Dihydroorotate (DRO) dehydrogenase catalyzes the oxidation of DHO to orotate in the pyrimidine biosynthetic pathway. This enzyme was originally isolated from a bacterium, Zymobacterium oroticum, which would ferment orotate as a sole source of energy. This adaptive catabolic enzyme, which catalyzes the reduction of orotate to DRO in an efficient pyridine nucleotide-linked reaction, has been extensively studied by several workers. Until recently, no study has been carried out on the enzyme which catalyzes the reaction in the biosynthetic direction. Preliminary studies have shown that the biosynthetic enzyme in Esherichia coli and a pseudomonad is not capable of reducing orotate to DRO by a pyridine nucleotide-linked reaction. These results suggested that there may be significant differences between the catabolic and biosynthetic enzymes. In the present study biosynthetic DHO dehydrogenase from Lacto-bacillus bulgaricus was investigated on the basis of physical and kinetic properties in order to compare the enzyme with the extensively studied catabolic enzyme. The stoichiometry exhibited by the DHO oxidase activity of the biosynthetic enzyme and the absorption spectrum suggest that biosynthetic DHO dehydrogenase is a flavoprotein. Thin layer chromatography of the flavins extracted from the enzyme and reactivation of apoenzymes specific for flavin mononucleotide or flavin adenine dinucleotide have shown that the enzyme contains flavin mononucleotide. The demonstration of enzyme-catalyzed sulfite autoxidation suggested that iron is present and is involved in electron transport. Inhibitor studies have shown that the enzyme contains sulfhydryl groups and the inactivation of such groups halts internal electron transport early in the sequence. Kinetic studies were carried out including the determination of the Km for dihydroorotate, Ki for orotate, and the pH optimum. The kinetic behavior of the enzyme in the presence of various inhibitors suggest that the essential sulfhydryl groups reside at or near the active site. Ammonium sulfate was found to enhance the activity of the enzyme. Evidence presented suggested that this phenomenon is probably an unspecific anion effect in which the rate constant for the breakdown of the enzyme substrate complex is directly affected. A possible scheme of the internal electron transport of biosynthetic DHO dehydrogenase was presented, using the data from this thesis and additional evidence from studies carried out by other workers on similar enzymes. A summary of the physical and kinetic properties of biosynthetic and catabolic DHO dehydrogenase was presented and a detailed comparison between the two enzymes made.

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University

Malaria is a preventable and treatable disease caused by infection with Plasmodium parasites. Complex socioeconomic and political factors limit access to vector control and antimalarial drugs, and an estimated 600,000 people die from malaria every year. Rising drug resistance threatens to make malaria untreatable. As for all new traits, resistance is limited by fitness, and a small number of pathways are heavily favored by evolution. These pathways are targets for drug discovery. Pairing compounds active against the wild-type and the small emerging resistant population, a strategy we termed "targeting resistance," could block the rise of competitively viable resistance.

PURPOSE: Previous work suggests that Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibition via teriflunomide (TERI) may provide protection in multiple disease models. To date, little is known about the effect of TERI on the heart. This study was performed to assess the potential effects of TERI on cardiac ischemia reperfusion injury. METHODS: Male and female rat hearts were subjected to global ischemia (25 min) and reperfusion (120 min) on a Langendorff apparatus. Hearts were given either DMSO (VEH) or teriflunomide (TERI) for 5 min prior to induction of ischemia and during the reperfusion period. Left ventricular pressure, ECG, coronary flow, and infarct size were determined using established methods. Mitochondrial respiration was assessed via respirometry. RESULTS: Perfusion of hearts with TERI led to no acute effects in any values measured across 500 pM-50 nM doses. However, following ischemia-reperfusion injury, we found that 50 nM TERI-treated hearts had an increase in myocardial infarction (p < 0.001). In 50 nM TERI-treated hearts, we also observed a marked increase in the severity of contracture (p < 0.001) at an earlier time-point (p = 0.004), as well as reductions in coronary flow (p = 0.037), left ventricular pressure development (p = 0.025), and the rate-pressure product (p = 0.008). No differences in mitochondrial respiration were observed with 50 nM TERI treatment (p = 0.24-0.87). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that treatment with TERI leads to more negative outcomes following cardiac ischemia reperfusion, and administration of TERI to at-risk populations should receive special considerations.

