Two isoforms of sphingosine kinase (SphK) catalyze the formation of sphingosine-1-phosphate (SIP). Whereas, SphKl stimulates cell growth and survival, it was found that when overexpressed in mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts SphK2 enhances caspase-dependent apoptosis in response to serum deprivation, independently of S1P receptors. Sequence analysis revealed that SphK2 contains a 9 amino acid motif similar to that present in BH3-only proteins. Studies showed that the BH3-only domain, catalytic activity, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and uptake of calcium by the mitochondria may all contribute to the apoptotic effects of overexpressed SphK2 in NIH 3T3 cells. Further studies in human carcinoma cells showed that overexpression of SphK2 increased the expression of the cyclin dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor p21, but interestingly had no effect on p53 or its phosphorylation. Correspondingly, downregulation of endogenous SphK2 with small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeted to unique mRNA sequences decreased basal and doxorubicin-induced expression of p21 without affecting p53. In addition, downregulation of SphK2 decreased G2/M arrest in response to doxorubicin. Surprisingly however, siSphK2 markedly enhanced apoptosis induced by doxorubicin in MCF7 and HCT-116 cells. This result raises the question of how overexpression of SphK2 decreases cell growth and enhances apoptosis while its downregulation sensitizes cells to apoptosis. A partial answer may come from the possibility that when SphK2 is overexpressed it does not always have the same subcellular distribution as the endogenous protein. It may also be possible that proteolysis of overexpressed SphK2 might induce apoptosis due to liberation of its BH3 peptide domain, which does not occur at the levels at which endogenous SphK2 is expressed. Collectively, these results demonstrate that endogenous SphK2 is important for p53-independent induction of p21 expression by doxorubicin and suggest that SphK2 expression may influence the balance between cytostasis and apoptosis.

Streptomycetes are soil filamentous Gram-positive bacteria that produce wide variety of pigments and biologically active substances including macrolides. Some of them are used as very efficient antibiotics and strong antifungal agents in medicine, others have became useful tools for staining biomembranes and detecting cholesterol via their internal fluorescence. Actinomycete Streptomyces durmitorensis (wild type strain MS405T ) is a bacteria isolated from Durmitor National Park in Montenegro soil samples. It produces secondary metabolite that has been identified as 32,33-didehydroroflamycoin (DDHR) closely related to the macrolides roflamycoin and generaly used filipin. DDHR exhibits cytototoxic activity against mammalian cells and yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain EGY48. In addition it has interesting fluorescence properties allowing visualization of some membrane components. DDHR interacts with biomembranes, causes their disintegration leading to changes of the actin and tubulin cytoskeleton organization and in higher concentrations it causes cells necrosis. DDHR-sterol interaction in cell membranes decreases fluorescence intensity of DDHR. The compound is able to fluorescently stain aberrant lysosomes and could be therefore potentially used in diagnostics of some lysosomal storage disease.

Mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography and gel electrophoresis enables separation and detection of components in a complex mixture. During the last two decades, its applications were dramatically extended and remarkable progress has been made in many fields, in particular, environmental and biological analyses. This dissertation focuses on identification and characterization of biologically active compounds and comparative analysis of protein expression changes. The first two projects (Chapters 2 and 3) focus on the application of LC/MS approach to profile the bioactivated intermediates of 4, 4'-methylenedianiline (DAPM) from rat vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and bile. In our study, several DAPM metabolites were detected and characterized in detail by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The structural assignments of these metabolites from VSMCs and rat bile significantly improve our understanding of DAPM biotransformations and toxicity. The third project described in Chapter 4 focuses on using electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (ES-MS/MS) and theoretical calculation (GAUSSIAN 03 program) to investigate the unusual methyl radical loss and consecutive fragment ions that dominate the low-energy collision induced dissociation (CID) mass spectra of prodiginine compounds. Structures of the fragment ions are proposed and explanations are given to rationalize the observed competition between the formation of even-electron ions and radical ions. Our study shows that the lower apparent threshold associated with methyl radical loss points to a lower kinetic barrier. In Chapter 5, hypoxia-induced changes of zebrafish skeletal muscle were studied using two-dimensional difference in-gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) in vivo after 48 h in hypoxia vs. normoxia. The results showed that proteins involved in mitochondrial oxidative metabolism are down-regulated, whereas glycolytic enzymes are up-regulated to compensate for the loss of ATP synthesis in aerobic metabolism. The up-regulation of two spots identified as hemoglobin variants was also observed. These protein expression changes are consistent with a hypoxic response that enhances anaerobic metabolism or O2 transport to tissues.

