Chez B. subtilis, le régulateur Mta régule l'expression de deux gènes codant pour des pompes d'efflux de drogues, bmr et blt. Ce régulateur joue un rôle physiologique beaucoup plus large que la régulation des gènes impliqués dans la résistance aux drogues puisqu'il régule l'expression d'au moins 18 autres gènes. Dans un mutant mta la quantité de protéine CpgA est très diminuée. Cette protéine est une GTPase impliquée dans l'assemblage du ribosome et dans la formation de la paroi. Cette diminution est supprimée par une mutation secondaire qui restaure un niveau intracellulaire de CpgA supérieur à celui de la souche sauvage. Cette mutation confère également un avantage de croissance, sur la souche sauvage et sur le mutant mta, au double mutant résultant. L'augmentation de la quantité de CpgA est corrélée avec l'augmentation du niveau d'expression du gène cpgA ainsi que de celui des gènes def et prpC avec lesquels cpgA est en opéron. Le gène def code pour une déformylase, une protéine impliquée dans la traduction, et prpC pour une Ser/Thr phosphatase capable de déphosphoryler CpgA. Dans le mutant supprimé, la surexpression de l'opéron def-cpgA est accompagnée d'un phénotype drastique de cellules enchaînées et immobiles en phase exponentielle de croissance (phénotype Mhp). Ces cellules contiennent le facteur alternatif de transcription SigD nécessaire à l'expression des gènes dont les produits sont impliqués dans la mobilité cellulaire et dans le clivage des septa lors de la division cellulaire, mais SigD est inactif dans ces cellules (SigD OFF). / In B. subtilis, the regulator Mta regulates the expression of two genes encoding drug efflux pumps, bmr and blt. This regulator has a physiological role far wider than the regulation of genes involved in resistance to drugs since it regulates the expression of at least 18 other genes. In a mta mutant, the amount of the CpgA protein is markedly reduced. This protein is a GTPase involved in ribosome assembly and in cell wall expansion. This decrease is suppressed by a secondary mutation that restores a higher level of intracellular CpgA than that of the wild type strain. This mutation also confers a growth advantage to the resulting double mutant over the wild type and the mta mutant strains. The increased amount of CpgA is correlated with increased level of cpgA gene expression and of the prpC and def genes with which cpgA is in operon. The def gene encodes a deformylase, a protein involved in translation, and prpC for a Ser / Thr phosphatase able to dephosphorylate CpgA. In the double mutant, overexpression of the def-cpgA operon is accompanied by a drastic phenotype of chained non-motile cells in the exponential phase of growth (Mhp phenotype). These cells contain SigD, an alternative sigma factor, necessary for the expression of genes whose products are involved in cell motility and in the cleavage of septa during cell division, but SigD is inactive in these cells (SigD OFF). In exponential growth phase, a wild type strain of B. subtilis shows a heterogeneous population consisting of cells SigD ON, motile and isolated, and cells SigD OFF, chained and non-motile. In the mta strain, the transition from one state to another is reversible as in the wild type strain.