As doenças tropicais negligenciadas (DTNs) causam um imenso sofrimento para a pessoa acometida e em muitos casos podem levar o indivíduo a morte. Elas representam um obstáculo devastador para a saúde e continuam a ser um sério impedimento para a redução da pobreza e desenvolvimento socioeconômico. Das 17 doenças desse grupo, a leishmaniose, incluindo a leishmaniose cutânea, tem grande destaque devido sua alta incidência, os gastos para o tratamento e as complicações geradas em processos de coinfecção. Ainda mais agravante, os investimentos direcionados ao controle, combate e principalmente a inovação em novos produtos é ainda muito limitado. Atualmente, a academia tem um importante papel na luta contra essas doenças através da busca de novos alvos terapêuticos e também de novas moléculas com potencial terapêutico. É nesse contexto que esse projeto teve como meta a implantação de uma plataforma para a identificação de moléculas com atividade leishmanicida. Como alvo terapêutico, optamos pela utilização da enzima diidroorotato desidrogenase de Leishmania Viannia braziliensis (LbDHODH), enzima de extrema importância na síntese de novo de nucleotídeos de pirimidina, cuja principal função é converter o diidroorotato em orotato. Esta enzima foi clonada, expressa e purificada com sucesso em nosso laboratório. Os estudos permitiram que a enzima fosse caracterizada cineticamente e estruturalmente via cristalografia de raios- X. Os primeiros ensaios inibitórios foram realizados com o orotato, produto da catálise e inibidor natural da enzima. O potencial inibitório do orotato foi mensurado através da estimativa do IC50 e a interação proteína-ligante foi caracterizada através de estudos cristalográficos. Estratégias in silico e in vitro foram utilizadas na busca de ligantes, através das quais foram identificados inibidores para a enzima LbDHODH. Ensaios de validação cruzada, utilizando a enzima homóloga humana, permitiram identificar os ligantes com maior índice de seletividade que tiveram seu potencial leishmanicida avaliado in vitro contra as formas promastigota e amastigota de Leishmania braziliensis. A realização do presente projeto permitiu a identificação de uma classe de ligantes que apresentam atividade seletiva contra LbDHODH e que será utilizada no planejamento de futuras gerações de moléculas com atividade terapêutica para o tratamento da leishmaniose. Além disso, a plataforma de ensaios otimizada permitirá a avaliação de novos grupos de moléculas como uma importante estratégia na busca por novos tratamentos contra a leishmaniose / Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) pose a devastating obstacle to health and remain a serious impediment to poverty reduction and socioeconomic development. Of 17 diseases listed among NTDs, the leishmaniasis, including cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, are characterized by high number of cases and high costs for the treatment, usually of low efficacy and highly toxic. Even more problematic, the investment devoted to combat to control and to develop new therapies remains limited. Nowadays, the Academy has had an important role in the fight against NTDs, contributing in the search of new therapeutic targets and in the development of lead compounds. Within this context, the present project aimed the development of a pipeline for identification of leishmanicidal compounds based on the selective inhibition of the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase from Leishmania Viannia braziliensis (LbDHODH). LbDHODH acts in the de novo biosynthetic pathway of pyrimidine nucleotides, by catalysing the conversion of dihydroorotate to orotate and has been considered an important macromolecular target against proliferative and parasitic diseases. LbDHODH was successfully cloned, expressed and purified. The target enzyme was characterized by kinetic studies and its structure was solved by X-ray crystallography techniques. Inhibition assays were performed in presence of orotate, product of catalysis and natural inhibitor of DHODH. Its inhibitory potential was evaluated by the estimative of IC50 and the protein-ligand interaction was characterized by crystallographic studies. In silico and in vitro strategies were used in the search for LbDHODH inhibitors. Cross-validation studies were performed against the human homologue enzyme. Inhibitors displaying higher selectivity index were evaluated against both promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania braziliensis. Our work allowed the identification of a new class of compounds that display selective inhibition of LbDHODH and show leishmanicidal activity. They will be used as prototypes for the development of new generations of LbDHODH inhibitors. Moreover, our pipeline can be used to screen large number of chemical libraries as tool for the identification of different chemical entities that can contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of leishmaniasis.