Les études épidémiologiques ont montré qu'une consommation régulière en tomate et ses produits dérivés de tomate permet de lutter contre diverses pathologies dégénératives associées notamment au stress oxydant (maladies cardiovasculaires, cancers etc..). Les effets bénéfiques pourraient être dus au lycopène pigment rouge de la tomate et/ou à ses métabolites qui interviendraient dans ce processus soit de part leurs capacités antioxydantes, soit au travers de la régulation de l’expression de gènes. Dans ce contexte, quatre familles de molécules dérivées du lycopène, pouvant être des métabolites potentiels, ont été ciblées pour la synthèse organique : les apo-11-lycopénoïdes, les apo- 14’-lycopénoïdes, les apo-12’-lycopénoïdes et les apo-10’-lycopénoïdes. Chacune des familles a été synthétisée, via des réactions de couplages tels que Wittig et Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons, avec quatre fonctions chimiques terminales : ester, acide carboxylique, alcool et aldéhyde. Par la suite deux types de propriétés physico-chimiques des composés synthétisés ont été étudiés : mesure du pouvoir antioxydant dans des conditions expérimentales mimant un stress oxydant dans le compartiment gastro-intestinal (inhibition de la peroxydation lipidique initiée par la metmyoglobine en milieu micellaire) et une étude d’interaction avec l'albumine de sérum humain, protéine impliquée dans le transport des acides gras dans le plasma. / Epidemiological studies have shown that regular consumption of tomatoes and its derived products participate to the prevention of degenerative pathologies associated with oxidative stress (cardiovascular disease, cancers). The beneficial effects could come from lycopene and/or its metabolites. In this context four families of lycopene derived compounds, mimicking possible metabolites, were targeted to be synthesized: the apo-11- lycopenoids, the apo-14’- lycopenoids, the apo-12’- lycopenoids and the apo-10’-lycopenoids. For each family, Wittig and Horner- Wadsworth-Emmons coupling reaction were used and four different ending functions were obtained: ester, carboxylic acid, alcohol and aldehyde. Then two physico-chemical properties were studied: antioxidant effect mimicking oxidative stress in the gastro-intestinal tract (inhibition of lipidic peroxidation initiated by metmyoglobin protein in micellar medium) and study of the interaction with human serum albumin, a protein involved in the transport of fatty acid in the plasma.

Artrite reumatoide (AR) é uma doença autoimune, que causa inflamação crônica nas membranas sinoviais de diversas articulações. O modelo experimenal de artrite induzida pelo colágeno (AIC) é empregado para investigar os mecanismos da AR e para identificar potenciais agentes terapêuticos. Embora a etiologia da AR ainda seja desconhecida, há evidências que a AR se desenvolve em indivíduos predispostos geneticamente, após exposição a fatores ambientais, como o tabagismo, que se destaca como maior fator de risco para indução da AR e para o agravamento em pacientes com AR já estabelecida. Porém, o mecanismo efetivo da ação dos diversos componentes do cigarros ainda precisa ser elucidado. A Hidroquinona (HQ) é um composto fenólico, encontrada em concentração elevada no cigarro, com maior ativade pró-oxidativa, além de ser produto da biotransformação do benzeno, também encontrado no cigarro. Neste caso, a HQ é responsável pela imunotoxicidade e mielotoxicidade do benzeno. Devido a alta exposição de fumantes à HQ e a associação do tabagismo com a AR, investigamos se a exposição à HQ teria participação no desenvolvimento da AIC em ratos Wistar. Para tanto, animais foram expostos à HQ em diferentes protocolos experimentais, a saber: A - por 35 dias consecutivos, durante fase de indução e desenvolvimento da artrite; B - por 14 dias consecutivos, até a segunda injeção de colágeno, na fase de sensibilização e indução da AIC; C - por 7 dias consecutivos, do 29º ao 35º dia, na fase posterior ao desenvolvimento da AIC. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a HQ agravou a AR nos 3 grupos experimentais, aumentando os parâmetros clínicos, o número de células no líquido sinovial, a inflamação nas sinóvias, caracterizada por maior influxo de neutrófilos, proliferação de sinoviócitos (histologia por HE e imunohistoquímica), aumento nos níveis de IL-6 e IL-1β (ELISA) no líquido sinovial e rearranjo do colágeno na sinóvia (microscopia por segundo harmônico). No entanto, os efeitos mais acentuados foram observados em animais dos grupos A e C, que também tiveram perda de peso significativa. Ademais, exposição à HQ, nos 3 grupos experimentais, causou expressão aumentada do receptor aril hidrocarboneto (AhR), um receptor ativado por xenobióticos durante a AR, e aumento nos níveis do fator de transcrição ROR e de IL-17 na sinóvia. Como AhR/ROR/IL-17 em linfócitos e neutrófilos é uma via importante na gênese da AR, ensaios in vitro foram realizados para elucidar o papel da HQ nesta via. A incubação com HQ in vitro de esplenócitos de animais naive elevou a expressão de AhR e de secreção de IL-17 (por citometria de fluxo), as quais foram bloqueadas pelo antagonista de AhR (α-naftoflavona). Em conjunto, os resultados obtidos nos permitem concluir que a HQ, como um importante componente do cigarro agrava a CIA em ratos, e a ativação via AhR/IL-17 é um possível mecanismo da patogênese da artrite. / Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation in the joint synovial membranes. The experimental model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is used to investigate the involved mechanisms in RA and to identify novel therapeutic agents. The genesis of RA is multifactorial, involving interplay of genetic and environmental factors and smoking is the trigger factor in the development or RA and worsens the pre-existing RA but the mechanisms undlerlying are yet to be elucidated. Hydroquinone (HQ) is a phenolic compound, found in high concentrations in cigarette, where HQ is the major oxidative component. Moreover, HQ is benzene metabolite, which is also found in cigarette smoke, being responsible for the myelotoxicity and immunotoxicity detected during benzene exposure. Due to this association, we aimed to investigate the role of HQ exposure on CIA development in Wistar rats and the involved mechanisms. Animals were exposed to HQ according to different protocols: A - during 35 consecutive days, during the sensitization and devolpment phases of the disease; B - during 14 consecutive days, until the second injection of collagen, during the sensitization phase; C - during 7 consecutive days, from day 29 to 35, after the development phase of CIA. The results showed that HQ worsened the RA in the 3 experimental protocols, HQ elevated the clinical parameters of CIA development, increased inflammation in the synovial membrane, characterized by increased influx of neutrophis, synoviocytes proliferation (visualized by Immunohistochemistry and Histology analysis), augmented the levels of IL-6 and IL-1β in the synovial fluid (ELISA assay) and led to intense collagen deposition on the synovia. The most pronounced effects where observed in animals from groups A and C, which also had weight body loss. In addition, in the 3 protocols, HQ exposure also increased the expression of AhR receptor, a receptor activated by xenobiotics during RA, and increased the expression of ROR and levels of IL-17 secretion in the synovial membranes. As AhR/ROR/IL-17 in lymphocytes and neutrophils is an important pathway involved in the genesis of RA, in vitro studies have been performed to elucidate the role of HQ exposure in this pathway. The HQ in vitro treatment augmented the expression of AhR and secretion of IL-17 by splenocytes (FACS assay) and the administration of an AhR antagonist (α-naphtoflavone) blocked these effects. Taken together, the results obtained here allow us to conclude that HQ, as an important cigarette component, aggravates CIA in rats, and the activation of AhR/IL-17 pathway is a possible mechanism involved in the RA pathogenesis.

O uso de bactérias promotoras de crescimento vegetal ou agentes de biocontrole como inoculantes agrícolas é uma alternativa importante e ecologicamente correta, com grandes benefícios na agricultura para substituir, ou ao menos suplementar, a excessiva utilização de fertilizantes e pesticidas. Neste trabalho avaliamos a capacidade de biocontrole e de competência rizosférica de três bactérias com características de promoção de crescimento vegetal (Plant growth promoting - PGP): Bacillus mycoides B38V, Paenibacillus riograndensis SBR5 e Burkholderia sp. 89. As três bactérias avaliadas apresentaram grande versatilidade na utilização de substratos, o que poderia lhes garantir uma vantagem competitiva no ambiente rizosférico. Porém, inconsistências foram observadas nos ensaios em câmara de crescimento, ou seja, as características de PGP e de biocontrole observadas in vitro não se refletiram em benefícios para a planta. A linhagem 89 destacou-se pela produção de um metabólito estável com ampla atividade contra fungos fitopatogênicos. Através de abordagens genômicas e de análises multilocus, descrevemos Burkholderia sp. 89 como uma nova espécie membro do complexo Burkholderia cepacia, denominada de B. catarinensis 89T. O sequenciamento de seu genoma, seguido de uma análise pela ferramenta AntiSMASH, revelou a presença de um agrupamento gênico de peptídeo sintetases não ribossomais (NRPS) relacionadas com a biossíntese do sideróforo ornibactina e um agrupamento híbrido NRPS-policetídeo sintetase responsável pela biossíntese do glicolipopeptideo cíclico com atividade antifúngica burkholdina. Como estratégia de purificação de metabólitos secundários foi utilizada a metodologia da mineração de genoma combinada com fracionamento guiado por bioensaios seguida de análises em espectrômetro de massas. Desta forma, purificamos com sucesso duas variantes de ornibactina, D e F (761 e 789 Da, respectivamente), e detectamos a variante ornibactina B (m/z= 733) e as moléculas sinalizadoras homoserina lactonas C6-HSL, 3OH-C8-HSL e C8-HSL. Análises de espectrometria de massas demonstraram a presença de um grupo de metabólitos com massas de 1240, 1254, 1268, 1216, 1244 e 1272 Da, que, provavelmente, são novas variantes do antifúngico burkoldina. Sendo assim, B. catarinensis 