ABSTRACT CAMP factor is a 25kDa extracellular protein from Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B streptococci) that contains 226 amino acid residues. CAMP factor has been characterized as a pore-forming toxin (PFT). The typical mechanism of pore formation of PFTs involves three main stages, namely binding of toxin monomers to the membrane surface, oligomerization of the monomers on the cell membrane, and finally the insertion of oligomers into the membrane. This study focused on second stage, and investigates the oligomerisation of CAMP factor on sheep red blood cell membranes. It is known that the hemolytic activity of CAMP factor is greatly enhanced by interaction with sphingomyelinase from Staphylococcus aureus. We here focused on understanding the role of sphingomyelinase in the oligomerisation step. Experimental data were obtained using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) studies. The fluorescence dyes IAEDANS and Fluorescein-5-maleimide were used as donor/acceptor fluorophores and attached to mutant single cysteine residues in CAMP factor. Samples of donor- and acceptor-labelled protein were mixed and incubated with red cell membranes that had or had not been pre-treated with sphingomyelinase. Energy transfer was monitored with time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence measurements. In the time-resolved experiments, the fluorescence lifetime of the donor was measured in the presence and the absence of the acceptor, on membrane samples that were or were not treated with sphingomyelinase. We observed a decrease in the fluorescence lifetime of the donor with the presence of the acceptor. The decrease in lifetime due to acceptor interaction signifies the occurrence of energy transfer between the donor and acceptor fluorophores, which indicates proximity due to oligomerisation of the CAMP factor protein on the cell membrane. This was only observed when the membranes had been treated with sphingomyelinase. When membranes were used that had not been treated with sphingomyelinase, the donor lifetimes are very low, suggesting the inability of the CAMP factor to undergo membrane insertion and oligomerisation.

ABSTRACT CAMP factor is a 25kDa extracellular protein from Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B streptococci) that contains 226 amino acid residues. CAMP factor has been characterized as a pore-forming toxin (PFT). The typical mechanism of pore formation of PFTs involves three main stages, namely binding of toxin monomers to the membrane surface, oligomerization of the monomers on the cell membrane, and finally the insertion of oligomers into the membrane. This study focused on second stage, and investigates the oligomerisation of CAMP factor on sheep red blood cell membranes. It is known that the hemolytic activity of CAMP factor is greatly enhanced by interaction with sphingomyelinase from Staphylococcus aureus. We here focused on understanding the role of sphingomyelinase in the oligomerisation step. Experimental data were obtained using Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) studies. The fluorescence dyes IAEDANS and Fluorescein-5-maleimide were used as donor/acceptor fluorophores and attached to mutant single cysteine residues in CAMP factor. Samples of donor- and acceptor-labelled protein were mixed and incubated with red cell membranes that had or had not been pre-treated with sphingomyelinase. Energy transfer was monitored with time-resolved and steady-state fluorescence measurements. In the time-resolved experiments, the fluorescence lifetime of the donor was measured in the presence and the absence of the acceptor, on membrane samples that were or were not treated with sphingomyelinase. We observed a decrease in the fluorescence lifetime of the donor with the presence of the acceptor. The decrease in lifetime due to acceptor interaction signifies the occurrence of energy transfer between the donor and acceptor fluorophores, which indicates proximity due to oligomerisation of the CAMP factor protein on the cell membrane. This was only observed when the membranes had been treated with sphingomyelinase. When membranes were used that had not been treated with sphingomyelinase, the donor lifetimes are very low, suggesting the inability of the CAMP factor to undergo membrane insertion and oligomerisation.

Zugl.: Bayreuth, Univ., Diss., 2004

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2009

Universiẗat, Diss., 2000--Bochum.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2002--Frankfurt (Main).

Universiẗat, Diss., 2004--Frankfurt (Main).

