Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry has become a powerful tool for investigating biological systems. Herein we describe the development of both isotope dilution mass spectrometry methods and targeted metabolomics methods for the study of metabolic and cell-cell signaling applications. A putative yeast enzyme was characterized by discovery metabolite profiling, kinetic flux profiling, transcriptomics and structural biology. These experiments demonstrated that the enzyme shb17 was a sedoheptulose bisphosphatase that provides a thermodynamically dedicated step towards riboneogenesis, leading to the redefinition of the canonical pentose phosphate pathway. An extension of metabolic profiling and kinetic flux profiling methods was developed for a set of symbiotic marine microorganisms. Carbon flux from the most abundant photosynthetic organism, Prochlorococcus, to a symbiotic Alteromonas was observed in liquid coculture. These methods enable a more biologically relevant assay for marine species and will lead to a better understanding of carbon flux in the oceans. Energy taxis refers to the active migration of bacteria in response to electron transport system related signals. The second messenger cyclic-di-GMP provides a link between the metabolic signals and motility. Quantitation of c-di-GMP helped characterize the nature of this regulation. Autoinducer-2 is a small sugar produced by a large variety of bacteria that is proposed to be a universal quorum sensing signal. The quorum sensing function of autoinducer-2 is disputed because it is produced by an enzyme of the activated methyl cycle, leading to an alternate hypothesis that it is simply a metabolic byproduct. Herein a method for the detection of autoinducer-2 is developed to enable studies of its signaling role and biosynthetic regulation. These studies demonstrated that autoinducer-2 does not function as a signal in all species. Further, metabolic experiments indicated that the metabolic impact of LuxS dysfunction was small and could be mitigated by recycling oxidized glutathione. Together, these data indicate that neither hypothesis is adequate. Evidence is provided that autoinducer-2 suppresses the immune system, by the interruption of cytokine signaling, implying that autoinducer play a protective role during host colonization.

