Les modèles de Markov d’ordre 2 (HMM2) sont des modèles stochastiques qui ont démontré leur efficacité dans l’exploration de séquences génomiques. Cette thèse explore l’intérêt de modèles de différents types (M1M2, M2M2, M2M0) ainsi que leur couplage à des méthodes combinatoires pour segmenter les génomes bactériens sans connaissances a priori du contenu génétique. Ces approches ont été appliquées à deux modèles bactériens afin d’en valider la robustesse : Streptomyces coelicolor et Streptococcus thermophilus. Ces espèces bactériennes présentent des caractéristiques génomiques très distinctes (composition, taille du génome) en lien avec leur écosystème spécifique : le sol pour les S. coelicolor et le milieu lait pour S. thermophilus / Second-order Hidden Markov Models (HMM2) are stochastic processes with a high efficiency in exploring bacterial genome sequences. Different types of HMM2 (M1M2, M2M2, M2M0) combined to combinatorial methods were developed in a new approach to discriminate genomic regions without a priori knowledge on their genetic content. This approach was applied on two bacterial models in order to validate its achievements: Streptomyces coelicolor and Streptococcus thermophilus. These bacterial species exhibit distinct genomic traits (base composition, global genome size) in relation with their ecological niche: soil for S. coelicolor and dairy products for S. thermophilus. In S. coelicolor, a first HMM2 architecture allowed the detection of short discrete DNA heterogeneities (5-16 nucleotides in size), mostly localized in intergenic regions. The application of the method on a biologically known gene set, the SigR regulon (involved in oxidative stress response), proved the efficiency in identifying bacterial promoters. S. coelicolor shows a complex regulatory network (up to 12% of the genes may be involved in gene regulation) with more than 60 sigma factors, involved in initiation of transcription. A classification method coupled to a searching algorithm (i.e. R’MES) was developed to automatically extract the box1-spacer-box2 composite DNA motifs, structure corresponding to the typical bacterial promoter -35/-10 boxes. Among the 814 DNA motifs described for the whole S. coelicolor genome, those of sigma factors (B, WhiG) could be retrieved from the crude data. We could show that this method could be generalized by applying it successfully in a preliminary attempt to the genome of Bacillus subtilis

Many irreversible antagonists are known to bind irreversibly to pharmacological receptors. However, few studies suggest that these irreversible antagonists may also display irreversible non-specific antagonism by binding irreversibly to non-syntopic binding sites on the receptor macromolecule, whereby they modulate the signal transduction of these receptors or reduce the agonist binding affmity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the classical irreversible antagonists phenoxybenzamine, benextramine and 4-DAMP mustard display irreversible nonspecific antagonism at various G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) types. In addition, the subcellular mechanism whereby benextramine displays irreversible non-specific antagonism was investigated. Three cell lines were employed to investigate the antagonism by these irreversible antagonists: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells transfected to express the porcine a2A-adrenoceptor (a2A-AR) at higher (a2A-H) or lower (a2A-L) numbers, human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells that endogenously express muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mACh-Rs), and SH-SY5Y cells transfected (5HT2A-SH-SY5Y)o express the human 5HT2A-serotonirne ceptor (5HTZA-R).C ells of the appropriate cell line were pre-treated at the appropriate concentrations and incubation times with an appropriate irreversible antagonist, with or without an appropriate reversible competitive antagonist at a sufficient concentration to protect the specific receptors. This was followed by washing procedures with drug-free media to rinse any unbound or reversibly bound drugs from the cells. When appropriate, cell membranes were prepared. Receptor function was evaluated by measuring whole-cell [3H]-cAMP or [3H]-IPx acumulation, or the binding of [35S]-GTPyS to membraness. Receptor concentrations were determined from radioligand-binding assays. In addition, the constitutive [35S]-GTPyS binding to Go protein before and after pre-treatment with benextramine was investigated. Results suggest that phenoxybenzamine (100 uM, 20 minutes) and benextramine (10 uM, 20 minutes) display irreversible non-specific antagonism at a2A-ARs when measuring Gi-mediated effects in a2A-L cells, but the affinity for a2A-ARs in a2A-H cells was not changed. In addition, it was found that the observed irreversible nonspecific antagonism by benextramine appears to be time- and concentration-dependent. When the mechanism of irreversible antagonism by benextramine was further investigated, benextramine reduced the binding of [35S]-GTPyS to a2A-H membranes with protected a2A-ARs, but did not modulate the constitutive binding of [35S]-GTPyS to Go. In addition, benextramine displays irreversible non-specific antagonism by inhibiting the G,-mediated effects of a2A-ARs in a2A-H cells and the Gq-mediated effects of mACh-Rs or 5HT2A-Rs in SH-SY5Y or 5HT2A-SH-SY5Y cells respectively. 