Marburg, Univ., Diss., 2003.

Marburg, Universiẗat, Diss., 2003. / Erscheinungsjahr an der Haupttitelstelle: 2002.

Techn. Universiẗat, Diss., 2003--Braunschweig.

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden promesogene Arme sowie eine Bibliothek von Sternmesogenen mit Anthracen als Donor- und Anthrachinon als Akzeptorbaustein synthetisiert und untersucht. Ein Schwerpunkt der Arbeit lag auf der Synthese, dem Upscaling, der selektiven Schützung und weiteren Umsetzung der 2,6-substituierten Anthracen- und Anthrachinon-Chromophore zu den Armbausteinen. Besondere Herausforderungen ergaben sich nicht nur in der Entwicklung einer effizienten Synthesestrategie zur Gewinnung der Chromophore, sondern auch in der Wahl geeigneter Schutzgruppen. Die sternförmigen Verbindungen, die im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit präpariert wurden, enthalten 1,3,5-Trihydroxybenzen (Phloroglucin) als Kerneinheit und sind Multiarmmesogene mit der kleinstmöglichen Zahl an Armen. Durch geeignete Schutzgruppenstrategien gelang neben den C3-symmetrischen Verbindungen die gezielte Darstellung der C2-symmetrischen und unsymmetrischen Verbindungen. Die Gesamtausbeuten der semiperfluorierten Verbindungen fallen deutlich geringer aus als die der ausschließlich mit Alkylketten dekorierten Derivate, da ihre Isolierung sehr anspruchsvoll ist. Alle Verbindungen bilden ausnahmslos kolumnare Phasen. Semiperfluorierte Ketten wurden eingeführt, um eine Trennung des Donors Anthracen und des Akzeptors Anthrachinon zu erreichen. Die Kolumnendurchmesser sind bei allen kolumnaren Mesophasen wesentlich kleiner als die Durchmesser der sternförmigen Konformere der Mesogene. Angelehnt an die früher untersuchten Oligobenzoatsterne werden Modelle mit gefalteten, E-förmigen Konformeren aufgestellt. So ist es möglich, die erforderliche Anzahl an Molekülen pro Elementarzelle in einer dichten, nanosegregierten Packung anzuordnen. Mit Absorptions- und Emissionsmessungen konnte dieses Modell bestätigt werden. In allen Donor- und Akzeptor-substituierten Verbindungen wird die Fluoreszenz durch Energietransferprozesse nach Förster und Dexter fast vollständig gelöscht. Restfluoreszenz wird in dem Bereich beobachtet, der nur noch den Transfer nach Dexter zulässt und ist für die Derivate am höchsten, die in den E-förmigen Konformeren Donor und Akzeptor am besten trennen können. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigen, dass Anthracen- und Anthrachinonderivate eine Vielzahl komplexer zwei- und dreidimensional hochgeordneter kolumnarer Strukturen ausbilden und damit hochinteressant sind als flüssigkristalline organische Halbleitermaterialien. / As part of this work promesogenic arms and a library of star-shaped mesogens with anthracene as electron donor and anthraquinone as electron acceptor unit were synthesised and characterised. The work focused first on synthesis, upscaling, selective protection and further implementation of 2,6-substituted anthracene and anthraquinone chromophores to arm derivatives. The development of an efficient synthetic strategy, but also the selection of appropriate protecting groups was particular challenging. The star-shaped molecules prepared in this work contain 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene (Phloroglucinol) as core unit and are multiarm mesogens with the smallest possible number of arms. In addition to the synthesis of the C3-symmetrical, suitable protecting group strategies led to selective preparation of the C2-symmetrical and unsymmetrical compounds. All over yields of semiperfluorinated compounds are significant lower compared to the alkyl chain derivatives, owing to the much more demanding work-up. The liquid crystalline properties of all star-shaped target compounds were analyzed. Without exception – all materials form columnar mesophases. Semiperfluorinated chains were used to nanosegregate the donor anthracene and the acceptor anthraquinone. Column diameters of all columnar mesophases are much smaller than the diameters of star-shaped conformers of the mesogens. According to previous investigations of oligobenzoate stars, models with folded, E-shaped conformers have been suggested. This way it is possible to arrange the required number of molecules in a dense, nanosegregated structure. This model could be confirmed by absorption und emission spectroscopy. For all donor and acceptor substituted compounds fluorescence is almost completely quenched by energy transfer processes according to Förster and Dexter. Residual fluorescence, which is only observed in the range of Dexter transfer, is highest for molecules in which donor and acceptor in the E-shaped conformer possess a high probability to be separated in the columnar stacks. The results of this work show anthracene and anthraquinone derivatives forming a number of complex two- and three-dimensional high-ordered columnar structures and thus are highly interesting for liquid crystalline organic semiconducting materials.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2007. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (ℓ. 104-128)

