Vitamin D is hydroxylated to form several active metabolites, of these, 1,25- dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] is the most studied stimulatory product. It is now accepted that 1,25(OH)2D3 mediates its rapid actions on the control of phosphate homeostasis through its membrane receptor 1,25D3-MARRS (membrane associated rapid response steroid binding) protein. Another metabolite, 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [24,25(OH)2D3] has been reported to be inhibitory with respect to calcium and phosphate absorption in intestine. Previous work in this laboratory has indicated that 24,25(OH)2D3 inhibits phosphate uptake in isolated intestinal cells and perfused duodenal loops and in vivo. This thesis further tested the hypothesis that the actions of 24,25(OH)2D3 on phosphate homeostasis are physiologically important. Catalase has been identified as a binding protein for 24,25(OH)2D3. We determined the localization of catalase in the presence and absence of steroid, monitored catalase mRNA levels related to gene 24,25(OH)2D3 gene transcription regulation. We studied the effects of the two isomers of 24,25(OH)2D3 on localization of catalase in chicken enterocytes over a time course of 15 sec to 60 min. It was demonstrated that 24R,25(OH)2D3 is the effective metabolite for catalase redistribution in vitro. We also studied the effects of vitamin D on catalase and phosphate uptake in chicken intestinal cells. It was once again demonstrated that 24R,25(OH)2D3 is the effective metabolite for decreasing phosphate uptake and catalase gene expression. These combined results lead us to conclude that 24,25(OH)2D3 is an important hormone in phosphate homeostasis in chick intestinal epithelial cells.

In the fall of 1987, several areas of Florida Bay were severely affected by the sudden die-off of the seagrass Thalassia testudinum Banks ex Konig (turtle grass). Although the cause is still unknown, several factors were suggested as influencing the on-set of the die-off event including increased salinity, light stress due to self-shading, and disease. Blades of seagrass plants found in the area of die-off were infected by Labyrinthula sp, a pathogenic protist. A similar die-off occurred in another species of seagrass, Zostera marina, in the 1930s that was attributed to the pathogenic protist, Labyrinthula zosterae. Zostera marina produces inhibitory phenolic acids in response to infection by L. zosterae, a response that is diminished in plants exposed to low light and high temperature. This study examined the differences in phenolic content of healthy and infected T. testudinum leaf blades in laboratory cultures to determine if T. testudinum produces a chemical defense against pathogens similar to that of Z. marina. The possible increased susceptibility of turtle grass to Labyrinthula sp. infection under high salinity and low light was also examined. In culture, infection by Labyrinthula sp. induced a rapid, short-term production of total phenolics in Thalassia testudinum under normal, non-stressed conditions. The initial induction was followed by a sharp decline. The production of individual phenolic acids was not induced by infection. In contrast, the production of caffeic acid was inhibited by infection. Environmental stress (low salinity and low light) caused a decrease in both total phenolics and several phenolic acids. Levels of PHBA, vanillic acid, and caffeic acid decreased in low salinity (25ppt) treatments, and caffeic acid decreased in response to low light stress. There was an interaction between stress and infection that resulted in higher levels of phenolics in plants exposed to infection and stress compared to those exposed to stress alone. In culture, plants did not survive exposure to high salinity (45ppt) similar to that found in Florida Bay during the die-off event

Dans le cadre de la promotion de systèmes de culture alternatifs à moindres intrants chimiques, des études sur l'introduction de plantes de service ayant vocation à réduire l'usage des pesticides et engrais azotés mobilisent un effort de recherche considérable. Dans le cadre de la production bananière pour laquelle la nuisibilité causée par les nématodes phytoparasites constitue l'une des principales contraintes, une des principales alternatives à l'utilisation de nématicides chimiques repose sur l'usage raisonné en rotation ou en association culturale de plantes de service à propriétés nématorégulatrices. Parmi les espèces candidates, celles du genre Crota/aria spp. ont largement été étudiées en raison de leur aptitude à contrôler les nématodes phytoparasites. Une méta-analyse révèle cependant que même si de nombreux auteurs s'accordent à reconnaître les propriétés allélopathiques des plantes de cette espèce, ils sont également enclins à reconnaître la forte variabilité d'expression de ces propriétés vis-à-vis du contrôle des nématodes selon les situations expérimentées. L'objectif de ce travail repose sur la compréhension du déterminisme biochimique des exsudats. La stratégie expérimentale mise en oeuvre a consisté à tester en conditions contrôlées le comportement biochimique des exsudats racinaires de deux espèces de crotalaires (C retusa, C spectabilis) et d'une espèce sensible, le bananier dessert (Musa spp.) en fonction i) de conditions biotiques variées -i.e. présence ou non de nématodes (Radopholus similis et Meloidogyne arenariaï, et présence ou non de mycorhizes-, ii) de conditions abiotiques contrastées -i.e. utilisation d'un sol naturel vs. substrat neutre, ajout ou non d'engrais chimique. La méthodologie innovante des «plantes à traire » (Brevet INRA) a été requise pour pouvoir travailler sur les exsudats racinaires des plantes conditionnées plutôt que sur des Iixiviats, comme réalisé dans des expérimentations antérieures.Les résultats obtenus en spectrophométrie visible montrent que la modification des conditions abiotiques affecte de manière importante les profils biochimiques des plantes étudiées. En présence du nématode 1..