O carcinoma epidermóide por se tratar de uma doença genética, apresenta dificuldades em relação ao seu tratamento. As vias de sinalização celular por controlarem os mecanismos responsáveis pela proliferação e sobrevivência da célula, são de extrema importância nos estudos da biologia do câncer e oncogênese. Aberrações cromossômicas que afetam a estrutura e a expressão de genes e proteínas que regulam componentes das vias de sinalização são diretamente correlacionadas com o desenvolvimento e progressão tumoral. Vários genes e proteínas vêm sendo avaliados na busca de um alvo terapêutico quimioterápico, algo pouco estudado em carcinomas epidermóides bucais. Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a influência do quimioterápico 17-AAG e do fator de crescimento epitelial (EGF) nos níveis das proteínas NFkB, Ciclina D1 e Cdk4 nas linhagens de carcinoma epidermóide de cabeça e pescoço (HN6 e HN31) e no queratinócito imortalizado (HaCat). Este trabalho destinou-se também a estudar uma possível inter-relação entre as proteínas Metalotioneína e NFkB e suas interações com as proteínas Ciclina D1 e Cdk4 nas linhagens celulares HN6 , HN31 e (HaCat, para uma maior compreensão de seus efeitos nas vias de sinalização celular e conseqüente progressão do câncer). Para análise a respeito da localização e os níveis das proteínas MT, NFkB, Ciclina D1 e Cdk4 foram utilizados ensaios de imunofluorescência e western blot, respectivamente.Os resultados apontaram um melhor perfil apoptótico da linhagem HN31 frente ao tratamento com 17-AAG, apresentando diminuição significante dos níveis de NFkB e Ciclina D1, além de exibir importante decréscimo nos níveis de Cdk4. A proteína MT parece não sofrer ação do NFkB. A indução de proliferação celular realizada por EGF exerceu um aumento dos níveis das proteínas NFkB e Ciclina D1, sugerindo um papel importante das vias de sinalização estimuladas por EGF (Akt, NFkB e Ciclina D1) na progressão tumoral dessas linhagens.Por fim, a ocorrência de estímulo nos níveis da proteína MT por parte do EGF, sugeriram um importante papel do EGF e da MT na resistência a apoptose nas linhagens estudadas. / Squamous cell carcinomas as a genetic diseases, presents certain difficulties in relation to their treatment. The process of cell signaling for overseeing the mechanisms responsible for cellular proliferation and survival are very important in studies of the biology of cancer and development. Chromosomal alterations affecting the structure and expression of genes and proteins that regulate the process of signaling components are directly correlated with the development and tumor progression. Several genes and proteins are being evaluated in the search for a biological marker that could help in the understanding of cancer as well as in its prognosis, and mainly in search of therapeutic target chemotherapy, something little studied in oral squamous cell carcinoma. This study aimed to examine the influence of chemotherapy 17-AAG and the epithelial growth factor (EGF) in the levels of proteins NFkB, Cyclin D1 and Cdk4 in strains of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HN6 and HN31) and immortalized in keratinocytes(HaCat). This work is also intended to explore a possible inter-relationship between the Metallothionein and NFkB proteins and their interactions with the proteins Cyclin D1 and Cdk4 in cell lines HN6, HN31 and (HaCat, to a greater understanding of its effects on pathways of cellular signaling and consequent progression of cancer. For analysis regarding the location and levels of the protein MT, NFkB, Cyclin D1 and Cdk4 were used tests of immunofluorescence and western blot. Results showed a better apoptotic profile of HN31 treated with 17-AAG, showing decrease levels of NFkB and Cyclin D1, with a important decrease in the levels of Cdk4. The metallothionin protein does not appear to suffer action of NFkB. The induction of cell proliferation conducted by EGF had increased levels of NFkB and Cyclin D1 proteins, suggesting an important role in the process of signaling stimulated by EGF (Akt, NFkB and Ciclina D1) in tumor progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma. The occurrence to stimulate the levels of metallothionein protein by the EGF, suggest an important role of EGF and MT in resistance to apoptosis in the studied cell lines.