Muitas doenças parasitárias, consideradas negligenciadas devido à falta de investimentos para o desenvolvimento de novas estratégias de prevenção e tratamento por parte dos setores público e privado, constituem um grave problema de saúde pública mundial e um obstáculo ao desenvolvimento sócio-econômico de países pobres e emergentes. A esquistossomose, em especial, é uma parasitose causada por platelmintos trematódeos do gênero Schistosoma que afeta 78 países e aproximadamente 249 milhões de pessoas. No Brasil, o S. mansoni é o agente etiológico causador da esquistossomose, chega a atingir 19 estados e aproximadamente 6 milhões de indivíduos. Embora atualmente o fármaco praziquantel seja utilizado para o tratamento da esquistossomose, há a necessidade de busca por novas opções terapêuticas, uma vez que este possui eficácia restrita ao estágio adulto do parasita, efeitos colaterais que dificultam a adesão do paciente ao tratamento e, dada a massiva administração do medicamento, a resistência do parasita ao medicamento pode se tornar um sério problema de saúde pública. Dentro deste contexto, existe um grande interesse em buscar novos alvos macromoleculares e em particular investigar o potencial da enzima diidroorotato desidrogenase (DHODH) como possível alvo terapêutico para o desenvolvimento de terapias eficazes e seguras para o tratamento da esquistossomose. A enzima DHODH participa da quarta etapa enzimática da via de biossíntese de nucleotídeos pirimidínicos, e estudos recentes demonstram que a inibição específica desta enzima compromete a produção de nucleotídeos, e consequentemente a proliferação celular. Na verdade a enzima DHODH já é alvo validado para o tratamento de doenças como o câncer, a artrite reumatoide e doenças parasitárias como a malária. Como primeira etapa para a avaliação do potencial terapêutico da enzima DHODH no tratamento da esquistossomose, este projeto propõe a caracterização bioquímica e biofísica da DHODH de Schistosoma mansoni, bem como a identificação de inibidores para esta enzima. Os resultados obtidos até o presente momento consistem no desenvolvimento de um protocolo de expressão e purificação que permitiram a obtenção de proteína pura e com rendimento de 40 miligramas de proteína por litro de meio de cultura. Nossos estudos demonstraram que a proteína se mostra mais estável na presença de detergente, alta concentração de sal e glicerol. Ensaios de espalhamento dinâmico de luz realizados a partir de amostras de SmDHODH purificadas a partir da associação de cromatografia por afinidade com cromatografia por exclusão molecular foram utilizados para a caracterização de uma população homogênea de diâmetro aproximado de 90 Å. Ensaios de atividade enzimática e de inibição foram realizados para SmDHODH, como também para a proteína homóloga humana, HsDHODH, de forma a permitir estudos comparativos. Os resultados sugerem que o pH ótimo da reação para ambas as enzimas se encontra na faixa entre 8,0 e 8,5. O protocolo de caracterização cinética desenvolvido para estas enzimas permitiu a obtenção dos parâmetros KM e kcat, assim como dar início à realização de ensaios de inibição na presença de bancos de ligantes de origem sintética e natural. Os resultados cinéticos obtidos sugerem que a SmDHODH e a HsDHODH seguem o mecanismo ii Ping-Pong, de acordo com o que já foi descrito para as outras DHODHs, com os seguintes valores de KM e kcat: KDHO= 174 ± 18 ?M; KQo= 159 ± 18 ?M; e kcat= 27 ± 1 s-1 para a SmDHODH e KDHO= 286 ± 31 ?M; KQo= 354 ± 38 ?M; e kcat= 78 ± 4 s-1 para a HsDHODH. Foram identificados compostos químicos com potencial inibitório na faixa de 794 ? 3 ?M a 19,1 ? 0,1 nM para a SmDHODH e de 33,9 ? 0,1 ?M a 37,2 ? 0,1 nM para a HsDHODH. Os resultados deste trabalho aliado aos estudos estruturais em desenvolvimento pelo nosso laboratório serão utilizados não só para a completa caracterização da enzima, mas também para o futuro planejamento de ligantes específicos baseados na estrutura e função protéica, como uma importante ferramenta no combate à esquistossomose. / Many parasitic diseases, considered neglected due to lack of investment from the public and private sectors in the development of new strategies for prevention and treatment, are a serious global public health problem and a hindrance to the development of poor and emergent countries. Schistosomiasis, in particular, is a parasitic disease caused by trematode plathelmintes of the genus Schistosoma that affects 78 countries and approximately 249 million people. In Brazil, S. mansoni, the endemic etiologic agent of schistosomiasis, is found in 19 states and affects approximately 6 million people. Although the drug praziquantel