<p> The rhizoplast (flagellar rootlet) of the amebaflagellate Naegleria gruberi has been studied in sectioned cells and in the isolated state. Since the organelle arises, as do the other components of the flagellar apparatus, through a de novo assembly, and possibly a de novo synthesis during the ameba-to-flagellate transformation, the characterization of the rhizoplast's nature may be of importance in the study of a differentiation process in a eukaryotic cell. </p> <p> Structurally, the organelle is a periodically-banded, longitudinally fibrous structure arising in the basal body area of the cell and tapering towards its end in the cytoplasm adjacent to the nucleus. The attachment of the organelle to the basal bodies is mediated through the interbasal body connector and the rhizoplast-associated microtubules. Attachment to the nucleus is unlikely as it has never been unequivocally demonstrated in electron-microscope studies. </p> <p> Rhizoplasts exhibit a distinct periodicity composed of alternating electron-opaque and electron-transparent bands. Variations in the width of both bands has been observed and is discussed in terms of the possible role of the organelle as an anchor and stapilizing structure for the flagellar complex, with contractility and elasticity being discussed as possible mechanisms of this variation. </p> <p> An isolation and partial purification of the rhizoplast has been achieved and is described with reference to its possible use as a tool in the biochemical analysis of the rhizoplast. An aggregation phenomenon of dissolved rhizoplast material by divalent cations has been observed and is discussed, keeping in mind the similar phenomena exhibited by the contractile proteins paramyosin and tropomyosino Collagen, which exhibits a reaggregation from solution, is discussed and tentatively discarded as a possibility for rhizoplast material due to its tendency towards solubilization rather than reaggregation in solutions containing divalent cations. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T14:31:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_ricardo_luiz_ricci_falchi.pdf: 1452866 bytes, checksum: 5f2efbe078fb811eeea2b4e998a1ef48 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-06-22 / In countries in development, one of the main causes of diseases is the contamination of the water due to the deficiency of the sanitary sewerage system. Rio Grande city, situated in the South of Rio Grande do Sul, as the majority of the Brazilian cities also presents limitations in the collection and treatment of the cloacal sewer. This deficiency makes that part of the residues of the population be eliminated directly in the Patos Lagoon, which acquits a important role in the fishing activity, besides being used as local for washing, in the summer months, by the population which lives around. This study had as objectives to investigate the presence of pathogenic parasites to the man and parasites that are indicator of fecal contamination water samples gathered in different parts of the Patos Lagoon, Rio Grande, RS. In the period between January and December of 2005, it was gathered, monthly, samples of 500mL of water in 12 different parts of the Lagoon. The samples were filtered through a membrane of acetate of cellulose (0,45), under a negative pressure for the material retention. After the material elution, through the Tween 80 solution to 0, 1%, the material was concentrated by centrifugation in 1500 rpm, during 15 minutes. For the initial research of protozoa, it was achieved the direct exam in breezy of the material, as well as the material concentrated by the centrifugal-flotation technique in solution of sulfate of zinc. For the research of oocysts of Cryptosporidium spp., they were achieved concurrently the techniques of concentration centrifugal-flotation of Sheather and centrifugal-sedimentation by formol ether, with the posterior coloration with the Kinyoun technique. For the research of free-living amoebas, it was made the culture of one aliquot of each water sample in non-nutrient agar inoculated with inactive Escherichia coli . Aliquots originated of the eluted material from the membrane and of the culture were ruddy by trichrome, for the diagnosis of protozoa cysts. In the gathering places of the samples it was sized pH, saltiness and water temperature. The research of total coliforms and Escherichia coli was achieved by the technique of multiple tubes. In