Thesis (M.Tech.: Biotechnology)-Dept. of Biotechnology, Durban University of Technology, 2007 vi, 92 leaves / Interest in xylanases from different microbial sources has increased markedly in the past decade, in part because of the application of these enzymes in a number of industries, the main area being the pulp and paper industry. While conventional methods will continue to be applied to enzyme production from micro-organisms, the application of recombinant DNA techniques is beginning to reveal important information on the molecular basis and this knowledge is now being applied both in the laboratory and commercially. In this study, a directed evolution strategy was used to select an enzyme variant with high thermostability. This study describes the use of error-prone PCR to modify the xylanase gene from Thermomyces lanuginosus DSM 5826, rendering it tolerant to temperatures in excess of 80°C. Mutagenesis comprised of different concentrations of nucleotides and manganese ions. The variants were generated in iterative steps and subsequent screening for the best mutant was evaluated using RBB-xylan agar plates. The optimum temperature for the activity of xylanases amongst all the enzyme variants was 72°C whilst the temperature optimum for the wild type enzyme was 70°C. Long term thermostability screening was therefore carried out at 80°C and 90°C. The screen yielded a variant which had a 38% improvement in thermostability compared to the wild type xylanase from pX3 (the unmutated gene). Successive rounds of error-prone PCR were carried out and in each round the progeny mutant displayed better thermostability than the parent. The most stable variant exhibited 71% residual activity after 90 minutes at 80˚C. Sequence analysis revealed four single amino acid residue changes that possibly enhanced their thermostabilities. This in vitro enzyme evolution technique therefore served as an effective tool in improving the thermostable property of this xylanase which is an important requirement in industry and has considerable potential for many industrial applications.

Access to abstract restricted until 12/14/2014. / Access to thesis restricted until 12/14/2014. / Department of Biology

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 193-221). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on Sept. 18, 2009). "A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Virology, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Alberta." Includes bibliographical references.

Theses (Ph. D.)--Marshall University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Includes vitae. Document formatted into pages: contains xi, 149 p. Bibliography: p. 122-135.