89T possui potencial biotecnológico com possíveis aplicações farmacêuticas e agronômicas para o biocontrole de fungos fitopatogênicos. / The use of plant growth promotion bacteria or biocontrol agents as agricultural inoculants is an important eco-friendly alternative to substitute, or at least supplement, the excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides. In this work, we evaluated the biocontrol potential and rhizosphere competence of three bacteria that had shown plant growth promotion (PGP) abilities: Bacillus mycoides B38V, Paenibacillus riograndensis SBR5 and Burkholderia sp. 89. All three bacteria presented great versatility in their substrate utilization, which could enable them to survive in a competitive rhizosphere environment. However, inconsistencies were observed in the greenhouse experiments, whereas their interesting abilities observed in vitro did not result in benefits to the plants. Strain 89 produces a stable metabolite with a wide range of antifungal activity. Genomic comparisons and multilocus sequence analysis revealed Burkholderia sp. 89 as a new species of the Burkholderia cepacia complex and we described it as B. catarinensis 89T. We sequenced its genome and analyzed it with the AntiSMASH tool. This in silico prediction revealed the presence of a nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) cluster, which is related to the production of the siderophore ornibactin. Moreover, a hybrid NRPS- polyketide synthetase cluster for the production of the antifungal cyclic glicolipopeptide burkholdin was also found. A genome mining combined with a bioassay-guided fractionation with further mass spectrometry analysis was applied for the purification of these compounds. This approach enabled us to purify and characterize two variants of the siderophore ornibactin, D and F (761 and 789 Da, respectively). Also, we could detect the variant ornibactin B (m/z= 733) and the quorum sensing molecules homoserine lactones C6-HSL, 3OH-C8-HSL and C8-HSL in the supernatant of B. catarinensis 89T. Mass spectrometry analysis showed the presence of a group of metabolites with the masses 1240, 1254, 1268, 1216, 1244 and 1272 Da, which are probably new variants of the antifungal metabolite burkoldin. Therefore, B. catarinensis 89T has a great biotechnological potential for the production of metabolites with pharmaceutical and agricultural applications for the biocontrol of phytopathogenic fungi.

Artrite reumatoide (AR) é uma doença autoimune, que causa inflamação crônica nas membranas sinoviais de diversas articulações. O modelo experimenal de artrite induzida pelo colágeno (AIC) é empregado para investigar os mecanismos da AR e para identificar potenciais agentes terapêuticos. Embora a etiologia da AR ainda seja desconhecida, há evidências que a AR se desenvolve em indivíduos predispostos geneticamente, após exposição a fatores ambientais, como o tabagismo, que se destaca como maior fator de risco para indução da AR e para o agravamento em pacientes com AR já estabelecida. Porém, o mecanismo efetivo da ação dos diversos componentes do cigarros ainda precisa ser elucidado. A Hidroquinona (HQ) é um composto fenólico, encontrada em concentração elevada no cigarro, com maior ativade pró-oxidativa, além de ser produto da biotransformação do benzeno, também encontrado no cigarro. Neste caso, a HQ é responsável pela imunotoxicidade e mielotoxicidade do benzeno. Devido a alta exposição de fumantes à HQ e a associação do tabagismo com a AR, investigamos se a exposição à HQ teria participação no desenvolvimento da AIC em ratos Wistar. Para tanto, animais foram expostos à HQ em diferentes protocolos experimentais, a saber: A - por 35 dias consecutivos, durante fase de indução e desenvolvimento da artrite; B - por 14 dias consecutivos, até a segunda injeção de colágeno, na fase de sensibilização e indução da AIC; C - por 7 dias consecutivos, do 29º ao 35º dia, na fase posterior ao desenvolvimento da AIC. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que a HQ agravou a AR nos 3 grupos experimentais, aumentando os parâmetros clínicos, o número de células no líquido sinovial, a inflamação nas sinóvias, caracterizada por maior influxo de neutrófilos, proliferação de sinoviócitos (histologia por HE e imunohistoquímica), aumento nos níveis de IL-6 e IL-1β (ELISA) no líquido sinovial e rearranjo do colágeno na sinóvia (microscopia por segundo harmônico). No entanto, os efeitos mais acentuados foram observados em animais dos grupos A e C, que também tiveram perda de peso significativa. Ademais, exposição à HQ, nos 3 grupos experimentais, causou expressão aumentada do receptor aril hidrocarboneto (AhR), um receptor ativado por xenobióticos durante a AR, e aumento nos níveis do fator de transcrição ROR e de IL-17 na sinóvia. Como AhR/ROR/IL-17 em linfócitos e neutrófilos é uma via importante na gênese da AR, ensaios in vitro foram realizados para elucidar o papel da HQ nesta via. A incubação com HQ in vitro de esplenócitos de animais naive elevou a expressão de AhR e de secreção de IL-17 (por citometria de fluxo), as quais foram bloqueadas pelo antagonista de AhR (α-naftoflavona). Em