Flavobacterium columnare, a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium, is the causative agent of columnaris disease in a variety of fish hosts but is of particular significance to the catfish industry located in the southeastern United States. Columnaris infections are a leading cause of mortalities in catfish ponds, occurring alone or in conjunction with other diseases. Typical diagnostic methods for columnaris infections involve the use of selective media following the observation of gross signs of disease. A real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to estimate the quantity of bacteria present in environmental and tissue samples was developed and validated. The genetic variability seen in F. columnare makes detection of isolates from different genomovars (genetic groups) essential to an assay for diagnostic application. Isolates from catfish generally fall into one of two different genomovars, one being virulent to catfish, while the other genomovar is thought to be largely opportunistic. The qPCR assay described herein was designed specifically to detect F. columnare isolates from the two major genomovars most often associated with farm-raised catfish. The assay was shown specific to F. columnare, regardless of genomovar, and demonstrated sensitivity consistent with similar qPCR assays. In addition, the assay provides quantitative information, estimating the bacterial loads in fish tissue and the environment. Two different applications of the assay are presented: (1) Estimate bacterial burden in fish tissue following immersion challenges to identify variation in transmission rates between channel and blue x channel hybrid catfish, and (2) Estimate the environmental burden of F. columnare in catfish ponds over the course of a single calendar year. This assay will provide an invaluable tool for researchers and diagnosticians in expanding our understanding of F. columnare and how it interacts with the host and environment.

Flavobacterium columnare is a freshwater fish bacterium responsible for columnaris disease, the second leading cause of mortality in pond raised catfish in the southeastern United States. Pulsedield gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is a particularly powerful tool in epidemiology and is now regarded as the gold standard for molecular typing of microorganisms. We developed methods for conducting PFGE on F. columnare, and determined its efficacy for characterizing F. columnare strains isolated from different locations in the Southeastern United States. Virulence diversity was observed in two different immersion challenge experiments conducted with 16 different isolates in channel catfish fingerlings. A direct correlation was found between the PFGE clustered groups and virulence. In summary, our results suggest that two genetic divisions of F. columnare channel catfish isolates exist, one that contains strains that are “primary” pathogens of channel catfish (Group A), and another that are “secondary” or opportunistic pathogens of catfish (Group B).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-02-22Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:35:47Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 sebastiao_fa_me_jabo.pdf: 674003 bytes, checksum: 55712af3de8f36c8c3d3b36dce7dcbc0 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Dentre as enfermidades de importância na piscicultura, destaca-se a columnariose, cujo agente etiológico é a Flavobacterium columnare, bactéria de ampla distribuição geográfica, responsável por um elevado número de mortalidade em peixes de várias espécies, principalmente em condições intensivas de criação. Visando o melhor conhecimento desta bactéria para desenvolvimento de métodos de diagnóstico e controle da doença, os objetivos deste estudo foram isolar, caracterizar bioquímica e molecularmente por PCR-RFLP do gene 16S rDNA de F. columnare, detectar fenotipicamente a formação de cápsulas destes isolados pelo teste Agar vermelho congo, e avaliar a composição do EPS quando produzidos por meio de cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência. Ao todo foram obtidos 37 isolados e a caracterização bioquímica indica que os isolamentos são classificados como F. columnare. O filograma gerado pela técnica de PCR-RFLP mostrou três principais ramificações entre os isolados de F. columnare. Os testes comprovaram que a presença de cápsula na célula bacteriana não está diretamente relacionada à formação de biofilme, e o monossacarídeo preponderante em F. columnare é a glicose.Portanto, a utilização da PCR-RFLP para a identificação da bactéria apresentou-se como ferramenta mais rápida que as técnicas bioquímicas atuais e os dados referentes a produção de biofilme são relevantes para futuros estudos que busquem métodos enzimáticos para impedimento da aderência e formação de biofilmes destes patógenos aquáticos em sistemas de aqüicultura e consequentemente a prevenção da columnariose / Columnaris disease stands out among the illnesses of importance in fish breeding, its etiological agent is Flavobacterium columnare, which has been recognized as a worldwide pathogen, responsible for high degree of mortality in many fish species, especially in conditions of intensive breed. Looking for a better knowledge of this bacteria and aiming to develop diagnosis methods and disease control, the objectives of this study were to isolate, to biochemistry and molecularly characterize by 16S rDNA gene PCR-RFLP of F. columnare, to detect phenotipically the formation of capsules by the agar Congo red method, and to evaluate the EPS composition by high-performance liquid chromatography. There were obtained 37 isolates and the biochemistry characterization indicated that the isolates were classified as F. columnare. The phylogenetic tree generated by PCR-RFLP technique showed three main branches among the F. columnare isolates. The presence of capsule on the bacterial cells has not a direct relationship to biofilm formation, and considering its composition it was observed that the preponderant monosaccharide is glucose. Therefore, the PCR-RFLP alternative to identify this bacteria presented itself as a faster tool than actual biochemical techniques and the results regarding to biofilm production are relevant to future studies that search for enzymatic methods to abolish the adherence and biofilm formation by this aquatic pathogen in aquaculture systems, and, consequently, columnaris disease prevention

