Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:56:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 842543 bytes, checksum: dcc4a89c58b1a2bed72a86aa5e76dab2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-12-05 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The aim of this study was to assess salivary EGF concentration in head and neck cancer patients and its correlation with oral mucositis. It was an observational, transversal, control-case study. Whole stimulated saliva was collected in this groups: G1 control (n=9), G2 diagnostic moment (n=13), G3 before therapy (n=11), G4 during therapy (n=13) and G5 after therapy (n=11). The samples were centrifuged and measured. The supernatant was obtained and stored at -80° C until assayed. Salivary EGF content was measured with a commercial ELISA kit (Quantikine, R & D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, E.U.A.). The salivary flow means to G1, G2, G3, G4, G5 were 1,27; 1,58; 1,70; 0,77 and 0,99 ml/min. respectively. Differences on salivary flow did not reach statistical significance in the groups (p=0,064) but there was a strong reduction in G4 and G5. In relation to EGF levels, it was seen 1624,08; 1816,63; 1905,47 and 1457,12 pg/ml, respectively. There was no significant difference in the salivary EGF levels of this patients (p=0,686) but the decreased levels in G4 was evident. There was a positive correlation between salivary flow and EGF levels in G4 and G5, but it was not statistically significant, G4 (p=0,446) and G5 (p=0,258). There was not association between EGF concentration and oral mucositis development (p=0,037), but it was significant between decreased salivary flow and mucositis (p< 0,001). It was shown that EGF levels were not influenced for the use of alcohol (p=0,792), tobacco (p=0,706) and the patient performance status (p=0,213). It was possible to conclude that radiation therapy induces reduction in salivary flow and EGF levels over time. That EGF levels decreased is influenced by low salivary flow, but there was no association between oral mucositis development and salivary EGF levels. / O presente estudo teve como objetivo verificar a concentração do EGF na saliva de pacientes com neoplasias malignas em região de cabeça e pescoço e sua possível relação com a mucosite oral e o fluxo salivar. Constituiu-se em um estudo transversal, observacional, do tipo caso-controle. As amostras de saliva estimulada foram obtidas nos seguintes grupos: G1-controle (n=9), G2- momento do diagnóstico (n=13), G3-antes da terapia (n=11), G4-durante a terapia (n=13) e G5-após a terapia (n=11), sendo as mesmas centrifugadas e mensuradas. O sobrenadante foi então armazenado a temperatura de -80 º C e, posteriormente, descongelado a temperatura ambiente e submetido a imunoensaio do tipo sanduíche, onde a concentração salivar de EGF foi determinada por um kit comercial de ELISA (Quantikine, R & D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, E.U.A.). Verificou-se médias de fluxo salivar para G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4 e G-5 de 1,27; 1,58; 1,70; 0,77 e 0,99 ml/min, respectivamente. Segundo o teste F (ANOVA) não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os fluxos nesses grupos (p=0,064), embora tenha havido redução significativa no G4 e G5. Em relação ao EGF, observou-se, consecutivamente, as seguintes médias: 1624,08; 1816,63; 1905,47; 1414,87 e 1457,12 pg/ml, também não sendo observada significância estatística nas diferenças entre os grupos (p=0,686), percebendo-se diminuição em seus níveis no G4. Por meio da correlação de Pearson, observou-se correlação positiva entre as medidas de fluxo salivar e as concentrações de EGF no G4 e G5, embora sem significância estatística, G4 (p=0,446) e G5 (p=0,258). Não houve associação entre as concentrações de EGF e o desenvolvimento da mucosite oral (p=0,337), mas houve entre o fluxo salivar diminuído e a mucosite (p< 0,001). Além disso, os níveis de EGF na saliva não foram influenciados pelos hábitos de etilismo (p=0,792), tabagismo (p=0,706), ou ainda, pelo estado de saúde geral do paciente (p=0,213), segundo o t-Student. Com base nos resultados obtidos, podemos concluir que a radioterapia promoveu diminuição no fluxo salivar e nos níveis de EGF, que os níveis de EGF foram influenciados pela diminuição do fluxo salivar e que não houve associação entre o desenvolvimento da mucosite oral e a concentração de EGF na saliva.