O carcinoma epidermóide de cabeça e pescoço é responsável por 90% das neoplasias malignas, nesta região. Molecularmente, inúmeras vias de sinalização, ainda não muito bem compreendidas, são responsáveis pelo seu crescimento e invasão para tecidos vizinhos, além de metástases para órgãos distantes. Este trabalho destinou-se a avaliar o crosstalk entre as vias de sinalização do Wnt e PI3K, quando células de carcinoma epidermóide (HN6 e HN31) e queratinócitos imortalizados (HaCat), foram estimulados com 50nM Wortmannin (metabólito fúngico que mimetiza a função da PTEN) e 10ng/ml EGF (fator de crescimento epitelial). Para isto, proteínas-chave, pertencentes a estas vias, foram localizadas e quantificadas no interior celular: PTEN, ?-catenina, Akt, pAkt e Ciclina D1. As técnicas de imunofluorescência e western blot foram utilizadas, respectivamente, para observar a localização e os níveis destas proteínas, nos diferentes compartimentos celulares. Os resultados mostraram que a ativação da via do PI3K, pelo EGF, promoveu a proliferação celular, independentemente da via de sinalização do Wnt. Quando as células foram tratadas com wortmannin, houve depleção dos níveis citosólicos e totais de pAkt associada ao acúmulo citoplasmático de ciclina D1. Igualmente, não houve alteração nos níveis da proteína ?-catenina. Ademais, detectou-se a presença de PTEN nuclear em todas as linhagens estudadas. Desta forma, estas células de carcinoma epidermóide de cabeça e pescoço, apresentaram mecanismos de bloqueio e de ativação da proliferação celular, predominantemente, por atividade das proteínas PTEN (atividades citoplasmática e nuclear) e Akt, após o tratamento com wortmannin e EGF. / Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents 90% of all head and neck malignancies. Cancer growth, invasion and metastasis are due to several signaling pathways that, unfortunately, are not completely understood. The aim of this study was the crosstalk evaluation between PI3K and Wnt signaling pathways in two different HNSCC cell lines (HN6 and HN31) and HaCat cell line (immortalized keratinocytes), treated with 50nM wortmannin and 10ng/ml EGF (epidermal growth factor). Western blot and imunofluorescence were performed in order to analyze Wnt, PTEN and PI3K signaling key target proteins: PTEN, Akt, CyclinD1 and ?-catenin. Results showed that ?-cateninindependent cellular proliferation was promoted by PI3K signaling pathway EGF-dependent activation. After wortmannin treatment, correlation between decreased phospho-Akt levels and cytosolic cyclin D1 accumulation was found. Also, all cell lines exhibited nuclear PTEN activity. Taking these results together, we conclude that the Cyclin D1 positive and negative modulations, after EGF and wortmannin treatments, were due to, respectively, Akt and PTEN proteins.