is currently used for the treatment of schistosomiasis, this drug has limited effectiveness in the adult stage of the parasite, many side effects hamper the adherence to the patient´s treatment and, given the intense drug usage, resistant parasites can, very soon, become a serious public health problem. Thus, there is a real need for the search of new therapeutic options. Within this context, there is a great interest in the search for new macromolecular targets against Schistosoma mansoni and in particular, to investigate the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) as new therapeutic target for the treatment of schistosomiasis. DHODH catalyzes the conversion of dihydroorotate (DHO) to orotate (ORO) in the fourth step of the pyrimidine nucleotides pathway. Recent studies show that specific inhibition of this enzyme commits nucleotides biosynthesis and, consequently, cell proliferation. DHODH is, in fact, a validated target for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and malaria. As a first step towards the evaluation of the therapeutic potential of DHODH from S. mansoni (SmDHODH) for the treatment of schistosomiasis, this project proposed the biochemical and biophysical characterization, as well as the identification of inhibitors for this enzyme. The results obtained so far included the development of an expression and purification protocol that allowed us to obtain pure protein with a good yield. In addition, our findings reveals that for SmDHODH stabilization the enzyme requires a buffer containing detergent, glycerol and high salt concentration. Dynamic light scattering studies performed with SmDHODH protein samples purified by a combination of both affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography allowed the characterization of a homogeneous population with approximately 90 Å diameter. In order to allow comparative studies, enzymatic and inhibitory assays were performed for SmDHODH as well as for the human homologous enzyme (HsDHODH). The results suggest that for both enzymes the optimum pH for the enzymatic reaction is found in the range of 8.0 and 8.5. The enzymatic assay developed for this class of enzymes allowed the characterization of the kinetic parameters KM and kcat for both enzymes, as well as the performance of inhibitory assays in the presence of synthetic and natural ligands. The inhibition tests allowed us the identification of chemical compounds that inhibit SmDHODH in the range of 794 ? 3 ?M to 19.1 ? 0.1 nM and HsDHODH in the range of 33.9 ? 0.1 ?M a 37.2 ? 0.1 nM. The results of this work, together with structural studies currently in progress in our laboratory will be exploited for the complete characterization of the iv enzyme, as well as for the development of specific inhibitors of SmDHODH, as an important tool in the fight against schistosomiasis.

Muitas doenças parasitárias, consideradas negligenciadas devido à falta de investimentos para o desenvolvimento de novas estratégias de prevenção e tratamento por parte dos setores público e privado, constituem um grave problema de saúde pública mundial e um obstáculo ao desenvolvimento sócio-econômico de países pobres e emergentes. A esquistossomose, em especial, é uma parasitose causada por platelmintos trematódeos do gênero Schistosoma que afeta 78 países e aproximadamente 249 milhões de pessoas. No Brasil, o S. mansoni é o agente etiológico causador da esquistossomose, chega a atingir 19 estados e aproximadamente 6 milhões de indivíduos. Embora atualmente o fármaco praziquantel seja utilizado para o tratamento da esquistossomose, há a necessidade de busca por novas opções terapêuticas, uma vez que este possui eficácia restrita ao estágio adulto do parasita, efeitos colaterais que dificultam a adesão do paciente ao tratamento e, dada a massiva administração do medicamento, a resistência do parasita ao medicamento pode se tornar um sério problema de saúde pública. Dentro deste contexto, existe um grande interesse em buscar novos alvos macromoleculares e em particular investigar o potencial da enzima diidroorotato desidrogenase (DHODH) como possível alvo terapêutico para o desenvolvimento de terapias eficazes e seguras para o tratamento da esquistossomose. A enzima DHODH participa da quarta etapa enzimática da via de biossíntese de nucleotídeos pirimidínicos, e estudos recentes demonstram que a inibição específica desta enzima compromete a produção de nucleotídeos, e consequentemente a proliferação celular. Na verdade a enzima DHODH já é alvo validado para o tratamento de doenças como o câncer, a artrite reumatoide e doenças parasitárias como a malária. Como primeira etapa para a avaliação