Since India became independent in August, 1947, the Indian government has pursued a 'neutralist' policy in world affairs which has raised some doubts and difficulties, more particularly in the Western non-communist camp. India's foreign policy, both generally and in its various manifestations, has been frequently subject to bitter criticism and has even been condemned as immoral and motivated by a pro-Communist bias. Such an analysis is, of course, entirely out of focus. It is hoped that this thesis will help dispel some of the doubts and clear away some of the misinterpretations concerning the policies that the Indian government has pursued on the world stage. Various aspects of Indian foreign policy have been discussed by a number of writers both in general and in specific degrees; however, to this writer's knowledge, no one has attempted to view India's foreign policy in the manner treated in this thesis. Within the limits placed by the proximity to the events discussed, this study tries to survey objectively India's foreign policy in the cold war. Throughout this study India's foreign policy has been discussed in its various manifestations. A country's foreign policy naturally derives from a complex set of historical, geographic, economic and emotional factors, and thus the context within which Indian foreign policy was formulated and the determinants upon which it is based are examined in the first Chapter. Then in Chapter Two, which describes India's approach to the problem of security, are discussed the various efforts made by the Indian government to satisfy, within the bounds permitted by the country's resources, the strategic requirements of the State. Recognizing that India's real security depends on removing tension from the world, however, India has sought the removal of Western controls over dependent Afro-Asian peoples as a concrete step towards peace. The third Chapter discusses this, from India's initial out-spoken championship of the cause of dependent peoples to a more recent moderate approach caused by a realization that Western imperialism is a 'dead issue' and that Communist imperialism is the greater threat. In recognition that the division of the world into power blocs increases the chances of war, the Indian government has striven to ease tension through furthering the ideals of the United Nations Charter, as illustrated in Chapter Four by her opposition to power blocs and to alliances, her advocacy of disarmament, and her championship of Red China's right to a seat at the United Nations. Aware of the delicate peace existing between East and West and realizing that a world war could result from any dispute involving the rival interests of the two power blocs, India has sought to prevent such an occurrence through dealing with each issue on its intrinsic merits. India also understands that the only alternative to coexistence is co-destruction, and she has sought to instill this realization in both the Communist and non-Communist camps. These two aspects of Indian foreign policy are discussed in Chapters Five and Six. Finally, a brief attempt is made to summarize India's foreign policy and to arrive at some general conclusions. I gratefully acknowledge the constant advice and guidance of Dr. P. Harnetty whose constructive suggestions facilitated the writing of this paper. / Arts, Faculty of / History, Department of / Graduate

The v-rel oncogene is the most efficiently transforming member of the Rel/NF-κB family of transcription factors. Identification of genes or signal transduction pathways that contribute to v-Rel transformation provide insight into the mechanisms of tumorigenesis by Rel/NF-κB proteins. In these studies, the contribution of TGF-β/Smad signaling to v-Rel transformation was assessed. TGF-β/Smad signaling regulates several cellular processes, including growth, differentiation, and apoptosis and has been implicated in a number of different cancers. Using microarray technology and Northern blot analysis, key components of the TGF-β/Smad pathway (tgf-β2 and tgf-β3 ligands, TGF-β type II receptor, and receptor-activated smad3) were identified with upregulated mRNA expression in v-Rel-transformed fibroblasts and lymphoid cells relative to control cells. A corresponding change in their protein levels was also observed. Further analysis revealed elevated levels of the phosphorylated, active