4-DAMP mustard (100 uM, 20 minutes) did not display irreversible non-specific antagonism at mACh-Rs in SH-SY5Y cells, but irreversible non-specific antagonism was observed when the incubation time was increased (100 uM, 60 minutes). In conclusion it was found that phenoxybenzamine, benextramine and 4-DAMP mustard display irreversible non-specific antagonism at typical experimental conditions. These findings confirm concerns in literature and supports the possibility that more irreversible antagonists could display irreversible non-specific antagonism, and that could influence the interpretation of data obtained with such drugs. In addition, benextramine may prove to be a useful experimental drug in studying GPCR signalling. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pharmacology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

Many irreversible antagonists are known to bind irreversibly to pharmacological receptors. However, few studies suggest that these irreversible antagonists may also display irreversible non-specific antagonism by binding irreversibly to non-syntopic binding sites on the receptor macromolecule, whereby they modulate the signal transduction of these receptors or reduce the agonist binding affmity. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the classical irreversible antagonists phenoxybenzamine, benextramine and 4-DAMP mustard display irreversible nonspecific antagonism at various G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) types. In addition, the subcellular mechanism whereby benextramine displays irreversible non-specific antagonism was investigated. Three cell lines were employed to investigate the antagonism by these irreversible antagonists: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO-K1) cells transfected to express the porcine a2A-adrenoceptor (a2A-AR) at higher (a2A-H) or lower (a2A-L) numbers, human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cells that endogenously express muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mACh-Rs), and SH-SY5Y cells transfected (5HT2A-SH-SY5Y)o express the human 5HT2A-serotonirne ceptor (5HTZA-R).C ells of the appropriate cell line were pre-treated at the appropriate concentrations and incubation times with an appropriate irreversible antagonist, with or without an appropriate reversible competitive antagonist at a sufficient concentration to protect the specific receptors. This was followed by washing procedures with drug-free media to rinse any unbound or reversibly bound drugs from the cells. When appropriate, cell membranes were prepared. Receptor function was evaluated by measuring whole-cell [3H]-cAMP or [3H]-IPx acumulation, or the binding of [35S]-GTPyS to membraness. Receptor concentrations were determined from radioligand-binding assays. In addition, the constitutive [35S]-GTPyS binding to Go protein before and after pre-treatment with benextramine was investigated. Results suggest that phenoxybenzamine (100 uM, 20 minutes) and benextramine (10 uM, 20 minutes) display irreversible non-specific antagonism at a2A-ARs when measuring Gi-mediated effects in a2A-L cells, but the affinity for a2A-ARs in a2A-H cells was not changed. In addition, it was found that the observed irreversible nonspecific antagonism by benextramine appears to be time- and concentration-dependent. When the mechanism of irreversible antagonism by benextramine was further investigated, benextramine reduced the binding of [35S]-GTPyS to a2A-H membranes with protected a2A-ARs, but did not modulate the constitutive binding of [35S]-GTPyS to Go. In addition, benextramine displays irreversible non-specific antagonism by inhibiting the G,-mediated effects of a2A-ARs in a2A-H cells and the Gq-mediated effects of mACh-Rs or 5HT2A-Rs in SH-SY5Y or 5HT2A-SH-SY5Y cells respectively. 4-DAMP mustard (100 uM, 20 minutes) did not display irreversible non-specific antagonism at mACh-Rs in SH-SY5Y cells, but irreversible non-specific antagonism was observed when the incubation time was increased (100 uM, 60 minutes). In conclusion it was found that phenoxybenzamine, benextramine and 4-DAMP mustard display irreversible non-specific antagonism at typical experimental conditions. These findings confirm concerns in literature and supports the possibility that more irreversible antagonists could display irreversible non-specific antagonism, and that could influence the interpretation of data obtained with such drugs. In addition, benextramine may prove to be a useful experimental drug in studying GPCR signalling. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pharmacology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