·1. arenaria les profils biochimiques des deux crotalaires sont également modifiés. Des biotests réalisés à l'aide des exsudats racinaires conditionnés au préalable par les modifications biotiques ont permis de démontrer l'effet nématostatique des crotalaires. Des analyses biochimiques en Ge-MS mettent en évidence de manière plus précise des molécules actives mises en jeu sous différentes modalités biotiques et abiotiques. Ces recherches, de portée générique, permettront de mieux comprendre les conditions de l'environnement qui régulent les profils biochimiques des exsudats racinaires des crotalaires et par extension, seront applicables aux recherches menées sur d'autres plantes de service candidates. Ceci aidera, à terme, à définir les conditions environnementales à réunir, pour orienter de manière optimale les effets allélopathiques dans une perspective de nématorégulation naturelle / As part of the promotion of alternative cropping systems at lower chemical inputs, studies on the introduction of cover crops designed to reduce the use of pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers mobilize a considerable research effort. Under banana production for which the hannfu1ness caused by plant-parasitic-nematodes is one ofthe main constraints, one of the main alternatives to the use ofchemical nematicides is based on the rational use in rotation or intercropping of cover rI crops to proteet crops from plant-parasitic-nematodes, Among the candidate species, the species from the genus of Crota/aria spp. have been widely studied because of their ability to control plant parasitic-nematodes. A meta-analysis reveals that although many authors agree allelopathic properties of these species, they are also likely to recognize the high variability of expression of these properties vis-àvis the control of nematodes according to the situations experieaced.. The objective of this woIk is focnsed on the onderstanding of the biochemical determinism of mot exudates onder environment biotic and abiotic variations. The experimental strategy was 10 test onder controlled conditions the biochemical behavior of mot exudates of two species of crotalarias (C retusa, C. spectabilis) and a susceptible species, the dessert banana crop (Musa spp.) with i) modification ofbiotic conditions -ie presence or absence of nematodes iMeloidogyne arenaria and Radopho/us similis), and presence or absence of mycorrhiza-ii) contrasting abiotic conditions -ie using a natural soil vs. neutral substrate, whether to add fertilizer. The innovative methodology of "milking plants" (patent INRA) was required in order to work on the root exudates of plants packed rather thanleachate, as done in previous experiments. The results obtained show that 'visible spectrophotometry changing abiotic conditions affect significantly the biochemical profiles of the studied plants. In the presence of nematode M. arenaria biochemical profiles of both crotalarias are also changed. Bioassays conducted using mot exudates conditioned in advance by biotic changes have demonstrated the effect of nématostatique crotalarias. Biochemical Ge-MS demonstrate more clearly active molecules that are involved in varions biotic and abiotic conditions. This research, generic scope, to better understand the environmental conditions that regulate biochemical profiles of mot exudates crotalarias and by extension, will apply to research on other plants service candidates. This will ultimately define the environmental conditions to meet, to guide optimal allelopathic effects from the perspective ofnatural nématorégulation

The chemical study of three New Zealand marine organisms is described, along with a survey of the chemistry and biological activity of eighty-five marine organisms collected from New Zealand waters. The study of the New Zealand marine bryozoan Pterocella vesiculosa has resulted in the isolation of three new compounds; pterocellin H, pterocellin I and 1-methyl-5-bromo-8-methoxy-β-carboline. These compounds were characterised using high resolution mass spectrometry, one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography. The biological activity of these compounds was investigated and a discussion of the results including a comparison with the activity of closely related compounds is also presented. The crude extracts of eighty-five marine organisms were surveyed to establish their biological activity and chemical constituents. The results of this study indicated which species had interesting biological activity. The chemical survey allowed geographical and intra-species comparisons of chemical constituents between samples, as well as potentially indicating the presence of known secondary metabolites. For the Pterocella vesiculosa samples the survey methodology clearly illustrated the presence of pterocellins A and B. Two marine organisms were chosen for further investigation based on their biological activity and chemical survey results. Bioactivity directed isolation procedures yielded no new compounds from the organisms. The sterol composition of these species is also presented.