Colorectal cancer (CRC), which includes cancer of the large bowel and rectum is the third most common cancer in men and the second in women and there is a poorer survival rate in less developed regions of the world such as West Africa mainly due to the ‘out of reach’ costs of chemotherapy. Evidence suggests that aspirin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) has the potential to decrease incidence of, or mortality from, a number of cancers including CRC through several mechanisms of action. However, this evidence is dampened by aspirin’s gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity, which have been found to be mostly age-dependent. The search for potential aspirin-related compounds with the same or better cytotoxic effects against cancer cells accompanied by a safer toxicity profile has been ongoing over the years and led to us to synthesise a number of novel aspirin analogues. One of the mechanisms of action suggested for the anticancer property of aspirin is the COX-dependent pathway. In this thesis SW480 cell line, a CRC cell line that is COX-2 negative and mismatch repair (MMR) proficient was used to study the possible COX-independent mechanism of action for aspirin, its analogues and diflunisal at 0.5 mM. Diflunisal was included in this study because it is also a salicylate with reports of having cytotoxic effects. OE33 and FLO1 oesophageal cancer cells were also employed in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and synergy experiments to show effects were not just specific to SW480 cells alone. These aspirin analogues were synthesised, identified using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and infra-red (IR) spectroscopy, and tested for purity using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and melting point. The findings of this study suggest that these compounds breakdown into salicylates and perturb epidermal growth factor (EGF) internalization with PN517 (fumaryldiaspirin) and PN590 (ortho-thioaspirin) also driving EGF co-localization with early-endosome antigen-1 (EEA1). The perturbation of the internalization of EGF by aspirin and PN517 was also observed by a time-lapse assay using live confocal imaging. These compounds also had specific effects on different tyrosine phosphorylation sites of the EGFR, with none but PN590 inhibiting 4 phosphorylation at Y1068, and all but PN502 (ortho-aspirin), PN548 (meta-aspirin) and PN549 (para-aspirin) inhibiting phosphorylation at Y1045 and Y1173. Given that the EGF internalization assay involved the cells being treated with compounds for 2 h, cells were also treated for this same time period and probed with pEGFR 1045, which resulted in the compounds having no significant effect on phosphorylation at that site which is responsible for the ubiquitination of the EGFR. Most of these compounds were apoptotic with some showing a combination of apoptosis and necrosis. Aspirin and its isomers drove apoptotic cell death in SW480 cells via the BCL2-BAX pathway while the thioaspirins appear to follow the p21 pathway by decreasing the expression of the protein. In addition, it was shown that PN502 (aspirin), PN517 and PN590 had synergistic effects when used in combination with oxaliplatin at ED50, ED75 and ED90 in SW480 CRC cells. The cytotoxicity of these compounds individually or in combination was determined using MTT assay followed by the use of the CompuSyn and CalcuSyn software to calculate combination index (CI), which indicated whether a drug combination was synergistic, antagonistic or additive. PN517 and PN524 were synergistic when used in combination with cisplatin in OE33 oesophageal cancer cells. Effect of these compounds on the EGFR indicates a delay or disruption of the signalling pathway involved in the proliferation of cancer cells, thus, translating into protection against tumour formation or progression while the synergistic effects of these compounds when used in combination with platinum compounds can provide patients with less toxic chemotherapeutic regimen especially in patients with CRC tumours that harbour mutant TP53 gene and normally resistant to oxaliplatin. It is therefore proposed that the perturbation of EGF internalization is a novel mechanism of action for aspirin and its analogues in cancer therapy. These positive findings shed light on the understanding of the possible mechanism of action for aspirins and gives hope for a more affordable, less toxic therapy for the prevention, treatment and management of cancer.