[ES] El cuidado de la salud es un campo en el que la detección precoz de enfermedades está cobrando cada vez más importancia. Hoy en día, profesionales y ciudadanos demandan que las técnicas de diagnóstico sean de alta calidad, tanto para el sistema de sanidad privado como para el público. Cuando se utilizan técnicas de diagnóstico de manera inadecuada, eso puede acarrear bastantes consecuencias, tales como un serio peligro sobre la salud y la sobrecarga técnica y económica de los servicios de salud. Eso es debido a que las técnicas de diagnóstico disponibles hoy en día son demasiado costosas, centralizadas en laboratorios y necesitan profesionales altamente cualificados para poder llevar a cabo dichas tareas, lo que conllevaría una demora en el tiempo, siendo este muchas veces vital para los enfermos. Es muy necesario, por lo tanto, reflexionar sobre la necesidad y emergencia de tales prácticas preventivas, especialmente para enfermedades de alto riesgo como el cáncer, el Alzheimer o la primera causa de muerte en el mundo, las enfermedades cardiovasculares. En este contexto, el objetivo principal del trabajo realizado durante esta Tesis Doctoral es ayudar a superar estos problemas mediante la exploración de la posibilidad de utilizar tecnología fotónica para el desarrollo de sistemas de análisis que puedan ser utilizados para el diagnóstico y pronóstico de las enfermedades cardiovasculares. Este objetivo se ha abordado mediante la combinación de la tecnología nanofotónica, consistiendo en la nanofabricación de las estructuras PBG de sensado que ofrece varios beneficios, como una alta sensibilidad, una extrema reducción de tamaño y un proceso de fabricación compatible con el de la industria microelectrónica, con un método de biofuncionalización obteniendo una capa de bioreconocimiento estable y selectiva mediante el uso de la reacción TEC asistida por luz capaz de proporcionar unas capas de bio-reconocimiento extremadamente finas con una inmovilización espacialmente selectiva. / [CAT] L'atenció a la salut és un camp en què la detecció precoç de malalties està cobrant cada vegada més importància. Hui en dia, professionals i ciutadans demanen que les tècniques de diagnòstic siguin d'alta qualitat, tant per al sistema de sanitat privat com per al públic. Quan s'utilitzen tècniques de diagnòstic de manera inadequada, això pot comportar bastants conseqüències, com ara, un seriós perill sobre la salut i la sobrecàrrega tècnica i econòmica dels serveis de salut. Això és degut al fet que les tècniques de diagnòstic disponibles hui en dia són molt costoses, centralitzades en laboratoris i necessiten professionals altament qualificats per poder realitzar aquestes tasques, lo que comportaria a una demora en el temps que moltes vegades es vital pels malalts. És molt necessari, per tant, reflexionar sobre la necessitat i emergència de tals practiques preventives, especialment per a malalties d'alt risc com el càncer, l'Alzheimer o la primera causa de mort al món, les malalties cardiovasculars. En aquest context, l'objectiu principal del treball realitzat durant aquesta Tesi Doctoral és ajudar a superar aquests problemes mitjançant l'exploració de la possibilitat d'utilitzar tecnologia fotònica per al desenvolupament de sistemes d'anàlisis que puguin ser utilitzats per al diagnòstic i pronòstic de les malalties cardiovasculars. Aquest objectiu s'ha abordat mitjançant la combinació de la tecnologia nanofotònica, consistint en la nanofabricació de les estructures de detecció de PBG fotòniques que ofereix diversos beneficis, com una alta sensibilitat, una extrema reducció de mida i un procés de fabricació compatible amb el de la indústria microelectrònica, amb un mètode de biofuncionalització obtenint una capa de bio-reconeixement estable i selectiva mitjançant l'ús de la reacció TEC assistida per llum capaç de proporcionar unes capes de bioreconeixement extremadament fines amb una immobilització espacialment selectiva. preventives, especialment per a malalties d'alt risc com el càncer, l'Alzheimer o la primera causa de mort al món, les malalties cardiovasculars. En aquest context, l'objectiu principal del treball realitzat durant aquesta Tesi Doctoral és ajudar a superar aquests problemes mitjançant l'exploració de la possibilitat d'utilitzar tecnologia fotònica per al desenvolupament de sistemes d'anàlisis que puguin ser utilitzats per al diagnòstic i pronòstic de les malalties cardiovasculars. Aquest objectiu s'ha abordat mitjançant la combinació de la tecnologia nanofotònica, consistint en la nanofabricació de les estructures de detecció de PBG fotòniques que ofereix diversos beneficis, com una alta sensibilitat, una extrema reducció de mida i un procés de fabricació compatible amb el de la indústria microelectrònica, amb un mètode de biofuncionalització obtenint una capa de bio-reconeixement estable i selectiva mitjançant l'ús de la reacció TEC assistida per llum capaç de proporcionar unes capes de bioreconeixement extremadament fines amb una immobilització espacialment selectiva. / [EN] Healthcare is a field where the early detection of diseases is becoming more and more important. Nowadays, professionals and citizens demand high quality diagnosis techniques offered by both private and public health systems. When the application of diagnostic tests is not adequate, different consequences can be observed such as health hazard and technical and economic overload of health services. This is due to the fact that the diagnostic techniques available are expensive, centralized in laboratories and with the need for highly qualified professionals to carry