Orientadores: Christine Hackel, Juergen K. V. Reichardt, Maricilda P. Mello / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-10T00:27:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ferraz_LucioFabioCaldas_D.pdf: 2604031 bytes, checksum: c313be68a5b9599e035866a8ee12ef8c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Resumo: O hormônio androgênico di-hidrotestosterona (DHT) possui fundamental importância na diferenciação sexual masculina e no desenvolvimento e manutenção da próstata. Duas enzimas atuam diretamente na concentração deste andrógeno nas células: 1) com uma função anabólica, a enzima 5α-redutase tipo 2 (gene SRD5A2) é responsável pela síntese de DHT ao converter testosterona (T) em 5α-di-hidrotestosterona e 2) com uma função catabólica, a enzima 3β- hidroxi desydrogenase/Δ5-Δ4-isomerase de esteróides tipo 2 (gene HSD3B2) é responsável pela degradação do DHT, além de contribuir para síntese indireta de testosterona por uma via anabólica. Isto exposto, cenários distintos se apresentam considerando as atividades deficientes dessas enzimas: i) a deficiência congênita da enzima 5a-redutase tipo 2 conduz a uma forma específica de pseudohermafroditismo masculino (PHM) no qual a conversão de T em DHT está nula ou defeituosa, inviabilizando a virilização normal da genitália externa em indivíduos com cariótipo 46,XY e ii) em razão das propriedades bifuncionais da enzima 3β-HSD2, tanto na via de síntese quanto de degradação de andrógenos, sua deficiência congênita pode conduzir a quadros clínicos distintos de ambigüidade genital. No adulto, mutações somáticas que afetem sua atividade enzimática podem contribuir para a manifestação do câncer de próstata, pelo acúmulo do DHT. O presente trabalho aborda as duas enzimas esteroidogênicas envolvidas com o metabolismo da DHT, buscando caracterizar mutações germinativas e/ou somáticas que conduzem a deficiências enzimáticas relacionadas a diferentes condições clínicas. Com relação à deficiência em 5a-redutase tipo 2, investigou-se a presença de mutações germinativas no gene SRD5A2 em amostras de DNA 20 pacientes de sexo genético masculino com suspeita de deficiência em 5α-redutase tipo 2, pertencentes a 18 famílias brasileiras, por meio de sequenciamento direto dos produtos de PCR dos cinco exons do gene e de suas regiões flanqueadoras. Foram identificadas alterações moleculares em 18 desses pacientes, compreendendo tanto mutações não anteriormente referidas na literatura (G158R, del642T, 217_218insC e IVS3+1G>A), como mutações recorrentes já descritas em outros grupos étnicos ou em indivíduos de outras regiões geográficas. Os resultados detalhados, bem como a discussão, acham-se apresentados no Capítulo III.1, sob a forma de artigo publicado. (...continua) / Abstract: The androgenic hormone dihydrotestosterone (DHT) has fundamental relevance in normal male sexual differentiation and in prostate development and maintenance. Two enzymes act directly on the regulation of DHT concentration at cellular level: 1) with an anabolic function the steroid 5α-reductase type 2 enzyme (SRD5A2 gene) leads to DHT synthesis by converting testosterone (T) in 5α-dihydrotestosterone and 2) with a catabolic pathway the 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase/Δ5-Δ4-isomerase type 2 enzyme (HSD3B2 gene) is responsible for DHT degradation, besides contributing to indirect synthesis of testosterone in an anabolic pathway. Thus, different scenarios can be considered regarding the deficiencies in the activities of these enzymes: i) congenital steroid 5α-reductase type 2 enzyme deficiency leads to a specific form of male pseudohermaphroditism (MPH), where the conversion of T into DHT is defective or inexistent, preventing normal virilization of the external genitalia in individuals with a 46,XY karyotype; and ii) due to the bi-functional properties of the 3β-HSD2 enzyme, either at synthetic or degradation androgen pathways, its congenital deficiency can lead to distinct manifestations of genital ambiguity. Furthermore, in the adult, somatic mutations that affect 3β-HSD2 enzymatic activities could contribute to prostate cancer manifestation, due to DHT accumulation. The present work approaches these two steroidogenic enzymes involved with the DHT metabolism, aiming to characterize germinal and/or somatic mutations leading to enzymatic deficiencies related to different clinical conditions. Concerning the steroid 5α- reductase type 2 deficiency, we screened for germinal mutations on SRD5A2 gene in DNA samples of 20 patients from 18 Brazilian families with suspected SRD5A2 deficiency, by directly sequencing of the PCR products from the five exons and flanking regions of the gene. Molecular alterations were detected in 18 of these patients, comprising either mutations not previously reported in the literature (G158R, del642T, 217_218insC e IVS3+1G>A) as well as recurring mutations already described in other ethnical groups or in individuals from other geographical regions. The detailed results and corresponding discussion are presented at Chapter III.1, as a published paper. (¿to be continued) / Doutorado / Genetica Animal e Evolução / Doutor em Genetica e Biologia Molecular

Normal DNA replication is blocked by DNA damage in the template strand. Translesion synthesis is a major pathway for overcoming these replication blocks. In this process, multiple non-classical DNA polymerases form a complex at the stalled replication fork called the mutasome. This complex is structurally organized by the replication accessory factor PCNA and the non-classical DNA polymerase Rev1. One of the non-classical DNA polymerases within the mutasome then catalyzes replication through the damage. Each non-classical DNA polymerase has one or more cognate lesions, which the enzyme bypasses with high accuracy and efficiency. Thus, the accuracy and efficiency of translesion synthesis depends on which non-classical DNA polymerase within the mutasome is chosen to bypass the damage. In this thesis, I discuss how the most appropriate polymerase is chosen. In so doing, I examine the components of the mutasome; the structural motifs that mediate the protein interactions in the mutasome; the methods used to study translesion synthesis; the definition of a cognate lesion; the intrinsically disordered regions that tether the polymerases to PCNA and to one another; the multiple architectures that the mutasome can adopt, such as PCNA tool belts and Rev1 bridges; and the kinetic selection model in which the most appropriate polymerase is chosen via a competition among the multiple polymerases within the mutasome. Taken together, this thesis provides and inclusive review of the current state of what is known about translesion synthesis with conclusions at its end suggesting what major questions remain and ideas of how to answer them.