Quinases dependentes de ciclinas (CDKs) compreendem uma família de proteínas que podem ser subdivididas em dois grupos funcionais majoritários baseados na sua função no ciclo celular e/ou controle transcricional. Já foram identificadas mais de 30 CDKs humanas. A CDK10 é uma proteína quinase dependente de ciclina pertencente ao grupo de quinases relacionadas à Cdc2. CDK10 é essencial na fase G2/M do ciclo celular, possivelmente no progresso dessa fase, monitorando a replicação completa do DNA e permitindo que as células passem desse ponto de restrição. Essa proteína é um importante determinante de resistência à terapia endócrina para câncer de mama. Portanto, é um alvo potencial para o desenvolvimento de inibidores, uma vez que está presente em células cancerosas. O estudo da estrutura e função da CDK10 deverá ser realizado após sua clonagem, expressão e purificação. O cDNA da CDK10 foi amplificado por reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR), e posteriormente, o produto foi aplicado em gel de agarose para análise e purificação. O vetor de clonagem recombinante foi obtido, o qual foi clonado em células competentes e sequenciado. A obtenção do plasmídeo recombinante para expressão deu-se pela inserção do DNA nos vetores de expressão pET28a(+) e pET23a(+) (Novagen). A proteína foi expressa em células competentes e analisada por eletroforese em gel de poliacrilamida. Em seguida, a proteína obtida foi purificada em coluna de afinidade por níquel e em coluna de afinidade por ATP. Com a otimização dos resultados obtidos, será possível, futuramente, caracterizar bioquimicamente a CDK10 e elucidar suas estruturas secundária e terciária. O estudo da CDK10 irá contribuir para o entendimento da sua relação estrutura-função e sua relação com oncogenes e supressores de tumor, e o estudo estrutural para o desenvolvimento de inibidores químicos de baixo peso molecular que possa inibir especificamente a CDK10. / Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) comprise a family of proteins that can be subdivided into two major groups based on their functional role in cell cycle and / or transcriptional control. Over 30 human CDKs have been identifies. CDK10 is a cyclin-dependent kinase protein that belongs to the cdc2-related kinases group. CDK10 is essential in phase G2 / M of the cell cycle, possibly in the progress of this phase, monitoring the complete DNA replication and allowing the cells to pass through this restriction point. This protein is an important determinant of resistance to endocrine therapy for breast cancer. Therefore, it is a potential target for the development of inhibitors, since it is present in cancerous cells. The study of the structure and function of CDK10 must be performed after its cloning, expression and purification. cDNA of CDK10 was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and then the product was applied into agarose gel for analysis and purification The cloning vector was obtained, which was cloned into competent cells and sequenced. The obtaining of the recombinant plasmid for expression was due to the insertion of DNA into expression vectors pET28a(+) and pET23a(+) (Novagen). The protein was expressed in competent cells and analyzed by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gel. Then, the obtained protein was purified by nickel affinity column and ATP affinity column. With the optimization of the results obtained, it will be possible, in the future, to biochemically characterize CDK10 and elucidate its secondary and tertiary structures. The study of CDK10 will contribute to the understanding of its structure-function relationship and its relationship with oncogenes and tumor suppressors, and the structural study for the development of low molecular weight chemical inhibitors that can specifically inhibit CDK10. The structural studies will contribute to the development of chemical inhibitors of low molecular weight that may this and other CDKs.

NRH quinone oxidoreductase 2 (NQO2) is regarded as a mammalian Phase I detoxifying enzyme responsible for reducing quinones to hydroquinones. NQO2 is highly expressed in different types of cancer such as breast and prostate cancer suggesting its participatory role in the progression of these diseases. A potential reason for this is that NQO2 has the ability to modulate the stability of cyclin D1 and activity of NF-ÃŽÂoB and it has been shown that inhibition of NQO2, either genetically or pharmacologically, can alter the pattern of proliferation of cancer cells. However, the biological roles of NQO2 in cancer progression are still ambiguous and need further investigation. A panel of seven ovarian cancer cell lines (OVCs) were screened for the presence and functionality of NQO2. SKOV-3 and TOV-112D cells expressing comparatively the highest and lowest levels of NQO2 were stably transduced to silence and overexpress NQO2 respectively. Pharmacological inhibition was achieved using resveratrol or a series of novel 4-aminoquinolines synthesised in-house. Cell proliferation was monitored by cell counting and clonogenic assays. Flow cytometric analysis was used to determine cell cycle distribution and levels of ROS following modulation of NQO2 function. The expression of cell cycle regulatory markers was determined by Western blot. The contributory roles of NQO2 in