Australia's marine environment covers extended areas, from the warm northern tropical, to the sub tropical central water, the cool temperate water of the south and the cold sub-Antarctic and Antarctic water. Australia has rich area of coral reefs. The marine biodiversity in Australia is enormous. Despite incredible biodiversity, Australian research in the marine anticancer drug discoveries is low in comparison with other countries. In this research we investigated a collection of marine sponges as a source for new anticancer leads. This thesis comprises six chapters. Chapter 1 covers the importance of natural products as a source of new drugs, and an introduction to cancer as a disease, chemotherapy in cancer treatments, and the natural products as a source for anticancer drugs. Also, the basic anticancer drug development process is highlighted. Finally, a thorough review of anticancer alkaloids isolated from marine sponges is presented. Chapter 2 presents the chemical investigation into a southern Australian marine sponge Stelletta sp., which led to the isolation and structure elucidation of bistellettazines A-C the first reported examples of terpenyl-pyrrolizidines conjugate, and bistellettazole A, a unique cyclic terpenyl-imidazole conjugate. Bistellettazines A-C and bistellettazole A feature unprecedented carbon skeletons that are proposed to share a common convergent biosynthetic origin, arising via the biogenic equivalent of a Diels-Alder addition between two hypothetical polyenyl norsesquiterpene precursors. The cytotoxic activity (in vitro) for these new alkaloids is also discussed. Chapter 3 discusses the isolation and structure elucidation of four new discorhabdins analogues namely, dihydrodiscorhabdin A, debromodiscorhabdin A, discorhabdin X and dihydrodiscorhabdin L. In addition, the known compounds discorhabdin A and discorhabdin D, were isolated from two southern Australian marine sponge specimens of the genera Higginsia and Spongosorites. The cytotoxic activity (in vitro) for these new alkaloids was also discussed. Chapter 4 discloses chemical investigation into two southern Australian marine sponge specimens of the genera Clathria and Ptilocaulis. Four new mirabilin analogues (mirabilins H-K) were isolated and characterized along with known mirabilin C, F (for the first time as TFA salt) and mirabilin G. The cytotoxic activity (in vitro) for these new alkaloids was also discussed. Chapter 5 presents the 1H NMR data for the known compounds isolated during this study, and Chapter 6 is covering the experimental part.

<p>The marine sponge <i>Geodia barretti</i> produces a range of secondary metabolites. Two of these compounds were isolated and elucidated guided by their ability to inhibit settlement of cypris larvae of the barnacle <i>Balanus improvisus</i>. The compounds barettin (cyclo-[(6-bromo-8-en-tryptophan)-arginine]) as E/Z mixture and 8,9-dihydrobarettin (cyclo-[6-bromo-tryptophan)-arginine]) were determined by using mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance and quantitative amino acid analysis.The bioactivity of these brominated dipeptides is in the range of antifouling substances used today: EC₅₀ values of 0.9 µM (barettin) and 7.9 µM (8,9-dihydrobarettin). The compounds were successfully synthesised and then tested in a field experiment to evaluate their antifouling properties. The compounds were incorporated in four different commerical, non-toxic marine coatings. The concentrations of the compounds were 0.1 and 0.01% (w/w) and coated panels were exposed to field conditions for eight weeks. The experiment evaluated the effect of barettin and 8,9-dihydrobarettin on recruitment of the barnacle <i>B. improvisus</i> and the blue mussel <i>Mytilus edulis</i> (major Swedish foulers). The most efficient paint was a SPC polymer, for which the reduction of recruitment of <i>B. improvisus</i> was 89% with barettin (0.1%) and 61% with 8,9-dihydrobarettin (0.1%). For <i>M. edulis</i> the reduction of recruitment was 81% with barettin (0.1%) and 72% with 8,9-dihydrobarettin (0.1%) with the same SPC paint. Furthermore, 14 analogs of barettin and dipodazine were synthesised and tested for their ability to inhibit larval settlement. Two of the analogs have a barettin scaffold and twelve have a dipodazine scaffold. Six of the analogs displayed significant settlement inhibition with the most potent inhibitor being benzo[g]dipodazine (EC₅₀ value 0.034 µM). The effect of benzo[g]dipodazine was also shown to be reversible. Finally, an investigation of the mode of action was performed on 5-HT receptors. Barettin demonstrated a specific affinity to 5-HT_2A, 5-HT_2C and 5-HT₄, while 8,9-dihydrobarettin interacted only with 5-HT_2C of the receptor subtypes tested (5-HT₁-5-HT₇).</p>