La protéine de fonction inconnue, YvcK, est vitale chez Staphylococcus aureus mais non essentielle chez les bactéries modèles Bacillus subtilis ou Escherichia coli. Chez B. subtilis, les bactéries délétées du gène yvcK, sont sérieusement affectées dans leur croissance et leur morphologie dans des conditions de croissance gluconéogéniques. Les défauts observés peuvent être compensés par l’ajout de fortes concentrations de magnésium ou par l’inactivation de gènes impliqués dans le métabolisme. Ceci suggère que, les mutants yvcK présentent des altérations au niveau de la paroi bactérienne qui sont probablement dues à un désordre du métabolisme. Le phénotype lié à l’absence d’YvcK est similaire à celui observé chez des souches mutées au niveau de gènes impliqués dans la synthèse du peptidoglycane ou constituant le cytosquelette. La protéine MreB, composant majeur du cytosquelette bactérien, forme une structure hélicoïdale sous la membrane cytoplasmique pour positionner les enzymes de synthèse et la maturation du peptidoglycane. In vivo, la protéine YvcK est également localisée sous la forme d’une hélice. Par ailleurs, la surexpression de YvcK supprime le défaut de morphologie du mutant mreB et vice versa. Il a été montré que, chez B. subtilis, la localisation de la protéine membranaire PBP1 était dépendante de MreB. Une délétion de ponA, gène codant pour PBP1, rétablit la viabilité d’un mutant mreB et celle du mutant yvcK dans des conditions de croissance gluconéogéniques. La protéine de fusion GFP-PBP1 dans une souche délétée du gène yvcK, cultivée en milieu liquide CE-gluconate est délocalisée expliquant le gonflement des cellules. Ce résultat suggère que la localisation normale de PBP1 au septum due à la surproduction de YvcK dans un mutant mreB (et réciproquement) permet la restauration de la croissance et de la morphologie. De plus, nous avons montré que, comme son homologue présent chez Mycobacterium tuberculosis, YvcK est phosphorylée in vitro. Nous avons caractérisé la phosphorylation d’YvcK par la protéine kinase PrkC et nous avons identifié la Thr 304 comme site unique de phosphorylation. Cette phosphorylation semblerait jouer un rôle important dans la complémentation du mutant mreB et du repositionnement de la PBP1. / The YvcK protein is a bacterial conserved protein of unknown function. It is essential in Staphylococcus aureus but not essential in both Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. In B. subtilis, inactivation of the yvcK gene seriously affects growth and morphology on neoglucogenic carbon sources. The defects observed in a yvcK mutant can be offset by the addition of high concentrations of magnesium or by inactivation of genes involved in metabolism. This suggests that, when grown on some carbon sources, yvcK mutants display alterations in their cell wall probably due to a disorder in this metabolism. The phenotype associated with the absence of YvcK is similar to that observed with strains mutated in genes involved in peptidoglycan synthesis or encoding proteins of the cytoskeleton. The major component of cytoskeleton, MreB, an actin-like protein, together with other proteins, forms a helical structure at the cell membrane that participates in the organization and positioning of the enzymes of peptidoglycan synthesis and maturation. We showed that YvcK is organized as a helical like pattern localized near the inner surface of the membrane, independently of the presence of MreB. Surprisingly and despite that these two proteins do not harbour any similarity of sequence or structure, an overproduction of YvcK restored a normal morphology in an mreB mutant strain and vice versa. Furthermore, as already observed for the mreB mutant, in a yvcK mutant strain, the penicillin-binding protein PBP1 is delocalized and deletion of its gene restores growth of a yvcK mutant on gluconate medium. All these results suggest that YvcK is not only involved in the synthesis of cell wall from gluconeogenic carbon sources but also plays a role in cell morphogenesis. In addition, we have shown that similarily to its Mycobacterium tuberculosis homolog, YvcK is phosphorylated in vitro. We have characterized the phosphorylation of YvcK by the protein kinase PrkC and we identified the Thr 304 as the single phosphorylation site. Furthermore, this phosphorylation appears to play an important role in the complementation of the mreB mutant and repositioning of PBP1.