Walleye (Sander vitreus M.) are valuable in commercial and recreational fisheries and are affected by bacterial, fungal and viral disease. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are germline-encoded and constitutively expressed and bind non-self or altered-self for immune recognition. Walleye were hypothesised to have circulating PRRs that were capable of binding diverse pathogens. These PRRs were hypothesised to increase with infection, be distributed in immunologically relevant tissues and to be strain and age specific. PRR binding was measured by affinity chromatography, plasma binding assays,SDS-PAGE, Western blots, ELISA, PCR, and immunohistochemistry. ELISA and affinity chromatography assays were developed in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) with known PRRs. Trout ladderlectin was confirmed as a PRR binding viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV). These techniques were adapted to walleye using Flavobacterium columnare, chitin, VHSV and Sepharose resin. A 22 kDa protein bound to F. columnare, a 17 kDa protein bound to chitin and a 34 kDa protein bound to VHSV were identified as similar to bass apolipoprotein, carp C3 and rainbow trout intelectin, respectively. PCR and 3'-RACE-PCR were used to generate nucleotide sequence to confirm identity of walleye apolipoprotein and mannose-binding lectin (MBL)-like protein from the intelectin-like sequence. Two rabbit polyclonal antibodies were raised to 34 and 67 kDa MBL amino acid sequences and used to verify MBL-like protein as a PRR for VHSV. Healthy walleye MBL-like protein plasma concentration was 7.5 ng/ml. Significant differences were found between geographically distant strains of walleye. An ELISA demonstrated that MBL-like protein had significant differences in binding affinity between multiple strains of VHSV and different viruses found in Ontario. MBL-like protein plasma levels increased with initial infection of naïve fish with waterborne and IP VHSV (107 pfu) but did not change with IP reinfection. Previous infection with VHSV significantly decreased walleye mortality. IHC of walleye shows MBL-like protein is distributed in epithelial surfaces, primarily skin, oropharynx, gill, gastrointestinal system, renal nephrons, connective tissue of gonads and plasma. There was no qualitative difference in MBL-like protein tissue distribution in healthy and VHSV-infected walleye. This is the first evidence for fish lectins binding viruses.

Zugl.: Stuttgart, Univ., Diss., 2008