do potencial terapêutico da enzima DHODH no tratamento da esquistossomose, este projeto propõe a caracterização bioquímica e biofísica da DHODH de Schistosoma mansoni, bem como a identificação de inibidores para esta enzima. Os resultados obtidos até o presente momento consistem no desenvolvimento de um protocolo de expressão e purificação que permitiram a obtenção de proteína pura e com rendimento de 40 miligramas de proteína por litro de meio de cultura. Nossos estudos demonstraram que a proteína se mostra mais estável na presença de detergente, alta concentração de sal e glicerol. Ensaios de espalhamento dinâmico de luz realizados a partir de amostras de SmDHODH purificadas a partir da associação de cromatografia por afinidade com cromatografia por exclusão molecular foram utilizados para a caracterização de uma população homogênea de diâmetro aproximado de 90 Å. Ensaios de atividade enzimática e de inibição foram realizados para SmDHODH, como também para a proteína homóloga humana, HsDHODH, de forma a permitir estudos comparativos. Os resultados sugerem que o pH ótimo da reação para ambas as enzimas se encontra na faixa entre 8,0 e 8,5. O protocolo de caracterização cinética desenvolvido para estas enzimas permitiu a obtenção dos parâmetros KM e kcat, assim como dar início à realização de ensaios de inibição na presença de bancos de ligantes de origem sintética e natural. Os resultados cinéticos obtidos sugerem que a SmDHODH e a HsDHODH seguem o mecanismo ii Ping-Pong, de acordo com o que já foi descrito para as outras DHODHs, com os seguintes valores de KM e kcat: KDHO= 174 ± 18 ?M; KQo= 159 ± 18 ?M; e kcat= 27 ± 1 s-1 para a SmDHODH e KDHO= 286 ± 31 ?M; KQo= 354 ± 38 ?M; e kcat= 78 ± 4 s-1 para a HsDHODH. Foram identificados compostos químicos com potencial inibitório na faixa de 794 ? 3 ?M a 19,1 ? 0,1 nM para a SmDHODH e de 33,9 ? 0,1 ?M a 37,2 ? 0,1 nM para a HsDHODH. Os resultados deste trabalho aliado aos estudos estruturais em desenvolvimento pelo nosso laboratório serão utilizados não só para a completa caracterização da enzima, mas também para o futuro planejamento de ligantes específicos baseados na estrutura e função protéica, como uma importante ferramenta no combate à esquistossomose. / Many parasitic diseases, considered neglected due to lack of investment from the public and private sectors in the development of new strategies for prevention and treatment, are a serious global public health problem and a hindrance to the development of poor and emergent countries. Schistosomiasis, in particular, is a parasitic disease caused by trematode plathelmintes of the genus Schistosoma that affects 78 countries and approximately 249 million people. In Brazil, S. mansoni, the endemic etiologic agent of schistosomiasis, is found in 19 states and affects approximately 6 million people. Although the drug praziquantel is currently used for the treatment of schistosomiasis, this drug has limited effectiveness in the adult stage of the parasite, many side effects hamper the adherence to the patient´s treatment and, given the intense drug usage, resistant parasites can, very soon, become a serious public health problem. Thus, there is a real need for the search of new therapeutic options. Within this context, there is a great interest in the search for new macromolecular targets against Schistosoma mansoni and in particular, to investigate the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) as new therapeutic target for the treatment of schistosomiasis. DHODH catalyzes the conversion of dihydroorotate (DHO) to orotate (ORO) in the fourth step of the pyrimidine nucleotides pathway. Recent studies show that specific inhibition of this enzyme commits nucleotides biosynthesis and, consequently, cell proliferation. DHODH is, in fact, a validated target for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and malaria. As a first step towards the evaluation of the therapeutic potential of DHODH from S. mansoni (SmDHODH) for the treatment of schistosomiasis, this project proposed the biochemical and biophysical characterization, as well as the identification of inhibitors for this enzyme. The results obtained so far included the development of an expression and purification protocol that allowed us to obtain pure protein with a good yield. In addition, our findings reveals that for SmDHODH stabilization the enzyme requires a buffer containing detergent, glycerol and high salt concentration. Dynamic light scattering studies performed with SmDHODH protein samples purified by a combination of both affinity chromatography and size exclusion chromatography allowed the characterization of a homogeneous population with approximately 90 Å diameter. In order to allow comparative studies, enzymatic and inhibitory assays were performed for SmDHODH as well as for the human homologous enzyme (HsDHODH). The results suggest that for both enzymes the optimum pH for the enzymatic reaction is found in the range of 8.0 and 8.5. The enzymatic assay developed for this class of enzymes allowed the characterization of the kinetic parameters KM and kcat for both enzymes, as well as the performance of inhibitory assays in the presence of synthetic and natural ligands. The inhibition tests allowed us the identification of chemical compounds that inhibit SmDHODH in the range of 794 ? 