Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2005. / Bibliography: leaves 62-68.

Les ISCR constituent une famille de séquences d’insertions bactériennes décrits récemment dans des contextes cliniques et d’antibiorésistance. Les transposases codées par ces IS appartiennent à la famille des HUH transposases qui transposent selon un mécanisme en cercle roulant. Néanmoins, aucune donnée expérimentale n’existe à ce jour. La famille ISCR compte 19 membres mais ont été peu caractérisés. C’est pourquoi, nous avons fait une mise à jour des informations sur ces éléments en analysant in silico les principales caractéristiques par une étude in silico. Nous nous sommes ensuite intéressés à l’implication de l’élément ISCR1 dans l’expression de la région variable en aval. Cet élément contient deux promoteurs orientés vers l’extérieur (POUT) dans sa région en 3’. Après une analyse de la diversité des gènes, nous avons remarqué que la plupart des gènes en aval étaient orientés dans le même sens que ces POUT et qu’ils pouvaient être exprimés à partir des deux promoteurs. Nous avons montré que pour deux gènes de résistance dfrA19 et blaCTX-M-9, ces promoteurs augmentent le niveau d’expression. De plus, la région contenant les deux promoteurs est nécessaire pour que l’expression de blaCTX-M-9 confère un phénotype de résistance. En parallèle, nous avons déterminé la régulation du promoteur du gène de la transposase de ISCR1. Nous avons identifié des motifs de régulation pour les régulateurs LexA et OmpR et déterminé expérimentalement que le promoteur du gène de la transposase de ISCR1 était régulé de façon négative par la protéine LexA, régulateur majeur de la réponse SOS et de façon positive par la protéine OmpR en conditions hypo-osmotiques. Nous proposons donc un modèle selon lequel ISCR1 est un élément dont la mobilité serait conditionnée par des facteurs environnementaux et en même temps, assurerait l’expression constitutive de gènes en aval, notamment impliqués dans l’antibiorésistance. / ISCR are a bacterial insertion sequences, recently described in clinical settings, frequently related to antibiotic resistance. These ISCR-encoded transposases belong to the well-known HUH transposases family, which transpose by rolling-circle replication. However, the transposition mechanism of ISCR transposases has not been shown experimentally. ISCR family includes 19 members and has not been well characterized yet. Therefore, we updated in silico already known characteristics for each ISCR element. Then, we investigated the involvement of ISCR1 in the expression of the downstream genes. Indeed, ISCR1 carries two outward-oriented promoters called POUT. By analyzing the diversity of the downstream region, we found that most of genes were in the same orientation as POUT promoters, suggesting these downstream genes are expressed from POUT. It thus showed that these two promoters are able to express two antibiotic resistance genes (dfrA19 and blaCTX-M-9 ). Moreover, the region containing POUT is essential to provide an ESBL-resistance phenotype for blaCTX-M-9 gene. Moreover, we also wanted to analyze the regulatory network involved in the expression of the ISCR1 transposase, RCR1. We experimentally determined that two regulatory proteins LexA and OmpR, involved in response to different stress (DNA damages and osmotic shock), control the activity of rcr1 promoter. LexA protein represses Prcr1 whereas OmpR activates Prcr1 in hypo-osmotic conditions. Here, we propose a model in which ISCR1 transposition would be the control of environmental stresses and at the same time, insured the expression of downstream antibiotic resistance genes.

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2005. / Bibliography: leaves 62-69.

<p> Four stucturally distinct types of macromolecular antifreezes have been previously isolated from the sera of polar marine fish. When the water temperature surrounding these organisms drops below -0.7°C, the freezing point of their bodily fluids, any contact with surrounding ice will nucleate internal ice crystal growth. The antifreeze proteins (AFPs) and antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) synthesized by the fish act to inhibit the growth of existing ice crystals in their sera through direct adsorption to the ice lattice. The α-helical structure of type I AFP from winter flounder has been solved to atomic resolution and its mechanism of ice binding has been proposed. The NMR solution structure of a type III AFP from ocean pout has identified proteins in this class to exist in a β-sandwich conformation, however their mechanism of action remains uncertain.</p> <p> To facilitate the pursuit of an x-ray crystal structure solution, we subcloned the gene for a type III AFP (HPLC6) into pET15b and expressed recombinant His-rHPLC6 AFP in E. coli. Purified rmHPLC6 product has been successfully crystallized, and heavy atom soaks were performed in order to attempt a structure solution by multiple isomorphous replacement. The lone tyrosine in this recombinant AFP has been successfully derivatized in solution with iodine, and the modified protein was crystallized. In order to optimize the measurement of anomalous scattering information, modifications to our data collection system were required. Cryocrystallography techniques were employed to improve the quality of collected data.</p> <p> The expression, purification, crystallization and optimized data collection on an iodine-derivatized type III AFP from ocean pout will be presented here. This work has been instrumental in providing the high quality x-ray data required to solve the crystal structure to atomic resolution. Future examination of the solved structure will promote an increased understanding of the ice-binding mechanism exhibited by this class of proteins.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)