form of Smad3, which correlated with its increased DNA-binding activity in v-Rel transformed cells. In contrast, the overexpression of c-Rel resulted in little to no alteration in the RNA and protein expression of members of the TGF-β/Smad pathway. Further studies demonstrated that elevated TGF-β/Smad signaling is required for the transforming ability of v-Rel. Blocking TGF-β signaling with a kinase inhibitor of TGF-β type I receptor inhibited the activation of Smad3 and dramatically reduced the ability of v-Rel transformed cells to form colonies in soft agar. Overexpression of a constitutively active form of Smad3 in the inhibitor-treated cells restored their ability to form colonies in soft agar close to the levels seen in untreated cells. Additional experiments with dominant negative Smad3 also revealed its ability to hinder the oncogenic potential of v-Rel. In complementary experiments, a stimulatory effect on v-Rel transformation was observed with cells treated with recombinant TGF-β2 ligand or overexpressed with wild-type Smad3. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that TGF-β signaling is crucial for the transformation potential of v-Rel and is primarily mediated by Smad3 activity. / text

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-29T14:10:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_6495_CAPA DURA-DISSERTAÇÃO FINAL-2.pdf: 2217920 bytes, checksum: a17953083f0afffdaa4ed77ae8161305 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-14 / A fibromialgia (FM) se caracteriza por dor generalizada, fadiga, sono não reparador, entre outros sintomas. Trata-se de uma doença de origem não determinada e com resposta incerta ao tratamento, podendo provocar sentimentos de vulnerabilidade e desamparo além de potenciais impactos na rotina familiar e social dos que recebem esse diagnóstico. Diante disso, o presente trabalho objetivou, de modo geral, descrever e analisar as representações sociais (RS) de FM e de conjugalidade para casais em que um dos cônjuges foi diagnosticado com a doença, levando em consideração a perspectiva da Psicologia Social e a categoria de análise gênero. Os objetivos específicos foram: investigar o grau de conhecimento dos participantes sobre a FM e o grau de conhecimento que seus cônjuges avaliam ter sobre a doença, bem como seus desdobramentos na dinâmica conjugal; investigar as RS de FM e de conjugalidade; verificar como são construídas as relações entre as RS de FM e de conjugalidade, bem como as práticas de manutenção ou alteração da dinâmica conjugal após o diagnóstico de um dos cônjuges; analisar os aspectos identificados considerando a categoria de análise gênero. Participaram do estudo 08 casais em que um dos cônjuges foi diagnosticado com FM há pelo menos 12 meses, com histórico de relacionamento estável iniciado há pelo menos 01 ano antes do diagnóstico. Os 16 participantes responderam a um questionário contendo dados sociodemográficos e informações breves sobre seu histórico clínico e, em seguida, foram entrevistados individualmente com base em um roteiro não estruturado (narrativa) e semiestruturado. As transcrições das entrevistas foram submetidas à análise de conteúdo e problematizadas à luz da Teoria das Representações Sociais, tendo sido utilizado também o software Analyse Lexicale par Contexte dum Ensemble de Segments de Texte (Alceste). Os resultados evidenciaram aspectos das dimensões relacionais existentes entre as RS de conjugalidade e de FM e as práticas conjugais estabelecidas pelos casais. O uso de dois métodos, tanto na coleta quanto na análise dos dados, desvelou uma ampla rede de significações amor, papéis masculinos e femininos, o que é o adoecer e o cuidar, a fibromialgia e seus desdobramentos na rotina do doente e de sua família acessada pelos participantes nos processos de ancoragem e objetivação das representações de FM e de conjugalidade. Por fim, constatou-se a existência de um campo de fragilidade dos doentes com fibromialgia e das pessoas próximas a eles no seu processo de enfrentamento. Além disso, os dados apontam para a necessidade de que os serviços de saúde atuem precocemente no esclarecimento sobre a doença e na identificação de conflitos no âmbito familiar e conjugal, que podem ser desencadeados tanto na investigação diagnóstica como no decorrer do tratamento e nas particularidades da convivência diária com a doença.