the analysis of the 12 parts, during the 12 months of water gathering, it was observed that 91,7% were infected with protozoa that can infect human beings; Cryptosporidium spp. (16,7%), Acanthamoeba spp. (91,7%), Naegleria spp. (25%) and Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar (8,3). Total coliforms (more than 5.000/100mL) and Escherichia coli (more than 1.000/100mL) were secluded in all the harvested samples, showing water contamination by cloacal sewer. The temperature, the saltiness and water pH, do not influenced in the detection do protozoa, except for Acanthamoeba spp. That presented bigger frequency when the water saltiness was under or equal 0,6% (p < 0,05). The presence of organic substance in the closeness of the places of samples gathering influenced in the detection of protozoa in general, as well as the creation of animals for the detection of Naegleria spp. (p < 0.05). The observation of water contamination for pathogenic parasites to man and the indications of fecal contamination, suggest better action of sanitary planning, as well as preventive and educative steps in order to avoid the human infection. / Nos países em desenvolvimento uma das principais causas de doenças é a contaminação da água devido às deficiências dos serviços de esgotamento sanitário. A cidade de Rio Grande, localizada ao sul do Rio Grande do Sul, assim como a maioria dos municípios brasileiros, também apresenta limitações na colheita e tratamento do esgoto cloacal. Esta deficiência faz com que parte dos dejetos da população seja eliminada diretamente na Laguna dos Patos, a qual desempenha importante papel na atividade pesqueira, além de ser usada como local para banho, nos meses de verão, pela população residente nos seus arredores. Este estudo teve como objetivos investigar a presença de parasitos patogênicos ao homem e de parasitos que são indicadores de contaminação fecal em amostras de água colhidas em diferentes pontos da Laguna dos Patos, Rio Grande, RS. No período de janeiro a dezembro de 2005, foram colhidas, mensalmente, amostras de 500 mL de água em 12 pontos da Laguna. As amostras foram filtradas através de membrana de acetato de celulose (0,45 µm), sob pressão negativa para a retenção do material. Após eluição do material, através da solução de Tween 80 a 0,1%, o material foi concentrado por centrifugação a 1500 rpm, por 15 minutos. Para a pesquisa inicial de protozoários, foi realizado o exame direto a fresco do material, bem como do material concentrado pela técnica de centrífugo-flutuação em solução de sulfato de zinco. Para a pesquisa de oocistos de Cryptosporidium spp., foram realizadas simultaneamente as técnicas de concentração de centrífugo-flutuação de Sheather e de centrífugo-sedimentação pelo formol-éter, com posterior coloração com a técnica de Kinyoun. Para a pesquisa de amebas de vida livre, foi feito o cultivo de uma alíquota de cada amostra de água em meio de ágar não nutriente com Escherichia coli inativada. Alíquotas provenientes do material eluído da membrana e do cultivo foram coradas pelo tricrômio, para diagnóstico de cistos de protozoários. Nos locais de colheita das amostras foram medidos pH, salinidade e temperatura da água. A pesquisa de coliformes totais e Escherichia coli foi realizada pela técnica dos tubos mú ltiplos. Na análise dos 12 pontos, durante os 12 meses de colheita de água, foi observado que 91,7% (11/12) estavam contaminados com protozoários que podem infectar seres humanos; Cryptosporidium spp. (16,7%), Acanthamoeba spp. (91,7%), Naegleria spp. (25%) e Entamoeba histolytica/ Entamoeba dispar (8,3%). Coliformes totais (superior a 5.000/100mL) e Escherichia coli (superior a 1.000/100mL) foram isolados em todas as amostras colhidas, demonstrando contaminação da água por esgoto cloacal. A temperatura, salinidade e pH da água, não influenciaram na detecção dos protozoários, exceto para Acanthamoeba spp. que apresentou maior freqüência quando a salinidade da água estava menor ou igual a 0,6% (p<0,05). A presença de matéria orgânica nas proximidades dos locais de colheita das amostras influenciou na detecção de protozoários em geral, bem como a criação de animais para a detecção de Naegleria spp. (p<0,05). A observação da contaminação da água por parasitos patogênicos ao homem e a indicação de contaminação fecal, sugerem melhores ações de planejamento sanitário, assim como medidas preventivas e educativas a fim de evitar a infecção humana.

