A method of high-performance liquid chromatography with evaporative light-scattering detector (HPLC-ELSD) has been optimalized for the determination of neutral and polar lipids. Column filled by silica with chemically bonded diol has been used as stationary phase. As mobile phase, a ternary gradient composed from A: hexan-tetrahydrofuran 99:1 (v/v), B: isopropanol-chloroform-acetic acid 82:20:0,01 (v/v/v), C: isopropanol-water-triethylamine 47:47:6 (v/v/v) was used. Calibration curves have been measured in the range 2-200 μg of the injected amount; for individual lipid classes, optimal interlay of experimental data corresponded to the following functions: triacylglycerols - third order polynom (R=0,998), cholesterol esters - exponential dependence (R=0,998), free cholesterol - third order polynom (R=0.9998), ceramid - exponential dependence (R=0,992), cardiolipin - square dependence (R=0,998), phosphatidylethanolamine - exponential dependence (R=0,999), phosphatidylcholine - square dependence (R=0,997), phosphatidylserine - third order polynom (R=0,9985), sphingomyelin - third order polynom (R=0,9997), lysophosphatidylcholine - exponential dependence (R=0,9986). Analysis of the synthetic control sample showed recovery in the range of 82-95%. On the basis od these measurements, concentration of...

The thesis is dedicated to the phospholipids and their polar headgroups analysis by gas chromatography, capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Phospholipids are the most important polar lipids and they are classified into phospholipid classes according to their phosphorylated groups. Phospholipids can be found in cell membranes and the changes in their ratio are monitored to research the impact of external conditions on cells. Actually thin layer chromatography is still used for phospholipid class ratio analyses. It is not suitable for microbiological research due to its time demandingness. The presented compendium of papers engaged in phospholipid classification is targeted on Bacillus subtilis strain, which produces potential antibiotics with detergent effect - surfactin. Published methods can be used for research of optimal conditions for producing microbe cultivation. Because non-polar parts of the phospholipid molecule (fatty acids) can affect the analysis methods on spliced polar headgroups have to be designed. Capillary electrophoresis and gas chromatography methods were developed and the latter one was further optimized for simultaneous analysis with fatty acids. Additional part deals with an alternative approach which consists in direct injection on mass spectrometer of intact...

(English) Phosphoinositides (PIs) are glycerophospholipids with a negative charge. As components of cell membranes, PIs are involved in membrane and cytoskeletal dynamics, cell movement and signalling, and the modulation of ion channels and transporters. Apart from the cytoplasm, phosphoinositides also localise to the cell nucleus. PIs play a role in crucial nuclear processes, such as DNA transcription, pre-rRNA and pre-mRNA processing, cell differentiation, DNA damage response, or apoptosis. Phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI(4)P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2) are the most abundant phosphoinositides in the cell. However, their exact localisation and function in the nucleus are largely unknown. Here, we describe their localisation at super-resolution level and their involvement in some nuclear processes. PI(4)P is present in nuclear lamina, nuclear speckles and nucleoli, and it forms small foci in nucleoplasm. The majority of nuclear PI(4)P localises to the nucleoplasm, whereas almost 16 % is present in nuclear speckles. On the other hand, the majority of nuclear PI(4,5)P2 localises to nuclear speckles, almost 30 % localises to nucleoplasm and the lesser portion to nucleoli. In the nucleoplasm, PI(4,5)P2 forms small foci called nuclear lipid islets (NLIs). Their core is...

Plant autophagy is a crucial evolutionary conserved process for recycling cytoplasmic material under stress conditions or during development. The autophagic pathway is negatively regulated by TOR kinase, a versatile molecule modulating a wide range of cellular processes. In mammals, TOR kinase may be activated by phosphatidic acid, a vital signalling lipid. This thesis aims to prove the possible involvement of phospholipids in plant autophagy. I analysed the rate of primary root inhibition in knock-out mutants coding phospholipases in A. thaliana with induced autophagy, measured activity of lipid metabolising enzymes in wild type and atg10 mutant and observed autophagosome formation in selected mutants. Autophagosomes were labelled by fluorescent protein in vivo and by indirect immunolabelling in fixed samples. Using advanced stereological approach, I optimized a method for obtaining an unbiased estimate of autophagosome number in plant root cells.