OBJECTIVE: CLOVES syndrome (CLO: congenital lipomatous overgrowth, V: vascular anomalies E: epidermal nevi S: spinal anomalies) is a rare, non-heritable sporadic overgrowth disorder with serious morbidity. Previous anecdotal reports indicate that CLOVES patients are at risk for serious thromboembolic events in the perioperative period. The purpose of this study is to systematically determine the adverse events associated with anesthesia and diagnostic or interventional procedures for CLOVES patients, so appropriate assessment of risk can be performed and adequate precautions can be taken in the future to prevent complications. METHODS: We selected our study cohort by gathering patients in the Vascular Anomalies Center (VAC) database with the diagnosis of CLOVES syndrome. Our primary group of interest was patients that were anesthetized at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH) since 2005. All patients having the diagnosis of CLOVES were included. IRB approval was obtained prior to patient selection. Data was collected from BCH electronic medical records. Patient age, gender, ASA level, estimated amount of blood loss (EBL), surgery status, MRI status, complication(s), type of complication if any, and medical history was recorded in a Microsoft Excel document on a password-protected computer. Data analysis was carried out with no statistical analysis beyond simple incidence and prevalence of certain characteristics due to the extremely small patient population. RESULTS: We found that out of the 38 patients in our cohort, 15 (or 39%) suffered from complications during the perioperative period. A total of 23 (or 61%) did not have any complications. Results further showed that pulmonary emboli, respiratory issues, and hypo/hypertension were the most prevalent complications. In addition we found that there was no correlation between substantial EBL and complication occurrence in this cohort. CONCLUSION: In comparison to preliminary studies of Alomari, 2008 and Sapp et al., 2007, we report a lower occurrence of thromboembolic events in CLOVES patients. We hypothesize that this is because patients at BCH were treated aggressively with various prophylactic methods to help minimize the risk of such events. We recommend that early prophylactic anticoagulation methods are applied to future patients. Additionally, we recommend that CLOVES patients be followed by a hematologist and care team that are familiar with the condition throughout their stay at the hospital to reduce the risk of thromboembolic events.

Introduction: The incidence of oesophageal cancer (OC) is increasing. Targeted therapies are being investigated, as chemotherapy in advanced OC achieves only 50% response rates and confers significant toxicity. TRANS-COG is a sub-study of COG, the only randomised trial of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) gefitinib versus placebo in patients with advanced OC. Aim and Methods: The aim of TRANS-COG is to identify biomarkers for predicting response to gefitinib by investigating the frequency of mutations of EGFR pathway members and EGFR gene copy number gain (CNG) by Fluorescence In Situ Hybridisation (FISH). Results: No EGFR mutations were identified, frequency of other pathway member mutations are as follows: KRAS 3.6%, PI3KCA 3.2%, BRAF 0.6%. The frequency of EGFR CNG was 13.5%. There were two cases of combined EGFR CNG and KRAS mutation 0.3%.Patients with EGFR CNG tumours had improved OS with gefitinib compared to placebo, log rank p=0.033, HR 0.523 (95%CI 0.285-0.962). Those with EGFR high CNG (amplification) also had improved OS with gefitinib, median OS 4.40 months vs median OS 1.71 months for placebo log rank p=0.004, HR 0.184 (95% CI 0.052-0.653). Mutation of KRAS conferred poor prognosis, independent of treatment received; median OS 3.614 months in KRAS wild type vs 1.741 months in KRAS mutated tumours, log rank p=0.023, HR 1.8153 (95% CI 1.078 3.187). A novel KRAS codon 61 mutation, Q61L, was also identified. Conclusion: 21.18% of patients have dysregulation of the EGFR pathway, these abnormalities represent realistic therapeutic targets. This analysis demonstrates clinical utility of EGFR CNG as a predictive biomarker of gefitinib response.

Endocytosis is important for the regulation of signal transduction and for the movement of essential cellular components from outside the cell to their appropriate intracellular compartment(s). Two established mechanisms of endocytosis are clathrinmediated (CME) and clathrin-independent endocytosis, and they are responsible for internalization of different ligands. In this study, the newly established technique of total internal reflection fluorescent microscopy (TIRF-M) was used, along with standard biochemical and molecular biological tools, to systematically study the sorting and early trafficking of two established ligands of endocytosis, transferrin (Tf) and epidermal growth factor (EGF). TIRF-M studies revealed that Tf binds its receptor that is located in large clathrin arrays positioned just below the surface of the cell and that these large clathrin platforms serves as the major site of CME at the plasma membrane. EGF endocytosis is very different and occurs as follows 1) the liganded EGFR recruits Rab5 to the plasma membrane, 2) Rab5 concentrates around vesicles containing liganded EGFR and 3) these vesicles co-localize with EEA1 enriched endosomes. EEA1 was shown to play a pivotal role in EGF endocytosis, establishing a new role for EEA1 in vesicle trafficking in addition to its role in tethering and fusion. Finally, WDFY2, a new FYVE domain protein was shown to decorate a specific subset of vesicles, upstream of the EEA1 vesicle pool that appear to participate in Tf endocytosis. These studies establish new functions and components of endocytosis that enhances our understanding of this complex process.

