Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

The isolation and purification of triosephosphate isomerase from humanerythrocytes, cardiac and skeletal muscle, liver, and brain has been described. Subsequent isolation and characterization of three isozymes from three tissues was effected.

The present study has resulted in the development of a procedure for the specific chemical fragmentation of human phosphoglucose isomerase into a minimal number of peptides. A two-cycle procedure for cleaving the protein with 2-nitro-5- thiocyanobenzoic acid results in four primary peptides and three overlap peptides. The peptides can be readily separated on the basis of their size by using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Preliminary peptide alignments have been considered, and amino acid analyses have been performed. End-terminal analyses of the enzyme revealed a carboxyl terminal sequence of Asp-Val-Gln and a blocked amino terminus. The cysteine cleavage procedure provides an excellent method for the identification and location of specific genetic mutations of human phosphoglucose isomerase.

The Best PhD Thesis in the Faculties of Dentistry, Engineering, Medicine and Science (University of Hong Kong), Li Ka Shing Prize,2005-2006 / published_or_final_version / abstract / Medicine / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

A xilose é um dos principais componentes dos materiais lignocelulósicos, os quais são de grande interesse para produção de bioprodutos como etanol e polihidroxialcanoatos (PHA). Visando melhorar o consumo de xilose em Burkholderia sacchari, uma grande produtora de PHA, os seguintes genes codificadores de xilose isomerase foram nela inseridos e avaliados: xylABs, xylABc, xylAPl, xylABp e xylABx, respectivamente de B. sacchari, B. cenocepacia, Photorhabdus luminescens, B. phymatum e B. xenovorans. Foi ainda sintetizado o gene de B. sacchari (xylA*) no qual foram inseridas modificações descritas na literatura como capazes de aumentar o consumo de xilose em outros organismos. As linhagens recombinantes de B. sacchari abrigando os genes xylABs e xylA* tiveram um aumento de aproximadamente 30%, e aquelas abrigando os genes xylABp e xylABx de 23%, no consumo de xilose quando comparadas com a linhagem controle. Essas quatro linhagens recombinantes foram aquelas que conseguiram produzir maior quantidade de P3HB, aproximadamente 70% a mais do que linhagem controle. / Xylose is a major component of lignocellulosic materials, which are of great interest for the production of bio-products, such as ethanol and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). To improve the consumption of xylose in Burkholderia sacchari, a major PHA producer, the following genes, encoding xylose isomerase, were introduced in these bacteria: xylABs, xylABc, xylAPl, xylABp and xylABx, respectively from B. sacchari, B. cenocepacia, Photorhabdus luminescens, B. phymatum e B. xenovorans. The gene of B. sacchari (xylA*) was also synthesized with several modifications described in the literature as able to increase the consumption of xylose in other organisms. Recombinant strains harboring B. sacchari xylABs and xylA* gene had an increase of approximately 30% in the xylose consumption compared to the control strain, and those harboring xylABx and xylABp gene an increase of 23%. These four recombinant strains were those that were able to produce more P3HB, approximately 70% more than the control strain.

Thrombospondin 1 (TSP1) is a 450 kDa homotrimeric multidomain glycoprotein with fundamental roles in many cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. These varied, and sometimes conflicting, functions are mediated by specific domains in TSP1. One region with diverse biological roles is the Ca2+ binding loops (or type 3 repeats). The biological activity of this region is determined through a complex assembly of disulfide bonds linking structure and function. Disulfide interchange in a protein is usually very specific and quite slow, unless catalysed. I have found that protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) is expressed on the surface of platelets and endothelial cells in a reduced active conformation. The presence of enzymatically active PDI on the surface of TSP1-secreting cells suggests PDI is well positioned to catalyse disulfide interchange in, and regulate the structure/function relationships of, TSP1. PDI was observed to form disulfide-linked complexes with TSP1. Moreover, incubation of platelet or fibroblast TSP1 with PDI enhanced binding of an isomer-specific anti-TSP1 antibody whose epitope is in the Ca2+ binding loops. These findings suggest that PDI may mediate disulfide bond rearrangement in both the soluble and extracellular matrix-bound forms of TSP1. TSP1 is a tight-binding competitive inhibitor of neutrophil cathepsin G; however, incubation with PDI increased the Ki for the interaction ???10-14-fold. TSP1 bound platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) tightly in the region of the Ca2+ binding loops and supported binding of PDGF to its receptor. PDI-mediated disulfide interchange in TSP1 ablated PDGF binding, indicating that PDI-catalysed disulfide interchange in TSP1 may modulate PDGF-TSP1 complex formation and the biological activity of PDGF. Finally, PDI-catalysed isomerization of TSP1 potently affected its cell adhesive properties. Treatment of TSP1 with PDI enhanced adhesion and spreading of endothelial cells through the ??v??3 integrin receptor to TSP1, by exposure of a cryptic RGD sequence. Thus, endothelial cell surface PDI may be a physiological regulator of RGD-dependent binding to TSP1. These data suggest that cell-surface PDI may regulate the disulfide-bonded structure and certain biological functions of TSP1. In conclusion, I propose a novel mechanism for the post-translational regulation of TSP1 structure/function, which in turn may regulate certain aspects of TSP1 in vascular biology.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Univ., 2002. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

A xilose é um dos principais componentes dos materiais lignocelulósicos, os quais são de grande interesse para produção de bioprodutos como etanol e polihidroxialcanoatos (PHA). Visando melhorar o consumo de xilose em Burkholderia sacchari, uma grande produtora de PHA, os seguintes genes codificadores de xilose isomerase foram nela inseridos e avaliados: xylABs, xylABc, xylAPl, xylABp e xylABx, respectivamente de B. sacchari, B. cenocepacia, Photorhabdus luminescens, B. phymatum e B. xenovorans. Foi ainda sintetizado o gene de B. sacchari (xylA*) no qual foram inseridas modificações descritas na literatura como capazes de aumentar o consumo de xilose em outros organismos. As linhagens recombinantes de B. sacchari abrigando os genes xylABs e xylA* tiveram um aumento de aproximadamente 30%, e aquelas abrigando os genes xylABp e xylABx de 23%, no consumo de xilose quando comparadas com a linhagem controle. Essas quatro linhagens recombinantes foram aquelas que conseguiram produzir maior quantidade de P3HB, aproximadamente 70% a mais do que linhagem controle. / Xylose is a major component of lignocellulosic materials, which are of great interest for the production of bio-products, such as ethanol and polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). To improve the consumption of xylose in Burkholderia sacchari, a major PHA producer, the following genes, encoding xylose isomerase, were introduced in these bacteria: xylABs, xylABc, xylAPl, xylABp and xylABx, respectively from B. sacchari, B. cenocepacia, Photorhabdus luminescens, B. phymatum e B. xenovorans. The gene of B. sacchari (xylA*) was also synthesized with several modifications described in the literature as able to increase the consumption of xylose in other organisms. Recombinant strains harboring B. sacchari xylABs and xylA* gene had an increase of approximately 30% in the xylose consumption compared to the control strain, and those harboring xylABx and xylABp gene an increase of 23%. These four recombinant strains were those that were able to produce more P3HB, approximately 70% more than the control strain.

A procedure was developed for the rapid isolation of human phosphoglucose isomerase by substrate-induced elution from cellulose phosphate. The high degree of selectivity of the elution provided homogenous enzyme from erythrocytes after a purification of approximately 30,000-fold with a recovery of approximately 70%. The enzyme was also isolated from other human tissues by a similar procedure.

This work was initiated to acquire a better understanding of the mechanisms, regulations, and significances of deamidation, as well as its role in the aging process.