Esporos de Bacillus subtilis apresentam propriedades adjuvantes, sendo capazes de aumentar a resposta humoral após a sua coadministração com antígenos misturados ou adsorvidos à sua superfície. Mas, para isso, é necessária a produção de esporos altamente purificados e com rendimentos elevados. Neste trabalho, realizamos com sucesso uma análise quantitativa das condições de esporulação e dos métodos de purificação, o que melhorou a reprodutibilidade do processo e a obtenção de amostras com elevado grau de pureza e rendimento. Avaliamos também as propriedades imunomodulatórias destes esporos, utilizando como antígeno modelo a proteína recombinante Gag-p24 do HIV-1. A coadministração, mas não a adsorção à superfície do esporo, aumentou a imunogenicidade do antígeno sem induzir efeitos deletérios após a administração parenteral em camundongos BALB/c e C57BL/6. Além de promoveram a ativação das APCs, os esporos interagem com receptores relacionados à imunidade inata, devido à ausência do efeito adjuvante em camundongos nocautes para TLR2. Esses resultados abrem perspectivas interessantes para a utilização de esporos como adjuvantes vacinais. / Bacillus subtilis spores have been shown to behave as vaccine adjuvants, promoting the increase of antibody responses after co-administration with antigens either admixed or adsorbed on the spore surface. Nonetheless, such specialized application requires highly purified spore preparations at high yields. In this work, we successfully performed a systematic quantitative analysis of sporulation conditions and spore purification methods, which improved the reproducibility of the process and the obtainment of samples with high purity and yield. Afterwards, we further evaluated the immune modulatory properties of these spores using a recombinant HIV-1 Gag-p24 protein as a model antigen. The co-administration, but not adsorption to the spore surface, enhanced the immunogenicity of that target antigen, without inducing deleterious effects, after subcutaneous administration to BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. Besides promoting activation of antigen presenting cells, spores interact with receptors related to innate immunity, due to the absence of the adjuvant effect on TLR2 knockout mice. These results open interesting perspectives for the use of B. subtilis spores as vaccine adjuvants.

A contaminação da água e do solo por hidrocarbonetos aromáticos tem aumentado ao longo dos anos, devido ao seu uso nos mais diversos segmentos industriais. Hidrocarbonetos, tais como tolueno, são descritos como extremamente poluentes, tóxicos e potencialmente mutagénicos e carcinogénicos para os seres humanos. Os hidrocarbonetos são compostos lipófilicos difíceis de serem eliminados, contudo, estes aromáticos podem ser removidos de ambientes contaminados por meio de biorremediação utilizando bactérias produtoras de surfactante. Biossurfatantes são surfactantes principalmente produzidos por microrganismos, as quais promovem a quebra das moléculas de hidrocarbonetos, através da formação de micelas, aumentando a sua mobilidade, a biodisponibilidade e sua exposição à bactérias favorecendo a biodegradação do hidrocarboneto. A produção deste tensoativo exige meios de fermentação e oxigênio para o metabolismo microbiano. Por tanto, aeração e agitação são variáveis operacionais importantes para garantir um coeficiente de transferência de massa de oxigénio eficaz (kLa). Para esta finalidade, o kLa foi determinado experimentalmente em diferentes meios de fermentação, especificamente meio salino básico, meio de baixa salinidade, meio Bushnell-Haas e água do mar, por diversas variáveis operacionais. Ensaios foram realizados em agitador rotativo para selecionar, dentre os diferentes tipos de bactérias, nomeadamente Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis e Bacillus megatherium, o melhor produtor de biossurfactante na presença de tolueno, nos meios de fermentação descritos acima, formulados com diferentes salinidades. A presença de tolueno inibiu o crescimento de microrganismo deslocando seu metabolismo para a produção de biossurfactante. Assim, B. subtilis foi capaz de reduzir a tensão superficial (TS) em 29,49 ± 0,55 unidades, produzindo cerca de 3,52 ± 0,06 mg/L de biossurfactante. Ao elevar o processo para um fermentador de bancada, a quantidade de tolueno no meio de baixa salinidade foi reduzido drasticamente após 12 horas de crescimento (de 45 ml para 7,43 ml), quando B. subtilis foi utilizado, reduzindo o TS em 22,6 unidades (com concentração de biossurfactante de 3,02 mg/L). Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o B. subtilis pode ser considerado um microrganismo promissor para ser utilizado na biorremediação de locais contaminados por tolueno / Contamination of water and soil by aromatic hydrocarbons has been increasing along the years, due to its use in various industrial segments. Hydrocarbons, such as toluene, are described as extremely polluting, toxic, potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic to humans. Hydrocarbons are lipophilic compounds difficult to be disposed of; however, the aromatic ones can be removed from contaminated environments via bioremediation using surfactant-producing bacteria. Biosurfactants are surfactants produced mainly by microorganisms, which promote the breaking of hydrocarbons molecules, by means of the formation of micelles, increasing their mobility, bioavailability and exposure to bacteria favoring hydrocarbon biodegradation. This tensoactive production requires oxygen and fermentation media for the microorganism metabolism. Thus, aeration and agitation are important operating variables to ensure an effective oxygen mass transfer coefficient (kLa). To this purpose, such a response was experimentally determined in this study in different fermentation media, specifically basal saline medium, low saline medium, Bushnell-Haas medium and sea water, and correlated with the above operating variables. Rotary shaker essays were performed to select, among different bacteria, namely Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megatherium and Bacillus licheniformis, the best biosurfactant producer in the presence of toluene, in fermentative broths described above, formulated with different salinities. The presence of toluene inhibited the growth of microorganism shifting the metabolism to the production of biosurfactant. Thus, B. subtilis was able to reduce the surface tension (ST) in 29.49 ± 0.55 units producing up to 3.52 ± 0.06 mg/L of biosurfactant. Scaling up the process to a bench fermentor, the quantity of toluene in the low salinity medium was reduced drastically after 12 h of growth (from 45 mL to 7.43 mL), when B. subtilis was used, reducing the ST in 22.6 units (biosurfactant concentration of 3.02 mg/L). The results obtained showed that B. subtilis can be considered a promising microorganism to be used for the bioremediation of sites contaminated by toluene.

Os surfatantes são substâncias químicas que têm uma ampla aplicação industrial principalmente como matéria-prima na fabricação de detergentes. No entanto, estas substâncias de origem sintética podem ser substituídas por biossurfatantes (BS), já que estes são biodegradáveis, menos tóxicos para o meio ambiente e além de estáveis em condições extremas de pH, temperatura e salinidade. O alto custo de produção dos BS inviabiliza até o presente momento a substituição dos surfatantes químicos (mais tóxicos). Pesquisadores acreditam que a produção de BS tenha que atingir custos abaixo de 5 dolares/lb para serem economicamente viáveis. Uma das estratégias usadas para diminuir o custo da produção de BS, é usar diferentes subprodutos agrícolas e industriais. Os resíduos de natureza celulósica vêm ganhando espaço nos últimos anos como fontes de carbono alternativas para produtos de base biotecnológica, devido principalmente a sua abundância na natureza e ao apelo das tecnologias sustentáveis. O sisal é uma fonte lignocelulósica de rápido ciclo de crescimento que contém alto teor de celulose vegetal, e que é encontrado em grandes quantidades no Brasil. Este projeto teve como objetivo a produção de biossurfatante por Bacillus subtilis ATCC 21332, utilizando como fonte de carbono o hidrolisado lignocelulósico ácido e enzimático obtido da polpa de sisal. A produção do BS no substrato alternativo proposto foi comparada com a produção em meio de cultivo convencional (glicose). Os BS sintetizados foram avaliados quanto às propriedades físico-químicas: concentração micelar crítica (CMC), tensão superficial (TS) e tensão interfacial (TI). O BS obtido a partir da fermentação do hidrolisado enzimático apresentou TS = 28,71 mN.m-1; TI = 3,81 mN.m-1; e CMC = 64,0 mg.L-1; e aquele produzido a partir da fermentação do hidrolisado ácido apresentou TS = 29,79 mN.m-1; TI = 5,70 mN.m-1; e CMC = 1394,0 mg.L-1. Os valores de tensão superficial inferiores a 30 mN.m-1 indicaram que o hidrolisado ácido e enzimático da polpa de sisal oferecem boas condições como substratos alternativos para a produção de surfactina. As soluções dos BS obtidos em hidrolisado ácido e enzimático removeram 79,96% e 70,35% do óleo diesel de areia contaminada respectivamente, evidenciando-se o potencial para biorremediação. / The surfactants are chemical products that have huge industrial applications, mainly as raw materials in detergent industry. However, these synthetic substances can be replaced by biosurfactants (BS), since they are biodegradable, less toxic and stable at a wide range of pH, temperature and salt concentrations. In spite of these