out these tasks, what can fundamentally lead to delays in time, being critical for the patient's health. It is very necessary, therefore, to reflect on the need and emergency of such preventive practices, especially for high-risk diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer or the first cause of death in the world, the cardiovascular diseases. Within this context, the main objective of the work done during this PhD Thesis is to help on overcoming these problems by exploring the possibility of using photonic technology for the development of analysis devices which might be used for the early diagnosis and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases. This objective has been addressed by combining nanophotonic technology, by the nanofabrication of the photonic PBG sensing structures, which provides several benefits such as a high sensitivity, an extreme size reduction and a fabrication process being compatible with that from the microelectronics industry, with a light-assisted biofunctionalization method forming a stable and selective biorecognition layer using TEC reaction able to provide extremely thin biorecognition layers with a spatially-selective immobilization. / Sabek, J. (2019). Combination of nanophotonic biosensors and light-assisted immobilization procedures for the detection of cardiac biomarkers [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/124821 / TESIS

Tesis por compendio / El presente proyecto de investigación está enfocado al desarrollo de sensores químicos fluoro-cromogénicos, para la detección y determinación de especies químicas de interés biológico, industrial y medioambiental de forma selectiva y con alta sensibilidad. En forma general, se busca el diseñar nuevos sistemas sensores basados en compuestos (receptores) formados por dos unidades: una unidad coordinante que interacciona con el anión a determinar y una unidad generadora de señal que alerta del reconocimiento molecular efectuado. Durante este estudio se están preparando diversas moléculas receptoras funcionalizandas con grupos modificadores de estructura para evaluar su influencia sobre las capacidades de detección y selectividad como receptores de especies específicas en diferentes condiciones y medios. Las diferentes aproximaciones en prueba implican a su vez el diseño y síntesis molecular, así como el análisis de las diferentes señales ópticas producidas en el reconocimiento, con el fin de diseñar sistemas de alta eficacia y eficiencia, y con posibilidades reales de aplicación. / Santos Figueroa, LE. (2014). New approaches for the development of chromo-fluorogenic sensors for chemical species of biological, industrial and environmental interest [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/43216 / TESIS / Premios Extraordinarios de tesis doctorales / Compendio

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Intrinsically disordered proteins are proteins characterized by lack of stable tertiary structures under physiological conditions. Evidence shows that disordered proteins are not only highly involved in protein interactions, but also have the capability to associate with more than one partner. Short disordered protein fragments, called “molecular recognition features” (MoRFs), were hypothesized to facilitate the binding diversity of highly-connected proteins termed “hubs”. MoRFs often couple folding with binding while forming interaction complexes. Two protein disorder mechanisms were proposed to facilitate multiple partner binding and enable hub proteins to bind to multiple partners: 1. One region of disorder could bind to many different partners (one-to-many binding), so the hub protein itself uses disorder for multiple partner binding; and 2. Many different regions of disorder could bind to a single partner (many-to-one binding), so the hub protein is structured but binds to many disordered partners via interaction with disorder. Thousands of MoRF-partner protein complexes were collected from Protein Data Bank in this study, including 321 one-to-many binding examples and 514 many-to-one binding examples. The conformational flexibility of MoRFs was observed at atomic resolution to help the MoRFs to adapt themselves to various binding surfaces of partners or to enable different MoRFs with non-identical sequences to associate with one specific binding pocket. Strikingly, in one-to-many binding, post-translational modification, alternative splicing and partner topology were revealed to play key roles for partner selection of these fuzzy complexes. On the other hand, three distinct binding profiles were identified in the collected many-to-one dataset: similar, intersecting and independent. For the similar binding profile, the distinct MoRFs interact with almost identical binding sites on the same partner. The MoRFs can also interact with a partially the same but partially different binding site, giving the intersecting binding profile. Finally, the MoRFs can interact with completely different binding sites, thus giving the independent binding profile. In conclusion, we suggest that protein disorder with post-translational modifications and alternative splicing are all working together to rewire the protein interaction networks.