determining the cytotoxicity of Adriamycin (ADR) towards OVCs was investigated using MTT assay together with evaluation of P-gp expression and basal ROS levels. In the OVCs panel, NQO2 protein levels and enzymatic activity showed an excellent correlation; with activity varying 36-fold between the cell lines. The sensitivity of OVCs to CB1954 was significantly increased when combined with the NRH-like co-factor, EP0152R. This supports the notion that NQO2 mediates the toxicity of CB1954, which is further confirmed by the strong correlation between cellular NQO2 activity and the responsiveness of the OVC cell lines to CB1954. Hydrazone quinolines showed the highest inhibitiory potency against NQO2 in SKOV-3 when compared to the typical and in-house synthesised quinolines inhibitors. NQO2-overexpressing TOV-112D cells showed more aggressive growth pattern and higher capacity to form colonies than wild-type cells. This was consistently associated with an enhancement in the progression of cells through cell cycle phases and significant reduction in Rb expression. A reduction in ROS levels in NQO2-OE cells may also explain this enhancement in cell growth. Overexpressing NQO2 also resulted in destabilisation of CDK4 and cyclin D1 with significant reduction in their expression levels, and concomitant increase in p-cyclin D1 (Thr286). The involvement of NQO2 in controlling cyclin D1 turnover is also confirmed in SKOV-3 cells when genetic silencing of NQO2 was accompanied by significant reduction in p-cyclin D1 and subsequent stabilisation of cyclin D1 levels. In spite of this, no alterations in the growth pattern of SKOV-3 cells were observed highlighting the impact of cell type on the variations in cellular responses. The role of NQO2 in determining the toxicity of ADR treatment was not proved in OVC cells. This was despite that modulation of NQO2 levels caused significant changes in P-gp expression. The intracellular basal levels of ROS was found to affect the responsiveness of OVCs to ADR as demonstrated when treating SKOV-3 with resveratrol was accompanied by significant increase in ROS levels and concomitant enhancement in the cells’ response to ADR. In conclusion, NQO2 can profoundly alter the proliferation characteristics of OVCs and is a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of this disease. However, the biological functions of NQO2 and its contributory roles in particular pathways are varied among different types of cancer -in other words- are highly dependent on cancer type.

O carcinoma epidermóide de cabeça e pescoço é responsável por 90% das neoplasias malignas, nesta região. Molecularmente, inúmeras vias de sinalização, ainda não muito bem compreendidas, são responsáveis pelo seu crescimento e invasão para tecidos vizinhos, além de metástases para órgãos distantes. Este trabalho destinou-se a avaliar o crosstalk entre as vias de sinalização do Wnt e PI3K, quando células de carcinoma epidermóide (HN6 e HN31) e queratinócitos imortalizados (HaCat), foram estimulados com 50nM Wortmannin (metabólito fúngico que mimetiza a função da PTEN) e 10ng/ml EGF (fator de crescimento epitelial). Para isto, proteínas-chave, pertencentes a estas vias, foram localizadas e quantificadas no interior celular: PTEN, ?-catenina, Akt, pAkt e Ciclina D1. As técnicas de imunofluorescência e western blot foram utilizadas, respectivamente, para observar a localização e os níveis destas proteínas, nos diferentes compartimentos celulares. Os resultados mostraram que a ativação da via do PI3K, pelo EGF, promoveu a proliferação celular, independentemente da via de sinalização do Wnt. Quando as células foram tratadas com wortmannin, houve depleção dos níveis citosólicos e totais de pAkt associada ao acúmulo citoplasmático de ciclina D1. Igualmente, não houve alteração nos níveis da proteína ?-catenina. Ademais, detectou-se a presença de PTEN nuclear em todas as linhagens estudadas. Desta forma, estas células de carcinoma epidermóide de cabeça e pescoço, apresentaram mecanismos de bloqueio e de ativação da proliferação celular, predominantemente, por atividade das proteínas PTEN (atividades citoplasmática e nuclear) e Akt, após o tratamento com wortmannin e EGF. / Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) represents 90% of all head and neck malignancies. Cancer growth, invasion and metastasis are due to several signaling pathways that, unfortunately, are not completely understood. The aim of this study was the crosstalk evaluation between PI3K and Wnt signaling pathways in two different HNSCC cell lines (HN6 and HN31) and HaCat cell line (immortalized keratinocytes), treated with 50nM wortmannin and 10ng/ml EGF (epidermal growth factor). Western blot and imunofluorescence were performed in order to analyze Wnt, PTEN and PI3K signaling key target proteins: PTEN, Akt, CyclinD1 and ?-catenin. Results showed that ?-cateninindependent cellular proliferation was promoted by PI3K signaling pathway EGF-dependent activation. After wortmannin treatment, correlation between decreased phospho-Akt levels and cytosolic cyclin D1 accumulation was found. Also, all cell lines exhibited nuclear PTEN activity. Taking these results together, we conclude that the Cyclin D1 positive and negative modulations, after EGF and wortmannin treatments, were due to, respectively, Akt and PTEN proteins.