In this thesis, I address two fundamental questions related to our understanding of how DNA damage is processed and repaired during replication. Using Two-dimensional (2-D) agarose gel analysis, I first examine whether DNA damage on plasmids introduced by transformation is processed in a manner similar to that observed on endogenously replicating plasmids and the chromosome. The original intent for using this approach was to develop a technique that could examine how different DNA adducts would be repaired in various sequence contexts. However, I found that distinct differences exist between the processing of DNA damage on transforming plasmids and the chromosome. The 2-D agarose gel analysis shows that RecA-mediated processing does not contribute to the survival of transforming plasmids and that this effect is likely due to inefficient replication of the plasmids after they are initially introduced into cells. These observations, while important, place limitations on the usefulness of transforming plasmids to characterize cellular repair processes. In a second question, I characterize the composition of the replisome following arrest by UV-induced DNA damage. Using 2-D agarose gel analysis the structural changes that occur in DNA during processing and repair have been well characterized, however, little is known about the fate of the replisome itself during these events. I used thermosensitive replication mutants to compare the DNA structural intermediates induced after disruption of specific components of the replisome to those observed after UV damage. The results show that dissociation of subunits required for polymerase stabilization are sufficient to induce the same processing events observed after UV damage. By contrast, disruption of the helicase-primase complex induces abnormal structures and a loss of replication integrity, suggesting that these components remain intact and bound to the template following replication arrest. I propose that polymerase dissociation provides a mechanism that allows repair proteins to gain access to the lesion while retention of the helicase serves to maintain the integrity and licensing of the fork so that replication can resume from the appropriate site once the lesion has been processed.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Human apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease 1 (hApe1) is a multi-functional protein having two major functions: apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease activity for DNA damage repair and redox activity for gene regulation. Many studies have shown the action of Ape1 in the base excision repair pathway leading to cell survival. It has also been reported that Ape1 reduces a number of important transcription factors that are involved in cancer promotion and progression. Though the repair activity is well understood, the redox mechanism is not yet clear. What is known about Ape1 is its structure and that it contains seven cysteines (C65, C93, C99, C138, C208, C296, and C310), none of which are disulfide bonded. Two of these cysteines, C99 and C138, are solvent-accessible, and C65, C93, and C99 are located in the redox domain. It is believed that one or more cysteines are involved in the redox function and is hypothesized that hApe1 reduces the down-stream transcription factors by a disulfide exchange mechanism. E3330, (2E)-3-[5-(2,3-dimethoxy-6-methyl-1,4-benzoquninoyl)]2-nonyl-2-propenoic acid, is a specific inhibitor for the redox function of hApe1. The interaction mechanism is not known. Using N-Ethylmaleimide (NEM) chemical footprinting, combined with Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange (HDX) data, we propose that a locally unfolded form coexists with the folded form in an equilibrium that is driven by irreversible NEM labeling, and that E3330 interacts with and stabilizes this locally unfolded form. This locally unfolded form is thereby proposed to be the redox-active form. We further support this claim with LC-MS/MS analysis showing an increase of disulfide bonds induced by E3330 among the cysteines in the redox domain, which would be too far apart from each other in the folded form to form a disulfide bond. We also studied three analogs of E3330. The need for an E3330 analog is to develop a more efficient and effective compound that would allow for sub-micromolar levels of activity (E3330 requires a micromolar amount). Study of the analogs will also allow us to gain perspective of the mechanism or mechanisms of E3330’s activity in Ape1’s redox function.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta, 2010. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Virology, Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on January 10, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.