyde. The remarkable difference between the two genomes is the presence of plasmid pBRA100 in the glutaraldehyde tolerant strain

Tuberculosis is a severe disease that causes about 2 million deaths every year. It is a worldwide threat and it is estimated that one-third of the world’s population carries the infection. The severe side effects of the present drugs, and the more than 6 months long treatment, in addition to the development of resistant bacterial strains, are the incentives for the intensified search for new drugs. In this work two potential mycobacterial drug targets have been studied: Caseinolytic protease 1 (ClpP1) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt) and Methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRS) from Mycobacterium smegmatis (Ms). The X-ray stucture of ClpP1 was determined to 3.0 Å resolution. The study gives details on the tetradecameric arrangement of the enzyme. Two hepameric discs assemble to form a chamber containing the catalytic activity mediated by each of the monomers. The chamber can be reached by two pores. Comparison with the human homologue reveals important structural differences. The X-ray studies on Ms MetRS were done to 2.3 Å and 2.8 Å resolution. The study gives details on the flexibility of the enzyme and how this is related to activity. Important findings are identification of an intermediate structure in which the methionine to be adenylated is bound in the catalytic site in a tight complex. The catalytic site and the anticodon recognizing domains are separated and the structural results indicate communication between the domains. The possibility to allosterically inhibit the enzyme is discussed.

Interferon regulatory factor-8 (Irf-8), a hematopoietic transcriptional regulator, controls myeloid-cell proliferation and coordinates innate and adaptive host immune responses. Mice from the BXH-2 recombinant inbred strain carry an endogenous R294C mutation in Irf-8. This loss-of-function mutation induces clonal infiltration of undifferentiated Mac-1+/Gr-1 + granulocytic precursors in BXH-2 mice, extramedullary hematopoiesis, and splenomegaly similar to those seen in human chronic myeloid leukemia. It also renders the host permissible to the otherwise avirulent Mycobacterium bovis (BCG), and negatively affects survival or recovery of these mice to other infectious pathogens. Here, we generated a polyc1onal anti-Irf-8 antibody to better characterize the effects of the R294C mutation on Irf-8 protein expression, stability, and inducibility in hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic tissues. We found that mutant Irf-8C294-expressing tissues consistently displayed reduced Irf-8 abundance compared to their wild-type counterparts in both primary splenocytes and following transfection into heterologous cells, presumably due to decreased stability or increased rate of degradation of the mutant isoform. Results also indicate that native Irf-8 is also expressed in the heart, and to a lesser extent, in the kidneys. Since neither of these organs is well-known to be associated with hematopoietic or immune functions, this finding strengthens the possibility that Irf-8 may exert additional regulatory functions in other cellular contexts. Taken together, our study provides a better understanding about the molecular features of the mutant Irf-8 C294 protein and contributes to a growing body of evidence in support of Irf-8 expression in non-hematopoietic tissues.

This thesis presents the cloning, purification, crystallization, and structural studies of two unknown proteins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and of an aminotransferase from Mycobacterium smegmatis. Structural knowledge of these proteins is of highest interest for structure-based drug design, which is one of the approaches that can be used in order to fight tuberculosis (TB). The structure of the conserved hypothetical protein Rv0216 was refined to a resolution of 1.9 Å. The structure exhibits a so-called double hotdog-fold, similar to known hydratases. However, only parts of the hydratase active site are conserved in Rv0216, and no function could be assigned to the protein. Several Rv0216-like protein sequences were found in a variety of actino- and proteobacteria, suggesting that these proteins form a new protein family. Furthermore, other hotdog-folded proteins in M. tuberculosis were identified, of which a few are likely to be hydratases or dehydratases involved in the fatty acid metabolism. The structure of Rv0130 exhibits a single hotdog-fold and contains a highly conserved R-hydratase motif. Rv0130 was shown to hydrate fatty acid coenzyme A derivatives with a length of six to eight carbons. The Rv0130 active site is situated in a long tunnel, formed by a kink in the central hotdog-helix, which indicate that it can utilize long fatty acid chains as well. A number of previously predicted hotdog-folded proteins also feature a similar tunnel. The structure of branched chain aminotransferase (BCAT) of M. smegmatis was determined in the apo-form and in complex with an aminooxy inhibitor. Mycobacterial BCAT is very similar to the human BCAT, apart for one important difference in the active site. Gly243 is a threonine in the human BCAT, a difference that offers specificity in inhibition and substrate recognition of these proteins. The aminooxy compound and MES were found to inhibit the mycobacterial BCAT activities. The aminooxy compound inhibits by blocking the substrate-pocket. A second inhibitor-binding site was identified through the binding of a MES molecule. Therefore, both the MES-binding site and the substrate-pocket of M. smegmatis BCAT are suggested to be potential sites for the development of new inhibitors against tuberculosis.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, 2008. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 46-05, page: 2665. Adviser: Tommy C. Douglas. Includes bibliographical references.