Exfoliative loses of the skin are rare, but potentially lethal disorders that includes toxical epidermal necrolysis and staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome. They should be considered in a differential diagnosis and a quick transfer to the burn center is essential. The level of care and the effectiveness of the treatment at the burn unit significantly decreases the morbidity and mortality of these diseases. A transport of the patient proceeds with a time delay and the usage of the systemic corticosteroids at the previous hospital unit is frequent, according to the results of our clinical study. TEN patients are often unsuccesfully treated at the different units, mostly at the dermatological clinics and the infection diseases clinics, where the treatment of the involved skin surface is insufficient and corticosteroids are often administered. This evidence indicates that there is a requisiteness of an wider education intended for the medical public, especially for the medical members who may have a greater probability of encountering TEN patients.

Elastin like polypeptides (ELPs) are a class of naturally derived biomaterials that are non-immunogenic, genetically encodable, and biocompatible making them ideal for a variety of biomedical applications, ranging from drug delivery to tissue engineering. Also, ELPs undergo temperature-mediated inverse phase transitioning, which allows them to be purified in a relatively simple manner from bacterial expression hosts. Being able to genetically encode ELPs allows for the incorporation of bioactive peptides and functionalization of ELPs. This work utilizes ELPs for regenerative medicine and drug delivery. The goal of the first study was to synthesize a biologically active epidermal growth factor-ELP (EGF-ELP) fusion protein that could aid in the treatment of chronic wounds. EGF plays a crucial role in wound healing by inducing epithelial cell proliferation and migration, and fibroblast proliferation. The use of exogenous EGF has seen success in the treatment of acute wounds, but has seen relatively minimal success in chronic wounds because the method of delivery does not protect exogenous EGF from degradation, or prevent it from diffusing away from the application site. We created an EGF-ELP fusion protein to combat these issues. As demonstrated through the proliferation of human skin fibroblasts in vitro, the EGF-ELP may be able to aid in the treatment of chronic wounds. Furthermore, the ability of the EGF-ELP to self-assemble near physiological temperatures could allow for the formation of drug depots at the wound site and minimize diffusion, increasing the bioavailability of EGF and enhancing tissue regeneration. The objective of the second study was to create an injectable hydrogel platform that does not require conjugation of functional moieties for crosslinking or biological activity. Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymer networks that are able to absorb water and biological fluids without dissolving. Their high water content gives them physical properties similar to soft tissues, making them useful as scaffolds for cell migration and drug delivery vehicles. Injectable hydrogels that crosslink in situ are particularly useful because they can form to the shape of the defect, providing a near perfect fit. However, many hydrogel platforms cannot be crosslinked in situ because cytotoxic crosslinking reagents are required. Additionally, hydrogels typically require the chemical conjugation of crosslinking domains and bioactive peptides to the polymer backbone, adding more steps and time required for hydrogel production. We devised an injectable hydrogel platform that can be synthesized in a single step using photoreactive ELPs as the polymer backbone. Leucine auxotrophic Eshcherichia coli expressed ELPs containing photoleucine, a leucine analog and photoreactive diazirine crosslinker, which is substituted for leucine periodically throughout the ELP sequence. Upon exposure to ultraviolet radiation (~370 nm), photoleucine is able to form covalent crosslinks with amino acid side chains, forming a polymer network for hydrogel formation. Additionally, recombinant growth factors and morphogens can be encoded into the ELP sequence providing a simple method of hydrogel functionalization for regenerative medicine applications. The potential for this platform was demonstrated through in vivo crosslinking of photoreactive ELPs in the expression hosts. Though the production of the photoreactive ELP was not as forthright as originally assumed. The substitution of noncanonical amino acids typically requires the auxotrophic expression hosts to be starved of the amino acid that they are auxotrophic for. A noncanonical analog of said amino acid can then be supplemented into expression media, maximizing incorporation. In this investigation, it was found the addition of photoleucine alone inhibited photoreactive ELP expression. ELP expression only occurred in the presence of photoleucine if valine or leucine was also present in the media. Furthermore, valine was found to aid the production of ELPs as much as leucine. It was postulated the bacterial translational machinery might need to be altered for optimal ELP expression.