O carcinoma epidermóide por se tratar de uma doença genética, apresenta dificuldades em relação ao seu tratamento. As vias de sinalização celular por controlarem os mecanismos responsáveis pela proliferação e sobrevivência da célula, são de extrema importância nos estudos da biologia do câncer e oncogênese. Aberrações cromossômicas que afetam a estrutura e a expressão de genes e proteínas que regulam componentes das vias de sinalização são diretamente correlacionadas com o desenvolvimento e progressão tumoral. Vários genes e proteínas vêm sendo avaliados na busca de um alvo terapêutico quimioterápico, algo pouco estudado em carcinomas epidermóides bucais. Este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a influência do quimioterápico 17-AAG e do fator de crescimento epitelial (EGF) nos níveis das proteínas NFkB, Ciclina D1 e Cdk4 nas linhagens de carcinoma epidermóide de cabeça e pescoço (HN6 e HN31) e no queratinócito imortalizado (HaCat). Este trabalho destinou-se também a estudar uma possível inter-relação entre as proteínas Metalotioneína e NFkB e suas interações com as proteínas Ciclina D1 e Cdk4 nas linhagens celulares HN6 , HN31 e (HaCat, para uma maior compreensão de seus efeitos nas vias de sinalização celular e conseqüente progressão do câncer). Para análise a respeito da localização e os níveis das proteínas MT, NFkB, Ciclina D1 e Cdk4 foram utilizados ensaios de imunofluorescência e western blot, respectivamente.Os resultados apontaram um melhor perfil apoptótico da linhagem HN31 frente ao tratamento com 17-AAG, apresentando diminuição significante dos níveis de NFkB e Ciclina D1, além de exibir importante decréscimo nos níveis de Cdk4. A proteína MT parece não sofrer ação do NFkB. A indução de proliferação celular realizada por EGF exerceu um aumento dos níveis das proteínas NFkB e Ciclina D1, sugerindo um papel importante das vias de sinalização estimuladas por EGF (Akt, NFkB e Ciclina D1) na progressão tumoral dessas linhagens.Por fim, a ocorrência de estímulo nos níveis da proteína MT por parte do EGF, sugeriram um importante papel do EGF e da MT na resistência a apoptose nas linhagens estudadas. / Squamous cell carcinomas as a genetic diseases, presents certain difficulties in relation to their treatment. The process of cell signaling for overseeing the mechanisms responsible for cellular proliferation and survival are very important in studies of the biology of cancer and development. Chromosomal alterations affecting the structure and expression of genes and proteins that regulate the process of signaling components are directly correlated with the development and tumor progression. Several genes and proteins are being evaluated in the search for a biological marker that could help in the understanding of cancer as well as in its prognosis, and mainly in search of therapeutic target chemotherapy, something little studied in oral squamous cell carcinoma. This study aimed to examine the influence of chemotherapy 17-AAG and the epithelial growth factor (EGF) in the levels of proteins NFkB, Cyclin D1 and Cdk4 in strains of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HN6 and HN31) and immortalized in keratinocytes(HaCat). This work is also intended to explore a possible inter-relationship between the Metallothionein and NFkB proteins and their interactions with the proteins Cyclin D1 and Cdk4 in cell lines HN6, HN31 and (HaCat, to a greater understanding of its effects on pathways of cellular signaling and consequent progression of cancer. For analysis regarding the location and levels of the protein MT, NFkB, Cyclin D1 and Cdk4 were used tests of immunofluorescence and western blot. Results showed a better apoptotic profile of HN31 treated with 17-AAG, showing decrease levels of NFkB and Cyclin D1, with a important decrease in the levels of Cdk4. The metallothionin protein does not appear to suffer action of NFkB. The induction of cell proliferation conducted by EGF had increased levels of NFkB and Cyclin D1 proteins, suggesting an important role in the process of signaling stimulated by EGF (Akt, NFkB and Ciclina D1) in tumor progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma. The occurrence to stimulate the levels of metallothionein protein by the EGF, suggest an important role of EGF and MT in resistance to apoptosis in the studied cell lines.