favorable characteristics, the high production costs of BS difficult their use as substitutes to synthetic surfactants (more toxic). If the production costs were less than 5 dollar/lb, their commercialization of BS would be possible. One strategy that permits reducing costs is the use of alternatives substrates from different industries such as byproducts or wastes from agricultural processing units. The lignocellulosic residues are one the most abundant sources of renewable organic carbon, for this reason in the last years, they began to be used as an unconventional carbon source for the synthesis of biotechnology products. Sisal is a lignocellulosic source that growths rapidly and is found in high quantity in Brazil. The objective of this study was the production of biosurfactant by Bacillus subtilis ATCC 21332, using as carbon source enzymatic and acid hydrolysates obtained from sisal pulp. The production using the alternative substrates was evaluated and compared with the production in conventional medium. The critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface tension (TS) and interfacial tension (IT) of the BS were evaluated, the following values were obtained for surfactin synthesized through the fermentation with enzymatic hydrolysate: TS = 28.71 mN.m-1, TI = 3.81 mN.m-1 and CMC = 64.0 mg.L-1. When the acid hydrolysate was used as carbon source the physical-chemical properties were TS = 29.78 mN.m-1, TI = 5.70 mN.m-1 and CMC = 1394.0 mg.L-1. Surface tension values lower than 30.0 mN.m-1 demonstrated that enzymatic and acid hydrolysate offer good conditions as alternative substrates for biosurfactant production. The surfactin synthesized exhibited potential for bioremediation; washing soil with BS obtained in acid and enzymatic hydrolysate removed 80% and 70% of diesel from contaminated sand, respectively.

A divisão bacteriana é efetuada por um complexo macromolecular conhecido como divisomo. Um componente central do divisomo é FtsZ, uma proteína homóloga de tubulina que se polimeriza no meio da célula formando uma estrutura em forma de anel (anel Z). O controle da divisão é exercido por proteínas que modulam a habilidade de FtsZ de formar o anel Z. Dois fatores principais estão envolvidos na seleção do correto sitio de divisão. O melhor estudado é o sistema Min, o qual é responsável pelo bloqueio específico de sítios de divisão não desejados nos polos da célula. O componente do sistema Min que inibe a polimerização de FtsZ é a proteína MinC e é sabido que MinC requer MinD para se ativar, mas o mecanismo dessa ativação não está completamente compreendido. No presente trabalho investigamos o papel da associação de MinD à membrana na ativação de MinC. Usando um mutante que não mais se associa à membrana (MinDΔMTS) mostramos que o efeito de MinC em inibir a divisão celular é altamente dependente de seu recrutamento à membrana por MinD. No entanto, ensaios in vitro mostraram que o complexo MinCDΔMTS é mais eficiente em desfazer polímeros de FtsZ que MinC sozinho, indicando que MinD promove a ativação de MinC por outro mecanismo além de recrutamento à membrana. Esta ativação pode resultar de um efeito alostérico ou da criação de um sítio para FtsZ na interface do complexo MinCD, porém resultados preliminares não conseguiram detectar aumento da afinidade de MinC por FtsZ quando na presença de MinD. / Bacterial division is performed by a macromolecular complex known as the divisome. The central component of the divisome is FtsZ, a tubulin protein homolog, which polymerizes at the mid-cell forming a ring-like structure (Z-ring). This division is regulated by proteins that modulate ability of FtsZ to form the Z-ring. Two principal factors are involved in selecting the correct site of division. The best-studied factor is the Min system, which is responsible for the specific blockade of unwanted potential sites in the cell poles. The component of the Min system that inhibits FtsZ polymerization is the MinC protein. MinC requires the MinD protein for activation, but the mechanism of this activation is not completely understood. Here, we investigate the role of the association of MinD to the membrane during MinC activation. Using a mutant that does not interact with the membrane (MinDΔMTS) we show that the effect of MinC in inhibiting cell division is highly dependent on its recruitment to the membrane by MinD. However, in vitro assays show that MinCDΔMTS is more efficient in disrupting FtsZ polymers than MinC alone, indicating that MinD promotes MinC activation by a mechanism other than membrane recruitment. This activation could be due to an allosteric effect or the formation of a site for FtsZ on the MinCD interface; however, preliminary results could not detect any increase in the affinity of FtsZ to MinC in the presence of MinD.

