Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1926. / Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Bibliography: [3] p. at end.

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O dermatófito Trichophyton rubrum é um fungo filamentoso, antropofílico que infecta preferencialmente tecidos queratinizados, e é o agente etiológico mais frequentemente isolado em casos de dermatofitoses humanas. Recentemente, este fungo tornou-se a causa de infecções profundas e generalizadas em pacientes imunocomprometidos. As estratégias terapêuticas para controlar esse tipo de infecção apresentam várias limitações, como o aparecimento de linhagens resistentes e o número restrito de alvos celulares disponíveis. Novas estratégias terapêuticas são necessárias, sendo o foco de muitas investigações. Acriflavina é uma droga citotóxica com atividade antifúngica envolvida na inibição da topoisomerase. Embora seja um composto intercalante de DNA, já foi relatada a super expressão de genes que codificam enzimas envolvidas no transporte de elétrons na cadeia respiratória mitocondrial e no transporte de ferro em resposta a esta droga, sugerindo um amplo espectro de efeitos celulares. A fim de melhor compreender seus efeitos moleculares, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o transcriptoma de T. rubrum em resposta a acriflavina. Os perfis transcricionais em resposta a esta droga foram analisados utilizando a metodologia de RNA-seq empregando o sequenciamento em larga escala SOLiD System. Foram comparadas quatro bibliotecas sendo uma o cultivo de T. rubrum em meio Sabouraud e três períodos de exposição à droga: 3 horas, 12 horas e 24 horas. Foram geradas aproximadamente 200 milhões de reads, as quais foram filtradas e alinhadas no genoma de T. rubrum disponível no Dermatophyte Comparative Database Broad Institute utilizando os algoritmos Bowtie e Tophat. As reads alinhadas foram processadas utilizando os algoritmos Cufflinks e Cuffdiff para estimar a abundancia dos transcritos e testar os genes diferencialmente expressos entre o controle e as condições de exposição à droga. Foram identificados 3.153 genes diferencialmente expressos. Após o estabelecimento de critérios mais estringentes, foram selecionados 490 genes diferencialmente expressos em resposta à droga. Estes genes estão relacionados a vários processos celulares como reações de oxidação e redução, transporte transmembrana, transporte de íons e metais e a patogenicidade. Os genes envolvidos com patogenicidade foram reprimidos, sugerindo que a droga interfira com processos importantes para instalação e manutenção da infecção no hospedeiro. Outros fatores de virulência como genes envolvidos no ciclo do glioxilato, também foram reprimidos pela droga. Além disso, genes da via de biossíntese do ergosterol foram reprimidos pela droga, o que constitui um provável novo mecanismo de ação de acriflavina. Os resultados obtidos nesta análise em larga escala contribuem com a elucidação dos mecanismos moleculares envolvidos na adaptação ao estresse em dermatófitos e podem auxiliar o desenvolvimento de novas drogas antifúngicas. Além disso, estes resultados contribuem com a anotação do genoma e transcritoma de T. rubrum e outros dermatófitos. / The dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum is an anthropophilic filamentous fungus that infects keratinized tissues and is the most common etiologic agent isolated in cases of human dermatophytoses. Recently, it has become the cause of deep and widespread infections in immunocompromised patients. Therapeutic strategies to control these infections have several limitations, such as the appearence of resistant strains and the limited number of antifungal cellular targets. New therapeutic strategies are necessary, being the focus of many investigations. Acriflavine is a cytotoxic drug with antifungal activity involved in topoisomerase inhibition. Although it presents DNA intercalating properties, it has already been reported the over-expression of genes coding for enzymes involved in mitochondrial respiratory-electron transport and in iron transport in response to this drug, suggesting a broad spectra of cellular effects. In order to better understand its molecular effects we evaluated T. rubrum transcriptome in response to acriflavine in a time-course assay using the next generation sequencing technology SOLiD System. RNA-seq was performed comparing T. rubrum growth in Sabouraud medium as the control and the three periods of drug exposure, 3h, 12h, and 24h. RNA-seq generated approximately 200 million short reads that were mapped to the Broad Institutes Dermatophyte Comparative Database using Bowtie and TopHat algoritms. Differential gene expression analysis was performed using Cufflinks and Cuffdiff. It was identified 3,153 differentially expressed genes. A more stringent cut-off threshold was established and this analysis revealed a subset of 490 genes modulated in response to the stress caused by exposure of T. rubrum to acriflavine. These genes are involved in various cellular processes such as oxidation-reduction reactions, transmembrane transport, metal ion binding, and pathogenicity. The genes involved in pathogenicity were down-regulated, suggesting that this drug interferes with virulence factors that allow the development of infection and persistence of the dermatophyte in the host. Other virulence factors such as genes involved in the glyoxylate cycle were also repressed by the drug. Moreover, genes involved in ergosterol biosynthesis pathway were down-regulated by the drug and may constitute a new mechanism of action of acriflavine. The results obtained in this large scale analysis provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the responses of T. rubrum to stress conditions and may aid the development of new antifungal drugs. Furthermore, these results contribute to improve gene annotation and open reading frame prediction for T. rubrum and other dermatophyte genomes and transcriptomes.