v-Rel is the acutely oncogenic member of the NF-[kappa]B family of transcription factors and transforms cells through the altered regulation of pathways normally controlled by cellular NF-[kappa]B. Initial studies revealed that expression of v-Rel results in the strong and sustained activation of the ERK and JNK MAP kinases. This induction is critical for the v-Rel transformed phenotype, as suppression of MAPK activity with chemical inhibitors or siRNA severely limited colony formation of v-Rel transformed cell lines of hematopoietic origin. However, signaling must be maintained within a certain range in these cells, as strong additional activation of either pathway through expression of constitutively active MKK mutants also attenuated the transformed phenotype. Studies in primary spleen cells revealed that MAPK signaling is also required for the early stages of v-Rel-mediated transformation. However, constitutive MAPK activity further enhanced the transformation efficiency of v-Rel in primary cells. These studies, as well as analogous experiments in DT40 cells, indicate distinct requirements for MAPK activity at different stages of v-Rel-mediated transformation. The proto-oncoprotein, c-Rel, only weakly activates ERK and JNK signaling compared to v-Rel. Importantly, elevated MAPK activity enhanced transformation by c-Rel, indicating that the ability of v-Rel to induce MAPK signaling is a major contributor to its oncogenic potential. Taken together, this work demonstrates an important role for ERK and JNK activity in transformation by v-Rel. Additional studies examined mechanisms through which MAPK activity is regulated in v-Rel transformed cells. Feedback regulation of the ERK activator, MKK1, at T292 was shown to limit ERK activation in v-Rel transformed cells, preventing the detrimental effects of constitutive activity. This result is the first indication that this regulation may have a role in the maintenance of transformation. Further, several v-Rel induced cytokines were identified that activate ERK and JNK signaling in v-Rel transformed cells, revealing one means by which v-Rel-dependent transcriptional changes lead to MAPK activation. These studies demonstrate the integration of multiple mechanisms in achieving the optimal levels of MAPK activity that are essential for v-Rel-mediated transformation. / text

Gut-associated lymphoid tissues such as Peyer’s patches (PP) are inductive sites for immune response in the intestine. Unlike other peripheral lymphoid tissues, gut-associated lymphoid tissues lack afferent lymphatics and can directly sample mucosal antigens by specialized epithelial cells in the follicular associated epithelia (FAE), known as M cells. M cells derive from Lgr5+ intestinal stem cells in intestinal crypts, where the daughter cells of Lgr5+ cells differentiate into M cells after stimulation from the cytokine receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL). RANKL is produced by stromal cells within the sub-epithelial dome (SED) residing below the FAE. The transcytosis of antigens across the FAE by M cells is an important initial step in the induction of efficient mucosal immune responses against certain pathogenic bacteria as well as the commensal bacterial flora. However some pathogens, for example orally-acquired prions, may also exploit M cells to infect the host. M cells have been implicated in the uptake of orally acquired prions from the gut lumen. After oral exposure, the accumulation of prions in PP is important for their efficient spread to the nervous system. Previous studies have also shown that pathogen-induced inflammation increases M cell density and this effect can be mimicked by exogenous administration of RANKL. This has led to the hypothesis tested in this thesis that inflammation-related enhancement of M cell differentiation aids the delivery of prions into the lamina propria of villi. The administration of RANKL resulted in increased M cell density in the gut epithelium of mice. Consequently, RANKL treatment enhanced the accumulation of orally-administered prions in PP, decreased disease incubation time and increased prion disease susceptibility. These data indicate the importance of M cells in prion disease pathogenesis and highlight the potential of M cells as vaccine targets against prion disease. The fate and terminal differentiation of distinct intestinal epithelial cell lineages from their uncommitted precursors is dependent on their intrinsic expression of one or more specific transcription factors during their development. Alongside inducing M cell