Naegleria fowleri are free-living ameboflagellates found in soil and freshwater habitats throughout the world that cause a fatal disease in humans called Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM). Mechanisms of host resistance or susceptibility to infection have not been fully elucidated, and possible treatment methods are still sub optimal. The disease is diagnosed using specific laboratory tests available in only a few laboratories in the United States. Because of the rarity of infection and difficulty in initial detection, more than often PAM is misdiagnosed. Therefore, it is very important to find causative marker for early detection of an infection. The purpose of this study is to create a proteomic signature map using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-D gel) and recommend a subset of proteins that may be directly linked to the pathogenic state of N. fowleri. Replicates of 2-D Gels were created for both strains of N. fowleri and the proteomic templates from these gels were compared with each other. Scatter Plots were generated measuring the density of protein spots from 2-D gels being analyzed for each study. For each strains of N. fowleri, the 2-D gels from each study were compared within and compared between the two studies for reproducibility in data. The resulting correlation values for all of the Scatter Plots were greater or equal to 0.90. Finally, the representative proteomic template for axenically grown N. fowleri and mouse passaged N. fowleri were compared and the correlation value of 0.60 was observed. This confirmed our theory that these two strains or states of N. fowleri have very different protein expressions, and we were able to identify a subset of proteins, both over expressed and newly synthesized, that may be linked to the highly pathogenic state of N. fowleri.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-02-04T21:42:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lais Helena Teixeira.pdf: 556132 bytes, checksum: 2153838bf056154d32211284850ce417 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-06-26 / Amebas de vida-livre, particularmente as pertencentes aos gêneros Acanthamoeba e Naegleria, são amplamente distribuídas no mundo todo e têm sido consideradas como parasitas oportunísticos de humanos. Elas são resistentes a extremas condições de temperatura e de pH, bem como ao cloro e a outros tipos de desinfetantes. Cistos desidratados podem sobreviver por vários anos numa variedade de hábitats, incluindo solo, poeiras domésticas, esgoto, água fresca, água de torneira, lagos naturais e artificiais e piscinas inadequadamente (ou adequadamente) cloradas, onde as amebas podem se alimentar de bactérias contaminantes. O gênero Acanthamoeba pode ocorrer comensalmente na região nasofaríngea de indivíduos saudáveis, mas pode ser considerada uma infecção oportunista, ocorrendo principalmente em indivíduos debilitados, alcoólatras, doentes crônicos, pessoas submetidas a tratamento com drogas imunossupressoras e pacientes imunocomprometidos. No Brasil, já foram descritos casos de ceratites e encefalites amebianas, mas poucos são os relatos da presença delas no ambiente. O objetivo do trabalho é o de avaliar a ocorrência de amebas de vida-livre, dos gêneros Acanthamoeba e Naegleria, em ambientes fechados, e para tal foi escolhido a Universidade Católica de Santos, com a finalidade de se conhecer o universo desses organismos, em lugares com alta densidade circulante de indivíduos aparentemente saudáveis. Foram coletadas 200 amostras de poeira dos pisos, no período de 5 meses, com auxílio de swab esterilizado, e transferidas para tubos de ensaio com 5ml de solução salina de Page, usada como transporte. Essa solução foi semeada em ágar não nutriente com 50&#956;l de caldo BHI ou solução de Page enriquecida com E. coli ATCC 25922, viva, com crescimento de 18 a 24h. Os tubos foram incubados a 37ºC e a leitura foi realizada a cada 48h por até 20 dias, em microscópio óptico comum, com aumento de 400X. As amostras positivas foram repicadas para novos tubos com ágar não nutriente da mesma forma. A identificação foi feita pela observação de cistos e trofozoítas baseando-se no tipo de movimento e nos critérios morfológicos. Nas amostras analisadas, observou-se 28% de positividade com cistos e trofozoítas sugestivos para os gêneros Acanthamoeba e Naegleria. As amebas de vida-livre mais encontradas foram as do gênero Acanthamoeba provavelmente por serem organismos comensais e ubiquitários, e por apresentarem maior resistência à ação dos desinfetantes utilizados na limpeza da universidade. Já o gênero Naegleria foi encontrado menos frequentemente talvez por estarem associados a locais úmidos, e as amostras terem sido, em sua grande maioria, coletadas de locais secos.

The free-living amoeba and causative agent of Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis, Naegleria fowleri, has three life stages: the trophozoite, the flagellate, and the cyst. This study examined the ability of the cyst to attach to, excyst upon, and destroy cell cultures grown to confluent monolayers, and to cause Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis in a murine animal model. The co-culture of cysts with P388D.1, CHME3, Vero, human nasal epithelial, and rat primary mixed glial cells resulted in destruction of the monolayer of all cell types once the cysts attached and excysted. One day post exposure to cysts, the mixed glial cells exhibited a two-fold increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release compared to cells without cysts, and on day eight post exposure, showed a nearly four-fold increase in LDH. In this study, the cysts of N. fowleri were shown not to be infective in vivo in a murine model using B6C3F1 male mice. The mediation of the encystment process by the intracellular concentration of the secondary messenger cAMP, as described in other closely related genera and species of amoeba, was also investigated. Encystment of N. fowleri was shown to be mediated at least in part by the secondary messenger cAMP by treating cultures of the trophozoite with 100 uM dipyridamole, an inhibitor of cAMP-specific phosphodiesterases. Dipyridamole (100 μM) increased the rate of encystment by nearly two-fold compared to 0.1% DMSO by the end of a five day period of observation. This suggests that cAMP is an essential mediator of the encystment process within Naegleria fowleri.