Submitted by Michele Mologni (mologni@unoeste.br) on 2017-08-30T13:15:11Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Fláive Loyze Baldassarini Silva.pdf: 2001999 bytes, checksum: e6f3c3f0169423517f9b8ffac6f5f788 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-30T13:15:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fláive Loyze Baldassarini Silva.pdf: 2001999 bytes, checksum: e6f3c3f0169423517f9b8ffac6f5f788 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-27 / The association between proline metabolism in the plant and the pentose phosphate pathway has been proposed as a model to stimulate one of the biosynthetic routes of secondary metabolism related to the production of the different phenolic compounds in plants, known as the shikimic acid pathway. In transgenic plants in which overexpression of the P5CS gene Δ1-pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase encoding the key enzyme of proline biosynthesis occurs, in addition to increased tolerance to abiotic stresses, there is the possibility of promoting the synthesis of phenolic compounds as a pleiotropic effect. The objective of this work was to evaluate the role of proline "per se" in relation to the production of phenolic compounds in transgenic tobacco plants accumulating this amino acid (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Petit Havana SR1) and to verify if water stress would modify this answer. The experiment was carried out under greenhouse conditions, at Campus II of Universidade do Oeste Paulista, Presidente Prudente - SP. A completely randomized design was used in the factorial scheme 3x2 consisting of 3 genotypes (two transgenic events with constitutive expression 35S::P5CSF129A and untransformed control plants) and two levels of water regime, with daily water replenishment of 100% and 30% of field capacity (water stress). The role of proline "per se" was evaluated by means of biometric growth analyzes (plant height, shoot and root dry mass and leaf number) in addition to proline analyzes, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity (G6PDH), phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL), total phenolic compounds in leaves and lignin. In a natural response to water stress, a reduction in biometric parameters was observed for all genotypes. The accumulation of proline occurred in a greater proportion in the transgenic plants as expected by the constitutive expression of the P5CS gene, but the activity of the G6PDH enzyme was lower in the transgenic plants. The link between increased proline endogenous content and increased phenol synthesis occurred both under normal hydration conditions (for E2 event) and in the presence of water stress (for both transgenic events), as well as PAL activity. Lignin contents increased in all genotypes in response to stress. Thus, the results of this research lead us to affirm the existence of distinct responses between exogenous application of proline reported in the literature and endogenous cellular metabolism. It was not possible to confirm the hypothesis that the proline metabolism linked to the pentose phosphate pathway induces the synthesis of phenolic compounds, since the activity of the G6PDH enzyme was lower in the transgenic plants in the two water conditions. It is suggested that the precursors to the pathway of phenolic compounds linked to proline may be provided by other metabolic pathways such as glycolysis and the Calvin cycle. Further study will be needed to clarify this issue. / A associação entre o metabolismo de prolina na planta e a via pentose fosfato tem sido proposta como um modelo para se estimular uma das rotas do metabolismo secundário relacionada à produção dos diferentes compostos fenólicos em plantas, denominada via do ácido chiquímico. Em plantas transgênicas nas quais ocorrem a superexpressão do gene P5CS Δ1-pirrolina-5-carboxilato sintetase, que codifica a enzima-chave da biossíntese de prolina, além do aumento de tolerância a estresses abióticos, existe a possibilidade de promoção da síntese de compostos fenólicos como um efeito pleiotrópico. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o papel da prolina “per se” em relação à produção de compostos fenólicos em plantas transgênicas de tabaco acumuladoras deste aminoácido (Nicotiana tabacum cv. Petit Havana SR1) e verificar se o estresse hídrico modificaria essa resposta. O experimento foi realizado em condições de casa de vegetação, no Campus II da Universidade do Oeste Paulista, Presidente Prudente - SP. Utilizou-se o delineamento experimental em arranjo inteiramente casualizado, no esquema fatorial 3x2, formado por 3 genótipos (dois eventos transgênicos com expressão constitutiva 35S::P5CSF129A e plantas controle não transformadas) e dois níveis de regime hídrico, com reposições diárias de água de 100% e de 30% da capacidade de campo (estresse hídrico). O papel da prolina “per se” foi avaliado por meio de análises biométricas de crescimento (altura de plantas, massas seca de parte aérea e raiz e número de folhas) além das análises de prolina, atividade das enzimas glicose-6-fosfato-desidrogenase (G6PDH), fenilalanina amônia liase (FAL), compostos fenólicos totais nas folhas e lignina. Em resposta natural ao estresse hídrico, foi observado uma redução nos parâmetros biométricos para todos os genótipos. O acúmulo de prolina ocorreu em maior proporção nas plantas transgênicas como esperado pela expressão constitutiva do gene P5CS, porém a atividade da enzima G6PDH foi menor nas plantas transgênicas. A vinculação entre um maior conteúdo endógeno de prolina com a síntese aumentada de fenóis ocorreu tanto em condições normais de hidratação (para o evento E2) como na presença de estresse hídrico (para ambos os eventos transgênicos), assim como a atividade da FAL. Os teores de lignina aumentou em todos os genótipos em resposta ao estresse. Desta forma, os resultados dessa pesquisa levam-nos a afirmar a existência de respostas distintas entre aplicação exógena de prolina relatada na literatura e o metabolismo endógeno celular. Não foi possível confirmar a hipótese de que o metabolismo de prolina vinculado à via pentose fosfato induz a síntese de compostos fenólicos, pois a atividade da enzima G6PDH foi menor nas plantas transgênicas nas duas condições hídricas. Sugere-se que os precursores para a via dos compostos fenólicos ligados a prolina podem ser fornecidos por outras vias metabólicas tais como a glicólise e o ciclo de Calvin. Estudos mais aprofundados serão necessários para esclarecer esta questão.