Os vegetais apresentam variados mecanismos de defesa, os quais conferem tolerância a elementos considerados tóxicos, como o alumínio (Al). Em primeiro experimento, objetivou-se avaliar a tolerância diferencial ao Al em quatro plantas forrageiras do gênero Brachiaria (B. decumbens cv. Basilisk, B. brizantha cv. Marandu, B. brizantha cv. Piatã e B. brizantha cv. Xaraés), por meio da quantificação da área foliar; aspectos morfológicos do sistema radicular (comprimento total e superfície total de raízes); produção de biomassa de raízes e parte aérea; concentração, acúmulo e transporte de Al à longa distância; peroxidação lipídica em tecidos de folhas e raízes e concentração de H2O2 nas folhas. As concentrações de Al empregadas na solução nutritiva foram de 0; 0,44; 0,89 e 1,33 mmol L-1, as quais foram distribuídas conforme delineamento experimental de blocos completos ao acaso, utilizando-se esquema fatorial 4 x 4 (quatro doses de Al x quatro genótipos de Brachiaria), com quatro repetições. A atividade do Al3+ livre na solução nutritiva foi estimada utilizando o software GeoChem-EZ®, o qual evidenciou que cerca de 81% do Al estava disponível, considerando a variação nos valores de pH de 3,0 a 4,0. A adição de Al na solução nutritiva resultou na redução de parâmetros produtivos da parte aérea e do sistema radicular, além de aumentar a concentração e o acúmulo do metal nas raízes. Por intermédio de tais parâmetros, permitiu-se a seguinte classificação, quanto à tolerância diferencial ao Al: B. brizantha cv. Xaraés > B. decumbens cv. Basilisk >= B. brizantha cv. Piatã > B. brizantha cv. Marandu. No segundo experimento a B. brizantha cv. Marandu (menor tolerância) e a B. brizantha cv. Xaraés (maior tolerância) foram cultivadas em solução nutritiva e, em seguida, foram efetuadas avaliações referentes à morfologia e anatomia do sistema radicular (pêlos radiculares), por meio de microscopia de luz e microscopia eletrônica de varredura, determinação do Al no apoplasto e simplasto das raízes, bem como a quantificação da atividade de enzimas antioxidantes catalase (CAT), ascorbato peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX) e glutationa redutase (GR), em folhas e raízes. Utilizaram-se as concentrações de Al na solução de 0 e 1,33 mmol L-1, as quais foram distribuídas conforme delineamento experimental de blocos completos ao acaso, utilizando-se esquema fatorial 2 x 2 (duas concentrações de Al x dois genótipos de Brachiaria), com oito repetições. As atividades das enzimas CAT, APX, GPOX e GR foram mais expressas em tecidos radiculares. O excesso de Al reduziu a atividade da CAT e da GPOX nas raízes de B. brizantha cv. Xaraés e da APX e GR nas raízes de B. brizantha cv. Marandu. Quanto à compartimentação do Al no sistema radicular, constatou-se que a maior parte do metal concentrou-se no simplasto radicular, para ambos os genótipos. Por sua vez, na condição de excesso do metal, a maior concentração de Al trocável no apoplasto radicular foi verificada no cultivar Xaraés, sendo 49% superior ao cultivar Marandu. Foram verificadas maiores injúrias na epiderme radicular, como microfissuras e descamação, no cultivar Marandu. Os resultados fornecem evidências de que os genótipos de Brachiaria apresentam distintas respostas ao excesso de Al, com maior ou menor eficiência, caracterizando a tolerância diferencial / A variety of plant defense mechanisms have been shown, which confer tolerance to elements considered toxics, such as aluminum (Al). The aim of the first experiment was to evaluate the differential aluminum tolerance in four forage plants of Brachiaria genus (B. decumbens cv. Basilisk, B. brizantha cv. Marandu, B. brizantha cv. Piatã and B. brizantha cv. Xaraés), by measuring leaf area; root system morphology (total root length and total root surface); quantifying roots and plant top biomass yield; the Al-concentration, uptake and Al-long distance transport; evaluating lipid peroxidation in roots and leaves tissues, as well as the H2O2 content in leaves. Aluminum rates used were 0; 0.44; 0.89 and 1.33 mmol L-1, which were distributed as randomized block design, using