differentiation, RANKL stimulation can also induce the nuclear translocation of the NF-κB transcription factor subunit c-Rel. A comparison of the genes encoding the individual NF-κB subunits c-Rel, Rel-A and Rel-B revealed that they were expressed at the mRNA level in the FAE and by M cells. A c-Rel-deficiency in mice did not influence the expression of RANKL or RANK in PP. The subsequent induction of M cell maturation in the FAE was also unaffected in, indicating that c-Rel is dispensable for the RANKL-mediated differentiation and functional maturation of M cells. The factors implicated in Lgr5+ intestinal stem cell proliferation and their differentiation into M cells are poorly understood. Some reports have indicated that crypt-associated macrophages may provide extrinsic factors that assist Lgr5+ intestinal stem cell proliferation. In this thesis, the ablation of macrophages in the gut resulted in dysregulation of crypt microarchitecture, depleting Paneth cells and the Lgr5+ stem cells. This adversely affected the subsequent differentiation of intestinal epithelial cell lineages and impeded the functional development of M cells. These data reveal a previously unknown role for macrophages in the maintenance of intestinal crypts and intestinal stem cell proliferation and differentiation.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common form of non-Hodgkin’s B- cell lymphoma, accounting for about 30% of these lymphomas in the United States. Large-scale genome analyses of DLBCL have identified mutations in the related histone acetyltransferases (HATs) p300 and CBP in approximately 15% of patient samples and patient-derived cell lines. The research presented herein characterizes two human DLBCL cell lines, RC-K8 and SUDHL2, which express C-terminally truncated HAT domain-deficient p300 proteins, p300ΔC-1087 and p300 p300ΔC-820, respectively. It is shown that p300ΔC-820 localizes to sites of active transcription in the nucleus, interacts with NF-κB transcription factor REL, weakly enhances REL-dependent transactivation, and has a half-life similar to wild-type p300. Results demonstrate that knockdown of p300ΔC-820 in SUDHL2 cells reduces cell proliferation in vitro. In RC-K8 cells, p300ΔC-1087 suppresses expression of the NF-κB target genes A20 and IκBα, both of which are cytotoxic when overexpressed in RC-K8 cells. Microarray analysis of p300ΔC1087 knockdown compared to wild-type RC-K8 cells indicated that p300ΔC-1087 suppresses an NF-κB gene expression program and activates a MYC gene expression program in RC-K8 cells. Bioinformatic analysis demonstrated that cancer cell lines— regardless of tissue type—with truncating p300 mutations have altered expression of a MYC target gene set as compared to cancer cell lines with wild-type p300/CBP. Taken together, this research indicates that p300 truncations contribute to cell growth in DLBCL by modifying the transcriptional output of two lymphoid cell-specific oncoproteins, NF- κB and MYC, to optimal levels and suggests that p300 truncating mutations similarly modify the activity of oncogenic drivers in other cancer cell types. Based on this work, p300 truncation is proposed to represent a new class of oncogenic mutation that serves to optimize the activity of context-specific oncogenic transcription factors, and it is suggested that such oncogenic mutations be termed “cancer modifying” mutations. / 2017-09-30T00:00:00Z

Os linfócitos T regulatórios (Tregs) desempenham um papel essencial no controle da tolerância periférica, regulando a homeostase do sistema imune, e, por este motivo, são consideradas a população celular - com fenótipo regulatório - mais importante do sistema imune. Sob estímulos específicos, as Tregs podem ser geradas naturalmente no timo (nTregs), ou serem induzidas na periferia (pTreg) a partir de células T naive. É possível gerar Tregs in vitro (iTreg) a partir de células T CD4+ naive isoladas de sangue de cordão umbilical, suplementando a cultura com TGF-?, atRA e IL-2. Haja vista o grande potencial terapêutico das iTregs, a comunidade científica apresenta grande interesse no entendimento dos mecanismos envolvidos em sua geração. Os mais recentes trabalhos indicam um importante papel da via NF-?B na geração destas células, especialmente no que tange o componente c-Rel. Entretanto, na literatura, não existem dados suficientes sobre a avaliação dos genes potencialmente orquestrados por este fator. Permeado por todo este questionamento, o presente trabalho avalia a interação de c-Rel com as regiões promotoras do genoma, em células T naive e nas células iTregs