A indústria da construção civil é conhecida como umas das atividades econômicas que causam os maiores impactos ambientais desde o processo de extração da matéria prima até a produção dos produtos, incluindo o transporte e manutenção do ambiente construído. A produção de um dos seus principais componentes, o cimento, é o maior contribuinte para a emissão de gases de efeito estufa, principalmente devido a queima de combustíveis fósseis. Por este motivo, pesquisas na área de biotecnologia sustentável são conduzidas para diminuir e até mitigar os efeitos danosos provocados pelos fatores que compõem a construção civil. Dentre estas pesquisas destacam-se as que se baseiam na Biomimética, que é uma ciência que busca na Natureza as soluções tecnológicas para os problemas que os desenvolvimentos humanos geralmente apresentam: a geração de resíduos poluentes, uso de produtos químicos tóxicos e processos que operam com energia e pressão elevadas. Com base nos conceitos biomiméticos, este trabalho se propôs a estudar a biomineralização, que é um processo que ocorre na Natureza a milhares de anos e é responsável pela formação de muitas estruturas biomineralizadas tanto no ambiente terrestre como aquático. A biomineralização é um fenômeno provocado pela ação de diversas espécies de microrganismos que durante o processo de obtenção de energia reciclam minerais presentes no solo e na água e os precipitam na forma de sais inorgânicos. Este material precipitado age como agente ligante de partículas como no caso de formações geológicas (estromatólitos) ou exoesqueletos de animais marinhos, por exemplo. Neste estudo foi avaliado a biomineralização por biodeposição de carbonato de cálcio precipitado na presença da espécie de bactéria ureolítica (Bacillus subtilis) em ensaios em escala laboratorial utilizando corpos de prova de areia, argamassa e concreto. Os corpos de prova em areia e argamassa foram observados em MEV e EDS permitindo a identificação de células de microrganismos, formação de biofilme e provável formação de cristais de carbonato de cálcio na região de biofilme. Os corpos de prova de concreto foram utilizados para avaliar as consequências da biodeposição na absorção de água por capilaridade do material. Resultados indicam redução de 20% na absorção de água por capilaridade. Com os resultados obtidos é possível concluir que a técnica de biodeposição pode ser uma alternativa ao tratamento superficial de estruturas de concreto, contudo requer estudos posteriores de aplicação técnica e viabilidade econômica. / The construction industry has been known as one of the economic activities that cause the major environment impacts since the process of raw material extraction until the products manufacturing including transport and maintenance of the built environment. The production of one of the main compounds, the cement, is the largest contributor to the greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to burn fossil fuels. For this reason, researches in sustainable biotechnological area are conducted to minimize and even mitigate the damaging effects either promoted by construction industry factors. Among these ones, it stands out researches based on Biomimetic, which is a science that seeks in Nature the technological solutions for problems that human’s development usually presents: the generation of pollutant residues, the use of toxic chemicals and process that operates in high pressure and energy. Based on biomimetic concepts this research proposes to study the biomineralization, which is a process that has occurred in the Nature for thousands of years and it is responsible for the formation of many structures either in soil and water environments. The biomineralization is a phenomenon caused by several specimens of microorganisms that during the process of obtaining energy, they recycle minerals presents at soil and water inducing precipitation as inorganic salts. This precipitated material works as a binder of particles similar to geologic formations (stromatolites) or exoskeleton of sea animal for example. In this study the biomineralization was evaluated through biodeposition of precipitated calcium carbonate by specimen of ureolytic bacteria (Bacillus subtilis). Essays were held using samples made by sand, mortar and concrete. The samples made by sand and mortar were observed at MEV and EDS, allowing the identification of microorganism cells, biofilm formation and probable formation of calcium carbonate crystals at biofilm region. The concrete samples were used to evaluate the consequences of biodeposition on water absorption by capillarity of the material. The results show reduction of 20% on water absorption by capillarity. According the results achieved it possible to conclude that the biodeposition technique can be an alternative to superficial treatment for concrete structures. However, it will be required more studies to evaluate technical application and economical availability.