L'élucidation des propriétés du réseau métabolique est fondamentale pour la compréhension du fonctionnement cellulaire et pour l'élaboration de stratégies d'ingénierie métabolique. L'objectif de cette thèse était de mieux comprendre la régulation du métabolisme du NADPH, un métabolite "hub" qui joue un rôle central dans de nombreux processus cellulaires, chez Saccharomyces cerevisiae en fermentation. Nous avons utilisé une démarche systématique couplant modélisation et approches multi-“omics” pour étudier de façon quantitative la réponse à une perturbation de la demande en NADPH. Un système expérimental original, basé sur l'expression d'une butanediol déshydrogénase modifiée NADPH-dépendante a été utilisé pour augmenter de façon contrôlée la demande en NADPH. L'utilisation de ce dispositif, le développement et l'utilisation d'un modèle stœchiométrique de la levure dédié à la fermentation ont permis de prédire la répartition des flux pour différents niveaux de perturbation. Ces analyses ont montré, en premier lieu, la très grande capacité de la levure à faire face à des demandes très importantes de NADPH représentant jusqu'à 40 fois la demande anabolique. Pour des demandes modérées (allant jusqu'à 20 fois la demande anabolique), la perturbation est principalement compensée par une augmentation du flux à travers la voie des pentoses phosphate (VPP) et à moindre titre à travers la voie acétate (Ald6p). Pour une forte demande en NADPH, correspondant à 40 fois la demande anabolique, le modèle prédit la saturation de la VPP ainsi que la mise en place du cycle glycérol-DHA, qui permet l'échange du NADH en NADPH. Des analyses fluxomique (13C), métabolomique et transcriptomique, ont permis de valider ces hypothèses et de les compléter. Nous avons mis en évidence différents niveaux de régulation selon l'intensité de la perturbation : pour les demandes modérées, les flux sont réajustés par un contrôle au niveau enzymatique ; pour de fortes demandes, un contrôle transcriptionnel de plusieurs gènes de la VPP ainsi que de certains gènes des voies de biosynthèse des acides aminés est observé, cet effet résultant probablement de la moindre disponibilité en NADPH. Dans l'ensemble, ce travail a apporté un nouvel éclairage sur les mécanismes impliqués dans l'homéostasie du NADPH et plus généralement dans l'équilibre redox intracellulaire. / The elucidation of the properties of metabolic network is essential to increase our understanding of cellular function and to design metabolic engineering strategies. The objective of this thesis was to better understand the regulation of the metabolism of NADPH, a “hub” metabolite which plays a central role in many cellular processes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during fermentation. We used a systematic approach combining modeling and multi-“omics” analyses to study quantitatively the response to a perturbation of the NADPH demand. An original experimental system, based on the expression of a modified NADPH-dependent butanediol dehydrogenase was used to increase the demand for NADPH in a controlled manner. Through the use of this device and the development and use of a stoichiometric model of yeast dedicated to the fermentation, we predicted the flux distribution for different levels of perturbation. These experiments showed, first, the overwhelming ability of yeast to cope with very high NADPH demand, up to 40 times the anabolic demand. For a moderate level (up to 20 times the anabolic demand), the perturbation is mainly compensated by increased flux through the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) and to a lesser extent through the acetate pathway (Ald6p). For a high NADPH demand, corresponding to 40 times the anabolic demand, the model predicts the saturation of the PPP as well as the operation of the glycerol-DHA cycle, which allows the exchange of NADH to NADPH. Fluxomics (13C), metabolomics and transcriptomics data were used to validate and to complement these hypotheses. We showed different levels of control depending on the intensity of the perturbation: for moderate demands, flux remodeling is mainly achieved by enzymatic control; for a high demand, a transcriptional control is observed for several genes of the PPP as well as some genes of the amino acids biosynthetic pathways, this latter effect being likely due to the low NADPH availability. Overall, this work has shed new light on the mechanisms governing NADPH homeostasis and more generally the intracellular redox balance.

<p>Ribose 5-phosphate isomerase (Rpi) is one of the major enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway, where it catalyses the inter-conversion of ribose 5-phosphate (R5P) and ribulose 5-phosphate. Two forms of this isomerase with no significant amino acid sequence similarity exist, RpiA and RpiB. This thesis describes RpiB from the organisms <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> (<i>Mt</i>) and <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>Ec</i>) from a structural and functional point of view.</p><p>Since the <i>E. coli</i> genome encodes both an RpiA and an RpiB, which generally is not expressed, it has been proposed that <i>Ec</i>RpiB has a different role as an allose-6-phosphate isomerase. Activity measurements presented here show that <i>Ec</i>RpiB does have this second activity. </p><p>In the <i>M. tuberculosis</i> genome there is only a gene for RpiB. The crystal structure of <i>Mt</i>RpiB was solved in complex with several different inhibitors designed to mimic the reaction intermediate as well as with the substrate, R5P. The organisation of the active site in these structures could be used to derive the reaction mechanism for <i>Mt</i>RpiB and for other RpiBs in general. Activity measurements of <i>Mt</i>RpiB showed that it can catalyse the R5P isomerisation, but not the allose 6-phosphate reaction. Differences observed in the active site between <i>Ec</i>RpiB and <i>Mt</i>RpiB explain these kinetic results. </p><p>Activity measurements and a structure of an <i>Ec</i>RpiB mutant, where histidine99 was changed to asparagine, implies that RpiB catalyses the first step of the reaction in which the sugar ring must be opened, and gives a possible explanation for how this could occur. </p><p>Inhibition studies have uncovered a compound that selectively inhibits <i>Mt</i>RpiB over RpiA from spinach, which is homologous to the human RpiA. Differences in the inhibition patterns and active site residues of these two species’ Rpi may provide information for future virtual screening approaches, with the aim of discovering new anti-tuberculosis agents.</p>