geradas in vitro. Em adição, também avalia o efeito do silenciamento da proteína c-Rel no perfil de geração das iTregs. Para isso, foi utilizada a metodologia de imunoprecipitação de cromatina atrelada à técnica de PCR em tempo real com primers, que cobrem as regiões promotoras de alguns genes com papel importante na biologia de células T naive e de iTreg. Também foi avaliado a eficiência de transfecção de siRNA contra c-Rel e também do siRNA marcado com molécula fluorescente FITC em conjunto com diferentes concentrações e diferentes reagentes de transfecção, utilizando células Jurkat e T naive. Nossos resultados mostraram uma melhor eficiência de transfecção do siRNA FITC, considerando as células viáveis transfectadas, com os agentes DharmaFECT®1 (22,14%), DharmaFECT®4 (43,14%) e DMRIE-C (27,59%) em células Jurkat e DharmaFECT®1 (16,35%) e DMRIE-C (25,94%) em células T naive, nas maiores concentrações, entretanto não é muito eficiente para a avaliação do silenciamento proteico por qPCR. Além disso demonstramos que em uma pureza média de 80,46% de células Tnaive isoladas obtivemos a geração das iTregs (CD4+CD25+CD127-FOXP3+) com 98,42%, em média, na expressão do marcador FOXP3, e essas células iTregs apresentam maior ligação de cRel aos promotores de genes como IL2RA (CD25) (média de 8,26 vezes), CD69 (3,71 vezes), regiões do gene FOXP3 (região promotora (20,15 vezes), região CNS - kb1 (16,9 vezes), kb2 (17,2 vezes) e kb3 (23,29 vezes)) e do próprio Rel (8,12 vezes). Estes resultados evidenciam os potenciais mecanismos de regulação exercidos por c-Rel, durante o processo de geração das iTregs. / Regulatory T lymphocytes (Tregs) play an essential role in the control of peripheral tolerance, regulating the homeostasis of the immune system, and are considered the cellular population - with regulatory phenotype - most important of the immune system. Tregs can be generated naturally in the thymus (nTregs), or be induced at the periphery (pTreg) from naive T cells, in dependence of specifcs stimuli. In cell culture, supplemented with factors such as IL-2, TGF-? and atRA, it is possible to generate in vitro Tregs (iTreg) from naive CD4 + T cells isolated from umbilical cord blood. Knowing the great therapeutic potential of iTregs, the scientific community has shown great interest in understanding the mechanisms involved in this process. Recent works indicate an important role of the NF-?B pathway in the generation of these cells, especially relating the involvement of the c-Rel componente, however, in the literature, there are not enough data on the evaluation of genes potentially orchestrated by this factor. With all this questioning, this thesis aimed to evaluate the interaction of c-Rel with the some promoter regions of the genome, naive T cells and in vitro generated iTregs cells, in addition, we have also attempted to evaluate the effect of c-Rel protein silencing on the generation profile of iTregs. For this, the methodology of chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled to the real-time PCR technique with primers was used, which cover the promoter regions of some genes with important role in the biology of naive and iTreg T cells, The efficiency of siRNA transfection against c-Rel and also the siRNA labeled with FITC fluorescence molecule in conjunction with different concentrations and different transfection reagentes, using Jurkat and naive T cells, was also evaluated. Our results showed a better transfection efficiency of the FITC siRNA, considering the viable cells transfected with the highest concentrations of the reagents DharmaFECT®1 (22,14%), DharmaFECT®4 (43,14%) e DMRIE-C (27,59%) with Jurkat cells and DharmaFECT®1 (16,35%) e DMRIE-C (25,94%) with naive T cells, however, was not very efficient for the evaluation by qPCR of silencing, that is, the reduction of c-Rel mRNA and RNA of other genes. In addition, we demonstrated that in an average purity of 80.46% of isolated naive T cells we obtained the generation of iTregs (CD4 + CD25 + CD127-FOXP3 +) with 98.42%, on average, in the expression of the FOXP3 marker, and in these iTregs cells, when compared to naive T cells, c-Rel subunit has bound to the promoters of the genes as IL2RA (CD25) (average de 8,26 folds), CD69 (3,71 folds), regions of the FOXP3 gene (promoter region (20,15 folds), CNS regions - kb1 (16,9 folds), kb2 (17,2 folds) and kb3 (23,29 folds)) and c-Rel promoter - Rel (8,12 folds). Our results demonstrate the possible regulatory mechanisms, such as some of the main roles of the c-Rel subunit during the generation process of iTregs.