Surfactin, a secondary metabolite produced by Bacillus subtilis, is a surface active compound and antibiotic permeabilizing membrane bilayer. The aim of this study was to reveal the self-resistance strategy at the level of the lipid moiety of cytoplasmic membrane, which B. subtilis employs to combat surfactin in concentrations that are lethal for other bacterial species. Non-producing strain B. subtilis 168 was cultivated in the presence of two different sublethal concentrations of surfactin (350 a 650 µg/ml), which was isolated from the culture broth of B. subtilis ATCC 21332. Presence of surfactin in the medium resulted in a concentration dependent lag phase, which took 40 min (350 µg/ml) and 3 h (650 µg/ml), respectively. Afterwards, the culture grew with the altered doubling time of 44 min (350 µg/ml) and 126 min (650 µg/ml), respectively. Surfactin induced substantial changes in the phospholipid composition of the cytoplasmic membrane. The proportion of the major phospholipid component phosphatidylglycerol decreased and inversely, the level of phosphatidylethanolamine increased. Interestingly, the content of phosphatidic acid rose considerably in the presence of surfactin concentration causing stimulation of B. subtilis growth (350 µg/ml). Liposome leakage assay using phospholipids mimicking...

This diploma thesis is focused on determination of aggregation behavior of selected phospholipids (lecithin; 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine) in water and on the effect of native hyaluronan addition of various molecular weights and concentrations on this behavior. The behavior has been investigated with fluorescence spectroscopy using pyrene and perylene as fluorescence probes being able to penetrate into hydrophobic cavities of formed aggregates. Critical aggregation concentration and the concentration at which lecithin begins to aggregate have been determined. Regarding 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine, it was possible to determine only the beginning of aggregation value. The values of this parameter for lecithin and for 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycerol-3-phosphocholine correspond in the order. It has been investigated, that the addition of native hyaluronan has only in some systems slight effect on the aggregate behavior of selected phospholipids.

Obesity, one of the most serious health problems of the 21st century, often occurs as a result of an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Dietary lipids play an important role in the development of obesity, partly because they represent the richest source of energy amongst all macronutrients. It is, however, not only the amount of consumed lipids, but also the composition of fatty acids, which strongly influences health effects of a particular diet. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) are generally considered as unhealthy due to their pro-inflammatory and lipotoxic properties, while monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) represent a healthier alternative, as they are more readily oxidized and do not disrupt biochemical properties of cellular membranes. Amongst PUFA, PUFA of n-3 series (Omega-3) represent an utterly unique class of lipids that have been documented to protect against cardiovascular disease and dyslipidemia in men and improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance primarily in animal models of obesity. Some molecular mechanisms of Omega-3 action have been already uncovered, such as the modification of biological membranes composition, activation of various transcription factors and membrane receptors, and their role as precursors for...