3 ?M to 19.1 ? 0.1 nM and HsDHODH in the range of 33.9 ? 0.1 ?M a 37.2 ? 0.1 nM. The results of this work, together with structural studies currently in progress in our laboratory will be exploited for the complete characterization of the iv enzyme, as well as for the development of specific inhibitors of SmDHODH, as an important tool in the fight against schistosomiasis.

As doenças tropicais negligenciadas (DTNs) causam um imenso sofrimento para a pessoa acometida e em muitos casos podem levar o indivíduo a morte. Elas representam um obstáculo devastador para a saúde e continuam a ser um sério impedimento para a redução da pobreza e desenvolvimento socioeconômico. Das 17 doenças desse grupo, a leishmaniose, incluindo a leishmaniose cutânea, tem grande destaque devido sua alta incidência, os gastos para o tratamento e as complicações geradas em processos de coinfecção. Ainda mais agravante, os investimentos direcionados ao controle, combate e principalmente a inovação em novos produtos é ainda muito limitado. Atualmente, a academia tem um importante papel na luta contra essas doenças através da busca de novos alvos terapêuticos e também de novas moléculas com potencial terapêutico. É nesse contexto que esse projeto teve como meta a implantação de uma plataforma para a identificação de moléculas com atividade leishmanicida. Como alvo terapêutico, optamos pela utilização da enzima diidroorotato desidrogenase de Leishmania Viannia braziliensis (LbDHODH), enzima de extrema importância na síntese de novo de nucleotídeos de pirimidina, cuja principal função é converter o diidroorotato em orotato. Esta enzima foi clonada, expressa e purificada com sucesso em nosso laboratório. Os estudos permitiram que a enzima fosse caracterizada cineticamente e estruturalmente via cristalografia de raios- X. Os primeiros ensaios inibitórios foram realizados com o orotato, produto da catálise e inibidor natural da enzima. O potencial inibitório do orotato foi mensurado através da estimativa do IC50 e a interação proteína-ligante foi caracterizada através de estudos cristalográficos. Estratégias in silico e in vitro foram utilizadas na busca de ligantes, através das quais foram identificados inibidores para a enzima LbDHODH. Ensaios de validação cruzada, utilizando a enzima homóloga humana, permitiram identificar os ligantes com maior índice de seletividade que tiveram seu potencial leishmanicida avaliado in vitro contra as formas promastigota e amastigota de Leishmania braziliensis. A realização do presente projeto permitiu a identificação de uma classe de ligantes que apresentam atividade seletiva contra LbDHODH e que será utilizada no planejamento de futuras gerações de moléculas com atividade terapêutica para o tratamento da leishmaniose. Além disso, a plataforma de ensaios otimizada permitirá a avaliação de novos grupos de moléculas como uma importante estratégia na busca por novos tratamentos contra a leishmaniose / Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) pose a devastating obstacle to health and remain a serious impediment to poverty reduction and socioeconomic development. Of 17 diseases listed among NTDs, the leishmaniasis, including cutaneous and mucocutaneous leishmaniasis, are characterized by high number of cases and high costs for the treatment, usually of low efficacy and highly toxic. Even more problematic, the investment devoted to combat to control and to develop new therapies remains limited. Nowadays, the Academy has had an important role in the fight against NTDs, contributing in the search of new therapeutic targets and in the development of lead compounds. Within this context, the present project aimed the development of a pipeline for identification of leishmanicidal compounds based on the selective inhibition of the enzyme dihydroorotate dehydrogenase from Leishmania Viannia braziliensis (LbDHODH). LbDHODH acts in the de novo biosynthetic pathway of pyrimidine nucleotides, by catalysing the conversion of dihydroorotate to orotate and