Ribose 5-phosphate isomerase (Rpi) is one of the major enzymes of the pentose phosphate pathway, where it catalyses the inter-conversion of ribose 5-phosphate (R5P) and ribulose 5-phosphate. Two forms of this isomerase with no significant amino acid sequence similarity exist, RpiA and RpiB. This thesis describes RpiB from the organisms Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt) and Escherichia coli (Ec) from a structural and functional point of view. Since the E. coli genome encodes both an RpiA and an RpiB, which generally is not expressed, it has been proposed that EcRpiB has a different role as an allose-6-phosphate isomerase. Activity measurements presented here show that EcRpiB does have this second activity. In the M. tuberculosis genome there is only a gene for RpiB. The crystal structure of MtRpiB was solved in complex with several different inhibitors designed to mimic the reaction intermediate as well as with the substrate, R5P. The organisation of the active site in these structures could be used to derive the reaction mechanism for MtRpiB and for other RpiBs in general. Activity measurements of MtRpiB showed that it can catalyse the R5P isomerisation, but not the allose 6-phosphate reaction. Differences observed in the active site between EcRpiB and MtRpiB explain these kinetic results. Activity measurements and a structure of an EcRpiB mutant, where histidine99 was changed to asparagine, implies that RpiB catalyses the first step of the reaction in which the sugar ring must be opened, and gives a possible explanation for how this could occur. Inhibition studies have uncovered a compound that selectively inhibits MtRpiB over RpiA from spinach, which is homologous to the human RpiA. Differences in the inhibition patterns and active site residues of these two species’ Rpi may provide information for future virtual screening approaches, with the aim of discovering new anti-tuberculosis agents.

No description available.

Ce projet a pour but d’évaluer la capacité de la voie des pentoses phosphates (VPP) dans les racines transgéniques de pomme de terre (Solanum tuberosum) modifiées pour exprimer différents niveaux de l'hexokinase (HK) et de la triosephosphate isomérase cytosolique (cTPI). Dans les racines, la VPP alimente la voie de l’assimilation de l’azote en equivalents réducteurs et permet donc la biosynthèse des acides aminés. Le glucose-6-phosphate produit par l’HK est consommé par la partie oxydative de la VPP catalysée par la glucose-6-phosphate déshydrogénase (G6PDH) et la 6-phosphogluconate déshydrogénase (6PGDH). Les changements dans l'expression de HK et cTPI peuvent affecter le fonctionnement de la VPP et les mécanismes qui sont liés à l’utilisation des équivalents réducteurs produits par la VPP, comme l'assimilation de l’azote et la synthèse des acides aminés. Afin d’évaluer l’effet des manipulations génétiques de l’HK et de la cTPI sur l’assimilation de l’azote, nous avons cultivé les racines transgéniques sur des milieux contenant des concentrations élevées (7 mM) ou basses (0,7 mM) de nitrate d’ammonium comme source d’azote. Les résultats montrent que la culture sur un milieu riche en azote induit les activités G6PDH et 6PGDH. Les données montrent que la capacité de la VPP est plus grande avec des niveaux élevés en HK ou en cTPI. Nous avons aussi pu démontrer une plus grande activité spécifique de l’HK dans les conditions pauvres en azote. Ces données ont été complémentées par des mesures des pools d’acides aminés dans les racines transgéniques cultivées sur différents niveaux d’azote. Aucune tendance notable des pools d’acides aminés n’a été remarquée dans les racines modifiées pour leur contenu en HK suggèrant que la manipulation de HK n’affecte pas l'assimilation de l’azote. Dans les racines transgéniques modifiées pour la cTPI, les ratios Gln/Glu et Asn/Asp sont plus élevés chez les clones antisens, indiquant une assimilation de l’azote plus élevée. Ces résultats ont démontré l'activation de l'assimilation de l’azote chez les clones antisens cTPI dans les conditions élevées et basses d’azote alors que la manipulation de l’HK n’affecte pas l’assimilation de l’azote. / This study investigates the capacity of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (oxPPP) and nitrogen metabolism in transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum) roots modified to express different levels of hexokinase (HK) or cytosolic triosephosphate isomerase (cTPI) growing under different nitrogen regimes. The flux of carbon through the oxPPP in cTPI antisense roots is higher than control roots growing under high supply of N. On the other hand, the conversion of Glucose (Glc) to Glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) is higher in roots overexpressing HK than in antisense HK roots growing at a high level of N. Therefore, overexpression of HK or down regulation of cTPI activities in transgenic roots might be compensated by increased C catabolism through the oxPPP. In order to see the affect of HK and cTPI manipulation on N assimilation, the transgenic roots were grown on media with low or high concentration of ammonium nitrate as the N source. The specific activity of the oxPPP enzymes glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) were both increased by an increased N supply in HK and cTPI transgenic roots. This is consistent with the provision of reducing equivalents for N assimilation. The data also show that the capacity of the oxPPP is higher in roots with high HK or cTPI activity. We were able to detect higher HK specific activity in N deficient conditions. These data were complemented with measurements of amino acid pools in transgenic roots. No trend in amino acid pools was found in roots modified for HK activity. However, down regulation of cTPI led to higher Gln, Gln/Glu and Asn/Asp ratios, indicating higher assimilation of N. These results demonstrated the activation of N assimilation in cTPI antisense clones while the manipulation of HK is unlikely to affect the N assimilation.