conjunto, os resultados obtidos nos permitem concluir que a HQ, como um importante componente do cigarro agrava a CIA em ratos, e a ativação via AhR/IL-17 é um possível mecanismo da patogênese da artrite. / Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation in the joint synovial membranes. The experimental model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) is used to investigate the involved mechanisms in RA and to identify novel therapeutic agents. The genesis of RA is multifactorial, involving interplay of genetic and environmental factors and smoking is the trigger factor in the development or RA and worsens the pre-existing RA but the mechanisms undlerlying are yet to be elucidated. Hydroquinone (HQ) is a phenolic compound, found in high concentrations in cigarette, where HQ is the major oxidative component. Moreover, HQ is benzene metabolite, which is also found in cigarette smoke, being responsible for the myelotoxicity and immunotoxicity detected during benzene exposure. Due to this association, we aimed to investigate the role of HQ exposure on CIA development in Wistar rats and the involved mechanisms. Animals were exposed to HQ according to different protocols: A - during 35 consecutive days, during the sensitization and devolpment phases of the disease; B - during 14 consecutive days, until the second injection of collagen, during the sensitization phase; C - during 7 consecutive days, from day 29 to 35, after the development phase of CIA. The results showed that HQ worsened the RA in the 3 experimental protocols, HQ elevated the clinical parameters of CIA development, increased inflammation in the synovial membrane, characterized by increased influx of neutrophis, synoviocytes proliferation (visualized by Immunohistochemistry and Histology analysis), augmented the levels of IL-6 and IL-1β in the synovial fluid (ELISA assay) and led to intense collagen deposition on the synovia. The most pronounced effects where observed in animals from groups A and C, which also had weight body loss. In addition, in the 3 protocols, HQ exposure also increased the expression of AhR receptor, a receptor activated by xenobiotics during RA, and increased the expression of ROR and levels of IL-17 secretion in the synovial membranes. As AhR/ROR/IL-17 in lymphocytes and neutrophils is an important pathway involved in the genesis of RA, in vitro studies have been performed to elucidate the role of HQ exposure in this pathway. The HQ in vitro treatment augmented the expression of AhR and secretion of IL-17 by splenocytes (FACS assay) and the administration of an AhR antagonist (α-naphtoflavone) blocked these effects. Taken together, the results obtained here allow us to conclude that HQ, as an important cigarette component, aggravates CIA in rats, and the activation of AhR/IL-17 pathway is a possible mechanism involved in the RA pathogenesis.

Submitted by Celso Magalhaes (celsomagalhaes@ufrrj.br) on 2017-10-18T12:35:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - Tatiana Pires Pereira.pdf: 2546753 bytes, checksum: c1673b0ae2c6812a3f60faa79b5fae75 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-18T12:35:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016 - Tatiana Pires Pereira.pdf: 2546753 bytes, checksum: c1673b0ae2c6812a3f60faa79b5fae75 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-27 / Funda??o Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo ? Pesquisa do Estado do RJ - FAPERJ / This work was divided in four chapters, in which the first was performed with the goal of quantifying the condensed tannin (CT) content by the Stiasny?s reaction and to determine the classes of secondary metabolites present by the phytochemical prospection technique and magnetic resonance in the tropical forage legumes Cajanus cajan (guandu - GUA), Gliricidia sepium (gliricidia - GLI), Flemingia macrophylla (flemingia - FLE), Cratylia arg?ntea (cratilia - CRA), Mimosa caesalpineafolia (sabi?) (this legume divided into bark and leaf fraction ? SABc and SABf) among the treatments. The extracts obtained were divided into: total extract, number of Stiasny (NS), CT and non-tannins. The FLE, CRA, GUA,GLI, SABf and SABc had obtained the following values for total extract: 13.20; 13.06; 8.28; 14.73; 15.67 and 6.22%, respectively. The reactivity by NS, in the same order of legumes, was 11.25; 4.54; 7.37; 6.70; 23.06 and 71.62%, whereas the CT presented the following values: 1.52; 0.59; 0.61; 0.96; 3.6 and 4.43%, and non-tannin was 11.68; 12.46; 7.67; 13.75; 12.07 and 1.76%, respectively. The following classes of secondary metabolites were identified with greater evidence: saccharides, carbohydrates, non-protein amino acids and glicos?deos cardioativos. For the CT, the intensity was low for most of the legumes, with greater content in CRA, GUA and SABf. The wain compound in the extracts was methyl-inositol (sugar). The second chapter had the objective of assaying in the legumes mentioned above and one more specie, Stylosanthes spp. (estilosantes-EST), condensed tannin (CT) constituents, with the use of organic solvents, soluble CT (ECT), CT adhered to protein (PBCT), CT adhered to fiber (FBCT), and total