Univ., Diss., 2003--Marburg

L'axe formé par la chimiokine CXCL12 et son récepteur CXCR4 est conservé chez les vertébrés où il joue un rôle important dans l'embryogenèse et la vie adulte, régule de nombreux processus des réponses immunitaires grâce à ses fonctions dans la migration cellulaire, la survie et la prolifération.En outre, cet axe est impliqué dans les processus pathologiques tels que les cancers (croissance et métastase) et immunodéficiences ainsi que des dysfonctionnements (par exemple l'expression dérégulée, polymorphismes ou mutations) et est également détourné par certains agents pathogènes (par exemple le virus de l'immunodéficience humaine, virus du papillome humain).Un grand groupe de travail est consacré à cette paire comme cible thérapeutique, mais seulement un composé (à savoir Plérixafor) a atteint l'approbation pour une utilisation clinique faisant le potentiel de cet axe comme cible de médicament encore inexploré.Bien que cet axe est l'objet d'un grand intérêt, des questions demeurent quant aux déterminants structurels impliqués dans l'interaction CXCL12/CXCR4.Cependant, la structure récemment résolue par diffraction de CXCR4 a donné quelque indice au sujet de ces questions, et au­ delà, la possible stoichiométrie entre CXCL12 et CXCR4.Plusieurs éléments de preuve appuient le concept que les formes CXCR4 homo- et hétéro- oligomères (qui peut contribuer à la diversité des fonctions de récepteur), telles que la structure de diffraction, le gain de fonction d'un récepteur CXCR4 mutant responsable du syndrome WHIM et la modulation allostérique des fonctions de CXCR4 par CXCR7 (ACKR3), le second récepteur de CXCL12. La possibilité de former des oligomères ouvre de nombreuses questions en matière de CXCL12 et ses interactions avec CXCR4 et CXCR7/ACKR3. La stoichiométrie de cette interaction reste une question ouverte, comme le récepteur est capable de former des oligomères avec le même récepteur ou autre récepteurs, en particulier CXCR7/ACKR3. Ce récepteur, connu comme scavenger, n'a pas de structure résolue et son mécanisme d'interaction avec CXCL12 reste inconnu.Afin d'étudier les interactions CXCL12/CXCR4/CXCR7, nous avons appliqué plusieurs techniques de modélisation moléculaire tels que peptid-peptide docking et simulations de dynamique moléculaire.Objets du projet ont étés : la résolution des possibles formes stoichiométriques de l'interaction CXCR4/CXCL12 (modélisation moléculaire, docking et dynamique); la modélisation de la structure du récepteur CXCR7/ACKR3 et son interaction avec CXCL12 (homology modeling), avec caractérisation des domaines et des résidus clef de l'activation des pathways de signalisation en aval du récepteur (mutants CXCR7/ACKR3); l'étude et la caractérisation de nouveaux outils innovants pour la détection de l'oligomerisation de ces récepteurs en conditions endogènes. (Nanobodies, HTRF)Les résultats du premier objectif ont été publiés en janvier 2016 : PMID 26813575.La modélisation de CXCR7/ACKR3 nous a permit de générer plusieurs mutants du récepteur pour tester nos hypothèses sur l’activation.Les nanobodies caractérisés pour CXCR4 seront utilisé dans une deuxième étude pour l’identification des formes oligomériques du récepteur sur tissus et cellules. / The axis formed by the chemokine CXCL12 and its receptor CXCR4 is conserved in vertebrates where it plays an important role in embryogenesis and adult life, regulates many processes of immune responses through its functions in cell migration, survival and proliferation.In addition, this axis is involved in pathological processes such as cancers (growth and metastasis) and immune deficiencies and malfunctions (eg deregulated expression, mutations or polymorphisms) and is also hijacked by certain pathogens (eg HIV, human papilloma virus).A large working group is dedicated to this pair as a therapeutic target, but only a compound (ie Plerixafor) achieved approval for clinical use by the potential of this area as a drug target unexplored.Although this axis is the subject of great interest, questions remain about the structural determinants involved in CXCL12 / CXCR4 interaction.However, the recently resolved diffraction structure of CXCR4 gave some clue about these questions, and beyond possible stoichiometry between CXCL12 and CXCR4.Several lines of evidence support the concept that forms CXCR4 homo- and hetero-oligomers (which can contribute to the diversity of the receptor functions), as shown in the diffraction structure, the gain function of a mutant CXCR4 receptor responsible for the syndrome WHIM and allosteric modulation of CXCR4 functions by CXCR7 (ACKR3), the second receptor of the chemokine CXCL12. The ability to form oligomers opens many issues of CXCL12 and its interaction with CXCR4 and CXCR7 / ACKR3.The stoichiometry of this interaction still remains an open question, as the receptor is capable to form oligomers with the same receptor or other receptors, particularly CXCR7 / ACKR3. This receptor, known as scavenger, has not solved structure and the mechanism of interaction with CXCL12 is unknown.To study the interactions CXCL12 / CXCR4 / CXCR7, we applied several molecular modeling techniques such as peptide-peptide docking and molecular dynamics simulations.Objectives of this project were: the resolution of the different stoichiometric forms for the interaction of CXCR4 and CXCL12 (molecular modeling, docking and dynamic); modeling the CXCR7 / ACKR3 receptor structure and its interaction with CXCL12 (homology modeling), with the characterization of domains and residues key in the activation of downstream signaling pathways of the receptor (CXCR7 / ACKR3 mutants); the study and characterization of new innovative tools for the detection of oligomerization of these receptors in endogenous conditions. (Nanobodies, HTRF)The results of the first objective were published in January 2016: PMID 26813575.Modeling of CXCR7 / ACKR3 allowed us to generate several mutants of the receptor to test our hypothesis about the activation pathways.Nanobodies were fully characterized for CXCR4 to be used in a second study to identify oligomeric forms of the receptor in tissues and cells.