No description available.

Ce projet a pour but d’évaluer la capacité de la voie des pentoses phosphates (VPP) dans les racines transgéniques de pomme de terre (Solanum tuberosum) modifiées pour exprimer différents niveaux de l'hexokinase (HK) et de la triosephosphate isomérase cytosolique (cTPI). Dans les racines, la VPP alimente la voie de l’assimilation de l’azote en equivalents réducteurs et permet donc la biosynthèse des acides aminés. Le glucose-6-phosphate produit par l’HK est consommé par la partie oxydative de la VPP catalysée par la glucose-6-phosphate déshydrogénase (G6PDH) et la 6-phosphogluconate déshydrogénase (6PGDH). Les changements dans l'expression de HK et cTPI peuvent affecter le fonctionnement de la VPP et les mécanismes qui sont liés à l’utilisation des équivalents réducteurs produits par la VPP, comme l'assimilation de l’azote et la synthèse des acides aminés. Afin d’évaluer l’effet des manipulations génétiques de l’HK et de la cTPI sur l’assimilation de l’azote, nous avons cultivé les racines transgéniques sur des milieux contenant des concentrations élevées (7 mM) ou basses (0,7 mM) de nitrate d’ammonium comme source d’azote. Les résultats montrent que la culture sur un milieu riche en azote induit les activités G6PDH et 6PGDH. Les données montrent que la capacité de la VPP est plus grande avec des niveaux élevés en HK ou en cTPI. Nous avons aussi pu démontrer une plus grande activité spécifique de l’HK dans les conditions pauvres en azote. Ces données ont été complémentées par des mesures des pools d’acides aminés dans les racines transgéniques cultivées sur différents niveaux d’azote. Aucune tendance notable des pools d’acides aminés n’a été remarquée dans les racines modifiées pour leur contenu en HK suggèrant que la manipulation de HK n’affecte pas l'assimilation de l’azote. Dans les racines transgéniques modifiées pour la cTPI, les ratios Gln/Glu et Asn/Asp sont plus élevés chez les clones antisens, indiquant une assimilation de l’azote plus élevée. Ces résultats ont démontré l'activation de l'assimilation de l’azote chez les clones antisens cTPI dans les conditions élevées et basses d’azote alors que la manipulation de l’HK n’affecte pas l’assimilation de l’azote. / This study investigates the capacity of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (oxPPP) and nitrogen metabolism in transgenic potato (Solanum tuberosum) roots modified to express different levels of hexokinase (HK) or cytosolic triosephosphate isomerase (cTPI) growing under different nitrogen regimes. The flux of carbon through the oxPPP in cTPI antisense roots is higher than control roots growing under high supply of N. On the other hand, the conversion of Glucose (Glc) to Glucose-6-phosphate (G6P) is higher in roots overexpressing HK than in antisense HK roots growing at a high level of N. Therefore, overexpression of HK or down regulation of cTPI activities in transgenic roots might be compensated by increased C catabolism through the oxPPP. In order to see the affect of HK and cTPI manipulation on N assimilation, the transgenic roots were grown on media with low or high concentration of ammonium nitrate as the N source. The specific activity of the oxPPP enzymes glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6PGDH) were both increased by an increased N supply in HK and cTPI transgenic roots. This is consistent with the provision of reducing equivalents for N assimilation. The data also show that the capacity of the oxPPP is higher in roots with high HK or cTPI activity. We were able to detect higher HK specific activity in N deficient conditions. These data were complemented with measurements of amino acid pools in transgenic roots. No trend in amino acid pools was found in roots modified for HK activity. However, down regulation of cTPI led to higher Gln, Gln/Glu and Asn/Asp ratios, indicating higher assimilation of N. These results demonstrated the activation of N assimilation in cTPI antisense clones while the manipulation of HK is unlikely to affect the N assimilation.

No description available.