Es ist bekannt, dass Änderungen im Kohlenstoff- bzw. Stickstoffstaus der Pflanzen zu einer parallelen statt reziproken Änderung der kohlenstoff- und stickstoffhaltigen Primärmetabolite führen. Unter diesem Gesichtspunkt wurden in der vorliegenden Arbeit der Aminosäurestoffwechsel und der Sekundärstoffwechsel unter reduzierten Stickstoffbedingungen untersucht. Zur Beeinflussung des Stickstoffstoffwechsels wurden nitratmangelernährte Tabakwildtyppflanzen und Genotypen mit unterschiedlich stark reduzierter Nitratreduktase-Aktivität verwendet. Dieses experimentelle System erlaubt zusätzlich durch den Vergleich Nitrat defizienter Wildtyppflanzen mit Nitrat akkumulierenden NIA-Transformanten Prozesse zu identifizieren, die durch Nitrat gesteuert werden. Die Analysen der Primär- und Sekundärmetabolite wurde in allen Genotypen diurnal durchgeführt, um auch tageszeitlich abhängige Prozesse zu identifizieren. Die Analyse der absoluten Gehalte aller individuellen Aminosäuren enthüllte bei den meisten erstaunlich stabile diurnale Muster mit einem Anstieg während des Tages und einem Abfall in der Nacht in Wildtyppflanzen gewachsen mit ausreichend Nitrat. Dieses Ergebnis legt die Schlussfolgerung nahe, dass die Biosynthese der Aminosäuren koordiniert abläuft. In Pflanzen mit reduziertem Stickstoffstatus haben diese diurnalen Muster jedoch keinen Bestand. Die Kombination des erzeugten stickstoffbasierten Aminosäuredatensatz in Kombination mit einem bereits erzeugten Aminosäuredatensatz unter kohlenstofflimitierten Bedingungen von Matt et al. (2002) führte durch Hauptkomponentenanalyse (PCA) und Korrelationsanalyse zu dem Ergebnis, dass die Hypothese nach einer koordinierten Aminosäurebiosynthese nicht allgemeine Gültigkeit hat. Die PCA identifizierte Glutamin, Glutamat, Aspartat, Glycin, Pheny-lalanin und Threonin als Faktoren, die den Datensätzen ihre charakteristische Eigenschaft und deren Varianz verleihen. Die Korrelationsanalyse zeigte, dass die sehr guten Korrelationen der individuellen Aminosäuren untereinander in reduzierten Stickstoff- und Kohlenstoffbedingungen sich verschlechtern. Das Verhältnis einer einzelnen Aminosäure relativ zu den anderen führte zur Identifizierung einiger Aminosäuren, die individuelle Antworten auf Stickstoff- und/oder Kohlenstoffstatus zeigen, und/oder speziell auf Nitrat, Licht und/oder den E-nergiestatus der Thylakoidmembran. Glutamat beispielsweise verhält sich in den meisten Situationen stabil, Phenylalanin dagegen zeigt in jeder physiologischen Situation eine individuelle Antwort. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit führen zu einer Erweiterung der Hypothese einer koordinierten Synthese der Aminosäuren dahingehend, dass diese nicht generell für alle Aminosäuren angenommen werden kann. Es gibt einige Aminosäuren deren, Anteile sich situationsbedingt anpassen. Die Reduktion des Stickstoffstatus in nitratmangelernährten Tabakwildtyppflanzen führte zu der, nach der „Carbon-Nutrient-Balance“ Hypothese erwarteten Verlagerung der kohlenstoffreichen Phenylpropanoide und des stickstoffreichen Nikotins. Die Erhöhung der Phenylpropanoidgehalte war nicht in der Nitrat akkumulierenden NIA-Transformante zu beobachten und somit konnte Nitrat als regulatorisches Element identifiziert werden. Ein Einfluss der Vorläufermetabolite konnte ausgeschlossen werden, da sowohl nitratmangelernährter Wildtyp als auch die Nitrat akkumulierende NIA-Transformante ähnliche Gehalte dieser aufwiesen. Genexpressionsanalysen über Mikroarray-Hybridisierung und quantitative RT-PCR zeigten, dass Nitrat durch noch nicht geklärte Mechanismen Einfluss auf die Expression einiger Gene nimmt, die dem Phenylpropanoidstoffwechsels zugeordnet