Opioid receptors (ORs) are among the most intensively studied members of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family due to their important role in pain management and their involvement in psychological and neurological disorders. However, currently available opioid drugs exhibit both serious drawbacks, such as addiction, and life-threatening side effects, such as respiratory depression. Contrary to the classic monomeric model, indirect evidence suggests that ORs might form dimers, which could be endowed with a distinct pharmacological profile, and, thus, be exploited to develop innovative drugs. However, direct evidence for the spontaneous formation of OR dimers in living cells under physiological condition are missing. The focus of this thesis was the design, synthesis and characterization of new, highly subtype-selective OR fluorescent ligands to be used as tools for state-of-the-art microscopy methods, such as single molecule microscopy (SMM), in heterologous cells and potentially in native tissue, in order to investigate OR organization and mobility on the surface of intact, living cells, at low/physiological expression levels. The μOR is the OR subtype which plays the most critical role in pain modulation, while mediating the effects of the most powerful analgesic drugs. Also, it is the OR subtype which is mostly responsible for the major adverse effects of the currently marketed opioid drugs. We aimed to develop a new μOR-selective fluorescent ligand with a potential irreversible binding mode. Although the approach was in principle successful, i.e. the labelled cells were visible and distinguishable; this initial attempt was not suitable for SMM due to the ligands’ poor selectivity and affinity as well as due to its high background noise. A second generation of the fluorescent ligand was designed; however the synthesis and characterization are part of another doctoral thesis. Lately, δOR has received attention as a promising drug target, due to its distinct pharmacological profile which features low abuse liability and lack of physical dependence. In addition, δOR expression has been associated with cancer regulation in the periphery, thus further highlighting the interest of imaging tools for this receptor. In this thesis, the development and characterization of two new δOR-selective fluorescent probes with excellent optical properties, based on the well-studied ligand naltrindole (NTI) is presented. Their application in SMM studies is currently underway at the group of Prof. Dr. Davide Calebiro at the University of Birmingham. The κOR is a subtype which has also emerged as a drug target due to its low abuse potential. Despite a growing interest in this receptor, κOR-selective fluorescent probes have been particularly scarce in literature. Herein, the design, synthesis and characterization of the first reported set of fluorescent κOR-selective probes with antagonistic properties, based on the established ligand 5’-guanidinonaltrindole (5’-GNTI) is presented. Two of these were employed for SMM experiments to investigate κOR homodimerization, localization and trafficking. Our findings do not support homodimerization of the κOR-bound probe complexes, while showing that the majority of them follow a normal Brownian diffusion on the cell surface. / Opioid-Rezeptoren (OR) gehören aufgrund ihrer wesentlichen Rolle bei der Schmerztherapie und ihrer Beteiligung an physiologischen und neurologischen Störungen zu den am intensivsten untersuchten Mitgliedern der G-Protein-gekoppelten Rezeptor (GPCR) Familie. Jedoch haben aktuell