Preclinical methods for the identification and characterization of molecules for development into new cancer drugs were investigated. Based on repurposing, i.e. the exploration of currently prescribed drugs for new indications, and as a result of a new high throughput screening (HTS) approach, the benzimidazoles benomyl and carbendazim, the alkaloid cryptolepine and the acridine acriflavine were found interesting to characterize using these methods. In mice the benzimidazoles inhibited 3H-thymidine incorporation in tissues with high cell renewal, with benomyl being more active than carbendazim.  They were rapidly absorbed with highest amounts seen in the liver, kidneys and gastro-intestinal lumen as evidenced from distribution of 14C-labeled drugs. In human tumour cell lines, the benzimidazoles showed a similar activity pattern but benomyl was more potent. This was true also in tumour cells from patients but carbendazim was relatively more active against solid tumours. Analyses of drug activity cross-resistance patterns and of drug activity – gene expression correlations in a cell line panel suggested multiple mechanisms of action for the benzimidazoles. Cryptolepine was widely distributed to tissues in vivo in the mice. It was more potent than the benzimidazoles in tumour cells, with highest activity in haematological malignancies but some patient samples of breast, colon and non small-cell lung cancer were sensitive. Cross-resistance analysis indicated cryptolepine to be a topoisomerase II inhibitor whereas drug activity – gene expression correlations suggested additional mechanisms of action. HTS on 2 000 molecules in colon cancer cell lines and normal cells identified acriflavine as a hit molecule, subsequently shown to have unprecedented activity against colorectal cancer tumour cells in patient tumour samples. Connectivity map analysis, based on drug induced gene expression perturbation patterns in a tumour cell line, indicated acriflavine to be a topoisomerase inhibitor, subsequently confirmed in a plasmid relaxation assay. In conclusion, repurposing of drugs and HTS using stringent activity criteria followed by preclinical characterization might contribute to more efficient development of new cancer drugs.