A Síndrome Hemolítica Urêmica (SHU) é a principal doença associada à infecção com linhagens de Escherichia coli produtoras de toxina de Shiga (Stx), doença para qual não há uma vacina ou tratamento específico. A toxina Stx é formada por uma subunidade A enzimaticamente ativa e uma B pentamérica responsável pela ligação da toxina na célula hospedeira. Neste trabalho propomos o uso de Bacillus subtilis, uma bactéria não patogênica e formadora de esporos, como veículo vacinal para a expressão de formas atóxicas da Stx2, sob o controle de um promotor induzível por estresse (PgsiB). Camundongos BALB/c imunizados com células vegetativas ou esporos das linhagens vacinais de B. subtilis, por diferentes vias, induziram baixos níveis de anticorpos anti-Stx em soro (IgG) e fezes (IgA). Avaliamos também o potencial imunogênico da Stx gerada em linhagens recombinates de E. coli, mas os anticorpos gerados não foram capazes de neutralizar a toxina nativa. Os resultados indicam que formas alternativas de expressão e/ou o uso de adjuvantes são necessárias para gerar formulações vacinais eficazes contra a SHU. / The Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) is the main disease associated with infections with Shiga toxin (Stx) - producing Escherichia coli strain and no effective vaccine or treatment exist. The Stx toxin consist of an enzymatically active A subunit and a pentameric B subunit responsible toxin binding to host cells. In this work we propose the use of Bacillus subtilis, a harmless spore form bacteria as a vaccine vehicle for the expression atoxic forms of Stx2, under the control of stress inducible (PgsiB) promoter. BALB/c mice immunized with vegetative cells and spores of the B. subtilis vaccine strain using different immunization routes elicited low specific antibody levels at serum (IgG) or fecal extracts (IgA). We also investigated the immunogenic potencial of StxB purified from recombinant E. coli strain, but the induced anti-StxB antibodies did not neutralize the native toxin. The results indicate that alternative expression system or the incorporation of the adjuvants are required for the generation of vaccine formulation active against HUS.

Os manguezais são ambientes ricos em biodiversidade, cuja funcionalidade reside na ciclagem dos nutrientes e seu principal representante vegetal é Rhizophora mangle. Este estudo objetivou conhecer a diversidade bacteriana endoglicolítica e a tolerância à salinidade de rizobactérias associadas à R. mangle. Das amostras de plantas do manguezal de Bertioga (contaminado com petróleo) e Cananéia (não impactado) isolou-se 129 bactérias, das quais 30 apresentaram atividade endoglicolítica, com Bacillus subtilis isolado 39a como melhor produtor. A presença do gene EglA foi confirmada por amplificação com primers específicos. As linhagens testadas para salinidade mostraram-se halotolerantes, com destaque para o 39a, que cresceu em NaCl 20%. A microscopia eletrônica pós-cultivo em diferentes salinidades mostrou produção de biofilme em concentrações altas. Os resultados indicam que a preservação do ecossistema cria um ambiente bacteriano mais diverso e mostra Bacillus spp. como principal produtor de endoglicanase, além de responder ao stress salino formando biofilme. / Mangroves are environments so rich in biodiversity which functionality made by nutrient cycling. The main vegetable specie is Rhizophora mangle. This study objected to know bacterial endoglucolytic diversity and tolerance saline of rhizobacteria associated to R. mangle. Plants from Bertioga (oil contaminated) and Cananéia (not polluted) were sampled. From both sites, 129 bacteria were isolated, which most diversity observed from Cananéia. These isolates, 30 presented endoglucolytic activity and Bacillus subtilis (strain 39a) was characterized as top producer. The presence of EglA gene was confirmed using specific primers. The salinity test showed halotolerance, mainly strain 39a that growth untill about 20% NaCl. The scan electron microscopy of strains allowed biofilm production at elevated salinity that suggest the biofilm as tolerance mechanism to saline environment. The results indicated that ecosystem preservation makes a most diversity bacterial environment and that Bacillus spp. are main endoglucanase producer and response to saline stress producing biofilm.