Adaptation to any undesirable change in the environment dictates the survivability of many microorganisms. Such changes generate a quick and suitable response, which guides the physiology of bacteria. Stringent response is one of the mechanisms that can be called a survival strategy under nutritional starvation in bacteria and was first observed in E. coli upon amino acid starvation, when bacteria demonstrated an immediate downshift in the rRNA and tRNA levels (Stent and Brenner 1961). Mutations that rendered bacteria insensitive to amino acid levels were mapped to an ‘RC gene locus’, later termed relA because of the relAxed behavior of the bacteria (Alfoldi et al. 1962). Later on, Cashel and Gallant, showed that two “magic spots” (MSI and MSII) were specifically observed in starved cells when a labeled nucleotide extract of these cells was separated by thin layer chromatography (Cashel and Gallant 1969). These molecules were found to be polyphosphate derivatives of guanosine, ppGpp and pppGpp (Cashel and Kalbacher 1970; Sy and Lipmann 1973), and were shown to be involved in regulating the gene expression in the bacterial cell, demonstrating a global response, thus fine-tuning the physiology of the bacterium. Two proteins in E. coli, RelA and SpoT, carry out the synthesis and hydrolysis of these molecules, respectively, and maintain their levels in the cell (Cashel et al. 1996; Chatterji and Ojha 2001). On the other hand, Gram-positive organisms have only one protein Rel carrying out the functions of both RelA and SpoT (Mechold et al. 1996; Martinez-Costa et al. 1998; Avarbock et al. 1999). Although Rel or RelA/SpoT has been studied from several systems in detail pertaining to the physiological adaptation, less information is available on the egulation of the protein activity under different conditions. Our studies show that the RelMsm is composed of several domains (HD, RSD, TGS and ACT) with distinct function. HD and RSD domains, present in the N-terminal half of the protein, harbor catalytic sites for the hydrolysis and the synthesis of (p)ppGpp, respectively. TGS and ACT domains, on the other hand, are present at the C-erminal half of the protein and have regulatory function. It, therefore, appears that a communication exists between these domains, to regulate protein activity. It was shown earlier, while studying Rel from S.equisimilis, that there exists an interaction between the C-terminal and the N- terminal of the protein which determines the kind of activity (synthesis/hydrolysis), the protein should demonstrate (Mechold et al. 2002). Later, the N-terminal half crystal structure of the same protein suggested an inter-domain “cross-talk” between the HD and the RSD domain that controls the synthesis/hydrolysis switch depending on cellular conditions (Hogg et al. 2004). In the present work, studies have been carried out to understand a Gram- positive Rel in greater detail and to find out how the opposing activities of Rel are regulated so that a futile cycle of synthesis and hydrolysis of (p)ppGpp, at the expense of ATP, can be avoided. The work has been divided into several chapters describing studies on various aspects of the protein. Chapter 1 outlines the history of the stringent response and summarizes the information available about the stringent response in various systems including plants. Several roles that (p)ppGpp plays in different bacteria have been examined. A special mention on the crystal structure of RelSeq has been made with respect to the regulation of activity. Also, the information available regarding the effects of (p)ppGpp on RNA polymerase has been documented. Role of ppGpp in plants has been discussed in great detail with special emphasis on abiotic stresses. Since different functional domains have been identified in RelMsm, the protein has been divided into two halves and they have been discussed separately in the form of two chapters. Chapter 2 describes the N-terminal half of the Rel protein of M. smegmatis in greater detail. Out of the several domains identified, the role of the two domains present in the N-terminal half of the protein has been studied. The N-terminal half shows both synthesis and hydrolysis activities. Importantly, we find that the protein is active even in the absence of accessory factors such as ribosome and uncharged tRNA, unlike RelA of E. coli. Moreover, deletion of the C-terminal half of the protein leads to a much higher synthetic activity, clearly indicating that the C-terminus is involved in regulating the activity of the protein. Both TGS and ACT domains (the two domains found in the C-terminal half of the protein) have been found to play a regulatory role. The results also indicate that all the deleted constructs are active both in vitro and in vivo. Chapter 3 discusses the C-terminal half of the protein and its role in the multimerization observed in RelMsm. We show that multimerization of Rel protein is due to the inter-molecular disulfide cross-linking. Furthermore, we find that the monomer is the active species in vivo. One of the fascinating points about the C- terminal half is that it is largely unstructured. Additionally, the C-terminal half cannot complement the N-terminal part of the protein when provided in trans, demonstrating further, the requirement of an intact protein for bringing about regulation of Rel