sind. Aus der Arbeit hervorgegangene Veröffentlichungen: Christina Fritz, Natalia Palacios-Rojas, Regina Feil und Mark Stitt (2006) Regulation of Secondary Metabolism by the Carbon-Nitrogen Status in Tobacco: Nitrate Inhibits Large Sectors of Phenylpropanoid Metabolism. Plant Journal 46, 533 - 548 Christina Fritz, Petra Matt, Cathrin Müller, Regina Feil und Mark Stitt (2006) Impact of the Carbon-Nitrogen Status on the Amino Acid Profile in Tobacco Source Leaves. Plant, Cell and Environment 29 (11), 2009 - 2111 / It is known that changes in carbon and nitrogen status of a plant lead to parallel rather than reciprocal changes of carbon and nitrogen containing primary metabolites. Based on this finding the influence of carbon and nitrogen status on the amino acid profile as well as on secondary metabolism was investigated in tobacco. Manipulations of the nitrogen status were carried out in two ways: Tobacco wild type plants were cultivated in nitrogen-replete and nitrogen starved conditions; in addition nitrate accumulating transformants with reduced nitrate reductase (NIA) activity were used. The comparison of the nitrate starved wild type and the nitrate accumulating NIA-transformant allows to distinguish processes which were driven by the nitrogen status of a plant or by nitrate itself. Due to the fact that most primary metabolites have diurnal changes the analysis of primary and secondary metabolites were done at six different time points per day in order to identify diurnal processes. Analysis of the absolute levels of individual amino acids under normal nitrogen supply conditions reveals characteristic diurnal patterns for the majority of amino acids with an increase during the day and a decrease during the night. This result indicates that amino acid biosynthesis might be coordinated. However these diurnal patterns are no longer stable in plants with reduced nitrogen status; furthermore absolute levels of individual amino acids differed over a wide range of concentrations. The hypothesis of a coordinated regulation of amino acid metabolism was further tested by combining this dataset with an amino acid dataset produced under carbon limited conditions (Matt et al., 2002) and applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis. Glutamine, glutamate, aspartate, glycine, phenylalanine and threonine were responsible for the clear separation of the different genotypes and experimental conditions in the PCA plot. The data from the correlation analysis show that most of the minor amino acids have very good correlations under carbon and nitrogen sufficient conditions. These correlations became weaker with decreasing carbon and nitrogen status of the plants. These results clearly indicate that a coordinated biosynthesis of amino acids is not a general phenomenon. Comparing the levels of each individual amino acid to the total amino acid pool revealed specific answers of a particular amino acid to carbon and/or nitrogen status, to nitrate and/or light and to energy status of the thylakoid membrane. Glutamate for instance is remarkably stable in most of the conditions and phenylalanine shows an individual response in every situation. From these results it was concluded that the hypothesis of a coordinated biosynthesis of amino acids might be true for some amino acids, but clearly needs to be extended because some amino acids adjust their levels in an individual fashion depending on the external conditions. The reduction of nitrogen status of nitrate starved wild type plants leads to a shift from carbon-rich phenylpropanoids to nitrogen-rich nicotine as predicted by the “carbon-nutrient-balance hypothesis”. Increased phenylpropanoids were not observed in nitrate accumulating NIA-transformants. Therefore nitrate could be identified as a regulatory element in phenyl-propanoid metabolism. A regulatory influence of precursors could be excluded since nitrate starved wild type and NIA-transformant had similar levels. Genexpression analysis via microarry hybridisation and quantitative RT-PCR shows that nitrate acts a transcriptional regulator of genes involved in phenylpropanoid metabolism. The elucidation of this regulatory role of nitrate requires further investigation.