Emerging pathogens are organisms whose incidence has increased within the past two decades. In the last 40 years, several pathogens have emerged to cause infectious waterborne and foodborne diseases, thus causing a significant public health concern. Enterobacter sakazakii and Naegleria fowleri are emerging pathogens that have been documented to cause fatal infections. E. sakazakii is an emerging foodborne pathogen that represents a significant health risk by causing infections resulting in septicemia, meningitis and necrotizing enterocolitis in neonates, premature infants and also elderly immunocompromised individuals. Naegleria fowleri is a water-based protozoan flagellate that is the cause of primary amoebic meningoencephalitis; a fatal disease that mostly infects children and young adults through water-related recreational activities. The focus of this dissertation is to identify environmental reservoirs of Enterobacter sakazakii and to determine inactivation strategies to control Naegleria fowleri by chlorine and ultraviolet disinfection. In Appendix A, samples from various household kitchens were collected to determine the presence of E.sakazakii. The highest percentage of E.sakazakii was isolated from kitchen sponges (8%; n=50) and dishrags (10%; n=50). This study provided information on the presence of E.sakazakii on environmental surfaces in the kitchen. In Appendix B, our recent research has determined that N. fowleri is present in 8% (n=143) of municipal drinking water wells in central and southern Arizona. Therefore, guidelines need to be established for treatment of water with various disinfectants to control the growth and proliferation of N.fowleri. In Appendix C, the Ct values (concentration (mg/l) × exposure time) for chlorine inactivation of N. fowleri trophozoites and cysts were determined using the Efficiency Hom Kinetic Model (EHM). The Ct values for 99% inactivation of trophozoites and cysts were estimated to be 9 and 31, respectively. The ultraviolet light dose required for the 99% inactivation of N.fowleri trophozoites and cysts was determined to be 63 mW.sec/cm² and 13 mW.sec/cm², respectively.

No description available.

<p> Amoeboid Motion is thought to be due to the action of an actomyosin- like protein present in the cytoplasm of amoeba. A co-ordinated net- 0 work of microfilaments of the actomyosin-like protein, 70 A in diameter, may be the mechanical means of accomplishing amoeboid motion. The microfilaments formed of the actomyosin-like protein, may be capable of rapid association and dissociation in vivo. In this thesis, the cytoplasm of Naegleria gruberi amoeba has been shown to possess a protein similar to actomyosin. Characterization of the ATPase activity, superprecipitating ability, electrophoretic behaviour and microfilament producing ability reveal that the actomyosin-like protein of Naegleria gruberi amoeba is quite similar to the analogous protein in Physarum polycephalum. Naeqleria gruberi may be an ideal organism in which to study the interconversion of one form of a biologically active macromolecule to another., In different stages of the life cycle, amoeboid motion, flagellar beating and mitotic spindles are present. It is possible that the same contractile molecules in different forms may perform different functions. </P> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-24T19:37:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Renato Ferraz Penteado.pdf: 5510615 bytes, checksum: a1e326883a6f1e7ad0decd6835add201 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-09 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Knowledge of protein structures is of huge importance, since this information allows to understand the mechanisms through which proteins carry out their biological functions. Lipases constitute an enzymatic family capable to perform synthesis or hydrolysis of ester bonds of triacyl glycerols (TAGs) with long chain fatty acids.These enzymes are the theme of many investigations given their potential to be used in a wide variety of apllications involving chemicals with the ester functional group,e.g., in organic synthesis. On the other hand, structural knowledge of some enzymes is important for the development of new therapeutic drugs or even to contribute for the understanding of structural evolutionary features, like those belonging to metabolic pathways. In this work were accomplished the homology modeling of the lipase from Jatropha curcas and the structure determination of the triosephosphate isomerase from Naegleria gruberi from three X ray diffraction data sets. Among three experimental structures obtained, two belong to C2 space group, with different unit cells, and one to P4122 space group. Initial phases were obtained by molecular replacement procedure using the Phaser program and all structures were refined interactively with Coot and Phenix programs. In one structure it was possible to model three molecules of the precipitant agent Jeffamine