CT (TCT), CT structural pro-pelargonidin (PP); prodelfinidin (PD) and procyanidin (PC), molecular weight (polymerization degree (DP), molecular distance distributed of the polymer (PDI); average weight of molecular mass (Mw), and average number of molecular mass (Mn), and the biological activity through precipitated proteins by phenols (PPP). The variables ECT, PBCT, and TCT presented were influenced by different species (P?0.05). The FBCT fraction was not found in the legumes. Molecular weights (DP, PDI, Mw e Mn) were affected by the different species (P?0.05), ranging from 737 to 1168 da. The structural characteristics (PP, PD, PC and PD:PC) varied among the species. In the third chapter I evaluated methanogenesis (total methane (CH4total)), incubated (CH4inc) and fermented (CH4ferm) and ruminal fermentation parameters total gas production (PGT), pH, ammonium (N-NH3), short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and in vitro organic matter disappearance (IVOMD) as they related to CT present in the legumes and Urochloa brizantha cv. marandu hay as control (CTL). The effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the leaf fraction of sabi? was tested as well, which had a CT content of 15.97%. No alteration in the pH (P?0.05) for the treatments evaluated. However, a decrease of total gas and methane production for all the treatments with presence of CT (P?0.05). When PEG was added, there was a 27.01 (8% PEG) and 35.01 (16% PEG) increase in total gas production and 3.59 (8% PEG) and 4.15 (16% PEG) of methane production. GUA, FLE, SABc and SABf were capable of modifying (P?0.05) the content of NH3-N (mg/dL), along with the CTL, which also presented lower values compared to legumes with no or only traces of CT (ETL, CRA and GLI). There was significant difference (P?0.05) for IVOMD between the legumes and control, it was observed lower disappearance (P?0.05) for FLE, GUA and SABf in relation to CTL, while SABc did disappear. The SABf IVOMD was affected by the addiction of PEG. There was lower digestibility for FLE, GUA and SABf in relation to the CTL, while the bark fraction of SAB did not disappear at all. On the SCFA profile, there was difference (P?0.05) among the treatments evaluated, with lower values for the legumes with presence of CT. In the fourth chapter I tested the effect of CT from the legumes in study (FLE, CRA, GUA, GLI, EST, SABf and SABc) on larval migration inhibition (LMI) in vitro, on the infective larvae L3 of the nematode Haemonchus contortus (HC), compared with Ivermectin and a negative control (rumen fluid and buffer). Among the legumes studied, SABf and GUA did not differ (P?0.05), with the greater (P?0.05) LMI percentage (34.75% and 34.33%) than the other entries. The legumes GUA, FLE and SABc did not differ (P?0.05), presenting moderate values of LMI (30.25%, 30.0% and 29.75%, respectively). Among the legumes studied, the lowest LMI percentage was CRA (18.46%), GLI (23.75%) and negative control (rumen fluid and buffer), with values near (P?0.05) from to Ivermectin (22.0%). / Este trabalho foi dividido em quatro cap?tulos. O primeiro realizou-se com o objetivo de quantificar o teor de tanino condensado (TC) atrav?s da Rea??o de Stiasny e conhecer as classes de metab?litos secund?rios presentes pela t?cnica de prospec??o fitoqu?mica e resson?ncia magn?tica nas leguminosas forrageiras tropicais Cajanus cajan (guandu-GUA), Gliricidia sepium (gliricidia-GLI), Flemingia macrophylla (flemingia-FLE), Cratylia arg?ntea (cratilia-CRA), Mimosa caesalpineafolia (sabi?) sendo que essa leguminosa tinha a fra??o casca e folha (SABc e SABf) entre os tratamentos. Os extratos obtidos foram divididos em: extrato total, n?mero de Stiasny (NS), TC e n?o taninos. A FLE, CRA, GUA, GLI, SABf e SABc apresentaram os valores para o extrato total 13,20; 13,06; 8,28; 14,73; 15,67 e 6,22%, respectivamente. A reatividade pelo NS, na mesma ordem das leguminosas, foi de 11,25; 4,54; 7,37; 6,70; 23,06 e 71,62%, j? o TC apresentou os seguintes valores 1,52; 0,59; 0,61; 0,96; 3,6 e 4,43% e o n?o tanino foi de 11,68; 12,46; 7,67; 13,75; 12,07 e 1,76%, respectivamente. Foram identificadas as seguintes classes de compostos secund?rios em maiores evid?ncias: os sacar?deos, carboidratos, amino?cidos n?o prot?icos e os glicos?deos cardioativos. J? para o TC, a intensidade foi baixa para grande parte das leguminosas, prevalecendo maior teor para CRA, GUA e SABf. Foi constatado como componente principal nos extratos o metil-inositol (a??car). O segundo cap?tulo teve como objetivo avaliar nas leguminosas citadas acima e mais uma esp?cie, o Stylosanthes spp (estilosantes-EST), analisar os constituintes do TC com uso de solvente org?nico, tanino sol?vel (TCE), tanino aderido ? prote?na (TCPB), tanino aderido ? fibra (TCFB) e taninos condensados totais (TCT), caracter?sticas estruturais tais como: propelargonidina (PP); prodelfinidina (PD) e procianidina (PC); peso molecular (grau de polimeriza??o?