Cette thèse est une étude théorique sur la interface de porphyrine de cobalt avec des surfaces métalliques avec le code VASP DFT. Le cadre DFT nécessaire a été introduit dans le chapitre 1. La structure de la jBardeen, une programme ecrit en Java, pour la simulation de la STM est expliqué dans le chapitre 2 et le code source est jointe en annexe. Une étude de l'adsorption de CoTPP sur les surfaces métalliques a été entrepris dans le chapitre 3. Différents paramètres de calcul ont été évalués: Le site d'adsorption et de la géométrie à la fois la molécule et la surface ont été étudiés par rapport à la xc-fonctionnel et correction de la dispersion utilisée. Une adsorption site le plus stable est identifié. Par conséquent, ce site plus stable a été étudiée pour sa structure électronique. Calculés images STM avec le code jBardeen ont été comparés avec une experimentation de CoTPP Cu sur une surface (111) avec une couverture sous monocouche. Dans le chapitre 4, un adatome Fe a été présenté à la CoTPP sur Ag système (111). Trois sites de liaison symétrique différentes pour l'atome Fe ont été identifiés sur le macrocycle, marqué les , bi-, brd- et bru-positions. Un moment magnétique pouvait être attestée qui a été principalement situé sur l'atome Fe. Voies possibles entre les quatre, symétriquement équivalentes, sites bi- ont été étudiées avec des méthodes différentes. Simples calculs dans le vacuum et calculs de la “Nudged Elastic Band” (NEB) de l'ensemble du système a révélé une hauteur de barrière légèrement au-dessus de 0,2 eV allant de position bi à la posititon brd. Une analyse de vibration a montré que la commutation de l'atome Fe est susceptible, lorsqu'il est perturbé hors d'équilibre dans les positions brd et bru. / This thesis is a theoretical study on the cobalt porphyrin - coinage metal surface interface with the DFT code VASP. The necessary DFT framework has been introduced in chapter 1. The structure of the Java program jBardeen for STM simulation is explained in chapter 2 and the source code is attached as Appendix. A study of the adsorption of CoTPP on coinage metal surfaces has been undertaken in chapter 3. Different parameters of the calculation have been evaluated: the adsorption site and the geometry of both the molecule and surface have been investigated with respect to the xc-functional and dispersion correction used. A most stable adsorption site -bridge down- is identified. Consequently, this most stable site was investigated for its electronic structure. Calculated STM images with the jBardeen code were compared with an experiment of CoTPP on a Cu(111) surface with sub monolayer coverage. In chapter 4 an Fe adatom was introduced to the CoTPP on Ag(111) system. Three symmetrically different binding sites for the Fe atom were identified on the macrocycle, labelled the bi-, brd- and bru-positions for bisector, bridge down and bridge up respectively. A magnetic moment could be evidenced which was mainly located on the Fe atom. Possible pathways between the four symmetrically equivalent bisector sites were investigated with different methods. Single point calculations in vacuum and Nudged Elastic Band (NEB) of the whole system revealed a barrier height of slightly above 0.2 eV going from bi- to the brd-position. A vibrational analysis showed that switching of the Fe atom is likely, when perturbed out of equilibrium in the brd- and bru- positions.

N-glycosylation is the most common eukaryotic post-translational modification, impacting on protein stability, folding, and protein-protein interactions. More broadly, N-glycans play biological roles in reaction kinetics modulation, intracellular protein trafficking, and cell-cell communications. The machinery responsible for the initial stages of N-glycan assembly and processing is found on the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum. Following N-glycan transfer to a nascent glycoprotein, the enzyme Processing α-Glucosidase I (GluI) catalyzes the selective removal of the terminal glucose residue. GluI is a highly substrate-specific enzyme, requiring a minimum glucotriose for catalysis; this glycan is uniquely found in biology in this pathway. The structural basis of the high substrate selectivity and the details of the mechanism of hydrolysis of this reaction have not been characterized. Understanding the structural foundation of this unique relationship forms the major aim of this work. To approach this goal, the S. cerevisiae homolog soluble protein, Cwht1p, was investigated. Cwht1p was expressed and purified in the methyltrophic yeast P. pastoris, improving protein yield to be sufficient for crystallization screens. From Cwht1p crystals, the structure was solved using mercury SAD phasing at a resolution of 2 Å, and two catalytic residues were proposed based upon structural similarity with characterized enzymes. Subsequently, computational methods using a glucotriose ligand were applied to predict the mode of substrate binding. From these results, a proposed model of substrate binding has been formulated, which may be conserved in eukaryotic GluI homologs.