present in the crystallization solution and one molecule of Tris buffer (placed at the active site). Structural comparisons were performed among the refined and validated model and some of its homologues, taking into account the differences observed in the structural-based alignment among them and characteristics noticed during the refinement procedure. Circular dichroism experiments have shown that thermal denaturation is irreversible to triosephosphate isomerase of Naegleria gruberi. / O conhecimento da estrutura de proteínas é de grande importância, uma vez que esta informação permite o entendimento dos mecanismos pelos quais elas desempenham suas funções biológicas. Lipases constituem uma família enzimática capaz de realizar a síntese ou hidrólise de ligações éster de substratos triacilgliceróis (TAGs) contendo ácidos graxos de cadeia longa. São alvo de muitos estudos dadas suas potencialidades em um grande número de aplicações envolvendo o grupo funcional éster, por exemplo, em química orgânica síntética. Já o conhecimento estrutural de algumas enzimas é importante para o desenvolvimento de novas drogas terapêuticas ou mesmo contribuir para o entendimento de aspectos evolutivos estruturais, como daquelas pertencentes a vias metabólicas. Neste trabalho foram realizadas a modelagem por homologia da estrutura lipase da planta Jatropha curcas e a determinação experimental da estrutura da triose fosfato isomerase do microrganismo Naegleria gruberi a partir de três conjuntos de imagens de difração de Raios X. Das três estruturas experimentais obtidas, duas pertencem ao grupo de espaço C2, com células unitárias diferentes, e uma ao grupo de espaço P4122. As fases iniciais foram obtidas com o procedimento de substituição molecular utilizando o programa PHASER e todas as estruturas foram refinadas iterativamente com o auxílio dos programas COOT e PHENIX. Em uma das estruturas foi possível modelar três moléculas do agente precipitante Jeffamine® presente na condição de cristalização e uma molécula do tampão Tris (no sítio ativo do monômero B). Comparações estruturais foram realizadas entre o modelo refinado e validado e algumas das proteínas homólogas, tendo em vista diferenças observadas no alinhamento baseado em estrutura entre elas e características notadas durante o procedimento de refinamento. Experimentos de dicroísmo circular mostraram que a desnaturação térmica é irreversível para esta proteína.

Dans l'objectif d'anticiper et de réduire la prolifération de l'amibe pathogène Naegleria fowleri dans les circuits de refroidissement de certaines centrales électriques, notre travail vise à mieux comprendre l'écologie de cette amibe dans des environnements complexes tels que les biofilms d'eau douce récemment reconnus comme niche écologique préférentielle des amibes libres. Des essais de laboratoire ont été réalisés pour déterminer l'impact des facteurs environnementaux naturels et anthropiques: température, nature du matériau support de la formation du biofilm, charge nutritionnelle et monochloramination sur le comportement et le devenir de Naegleria fowleri dans le biofilm. Ces travaux ont permis de démontrer que la survie, l'implantation, la croissance, le maintien et le déclin de Naegleria fowleri dans les biofilms sont principalement gouvernés par la concomitance des facteurs température et ressource nutritive. Les autres facteurs: nature du matériau, désinfection à la monochloramine et compétition amibienne, se présentent plutôt comme des paramètres de perturbation ou d'inhibition de cette dynamique. Par ailleurs, les résultats obtenus sur la colonisation du biofilm par les amibes confortent le rôle prépondérant de cet habitat comme réservoir naturel des amibes libres et Naegleria fowleri / This study is aiming at preventing and reducing the proliferation of the pathogenic free-living amoeba Naegleria fowleri in several power plant cooling circuits. This work contributes to provide a better understanding of the ecology of this amoeba in complex environments such as freshwater biofilms, which recently has been recognized as privileged ecological niche for free-living amoebae. Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the impact of environmental factors such as temperature, type of support material for the biofilm formation, nutritional resources and monochloramination treatment on the behavior and the fate of Naegleria fowleri in the biofilm. This work has demonstrated that the survival, implantation, maintain, growth and decline of Naegleria fowleri in biofilms are mainly governed by a combination of the temperature and nutritional resource factors. The other factors: type of support material, monochloramination treatment, and amoebic competition, appeared rather as disruptive or inhibitory parameters of this dynamic. Moreover, the obtained results for the amoebic colonization of the biofilm matrix confirm the crucial role of this habitat as natural reservoir for free-living amoebae and Naegleria fowleri