(DP); dist?ncia do peso molecular distribu?do do pol?mero (PDI); peso m?dio da massa molecular (Mw); n?mero m?dio da massa molecular (Mn); al?m de determinar a atividade biol?gica, atrav?s da t?cnica de prote?nas precipit?veis por fen?is (PPP). As vari?veis TCE, TCPB e TCT apresentadas foram influenciadas pelas diferentes esp?cies (P?0,05). A fra??o TCFB n?o foi constatada nas leguminosas. Os pesos moleculares (Mw) foram influenciados pelas diferentes esp?cies (P?0,05), variando de 737 a 1168 Da. As caracter?sticas estruturais (PP, PD, PC e PD:PC) tiveram varia??o entre as esp?cies estudadas. Objetivou-se com o terceiro cap?tulo avaliar a metanog?nese (metano total (CH4-total), incubado (CH4 inc.) e fermentado (CH4 ferm.) e os par?metros de fermenta??o ruminal (produ??o de g?s total (PGT), pH, am?nia (N-NH3), ?cidos graxos de cadeia curta (AGCC) e digestibilidade in vitro da mat?ria org?nica (DIVMO) frente aos TC presentes nas leguminosas e feno de Urochloa brizantha cv. marandu como controle (CTL). Foi testado tamb?m o efeito do polietileno glicol (PEG) sobre a fra??o folha do sabi?, que teve conte?do de TC de 15,97%. N?o foi observado altera??o no pH (P?0,05) para os tratamentos avaliados. No entanto, foram observadas diminui??o da produ??o total de g?s e produ??o de metano para todos os tratamentos com presen?a de TC (P?0,05). Para o tratamento com PEG houve aumento de 27,01 (8% PEG) e 35,01 (16% PEG) na produ??o total de g?s e 3,59 (8% PEG) e 4,15 (16% PEG) na produ??o de metano. GUA, FLE, SABc e SABf foram capazes de modificar (P?0,05) a concentra??o de N-NH3 (mg/dL) juntamente com o CTL, que tamb?m apresentou valores inferiores comparado as leguminosas com tra?os e aus?ncia do TC (ETL, CRA e GLI). Houve diferen?a (P?0,05) para DIVMO entre as leguminosas e o controle, observou-se menor digestibilidade (P?0,05) para FLE, GUA e SABf, em rela??o ao CTL, n?o sendo digest?vel o SABc. A DIVMO foi afetada pela adi??o de PEG na dieta do SABf. No perfil dos AGCC houve diferen?a (P?0,05) para os tratamentos avaliados, com menor valor para as leguminosas com presen?a de TC. O quarto cap?tulo teve como objetivo testar o efeito da t?cnica de inibi??o da migra??o larval (IML) in vitro do TC proveniente das leguminosas em estudo (FLE, CRA, GUA, GLI, EST, SABf e SABc) sobre as larvas infectantes L3 do nemat?de o Haemonchus contortus (HC) comparando com Ivermectina e controle negativo (l?quido ruminal e tamp?o). Entre as leguminosas estudadas o SABf e GUA n?o diferiram entre si (P?0,05), com as maiores porcentagens IML (34,75% e 34,33%). As leguminosas GUA, FLE e SABc n?o diferiram entre si (P?0,05), apresentando moderados valores de IML (30,25%, 30,0% e 29,75%, respectivamente). Entre as leguminosas estudadas a menor porcentagem de IML foi para CRA (18,46%), GLI (23,75%) e controle negativo (l?quido de r?men e tamp?o) valores pr?ximos do controle positivo com Ivermectina (22,0%).

<p>Marine invertebrates, in particular sponges, represent a source of a wide range of secondary metabolites, many of which have been attributed various defensive capabilities against environmental stress factors. In this thesis sponge-derived low-molecular peptide-like compounds and associated analogs are investigated for bioactivity and pharmacological targets. </p><p>The compound bromobenzisoxazolone barettin (cyclo[(6-bromo-8-(6-bromo-benzioxazol -3(1H)-one)-8-hydroxy)tryptophan)]arginine) was isolated from the sponge <i>Geodia barretti</i> and its ability to inhibit larval settlement of the barnacle <i>Balanus improvisus</i> was determined. With an EC₅₀ value of 15 nM, this compound’s antifouling effect was higher than those of the previously reported brominated dipeptides from <i>Geodia barretti</i>, i.e., barettin and 8,9-dihydrobarettin; moreover, this antifouling effect was demonstrated to be reversible. However, the compound lacked affinity for 5-HT_1-7 receptors, whereas barettin possessed specific affinity to 5-HT_2A, 5-HT_2C and 5-HT₄, while 8,9-dihydrobarettin interacted with 5-HT₄. In an attempt to evaluate structure-activity relationships synthesized analogs with barettin and dipodazine scaffolds were investigated for antifouling activity. The analog benso[g]dipodazine, with an EC₅₀ value of 34 nM, displayed the highest settlement inhibition.</p><p>The studies of the structure-activity relationships of sponge-derived compounds were extended to cover analogs of agelasines and agelasimines originally isolated from sponges of the genus <i>Agelas</i>. Synthesized (+)-agelasine D and two structurally close analogs were investigated for cytotoxic and antibacterial activity. The profound cytotoxicity and broad spectrum antibacterial activity found prompted a further investigation of structure-activity relationships in 42 agelasine and agelasimine analogs and several characteristics that increased bioactivity were identified.</p><p>In conclusion this work has produced new results regarding the potent bioactivity of compounds derived from the sponges <i>Geodia barretti</i> and <i>Agelas</i> spp. and increased SAR knowledge of the fouling inhibition, cytotoxicity and antimicrobial activity of these compounds.</p>