The uptake of nutrients and their subsequent chemical conversion by reactions which provide energy and building blocks for growth and propagation is a fundamental property of life. This property is termed metabolism. In the course of evolution life has been dependent on chemical reactions which generate molecules that are common and indispensable to all life forms. These molecules are the so-called primary metabolites. In addition, life has evolved highly diverse biochemical reactions. These reactions allow organisms to produce unique molecules, the so-called secondary metabolites, which provide a competitive advantage for survival. The sum of all metabolites produced by the complex network of reactions within an organism has since 1998 been called the metabolome. The size of the metabolome can only be estimated and may range from less than 1,000 metabolites in unicellular organisms to approximately 200,000 in the whole plant kingdom. In current biology, three additional types of molecules are thought to be important to the understanding of the phenomena of life: (1) the proteins, in other words the proteome, including enzymes which perform the metabolic reactions, (2) the ribonucleic acids (RNAs) which constitute the so-called transcriptome, and (3) all genes of the genome which are encoded within the double strands of desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Investigations of each of these molecular levels of life require analytical technologies which should best enable the comprehensive analysis of all proteins, RNAs, et cetera. At the beginning of this thesis such analytical technologies were available for DNA, RNA and proteins, but not for metabolites. Therefore, this thesis was dedicated to the implementation of the gas chromatography – mass spectrometry technology, in short GC-MS, for the in-parallel analysis of as many metabolites as possible. Today GC-MS is one of the most widely applied technologies and indispensable for the efficient profiling of primary metabolites. The main achievements and research topics of this work can be divided into technological advances and novel insights into the metabolic mechanisms which allow plants to cope with environmental stresses. Firstly, the GC-MS profiling technology has been highly automated and standardized. The major technological achievements were (1) substantial contributions to the development of automated and, within the limits of GC-MS, comprehensive chemical analysis, (2) contributions to the implementation of time of flight mass spectrometry for GC-MS based metabolite profiling, (3) the creation of a software platform for reproducible GC-MS data processing, named TagFinder, and (4) the establishment of an internationally coordinated library of mass spectra which allows the identification of metabolites in diverse and complex biological samples. In addition, the Golm Metabolome Database (GMD) has been initiated to harbor this library and to cope with the increasing amount of generated profiling data. This database makes publicly available all chemical information essential for GC-MS profiling and has been extended to a global resource of GC-MS based metabolite profiles. Querying the concentration changes of hundreds of known and yet non-identified metabolites has recently been enabled by uploading standardized, TagFinder-processed data. Long-term technological aims have been pursued with the central aims (1) to enhance the precision of absolute and relative quantification and (2) to enable the combined analysis of metabolite concentrations and metabolic flux. In contrast to concentrations which provide information on metabolite amounts, flux analysis provides information on the speed of biochemical reactions or reaction sequences, for example on the rate of CO2 conversion into metabolites. This conversion is an essential function of plants which is the basis of life on earth. Secondly, GC-MS based metabolite profiling technology has been continuously applied to advance plant stress physiology. These efforts have yielded a detailed description of and new functional insights into metabolic changes in response to high and low temperatures as well as common and divergent responses to salt stress among higher plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, Lotus japonicus and rice (Oryza sativa). Time course analysis after temperature stress and investigations into salt dosage responses indicated that metabolism changed in a gradual manner rather than by stepwise transitions between fixed states. In agreement with these observations, metabolite profiles of the model plant Lotus japonicus, when exposed to increased soil salinity, were demonstrated to have a highly predictive power for