B lymphopoiesis requires a network of transcription factors that orchestrate changes in gene expression amidst immunoglobulin gene rearrangement and periods of cell proliferation. Although proteins required for the function of this network have been identified, the precise mechanisms that coordinate these processes as hematopoietic progenitors differentiate into lineage-committed B cells remain unclear. Justy mice display a profound arrest of B cell development at the time of lineage commitment due to a point mutation that decreases expression of the protein Gon4-like. Previous studies suggested that Gon4-like functions to coordinate gene expression and cell division to determine cell fate, but the role of Gon4-like in B lymphopoiesis is largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that Gon4-like is required to regulate gene expression and cell cycle progression in B cell progenitors. Expression of genes required for B cell development is intact in Justy B cell progenitors, yet these cells fail to repress genes that promote the development of alternative lineages. In addition, Justy B cell progenitors are unable to upregulate genes that instruct cell cycle progression. Consistent with this, B cell progenitors from Justy mice show signs of impaired proliferation and undergo apoptosis despite containing elevated levels of activated STAT5, a transcription factor that promotes cell proliferation and survival. Genetic ablation of p53 or retroviral-mediated overexpression of pro-survival factors failed to rescue these defects. In contrast, overexpression of proteins that promote the G1/S transition of the cell cycle, including D-type cyclins, E2F2 and cyclin E, rescued pro-B cell development from Justy progenitors, an effect that was not observed upon overexpression of proteins that function during the S and G2M phases of the cell cycle. Further, overexpression of cyclin D3 led to partial restoration of gene repression in Justy pro-B cells. Notably, Gon4-like interacted with STAT5 when overexpressed in transformed cells, suggesting Gon4-like and STAT5 function together to activate expression of STAT5 target genes. Collectively, our data indicate that Gon4-like is required to coordinate gene repression and cell cycle progression during B lymphopoiesis.

BMI1 est une protéine appartenant à la famille des polycombs impliquée dans la régulation épigénétique de la transcription. Il a été montré que cette protéine est essentielle à la régulation de la prolifération, de la sénescence et du métabolisme ainsi qu’à l’auto-Renouvellement des cellules souches hématopoïétiques et cancéreuses. Ce répresseur transcriptionnel au fort potentiel oncogénique est retrouvé surexprimé dans de nombreux types de cancer ; dans le cas de la Leucémie Myéloïde Chronique (LMC) le niveau d’expression de BMI1 augmente avec l’aggravation de la pathologie. Cependant, les voies de signalisation impliquées dans sa surexpression et le rôle qu’il joue au sein de cette maladie demeurent méconnus. En réprimant l’expression de BMI1 par ARN interférence nous avons pu mettre en évidence que ce polycomb était essentiel à la prolifération cellulaire ainsi qu’au potentiel clonogénique des cellules de LMC. Nous avons également démontré pour la première fois que BMI1 soutenait la croissance tumorale à travers la répression d’un processus autophagique délétère pour la cellule cancéreuse. Une approche transcriptomique nous a permis d’identifier la cible transcriptionnelle impliquée dans ce processus, la Cycline G2. Nous avons, pour finir, trouvé une molécule, via une approche bioinformatique, capable de réinduire l’expression de la Cycline G2 dans les cellules de LMC, l’alexidine dihydrochloride. Cette molécule induit une forte autophagie dans les cellules cancéreuses ainsi que de l’apoptose. Elle s’est également montrée capable de resensibiliser à l’imatinib (un inhibiteur de BCR-ABL) une lignée pourtant résistante. / The polycomb protein Bmi1 is a major epigenetic regulator. It has been shown that this protein is essential for the regulation of cell proliferation, senescence and metabolism but also self-Renewal of hematopoïetic and cancer stem cells. This transcriptional repressor, with a strong oncogenic potential, is