The past decades are characterized by various efforts to provide complete sequence information of genomes regarding various organisms. The availability of full genome data triggered the development of multiplex high-throughput assays allowing simultaneous measurement of transcripts, proteins and metabolites. With genome information and profiling technologies now in hand a highly parallel experimental biology is offering opportunities to explore and discover novel principles governing biological systems. Understanding biological complexity through modelling cellular systems represents the driving force which today allows shifting from a component-centric focus to integrative and systems level investigations. The emerging field of systems biology integrates discovery and hypothesis-driven science to provide comprehensive knowledge via computational models of biological systems.<br><br> Within the context of evolving systems biology, investigations were made in large-scale computational analyses on transcript co-response data through selected prokaryotic and plant model organisms. CSB.DB - a comprehensive systems-biology database - (http://csbdb.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/) was initiated to provide public and open access to the results of biostatistical analyses in conjunction with additional biological knowledge. The database tool CSB.DB enables potential users to infer hypothesis about functional interrelation of genes of interest and may serve as future basis for more sophisticated means of elucidating gene function. The co-response concept and the CSB.DB database tool were successfully applied to predict operons in Escherichia coli by using the chromosomal distance and transcriptional co-responses. Moreover, examples were shown which indicate that transcriptional co-response analysis allows identification of differential promoter activities under different experimental conditions. The co-response concept was successfully transferred to complex organisms with the focus on the eukaryotic plant model organism Arabidopsis thaliana. The investigations made enabled the discovery of novel genes regarding particular physiological processes and beyond, allowed annotation of gene functions which cannot be accessed by sequence homology. GMD - the Golm Metabolome Database - was initiated and implemented in CSB.DB to integrated metabolite information and metabolite profiles. This novel module will allow addressing complex biological questions towards transcriptional interrelation and extent the recent systems level quest towards phenotyping. / Die vergangenen Jahrzehnte waren gekennzeichnet durch umfangreiche Bemühungen, die Genomsequenz verschiedener Organismen vollständig zu entschlüsseln. Die Verfügbarkeit vollständiger genomischer Daten löste die Entwicklung von modernen Hochdurchsatzmethoden aus, welche die gleichzeitige Messung von verschiedenen Transkripten, Proteinen und Metaboliten erlauben. Mittels genomischer Informationen und Hochdurchsatztechnologien erlaubt eine hoch parallelisierte experimentelle Biologie die Erforschung von Gesetzmäßigkeiten, welchen biologischen Systemen zugrunde liegen. Das Verständnis biologischer Komplexität durch Modellierung zellulärer Systeme repräsentiert die treibende Kraft, welche heutzutage den Element-zentrierten Focus auf integrative und ganzheitliche Untersuchungen lenkt. Das sich entwickelnde Feld der Systembiologie integriert Entdeckungs- und Hypothesen-getriebene Wissenschaft um ein umfangreiches Wissen durch Computermodelle biologischer Systeme bereitzustellen.<br><br> Im Kontext der sich neu entwickelnden Systembiologie investierte ich in umfangreiche Computeranalysen zur Transkript Co-Response bezüglich ausgewählter prokaryotischer und pflanzlicher eukaryotischer Organismen. CSB.DB - a comprehensive systems-biology database - (http://csbdb.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/) wurde initiiert, um freien Zugang zu den biostatistischen Ergebnissen als auch zu weiterem biologischem Wissen zu bieten. Die Datenbank CSB.DB ermöglicht potentiellen Anwendern die Hypothesengenerierung bezüglich der funktionalen Wechselbeziehungen von Genen von Interesse und kann zukünftig die Grundlage für einen fortgeschrittenen Weg der Zuordnung von Genfunktionen darstellen. Unter Verwendung chromosomaler Distanzen und Transkript Co-Response konnte das Konzept und CSB.DB angewandt werden, um bakterielle Operons in Escherichia coli erfolgreich vorherzusagen. Darüber hinaus werden Beispiele gezeigt, die andeuten, dass die Transkript Co-Response Analyse eine Identifizierung differentieller Promoteraktivität in verschiedenen experimentellen Bedingungen ermöglicht. Das Co-Response Konzept wurde, mit dem Schwerpunkt auf die eukaryotische Modellpflanze Arabidopsis thaliana, erfolgreich auf komplexere Organismen angewandt. Die durchgeführten Untersuchungen ermöglichten die Identifizierung neuer Gene hinsichtlich physiologischer Prozesse und darüber hinaus die Zuweisung von Genfunktionen, welche nicht durch Sequenzhomologie ermöglicht werden kann. GMD - The Golm Metabolome Database - wurde initiiert und in CSB.DB implementiert, um Metaboliten Informationen als auch Metaboliten Profile zu integrieren. Dieses neue Modul ermöglicht die Ausrichtung auf komplexere biologische Fragen und erweitert die derzeitige systembiologische Fragestellung in Richtung Phänotypus-Zuordnung.