both NaCl accumulation and plant biomass. Thus, it may be possible to use GC-MS based metabolite profiling as a breeding tool to support the selection of individual plants that cope best with salt stress or other environmental challenges. / Die Aufnahme von Nährstoffen und ihre chemische Umwandlung mittels Reaktionen, die Energie und Baustoffe für Wachstum und Vermehrung bereitstellen, ist eine grundlegende Eigenschaft des Lebens. Diese Eigenschaft wird Stoffwechsel oder, wie im Folgenden, Metabolismus genannt. Im Verlauf der Evolution war alles Leben abhängig von solchen Reaktionen, die essentielle und allen Lebensformen gemeinsame Moleküle erzeugen. Über diese sogenannten Primärmetabolite hinaus sind hochdiverse Reaktionen entstanden. Diese erlauben Organismen, einzigartige sogenannte Sekundärmetabolite zu produzieren, die in der Regel einen zusätzlichen Überlebensvorteil vermitteln. Die Gesamtheit aller Metabolite, die von dem komplexen Reaktionsnetzwerk in Organismen erzeugt werden, nennt man seit 1998 das Metabolom. Die Größe des Metaboloms kann nur geschätzt werden. Neben der Gesamtheit aller Metabolite werden heute drei weitere Arten an Molekülen als wesentlich betrachtet, um die Phänomene des Lebens zu verstehen: erstens die Proteine, deren Summe, das Proteom, auch die Enzyme einschließt, die die obigen metabolischen Reaktionen durchführen, zweitens die Ribonukleinsäuren (RNS), deren Gesamtheit als Transkriptom bezeichnet wird, und drittens die doppelsträngige Desoxyribonukleinsäure (DNS), die das Genom, die Summe aller Gene eines Organismus, ausmacht. Die Untersuchung aller dieser vier molekularen Ebenen des Lebens erfordert Technologien, die idealerweise die vollständige Analyse der Gesamtheit aller DNS-, RNS-, Protein-Moleküle, bzw. Metabolite erlauben. Zu Beginn meiner Arbeiten waren solche Technologien für DNS, RNS, und Proteine verfügbar, aber nicht für Metabolite. Aus diesem Grund habe ich meine Forschungstätigkeit auf das Ziel ausgerichtet, so viele Metabolite wie irgend möglich in einer gemeinsamen Analyse zu erfassen. Zu diesem Zweck habe ich mich auf eine einzelne Technik, nämlich die gekoppelte Gaschromatographie und Massenspektrometrie, kurz GC-MS, konzentriert. Nicht zuletzt durch meine Arbeiten ist GC-MS heute eine der am häufigsten angewandten Technologien und unverzichtbar für das breite Durchmustern der Metabolite. Neben der Etablierung der grundlegenden GC-MS-Profilanalyse-Technologie liegen die Haupterrungenschaften meiner Arbeiten sowohl in den technischen Neuerungen als auch in den Einsichten in metabolische Mechanismen, die es Pflanzen erlauben, erfolgreich auf Umwelteinflüsse zu reagieren. Die technologischen Errungenschaften waren erstens wesentliche Beiträge zur Labor-Automatisierung und zur Auswertung von modernen, auf Flugzeitmassenspektrometrie beruhenden, GC-MS-Profilanalysen, zweitens die Entwicklung einer entsprechenden Prozessierungs-Software, genannt TagFinder, und drittens die Etablierung einer internationalen Datensammlung zur Metabolitidentifizierung aus komplexen Mischungen. Diese massenspektralen und gaschromatographischen Daten haben seit 2005 Eingang in die von mir initiierte Entwicklung der Golm Metabolom Datenbank (GMD) gefunden, die die zunehmend wachsenden GC-MS-Referenzdaten wie auch die Metabolitprofildaten verwaltet und öffentlich zugänglich macht. Darüber hinaus wurden die langfristigen Ziele einer verbesserten Präzision für relative und absolute Quantifizierung wie auch einer Kopplung von Konzentrationsbestimmung und metabolischen Flussanalysen mittels GC-MS verfolgt. Sowohl die Stoffmengen als auch die Geschwindigkeit der Stoffaufnahme und der chemischen Umsetzung, d.h. der metabolische Fluss, sind wesentlich für neue biologische Einsichten. In diesem Zusammenhang wurde von mir die Aufnahme von CO2 durch Pflanzen, der Basis allen Lebens auf der Erde, untersucht. Angewandt auf das Temperaturstress- und Salzstressverhalten von Modell- und Kulturpflanzen, nämlich des Ackerschmalwands (Arabidopsis thaliana), des Hornklees (Lotus japonicus) und der global bedeutendsten Nutzpflanze Reis (Oryza sativa), wurden detaillierte und vergleichende neue metabolische Einsichten in den Zeitverlauf der Temperaturanpassung und die Anpassung an zunehmend salzhaltige Böden erzielt. Metabolismus verändert sich unter diesen Bedingungen allmählich fortschreitend und nicht in plötzlichen Übergängen. Am Beispiel des Hornklees konnte gezeigt werden, dass Metabolitprofilanalysen eine hohe Vorhersagekraft für die Biomasseerzeugung unter Salzeinfluss wie auch für die Aufnahme von Salz durch die Pflanze haben. So mag es in Zukunft möglich werden, GC-MS-Profilanaysen anzuwenden, um den Züchtungsprozess von Kulturpflanzen zu beschleunigen.