a factorial 4 x 4 (four Al rates x four Brachiaria genotypes), with four replications. The free Al3+ activity in the nutrient solution was estimated using the software GeoChem-EZ®, reveling that around 81% of Al was available, considering the pH range between 3.0 and 4.0. Al addition in the nutrient solution decreased the plant top and root dry matter yield, increased Al-concentration and uptake in the roots. Though all these parameters, this following rank - as related to differential Al tolerance - was done: B. brizantha cv. Xaraés > B. decumbens cv. Basilisk >= B. brizantha cv. Piatã > B. brizantha cv. Marandu. In the second experiment, B. brizantha cv. Marandu (lower Al tolerance) and B. brizantha cv. Xaraés (higher Al tolerance) were grown in nutrient solution, with 0 and 1.33 mmol L-1 Al-concentrations, which were distributed as randomized block design, using a factorial 2 x 2 (two Al rates x two Brachiaria genotypes), with eight replications. Root system morphology and anatomy (root hairs) evaluations by using light and scanning electron microscopy, the Al concentration in the apoplast and symplast of roots, as well as the antioxidant enzymes activities such as catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), guaiacol peroxidase (GPOX) and glutathione reductase (GR) were taken in the leaves and roots tissues. The CAT, APX, GPOX and GR activities were more expressed in root tissues than leaves tissues. Al toxicity decreased CAT and GPOX activities in roots of B. brizantha cv. Xaraés on the one hand; and the other the APX and GR activity in B. brizantha cv. Marandu roots. As regards to Al partition in root system compartments, it was found that most of metal was accumulated in symplast, to both genotypes. On the other hand, in metal excess condition, the highest Al concentration on the root apoplast was verified to Xaraés cultivar, being 49% higher than those quantified on the Marandu cultivar. Major injuries were found in the root epidermis, as ruptures and small clefts, which in turn have induced significant structural changes on the root surface of Marandu genotype. Taken together, the results provide evidences that Brachiaria genotypes have distinct responses to Al excess, with greater or lesser efficiency mechanism, featuring differential Al-tolerance

O cavalo Baixadeiro é encontrado na Baixada Maranhense, região caracterizada por planície, podendo permanecer alagada por até seis meses. Ainda que diante destas condições, o cavalo Baixadeiro pode viver sem apresentar doenças da úngula, tais como, a laminite. Assim, propôs-se identificar elementos morfológicos da úngula desta raça específica de cavalo com o intuito de explicar tal resistência à umidade. Foram utilizadas amostras de úngula provenientes de 4 cavalos Baixadeiros (N=16) e de 4 cavalos Puro Sangue Inglês (N=16). Todas as úngulas foram analisadas por macroscopia, morfometria e por microscopia eletrônica de varredura e de luz. Macroscopicamente, a úngula do cavalo Baixadeiro era cuneiforme, com comprimento médio de 10.22 ± 1.3 cm, largura de 9.83 ± 1.01 cm e comprimento da parede medial de 5.67 ± 0.76 cm. A úngula do cavalo Puro Sangue Inglês teve um comprimento médio de 13.47 ± 0.8 cm, largura de 12.54 ± 0.49 cm e comprimento da parede medial de 7.77 ± 0.54 cm. Na microscopia de luz da camada interna, o tecido que conecta as lamelas epidérmicas primárias às secundárias e ao estrato médio foi visualmente mais espesso no Baixadeiro. Além disso, a região distal das lamelas era mais compacta do que as da região proximal, enquanto que no Puro Sangue Inglês não foram observadas diferenças. Na microscopia eletrônica de varredura, o espaço intertubular do estrato médio foi visualmente maior. A partir desta arquitetura nós sugerimos que existe maior adesão da cápsula da úngula à falange distal no cavalo Baixadeiro, provavelmente diminuindo a incidência de rotação da falange distal e, consequentemente, diminuindo a laminite / The Baixadeiro horse is found in Baixada Maranhense, region is characterized by a flat land that can be flooded during six months per year. In this region the Baixadeiro horse