overexpressed in many types of cancer. In case of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) the expression level of BMI1 is associated with worsening prognosis. However, the signaling pathways involved in its overexpression and its role in this disease remains unclear. By using RNAi to repress BMI1 expression we highlighted that this polycomb was essential for proliferation and clonogenicity of CML cells. We also demonstrated, for the first time, that BMI1 supported tumor growth through repression of deleterious cancer cell autophagy. A transcriptomic approach allowed us to identify a transcriptional target involved in this process: the Cyclin G2. Through a bioinformatic approach, we finally found a molecule capable of expression re-Induction of Cyclin G2 in CML cells : alexidine dihydrochloride. This molecule induced a high level of autophagy as well as apopotosis in cancer cells. It had also been able to re-Sensitize to imatinib a resistant cell line. In conclusion, our results revealed a new role for the polycomb BMI1 in supporting the CML pathology. Moreover, our work allowed the identification of two new approaches for therapeutically targeting this oncogene functions.

Weak Affinity Chromatography (WAC) is a technology that was developed to analyse weak (KD > 10-5 M) although selective interactions between biomolecules. The focus of this thesis was to develop this method for various applications in the drug development process.   Fragment Based Drug Discovery is a new approach in finding new small molecular drugs. Here, relatively small libraries (a few hundreds to a few thousands of compounds) of fragments (150 – 300 Da) are screened against the target. Fragment hits are then developed into lead molecules by linking, growing or merging fragments binding to different locations of the protein’s active site. However, due to the weakly binding nature of fragments, methods that are able to detect very weak binding events are needed. In this thesis, WAC is presented as a new robust and highly reproducible technology for fragment screening. The technology is demonstrated against a number of different protein targets – proteases, kinases, chaperones and protein-protein interaction (PPI) targets. Comparison of data from fragment screening of 111 fragments by WAC and other more established technologies for fragment screening, such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), validates WAC as a screening technology. It also points at the importance of performing fragment screening by multiple methods as they complement each other.   Other applications of WAC in drug development are also presented. The method can be used for chiral separations of racemic mixtures during fragment screening, which enables affinity measurements of individual enantiomers binding to the target of interest. Further, analysis of crude reaction mixtures is shown. By these procedures, the affinity of the product can be assessed directly after synthesis without any time-consuming purification steps. In addition, a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system for highly efficient drug partition studies was developed by stable immobilization of lipid bilayer disks – lipodisks – on a high performance silica support material. These lipodisks are recognized model membranes for drug partition studies. A WAC system with incorporated membrane proteins into immobilized lipodisks has also been produced and evaluated with the ultimate objective to study affinity interactions between ligands and membrane proteins. / Ett läkemedel utövar sin funktion genom att påverka aktiviteten hos ett protein i kroppen då det binder till dess aktiva säte. Förändringen i aktivitet leder till fysiologiska förändringar i kroppen beroende på vilken funktion proteinet har. Med läkemedelsmolekyl avses här en liten organisk molekyl. Fragment-baserad läkemedelsutveckling är en ny metod for att ta fram nya läkemedel. Metoden fungerar genom att man bygger läkemedelsmolekyler utifrån mindre fragment som binder till målproteinet. Fragmenten hittar man genom att screena hela bibliotek av olika fragment mot samma målprotein för att urskilja de som binder till proteinets aktiva säte. Fördelen med den här metoden är bl. a. att med mindre molekyler som utgångspunkt kan en större del av antalet möjliga kombinationer av atomer representeras med ett mindre antal fragment än för större molekyler. Normalt utgörs ett fragmentbibliotek enbart av några hundra till några tusen substanser. Eftersom fragmenten är små har de få interaktionspunker och binder relativt svagt. De svaga bindningarna är svåra att se och mycket känsliga metoder behövs.   