Humans are continuously exposed to complex mixtures of anthropogenic chemicals. This thesis focus on human exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs). POPs ability to bioaccumulate and biomagnify together with the extensive historical use of POPs in e.g. agriculture and industry have resulted in detection of these compounds in humans and animals from all over the world. Adverse health effects caused by POPs are of particular concern for newborns and young individuals. The objective of this thesis is to assess human exposure to a selected set of POPs and their metabolites. More specifically, one aim of my thesis is to determine the exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and in particular their methylsulfonyl and hydroxylated metabolites in humans from a “hot-spot” area of PCB contamination in eastern Slovakia. The maternal transfer of these chemicals is studied. Further, another specific aim is to determine occurrence, levels and, when possible, temporal trends of POPs in children and adults from three developing countries, Nicaragua, Guinea-Bissau and Bangladesh. High concentrations of PCBs and their metabolites are shown in men and women from Michalovce in eastern Slovakia. Placental transfer of methylsulfonyl-metabolites of PCBs and 4,4’-DDE was observed for the first time. Decreasing temporal trends of the majority of POPs are shown in serum from a cohort of policemen from Guinea-Bissau. In contrast, the levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) show an increasing time trend. Within five years, decreasing levels of POPs were also shown in children working and living at a waste disposal site in Nicaragua. Children working and living at waste disposal sites in Bangladesh have considerably lower levels of POPs compared to the children from Nicaragua except for 4,4’-DDT and 4,4’-DDE that are present at very high concentrations, indicating ongoing use of technical DDT. There are many studies on levels and trends of environmental pollutants from the developed industrial countries in the world, whereas data from developing countries is still scarce. This thesis contributes to partly fill this data gap since it includes assessments of POPs in children and adults from four countries on four continents. / At the time of doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 5: Manuscript. Paper 6: Manuscript.

This thesis describes the development of liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods for the trace analysis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and their metabolites in aqueous environmental matrices. The research was focused on the development of chiral LC-MS/MS methods for the analysis of fluoxetine and metoprolol, as well as their chiral metabolites in environmental water samples. A method was also developed for the achiral compounds, diazepam and nordiazepam. The LC-MS/MS methods were validated by the use of the isotope-labeled compounds. As these isotope-labeled compounds were not found in the wastewater samples, the validation could be assessed at trace level concentrations in the actual matrices in which the analytes were detected. The analytes were extracted from the water samples using solid phase extraction methods. Different types of solid phase extraction sorbents were evaluated. Fluoxetine and norfluoxetine were extracted through the use of a mixed mode polymeric based extraction sorbent. A hydrophilic and lipophilic balanced sorbent was employed for the simultaneous extraction of metoprolol and its metabolites, the base α-hydroxymetoprolol and the acidic metabolite deaminated metoprolol. Moreover, silica based C18 extraction discs were applied for the sample preparation of diazepam and nordiazepam. The chromatographic separations were conducted in reversed phase LC with MS compatible mobile phases. The enantiomers of fluoxetine and norfluoxetine were simultaneously separated using the chiral stationary phase (CSP), α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). The Chiral AGP column was also applied for the separation of the enantiomers of deaminated metoprolol. For the simultaneous separation of the metoprolol enantiomers and the four stereoisomers of α-hydroxymetoprolol, the cellobiohydrolase (CBH) protein based CSP was used. An octadecyl silica based LC column was applied for the separation of diazepam and nordiazepam. The analytes were detected by the use of tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry operating in selective reactive monitoring mode. High resolution MS, employing a quadrupole time-of-flight (QqTOF) mass analyzer, was utilized for the identification of an unknown compound in wastewater samples. The APIs and their metabolites, as well as their respective enantiomers, were quantified in raw and treated wastewater from Uppsala, Sweden along with surface water from the River Fyris in Uppsala.