can live without ungula diseases, such as, laminitis. Thus, was proposed to identify morphological elements of the ungula from this specific breed to indicate this resistance to humidity. We used ungula samples from four Baixadeiro horse (N=16) and from four Thoroughbred horse (N=16). All ungulas were analyzed macroscopically, morphometrically and by light and scanning electronic microscopy. Macroscopically, the ungula of Baixadeiro horse was cuneiform, with average length 10.22 ± 1.3 cm, width of 9.83 ± 1.01 cm and medial wall lenght of 5.67 ± 0.76 cm. While the Thoroughbred horse ungula had average length 13.47 ± 0.8 cm, width 12.54 ± 0.49 cm and medial wall length 7.77 ± 0.54 cm. Under light microscopy, in the internal layer, the tissue that connects primary to secondary epidermal lamella and to middle stratum was visually thicker in the Baixadeiro. In addition, the distal region of lamellae was more compact than the proximal region, while in Thoroughbred no differences were observed. By scanning electron microscopy, the intertubular space of the middle stratum was visually bigger. From this architecture we suggested that there are greater adhesion of ugula capsule to distal phalanx in the Baixadeiro horse, probably decreasing incidence of distal phalanx rotation and consequently diminishing laminitis

Abstract Histidine acid phosphatases are characterized by the presence of a conserved RHGXRXP motif. One medically important acid phosphatase is the Prostatic Acid Phosphatase (PAP). PAP has been associated with prostate cancer for a long time and has been used as a marker to stage prostate carcinoma. Yet, there is no clear understanding on the functioning of the enzyme in vivo. This thesis work focuses on the characterization of putative ligands and elucidation of the reaction mechanism of PAP using computational methods. The ligand-enzyme complexes were generated by docking and molecular dynamics simulations. The complexes showed that the conserved arginines of RHGXRXP motif are important for binding the highly negatively charged phosphate group. The complexes also highlighted that the active site aspartate (Asp258) should be neutral in the complex and is involved as a general acid-base in the reaction. The studies support that PAP could dephosphorylate the growth factor receptors EGFR and ErbB-2. The studies also found that the majority of tyrosine phosphorylated peptides from these growth factor receptors could bind to PAP. The affinities were assessed based on theoretical calculations and were further confirmed by experimental measurements in the feasible cases. To clearly understand the mechanism of PAP, quantum mechanical methods were employed. The enzymatic reaction involves two steps. In the first step, the phosphate moiety is transferred from the ligand to the conserved histidine. The calculations on the first step of the reaction involved generating the transition state (TS) structures and estimating the respective barriers. The calculations clearly support that Asp258 becomes neutral by picking up the proton from the monoanionic ligand entering the binding site. The proton from neutral Asp258 is later transferred to the leaving group via a water bridge, restoring the negative state of Asp258. The second step involves the hydrolysis of phosphohistidine enzyme intermediate. Using hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations, it was found that the Asp258 accepts a proton from the nucleophilic water only after the TS is crossed. This proton is possibly then transferred to the free phosphate while it leaves the binding site, restoring the enzyme to its free state. The study highlights the importance of active site arginines in the binding as well as the stabilization of TS. Further, the analysis of TS structures in both the steps showed an associative mechanism, based on the distance of the nucleophilic and the leaving atoms to the phosphate atom. These distances are much smaller than what has been found in other well studied nonmetallo-phopshatases. Thus, the study finds a novel mechanism of enzymic phosphotransfer in PAP mediated catalysis.