erhältliche Opioid-Arzneimittel schwerwiegende Nachteile, wie Abhängigkeit, und lebensbedrohliche Nebenwirkungen, wie Atemdepression. Im Gegensatz zu dem klassischen Monomer-Modell legen indirekte Hinweise nahe, dass ORs Dimere formen können, welche mit einem spezifischen pharmakologischen Profil ausgestattet sein könnten und daher für die Entwicklung innovativer Arzneimittel verwendet werden könnten. Jedoch gibt es keinen direkten Beweis für die spontane Bildung von OR-Dimeren in lebenden Zellen unter physiologischen Bedingungen. Der Fokus dieser Doktorarbeit war daher das Design, die Synthese und Charakterisierung von neuen hoch subtyp-selektiven fluoreszierenden OR Liganden, welche als Hilfsmittel für hochmoderne Mikroskopie-Anwendungen Anwendung finden sollen, wie Einzelmolekül-Mikroskopie (EMM) in heterologen Zellen und potentiell in nativem Gewebe, um OR-Organisierung und Mobilität auf der Oberfläche von intakten lebenden Zellen bei niedrigen/physiologischen Expressions-Spiegeln zu untersuchen. Der μOR ist der OR Subtyp, der die entscheidenste Rolle bei der Schmerzmodulierung spielt, indem er die Wirkung der stärksten analgetischen Arzneien vermittelt. Des Weiteren ist dieser OR-Subtyp der Subtyp, der größtenteils für die wesentlichen unerwünschten Nebenwirkungen der aktuell vermarkteten Opioid-Arzneimittel verantwortlich ist. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war daher, einen neuen μOR-selektiven fluoreszierenden Liganden mit einem potentiell irreversiblen Bindungsmodus zu entwickeln. Obwohl dieser Ansatz prinzipiell erfolgreich war, das heißt die markierten Zellen waren sicht- und unterscheidbar, war dieser erste Ansatz aufgrund der geringen Selektivität und Affinität des Liganden und aufgrund seines hohen Hintergrundrauschens nicht für EMM geeignet. Daher wurde eine zweite Generation fluoreszierender Liganden entworfen. Deren Synthese und Charakterisierung ist jedoch Teil einer anderen Doktorarbeit. Kürzlich erhielt der δOR aufgrund seines spezifischen pharmakologischen Profils, welches ein geringes Missbrauchsrisiko und das Fehlen körperlicher Abhängigkeit beinhaltet, vielseitige Beachtung als ein vielversprechendes Arznei-Target. Des Weiteren wurde δOR-Expression mit Krebsregulation in der Peripherie assoziiert, was das Interesse an einem bildgebenden Werkzeug für diesen Rezeptor zusätzlich unterstreicht. In dieser Doktorarbeit wird die Entwicklung und Charakterisierung von zwei neuen, auf dem gut untersuchten Liganden Naltrindol (NTI) basierenden, δOR-selektiven fluoreszierenden Sonden mit sehr guten optischen Eigenschaften gezeigt. Ihre Anwendung in EMM Untersuchungen läuft derzeit bei Kooperationspartnern im Arbeitskreis von Professor Davide Calebiro an der Universität Birmingham an. Der κOR ist der Subtyp, der auch als Arznei-Target aufgrund seines geringen Missbrauchspotentials in Erscheinung getreten ist. Obwohl steigendes Interesse an diesem Rezeptor besteht, sind κOR-selektive fluoreszierende Sonden in der Literatur bisher kaum beschrieben. In dieser Arbeit wird das Design, die Synthese und Charakterisierung des ersten beschriebenen Sets von fluoreszierenden κOR-selektiven Sonden mit antagonistischen Eigenschaften, basierend auf dem Liganden 5’-Guanidinonaltrindol (5’-GNTI) gezeigt. Zwei dieser Liganden wurden für EMM Experimente verwendet, um die κOR Homodimerisierung, Lokalisation und Transportwege zu untersuchen. Unsere Ergebnisse zeigen keine Homodimerisierung des κOR-gebundenen Sondenkomplexes und außerdem, dass die Mehrheit der Rezeptoren einer normalen Brown’schen Diffusion auf der Zelloberfläche folgt.