has been considered an important macromolecular target against proliferative and parasitic diseases. LbDHODH was successfully cloned, expressed and purified. The target enzyme was characterized by kinetic studies and its structure was solved by X-ray crystallography techniques. Inhibition assays were performed in presence of orotate, product of catalysis and natural inhibitor of DHODH. Its inhibitory potential was evaluated by the estimative of IC50 and the protein-ligand interaction was characterized by crystallographic studies. In silico and in vitro strategies were used in the search for LbDHODH inhibitors. Cross-validation studies were performed against the human homologue enzyme. Inhibitors displaying higher selectivity index were evaluated against both promastigote and amastigote forms of Leishmania braziliensis. Our work allowed the identification of a new class of compounds that display selective inhibition of LbDHODH and show leishmanicidal activity. They will be used as prototypes for the development of new generations of LbDHODH inhibitors. Moreover, our pipeline can be used to screen large number of chemical libraries as tool for the identification of different chemical entities that can contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of leishmaniasis.

Previous research in our laboratory showed that when knockout mutations were created in the pyrB and pyrC genes of the pyrimidine pathway in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, not only were the resultant mutants auxotrophic for pyrimidines but they were also impaired in virulence factor production. Such a correlation had not been previously reported for P. aeruginosa, a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen in humans. In an earlier study it was reported that mutants blocked in one of the first three enzymes of the pyrimidine pathway in the non-pathogenic strain P. putida M produced no pyoverdin pigment while mutants blocked in the later steps produced copious amounts of pigment, just like the wild type. This study probed for the same connection between pyrimidine auxotrophy and pigment production applied in P. aeruginosa. To that end a knockout mutation was created in pyrD, the fourth step in the pyrimidine pathway which encodes dihydroorotate dehydrogenase. The resulting mutant required pyrimidines for growth but produced wild type pigment levels. Since the pigment pyoverdin is a siderophore it may also be considered a virulence factor, other virulence factors were quantified in the mutant. These included casein protease, hemolysin, elastase, swimming, swarming and twitching motility, and iron binding capacity. In all cases these virulence factors were significantly decreased in the mutant. Even supplementing with uracil did not attain wild type levels. Starvation of the pyrimidine mutant for uracil caused increased specific activity of the pyrimidine enzymes, suggesting that regulation of the pyrimidine pathway occurred at the level of transcription. This effect has also been reported for P. oleovorans. The present research consolidates the idea that pyrimidine auxotrophs cause decreased pathogenicity in P. aeruginosa. Such a finding may open the search for chemotherapy targets in cystic fibrosis and burn victims where P. aeruginosa is an infecting agent.

Mitochondria are essential organelles as they produce most ATP to support cellular activities, synthesize critical metabolic factors and are involved in lipid and phospholipid metabolism as well as calcium signalling. The oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system, present at the inner mitochondrial membrane, plays role in regulation of cellular metabolism and survival of cancer cells. Recent studies show importance of OXPHOS in growth of cancer cells via regulation of the de novo pyrimidine synthesis pathway. Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH), a flavoprotein localized in the inner mitochondrial membrane, converts dihydroorotate (DHO) to orotate within the de novo pyrimidine synthesis pathway, generating electrons that are transferred, via redox- cycling of ubiquinone, to complex III (CIII) of respiratory chain. Since DHODH is functionally linked to CIII activity, impairment of respiration results in reduced activity of DHODH and pyrimidine synthesis. Therefore, mitochondrial damage or mutation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) leads to decreased respiration, cancer cell proliferation and delay of tumour growth. As a compensation for damaged mitochondria, horizontal transfer of functional mitochondria from donor somatic cells to the mitochondria-damaged tumour cells was demonstrated. This...