O dermatófito Trichophyton rubrum é um fungo filamentoso, antropofílico que infecta preferencialmente tecidos queratinizados, e é o agente etiológico mais frequentemente isolado em casos de dermatofitoses humanas. Recentemente, este fungo tornou-se a causa de infecções profundas e generalizadas em pacientes imunocomprometidos. As estratégias terapêuticas para controlar esse tipo de infecção apresentam várias limitações, como o aparecimento de linhagens resistentes e o número restrito de alvos celulares disponíveis. Novas estratégias terapêuticas são necessárias, sendo o foco de muitas investigações. Acriflavina é uma droga citotóxica com atividade antifúngica envolvida na inibição da topoisomerase. Embora seja um composto intercalante de DNA, já foi relatada a super expressão de genes que codificam enzimas envolvidas no transporte de elétrons na cadeia respiratória mitocondrial e no transporte de ferro em resposta a esta droga, sugerindo um amplo espectro de efeitos celulares. A fim de melhor compreender seus efeitos moleculares, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o transcriptoma de T. rubrum em resposta a acriflavina. Os perfis transcricionais em resposta a esta droga foram analisados utilizando a metodologia de RNA-seq empregando o sequenciamento em larga escala SOLiD System. Foram comparadas quatro bibliotecas sendo uma o cultivo de T. rubrum em meio Sabouraud e três períodos de exposição à droga: 3 horas, 12 horas e 24 horas. Foram geradas aproximadamente 200 milhões de reads, as quais foram filtradas e alinhadas no genoma de T. rubrum disponível no Dermatophyte Comparative Database Broad Institute utilizando os algoritmos Bowtie e Tophat. As reads alinhadas foram processadas utilizando os algoritmos Cufflinks e Cuffdiff para estimar a abundancia dos transcritos e testar os genes diferencialmente expressos entre o controle e as condições de exposição à droga. Foram identificados 3.153 genes diferencialmente expressos. Após o estabelecimento de critérios mais estringentes, foram selecionados 490 genes diferencialmente expressos em resposta à droga. Estes genes estão relacionados a vários processos celulares como reações de oxidação e redução, transporte transmembrana, transporte de íons e metais e a patogenicidade. Os genes envolvidos com patogenicidade foram reprimidos, sugerindo que a droga interfira com processos importantes para instalação e manutenção da infecção no hospedeiro. Outros fatores de virulência como genes envolvidos no ciclo do glioxilato, também foram reprimidos pela droga. Além disso, genes da via de biossíntese do ergosterol foram reprimidos pela droga, o que constitui um provável novo mecanismo de ação de acriflavina. Os resultados obtidos nesta análise em larga escala contribuem com a elucidação dos mecanismos moleculares envolvidos na adaptação ao estresse em dermatófitos e podem auxiliar o desenvolvimento de novas drogas antifúngicas. Além disso, estes resultados contribuem com a anotação do genoma e transcritoma de T. rubrum e outros dermatófitos. / The dermatophyte Trichophyton rubrum is an anthropophilic filamentous fungus that infects keratinized tissues and is the most common etiologic agent isolated in cases of human dermatophytoses. Recently, it has become the cause of deep and widespread infections in immunocompromised patients. Therapeutic strategies to control these infections have several limitations, such as the appearence of resistant strains and the limited number of antifungal cellular targets. New therapeutic strategies are necessary, being the focus of many investigations. Acriflavine is a cytotoxic drug with antifungal activity involved in topoisomerase inhibition. Although it presents DNA intercalating properties, it has already been reported the over-expression of genes coding for enzymes involved in mitochondrial respiratory-electron transport and in iron transport in response to this drug, suggesting a broad spectra of cellular effects. In order to better understand its molecular effects we evaluated T. rubrum transcriptome in response to acriflavine in a time-course assay using the next generation sequencing technology SOLiD System. RNA-seq was performed comparing T. rubrum growth in Sabouraud medium as the control and the three periods of drug exposure, 3h, 12h, and 24h. RNA-seq generated approximately 200 million short reads that were mapped to the Broad Institutes Dermatophyte Comparative Database using Bowtie and TopHat algoritms. Differential gene expression analysis was performed using Cufflinks and Cuffdiff. It was identified 3,153 differentially expressed genes. A more stringent cut-off threshold was established and this analysis revealed a subset of 490 genes modulated in response to the stress caused by exposure of T. rubrum to acriflavine. These genes are involved in various cellular processes such as oxidation-reduction reactions, transmembrane transport, metal ion binding, and pathogenicity. The genes involved in pathogenicity were down-regulated, suggesting that this drug interferes with virulence factors that allow the development of infection and persistence of the dermatophyte in the host. Other virulence factors such as genes involved in the glyoxylate cycle were also repressed by the drug. Moreover, genes involved in ergosterol biosynthesis pathway were down-regulated by the drug and may constitute a new mechanism of action of acriflavine. The results obtained in this large scale analysis provide insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the responses of T. rubrum to stress conditions and may aid the development of new antifungal drugs. Furthermore, these results contribute to improve gene annotation and open reading frame prediction for T. rubrum and other dermatophyte genomes and transcriptomes.