No description available.

No description available.

L'emploi des agents antibactériens est un moyen important d'une part dans la lutte contre les infections bactériennes et d'autre part pour conserver les produits alimentaires jusqu'à leur consommation. La perte d'efficacité des antibiotiques par le développement de résistance bactérienne ainsi que la toxicité des conservateurs synthétiques rend nécessaire le développement de nouveaux produits antibactériens naturels. Les protéines et les peptides antibactériens agissant sur les membranes bactériennes paraissent une alternative pour limiter l'instauration de résistances bactériennes. L'ovotransferrine est une protéine du blanc d'œuf ayant des propriétés membranotropes responsable entre autre de son activité antibactérienne. L'objectif de cette thèse est d'étudier les mécanismes membranotropes de l'ovotransferrine vis-à-vis des membranes externe et cytoplasmique d'E. coli en utilisant respectivement des monocouches de LPS (lipopolysaccharides) et de phospholipides comme modèles membranaires expérimentales. L'ovotransferrine possède une capacité d'insertion dans la monocouche de LPS qui dépend de la concentration protéique, de la compacité de la monocouche et de la conformation des molécules de LPS. L'ovotransferrine s'adsorbe faiblement à la monocouche de phospholipides. Ainsi, les monocouches sont perturbées par la désorganisation des lipides. L'analyse comparative de l'ovotransferrine chauffée à sec avec la forme native a montré la conservation des structures secondaire et tertiaire avec une augmentation de l'hydrophobie de surface et probablement de la flexibilité et une affinité plus élevée aux interfaces hydrophiles/hydrophobes (eau/air). L'activité membranaire de l'ovotransferrine est accrue après son chauffage à sec. La capacité d'insertion dans la monocouche de LPS est amplifiée avec une affinité plus importante. Une capacité d'insertion dans la monocouche de phospholipides est générée pour la forme chauffée à sec associée à une adsorption plus élevée. L'ovotransferrine chauffée à sec induit des perturbations plus importantes des monocouches à des concentrations protéiques plus faibles. / The use of antibacterial agents is very important, firstly, on the fight against bacterial infections, and secondly, to keep food products until its consumption. The loss of antibiotics effectiveness through the development of bacterial resistance and the toxicity of synthetic preservatives necessitates the development of new natural antibacterial products. Antibacterial proteins and peptides acting on the bacterial membranes appear as an alternative to limit the introduction of bacterial resistances. Ovotransferrin is an egg-white protein with membranotropic properties responsible among other things for its antibacterial activity. The aim of this thesis is to study the membranotropic mechanisms of ovotransferrin towards the outer and cytoplasmic membranes of E. coli using respectively monolayers of LPS (lipopolysaccharides) and phospholipids as experimental membrane models. Ovotransferrin has an insertion capacity in LPS monolayer that is dependent on protein concentration, monolayer compactness, and LPS molecule conformation. Ovotransferrin weakly adsorbs to the monolayer of phospholipids. Thus, the monolayers are disturbed by the disorganization of the lipids. Comparative analysis of dry-heated ovotransferrin with the native form showed conservation of secondary and tertiary structures with an increase of surface hydrophobicity and probably of flexibility and higher affinity to hydrophilic/hydrophobic interfaces (water/air). The insertion capacity in the LPS monolayer is amplified with greater affinity. Insertion capacity in the phospholipid monolayer is generated for the dry heated form associated with higher adsorption. Dry-heated ovotransferrin induces greater disruption of monolayers at lower protein concentrations.

Abstract ACCURATE METHODOLOGY FOR MONITORING BIOMEMBRANE EVENTS By Christine A. Winschel, Ph.D. A Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Major Director: Dr. Vladimir A. Sidorov ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY This study describes the synthesis and characterization of a new receptor (cyclen 1) capable of strong selective binding of pyrene-based anionic dyes under near-physiological conditions. This receptor comprises four naphthylthiourea groups tethered to a cyclen core via an ester linkage. The most important finding was the ability of cyclen 1 to bind efficiently to a pH-sensitive pyranine dye, a dye that is commonly used in various biomembrane assays. The high affinity of cyclen 1 to pyranine, its impermeability to the lipid bilayer membrane, fast kinetics of binding, and ability to quench pyranine’s fluorescence were used as a basis for a new membrane leakage assay. This membrane leakage assay is fully compatible with the commonly applied pH-stat transport assay, and therefore it allows for differentiation of ion transport and nonselective leakage mechanisms within a single set of experiments. In the second part of this study a new methodology for the detection of lipid flip was developed. This methodology relies on the quenching of the fluorescence of a newly synthesized cascade-blue-labeled lipid through complex formation with cyclen 1. This receptor-dye complexation also has high affinity for binding at micromolar concentrations and can be reversed by either competitive displacement of the lipid probe or by enzymatic degradation of the receptor leading to the label release and fluorescence dequenching. This new methodology is suitable for the study of lipid flip in both model spherical bilayer membranes and in-vitro experiments, and is less invasive to the model and cell membranes than the commonly utilized 7-nitro-1,2,3-benzoxadiazol-4-yl (NBD)-dithionite methodology. Lastly, new pH-sensitive lipids were synthesized and utilized in the formulation of liposomes suitable for controlled drug release. These liposomes contain various amounts of internal NaCl and undergo internal acidification upon the exogenous addition of an HCl co-transporter in a physiologically relevant NaCl solution. Therefore, acidification ultimately leads to the hydrolysis of the pH-sensitive lipids and subsequent contents release. These liposomes were found to be insensitive to physiological concentrations of human serum albumin and to be non-toxic to cells at concentrations exceeding pharmacological relevance. These results render this new drug release model potentially suitable for in vivo applications.