Biotin is an essential vitamin in plants and mammals functioning as the carbon dioxide carrier within central lipid metabolism. Biotin is composed of a fused bicylic ring system and a five carbon, carboxylic acid chain. Biotin biosynthesis in bacteria is catalysed by a series of enzymes that use fatty acid, amino acid and sulfur-containing substrates. In Bacillus subtilis, pimeloyl-CoA synthetase (PCAS, EC 6.2.1.14, UNIPROT code: P53559, 29.6 kDa) is the first enzyme in the biotin biosynthetic pathway and acts as a highly specific substrate selection gate ensuring the integrity of the carbon chain in biotin synthesis. PCAS catalyses the synthesis of the key acyl-thioester, pimeloyl-CoA in two steps; the first involves activation of pimelic acid (C7 dicarboxylic acid) using ATP to give an acyl-adenylate, enzyme-bound intermediate and pyrophosphate (PPi), and in the second step, this pimeloyl-adenylate reacts with coenzyme A (CoASH) to form the pimeloyl-CoA thioester. This thesis describes the results of biochemical, structural and mechanistic studies of B. subtilis PCAS. Recombinant PCAS was prepared by expressing the B. subtilis BioW gene in E. coli in various hexa-histidine affinity-tagged forms and the enzyme purified in high purity and yield. Enzyme activity and kinetic constants were measured using reverse-phase HPLC and enzyme coupled spectroscopic assays. These revealed the enzyme to have a strict carboxylic acid specificity. In collaboration with colleagues at the University of St. Andrews various commercial and in-house screens were used to obtain diffraction-quality crystals suitable for X-ray crystallography. This also included the generation of seleno-methionine (SeMet) labelled PCAS, as well as heavy-metal derivatives. Structures of B. subtilis PCAS in complex with the substrate pimelic acid and the pimeloyl-adenylate intermediate and product PPi were determined at 2.04 Å and 2.34 Å resolution respectively. The B. subtilis PCAS displays a novel 3D fold and defines a new class (Class IV) in the ANL superfamily of adenylate forming enzymes. The enzyme is a homodimer composed of two domains, a short N-terminus and a large C-terminal domain and the ligand-bound structures revealed the residues potentially involved in substrate specificity and enzyme catalysis. The enzyme uses an internal ruler composed of a number of conserved arginine residues (Arg213, Arg227 and Arg170) to select the correct dicarboxylic acid substrate. The X-ray structures guided the production of a number of site directed mutants to identify residues involved in the catalytic mechanism and stabilising the acyl-adenylate intermediate. This also allowed rational engineering of the PCAS active site to generate mutants with altered substrate specificity. Mutant PCAS Y211F was shown to synthesise both heptanoyl (C7) and octanoyl (C8) mono carboxylic acid-CoA and C8 dicarboxylic-CoA thioester products, highlighting the synthetic potential of PCAS. The PCAS pimeloyl-CoA product is the substrate for the next enzyme in the biotin pathway, a pyridoxal 5'phosphate (PLP)-dependent 8-amino 7-oxononanoate synthase (AONS). AONS catalyses the condensation of pimeloyl-CoA with L-alanine to give AON which is converted to biotin by the action of three other enzymes. We used genome mining to identify a putative ~66 kDa, bi-functional PCAS/AONS enzyme with an N-terminal PCAS domain fused to C-terminal AONS domain in the organism Corynebacterium amycolatum. A recombinant C. amycolatum PCAS/AONS fusion protein was expressed and purified from E. coli and initial studies suggest that it forms a functional, fused, dimeric enzyme.