N-glycosylation is the most common eukaryotic post-translational modification, impacting on protein stability, folding, and protein-protein interactions. More broadly, N-glycans play biological roles in reaction kinetics modulation, intracellular protein trafficking, and cell-cell communications. The machinery responsible for the initial stages of N-glycan assembly and processing is found on the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum. Following N-glycan transfer to a nascent glycoprotein, the enzyme Processing α-Glucosidase I (GluI) catalyzes the selective removal of the terminal glucose residue. GluI is a highly substrate-specific enzyme, requiring a minimum glucotriose for catalysis; this glycan is uniquely found in biology in this pathway. The structural basis of the high substrate selectivity and the details of the mechanism of hydrolysis of this reaction have not been characterized. Understanding the structural foundation of this unique relationship forms the major aim of this work. To approach this goal, the S. cerevisiae homolog soluble protein, Cwht1p, was investigated. Cwht1p was expressed and purified in the methyltrophic yeast P. pastoris, improving protein yield to be sufficient for crystallization screens. From Cwht1p crystals, the structure was solved using mercury SAD phasing at a resolution of 2 Å, and two catalytic residues were proposed based upon structural similarity with characterized enzymes. Subsequently, computational methods using a glucotriose ligand were applied to predict the mode of substrate binding. From these results, a proposed model of substrate binding has been formulated, which may be conserved in eukaryotic GluI homologs.

Classically it was assumed that the compounds with therapeutic effect exert their action interacting with a single receptor. Nowadays it is widely recognized that the pharmacological effect of most drugs is more complex and involves a set of receptors, some associated to their positive effects and some others to the side effects and toxicity. Antipsychotic drugs are an example of effective compounds characterized by a complex pharmacological profile binding to several receptors (mainly G protein-coupled-receptors, GPCR). In this work we will present a detailed study of known antipsychotic drugs and the receptors potentially involved in their binding profile, in order to understand the molecular mechanisms of the antipsychotic pharmacologic effects.The study started with obtaining homology models for all the receptors putatively involved in the antipsychotic drugs receptorome, suitable for building consistent drug-receptor complexes. These complexes were structurally analyzed and compared using multivariate statistical methods, which in turn allowed the identification of the relationship between the pharmacological properties of the antipsychotic drugs and the structural differences in the receptor targets. The results can be exploited for the design of safer and more effective antipsychotic drugs with an optimum binding profile. / Tradicionalmente se asumía que los fármacos terapéuticamente efectivos actuaban interaccionando con un único receptor. Actualmente está ampliamente reconocido que el efecto farmacológico de la mayoría de los fármacos es más complejo y abarca a un conjunto de receptores, algunos asociados a los efectos terapéuticos y otros a los secundarios y toxicidad. Los fármacos antipsicóticos son un ejemplo de compuestos eficaces que se caracterizan por unirse a varios receptores simultáneamente (principalmente a receptores unidos a proteína G, GPCR). El trabajo de la presente tesis se ha centrado en el estudio de los mecanismos moleculares que determinan el perfil de afinidad de unión por múltiples receptores de los fármacos antipsicóticos.En primer lugar se construyeron modelos de homología para todos los receptores potencialmente implicados en la actividad farmacológica de dichos fármacos, usando una metodología adecuada para construir complejos fármaco-receptor consistentes. La estructura de estos complejos fue analizada y se llevó a cabo una comparación mediante métodos estadísticos multivariantes, que permitió la identificación de asociaciones entre la actividad farmacológica de los fármacos antipsicóticos y diferencias estructurales de los receptores diana. Los resultados obtenidos tienen interés para ser explotados en el diseño de fármacos antipsicóticos con un perfil farmacológico óptimo, más seguros y eficaces.