Svagaffinitetskromatografi är en vätskekromatografisk metod som utvecklades för att studera svaga men mycket selektiva bindningar mellan biomolekyler. Den här avhandlingen syftar till att utveckla metoden för olika användningsområden inom läkemedelsutveckling, främst som en ny metod för fragment-screening. Här mäter man interaktionen mellan ett protein och ett fragment. Proteinet kopplas till ett material som sedan packas i en kolonn i formen av en cylinder. När provet pumpas igenom kolonnen kommer de analyter med affinitet till proteinets aktiva säte att fördröjas på kolonnen i relation till hur starkt de interagerar med målproteinet.   I den här avhandlingen presenteras fragment-screening med svagaffinitetskromatografi gentemot ett antal olika typer av målproteiner. Resultatet överensstämmer väl med andra metoder för fragment-screening. Analys av reaktionsblandningar med svagaffinitetskromatografi demonstreras också. Därmed kan bindningen mellan en produkt i en reaktionsblandning och ett målprotein mätas direkt utan föregående uppreningssteg av reaktionsblandningen. Lipodiskar är små diskformade modellmembran som kan användas för att bl. a. mäta hur effektivt läkemedlet tas upp i kroppen vid behandling. Ett system med immobiliserade lipodiskar i en kolonn utvecklades med det framtida målet att kunna arbeta med membranproteiner med svagaffinitetskromatografi.   Detta arbete utgör en del i att utveckla svagaffinitetskromatografi som en lättillgänglig och relativt billig metod för användning inom industrin och akademin för läkemedelsutveckling.

Esta tesis doctoral consiste en la caracterización de la ciclina meiótica Rem1, de Schizosaccharomyces pombe. En este trabajo se analizó, inicialmente, el patrón de transcripción y expresión de rem1 durante la meiosis observando que el pico de expresión se produce durante la meiosis I, la actividad quinasa del complejo ciclina-Cdk también coincide con la meiosis I. Seguidamente, se determinó que la transcripción del mRNA maduro de rem1 depende de Mei4 a través de las cajas FLEX del promotor de rem1. También se observó la presencia de un RNA "antisense" que se transcribe durante las primeras horas de la meiosis. A continuación, se estudió la función de Rem1 durante la meiosis determinando una función de esta ciclina en la meiosis I. Se observó la toxicidad de Rem1 expresado durante el ciclo mitótico. Posteriormente, se analizaron posibles interacciones genéticas con otras ciclinas meióticas detectando que Rem1 tiene una función redundante con Cig2 durante la fase S meiótica. También se determinó la necesaria presencia de rem1 para conseguir unos niveles de recombinación meiótica intragénica normales, mientras que se requiere para la recombinación intergénica. / The main goal of this doctoral thesis is the characterization of the meiotic cyclin Rem1, in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. First of all we analized the transcription and expresion profiles of rem1 during meiosis. We observed the maximum of expresion during meiosi I and the kinase activity of the complex cyclin-Cdk had exactly the same profile. Then, we analized the transcription profile of the mature mRNA of rem1, showing that this transcription depends on Mei4 through the FLEX boxes which are loclized in the rem1 promoter. An antisense RNA was also detected at the begining of the meiosis. We next diceded to study the function of this cyclin. Firstly we observed that overexpression of Rem1 is toxic for the cell during mitotic cell growth. Moreover, a function for Rem1 was observed during meiosis I. Rem1 is also required in order to obtain normal levels of meiotic intragenic recombination, but it is not necesary for the intergenic recombination. Finally, we could detect a genetic interaction betwen Rem1 and the meiotic S phase cyclin, Cig2.