Cílem této práce bylo studium mechanismu oxidace lipidů katalyzované hovězím methemoglobinem a zhodnocení účinků různých experimentálních podmínek a antioxidantů (EDTA, askorbová kyselina, kávová kyselina, a-tokoferol, d-tokoferol, astaxanthin a L-askorbyl-6-palmitát) na methemoglobinem zprostředkovanou oxidaci lipidů v modelovém systému liposomů připravených z fosfolipidů. K monitorování oxidace lipidů při pH 5,5 a teplotě 30 °C bylo použito spotřeby kyslíku. Pro zhodnocení antioxidační aktivity v modelovém systému liposomů se ukázaly být důležitými faktory typ prooxidantu a koncentrace prooxidantu a antioxidantu. Dalšími důležitými faktory jsou struktura molekuly antioxidantu, jeho hydrofilita/lipofilita a umístění v systému. Všechny testované antioxidanty ve všech koncentracích (kromě koncentrace 0.1 % astaxanthinu and 0.1 % askorbyl palmitátu) inhibovaly oxidaci vyvolanou methemoglobinem. Účinnost antioxidantu stoupala s jeho zvyšující se koncentrací. Koncentrace 0.1 % astaxanthinu neměla žádný vliv na oxidaci liposomů. Koncentrace 0.1 % askorbyl palmitátu měla prooxidační efekt, který lze vysvětlit prooxidačním působením radikálu askorbylu, který může urychlit štěpení hydroperoxidů. Volné železo uvolněné z methemoglobinu se podílelo jen velmi málo na oxidaci liposomů, zatímco část prooxidační aktivity methemoglobinu byla přisouzena tvorbě singletového kyslíku (methemoglobin jako fotosenzitizátor). Antioxidační aktivita astaxanthinu, askorbyl palmitátu a tokoferolu byla z části přisouzena schopnosti zhášet singletový kyslík. Ovšem hlavním prooxidačním mechanismem methemoglobinu se ukázal být rozklad lipidových hydroperoxidů, tvorba volných radikálů a hypervalentních forem hemoglobinu. EDTA utlumila oxidaci liposomů díky chelataci přechodných kovů obsažených v liposomech a chelataci volného železa přítomného v methemoglobinovém roztoku. Velmi důležitým antioxidačním mechanismem (který vykazují askorbyl palmitát, askorbová a kávová kyselina) se ukázala být redukce hypervalentních forem hemoglobinu. Askorbová kyselina, kávová kyselina, tokoferoly a astaxanthin inhibovaly methemoglobinem zprostředkovanou oxidaci lipidů odstraňováním volných radikálů. Při použití peroxidu vodíku nebyl pozorován žádný vliv na oxidaci liposomů vyvolanou methemoglobinem. Působení vysoké teploty (tepelná denaturace) mírně utlumilo oxidaci. Významná inhibice oxidace byla pozorována u liposomů obsahujících TPP (triphenylphosphin), což značí, že je methemoglobinem vyvolaná oxidace liposomů závislá na přítomnosti již vzniklých lipidových peroxidů. Výsledky této práce přispívají k hlubšímu pochopení prooxidačních a antioxidačních mechanismů a faktorů, které ovlivňují oxidaci liposomálních roztoků, buněčných membrán a emulzí typu olej ve vodě stabilizovaných fosfolipidy.

This work was focused on the preparation of model stabilized phospholipid membranes formed on porous polycarbonate carrier. 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholin was used for their formation in hydrophilic pores of polycarbonate carrier. For characterization of the formation of phospholipid layers, their changes and a study of transport processes, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and voltammetry were used. Transport of cadmium and copper ions was studied in the presence and in the absence of ionophore calcimycin which was incorporated into the formed of phospholipid membrane. Because these ions are often bound in complexes with various substances, such as low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs), this work was also focused on the transport of copper and cadmium ions across the model phospholipid membranes in the presence of malic acid, citric acid and oxalic acid at different pH. Besides the use of ionophore, some pilot experiments were performed to realize the transfer of copper ions using two peptides, nisin and transportan 10. Formation of phospholipid membranes and the transport processes were characterized by two proposed electric equivalent circuits which correspond to the covered and to the uncovered polycarbobate carrier. Keywords: Phospholipids, Membranes, Ionophore, Peptid....

Phospholipids are an important group of polar lipids constituting the main component of cell membranes. Their proportion may vary depending on many factors of the surrounding environment in which the cell is located. Determination of membrane phospholipids is essential in many scientific, industrial and economic sectors. The aim of this work has been to develop a separation method for determination of membrane phospholipids by which it was possible to analyze phosphorylated parts of phospholipids and fatty acids from one sample. Comprehensive gas chromatography with mass detection (GC×GC-MS) was chosen for the assay. This method allows the separation of the entire sample on two serially connected different columns, among which is the interface called modulator. The preparation of the sample includes a cleavage of the phospholipid molecule by the enzyme phospholipase C, which released the phosphorylated polar headgroups. These polar parts had to be derivatized before analysis. The principle of the chosen derivatization consisted in the use of two different silylation agents (hexamethyldisilazane and N,O-Bis(trimethylsilyl) trifluoracetamide) in two steps. Conditions were selected for efficient separation of the silylderivatives of phosphorylated headgroups using GC×GC-MS using a cryogenic...