activity. This requirement in cis suggests the presence of an intra-molecular communication between the N- and the C-termini, as a mediator of protein regulation. Further, presence of uncharged tRNA increases pppGpp synthesis and down-regulates its hydrolysis in the wildtype protein. However, the uncharged tRNA-mediated regulation is absent in the deleted construct with only the N-terminus half, indicating that uncharged tRNA binds to the C-terminal half of the protein. Several cysteine mutants have been constructed to understand their role in the regulation of Rel activity. The results suggest that one cysteine, present at the C-terminus, is required for intra-molecular cross-talk and the uncharged tRNA-mediated regulation. A detailed characterization of the communication between the two halves of the protein has been attempted in Chapter 4. Surface plasmon resonance experiments carried out on the different cysteine mutants discussed in Chapter 3, for uncharged tRNA binding indicate that all the mutants bind to uncharged tRNA with near-equal affinities as the wildtype protein. This study suggests that the non-responsiveness for tRNA seen in one of the cysteine mutants is due to the loss of inter-domain interaction, while the binding of protein to accessory factors is unaffected. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer has been carried out to observe domain movement in the presence of accessory factors. Distances between the different domains scattered in this ~90 kDa protein, measured by FRET technique, are suggestive of an inter-domain cross-talk, specifically between C338 and C692, thereby regulating the activity of this enzyme. We show, for the first time, that the product of this protein, (p)ppGpp can bind to the C-terminal half making it unstructured, and can, therefore, regulate the protein activity. Chapter 5 is an effort to characterize the promoter of rel from M. tuberculosis. This study was undertaken in order to develop an expression system in mycobacteria. The +1 transcription and the translation start sites have been identified. The –10 hexamer for the RNA polymerase binding has also been mapped using site-directed mutagenesis and is found to be TATCCT. This promoter is also unusually close to the +1 transcription start site. The promoter is specific for mycobacteria and does not function in E. coli. Additionally, the promoter is found to be constitutive in M. smegmatis; however, the possibility of it being regulated in M. tuberculosis cannot be ruled out. Appendix section discusses, in short, the phylogenetic analysis of the mycobacterial Rel sequences. Diagrams of the plasmids used in this study have been provided. Mass spectra recorded for the in vitro synthesized and purified pppGpp and the trypsin digest of the full-length Rel protein have also been given. O O O O

No description available.

Submitted by Jadson Francisco de Jesus SILVA (jadson@uefs.br) on 2018-07-13T21:00:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TCC _ Jorge_revG15021816.02Final18.02Vers?ocapadura.PDF. (2).pdf: 6630381 bytes, checksum: 370c3715816360d1d3c83fa51942e90a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-13T21:00:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TCC _ Jorge_revG15021816.02Final18.02Vers?ocapadura.PDF. (2).pdf: 6630381 bytes, checksum: 370c3715816360d1d3c83fa51942e90a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-19 / The study focused on this dissertation was carried out at the Col?gio Estadual Alaor Coutinho - CEAC, located in Praia do Forte, municipality of Mata de S?o Jo?o - Bahia, a college in which a large part of the students in the academic years of 2014 and 2015 reported, in the classroom, greater difficulties of understanding the subjects related to Trigonometry and Geometry. In an attempt to reverse this situation and facilitate the learning of existing subjects in Trigonometry and Geometry, basic astronomical knowledge related to sundials, allied to concepts of Geography with respect to Geographic Coordinates and Earth Movements, were used. Activities were carried out with students from Elementary and Middle School, such as: workshops, classes and events related to the construction and positioning of Sun Clocks. As a final product, we made different Equatorial Type Sun Clocks, as well as a Didactic Sequence for teachers of education basic. / O estudo focalizado nesta Disserta??o foi realizado no Col?gio Estadual Alaor Coutinho - CEAC, localizado em Praia do Forte, munic?pio de Mata de S?o Jo?o ? Bahia, col?gio no qual grande parte dos estudantes dos anos letivos de 2014 e 2015 relatou, em sala de aula, maiores dificuldades de entendimento dos assuntos relacionados ? Trigonometria e Geometria. Na tentativa de reverter essa situa??o e facilitar a aprendizagem de assuntos existentes na Trigonometria e na Geometria, foram utilizados conhecimentos b?sicos de Astronomia relacionados a rel?gios de Sol, aliados a conceitos de Geografia com rela??o ?s Coordenadas Geogr?ficas e Movimentos da Terra. Foram realizadas atividades com estudantes do Ensino Fundamental e M?dio, tais como: oficinas, aulas e eventos relacionados com a constru??o e posicionamento dos Rel?gios de Sol. Como produto final, confeccionamos diferentes Rel?gios de Sol do Tipo Equatorial, assim como uma Sequ?ncia Did?tica destinada a professores da educa??o b?sica.