Dynamic atomistic description of bio-inorganic interfaces represents a challenging problem for contemporary computational chemistry. A detailed analysis of processes occurring on the interface between biomolecule and inorganic material can help our understanding of various processes, ranging from chromatography and protein separation to protein immobilization techniques and their effect on enzyme activity or protein conformational stability. High complexity of bio- inorganic interfaces prevents detailed investigation using accurate, but computationally demanding ab initio methods. Since reliable empirical potentials are not available for these systems, the aim of this work is to develop force fields based on ab initio data as well as a general methodology for parameterization of such force fields. Our potential fitting procedure was carried out in an automated fashion based on molecular dynamics simulation. The resulting potentials were applied for investigation of inorganic material's influence on polypeptide conformations.

Title: Ion Specific Hofmeister Effects on Peptides and Proteins Author: Ing. Jana Hladílková Department: Physical and Macromolecular Chemistry Advisor: Prof. Pavel Jungwirth, DSc., IOCB AS CR Advisor's email address: pavel.jungwirth@uochb.cas.cz Abstract: Classical molecular dynamics simulations in combination with advanced methods of analysis were used to shed light on missing parts of our molecular understanding of the Hofmeister series. In tandem with various experimental techniques, real proteins as well as model systems were investigated in aqueous salt solutions in order to identify and quantify ion-protein interactions either leading or not leading to the canonical cationic and anionic Hofmeister ordering. The potassium cation was found to significantly enhance the BHMT enzymatic activity in contrast to the rest of the common monovalent cations. In the quest to rationalize this behavior, a key potassium binding site in the vicinity of the active site was discovered and described. Moreover, the exceptionally strong effect of K+ on the enzymatic activity was explained by hydration properties of the cations within the limited space of the active site in interplay with their attraction to the nearby negatively charged residues. By contrast, only a small and indirect influence, which follows the cationic...

Charles University Fakulty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Biophysics and Physical Chemistry Candidate: Bc. Barbora Parýzková Supervisor: Mgr. Pavel Bárta, Ph.D. Title of diploma thesis: Radiolabelled receptor-specific peptides for cancer diagnosis and therapy. The presented diploma thesis is based on literature review and it deals with receptor- specific radioactive labeled peptides and their usage in the cancer diagnostic and treatment. It focuses on general knowledge about radiopharmaceuticals, further on the descriptions of either diagnostic or therapeutic radionuclides as well as on currently used chelating agents. The particular attention is paid to peptides like somatostatin and cholecystokinin and their usability in Nuclear Medicine for the imaging and treatment of certain malignancies. The other stated peptides in this diploma thesis are bombesin, vasoactive intestinal peptide and alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone. Keywords: receptor-specific peptides, radiolabelling, radionuclides for diagnosis and therapy, radiotherapy, radiodiagnostics, octreotide.

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Unfolded protein response (UPR) is a complex cellular mechanism induced upon ER stress caused by various environmental factors. Single spanning signal transducers of UPR were reported to recognise also lipid-induced ER stress. Studies of these transducers, namely PERK and IRE1 uncovered that they can sense change in membrane properties and activate themselves by clustering. Moreover, signal transducer IRE1 retained ability to sense changes in the membrane properties with TMD exchanged for a polyLeu α-helix. It was thus unclear what mechanism drives lipid-induced UPR via IRE1. We employed model membrane system in form of LUVs, where properties of membranes can be readily altered by specific lipid composition. As a simplified model of the UPR signal transducers in the ER, synthetic transmembrane peptides with polyLeu core were used. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) has been used for qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of LUVs. Clustering of synthetic peptides was determined by time resolved anisotropy of fluorescence. DLS results demonstrate successful formation of vesicles with a desired size in all planned composition. On the contrary to the studies in living cells, the presence of cholesterol or palmitic acid in model membranes did not induce the aggregation of transmembrane peptides....

Hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography is a frequently used separation method for analysis of polar compounds. It is an alternative method to reversed-phase chromatography, where these compounds show insufficient or very weak retention. A high number of stationary phases are currently available for HILIC and new ones are still being developed. The aim of this diploma thesis was to characterize and compare three relatively new HILIC columns containing an unmodified silica gel (HILIC-A), aminopropyl modified silica (HILIC-B) and polyhydroxyl chain modified silica (HILIC-N) as stationary phase. Based on the study of the effect of acetonitrile content in mobile phase on the retention of a model set of peptides, a multimodal retention mechanism was demonstrated. Analysis of 18 model analytes with different pKa values showed, that the composition of aqueous part of mobile phase (buffer), more specifically it's concentration and pH value, has a significant impact on retention of ionized analytes and peptides on the studied stationary phases. A significant contribution of ionic interactions to retention was observed on HILIC-B and HILIC-A columns. The retention of basic compounds on the HILIC-B column increased with increasing ionic strength, while it decreased on the HILIC-A column. Increasing the...

Tomáš Křížek: Applications of Capillary Electrophoresis in Life Sciences (Dissertation thesis) ABSTRACT This thesis is focused on the applications of capillary electrophoresis in two important areas of life sciences, proteomics and enzyme assays. In the first part, Pluronic F-127 copolymer was studied as a sieving matrix for proteomic applications of capillary gel electrophoresis. The effect of thermoassociation of Pluronic F-127 on the separation selectivity was investigated and no difference in selectivity of the separation below, inside and above the thermoassociation temperature region was observed. The performance of Pluronic F-127 in capillary gel electrophoresis was compared with dextran as a commonly used sieving matrix. The results showed, that Pluronic F-127 offers superior performance for low-molecular-mass proteins because it provides higher separation power than dextran with significantly lower viscosity of the background electrolyte. The lower viscosity makes the polymer easier to replace after each analysis, which leads to remarkably higher repeatability of the experiments. On the other hand, dextran, due to its higher viscosity, was shown to be more convenient for separations of protein digests, where extremely high separation efficiency is required. The second part focuses on...

iv Abstract Subject: Determination of structure and dynamics of biomolecules by theoretical calcu- lations of NMR spectroscopic parameters Author: Ladislav Benda, ladislav.benda@gmail.com Department/Institute: Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, AS CR Supervisor: Dr. Vladim'ır Sychrovsk'y, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, AS CR, vladimir.sychrovsky@uochb.cas.cz Abstract: This doctoral work was focused on theoretical modeling of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) parameters in peptides and nucleic acids. Dependences of NMR para- meters on molecular structure and solvation were primarily modeled. Great emphasis was put on the comparison of the calculated data with the NMR experiment. The molecular models studied included the l-alanyl-l-alanine di-peptide (AA) and the phosphate group of nucleic acid backbone. Conformations of all three charged forms of AA in solution were determined and the respective pH-induced changes of experimental NMR chemical shifts and nuclear spin-spin coupling constants were explained. Dependences of NMR cross-correlated relaxation rates on the AA backbone geometry were calibrated. The 31 P NMR parameters in nucleic acid phosphate were systematically calculated in dependence on the backbone conformation and the phosphate solvation pattern. Qualitative rules...

The growing resistance of bacteria to traditional antibiotics promotes the interest in finding new substances for their production. Antimicrobial peptides have comparable effect to conventional antibiotics, but a different mechanism of action and they do not provoke bacterial resistance. These peptides were characterized in all forms of multicellular organisms. Hymenoptera venom contains many biologically active substances including antimicrobial peptides. For this reason, this thesis focuses on the acquisition of antimicrobial peptide sequences from selected species of bumblebees (Bombus terrestris, B. hortorum, B. hypnorum, B. pratorum, B. lucorum, B. lapidarius, B. humilis and B. bohemicus). The isolation from the venom glands was performed by high performance liquid chromatography with reversed phases. Subsequent analysis was performed using the methods of mass spectrometry, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization with time of flight analyzer and electrospray ionization connected with hybrid linear ion trap analyzer with orbitrap. The sequences for the found peptides were determined by tandem mass spectrometry methods "de novo" and Edman degradation. In this work we characterized 17 sequences of peptides extracted from bumblebee venom glands for which antimicrobial activity was determined...

The aim of the thesis is to utilize Raman optical activity (ROA) to get unique information on peptide/protein conformation, which is otherwise difficult or even impossible to obtain. We have focused on investigation of amide and disulfide groups. Utilizing tailor-made model structures (rigid tricyclic spirodilactams with two interacting nonplanar amide groups), special model peptides and even biologically active molecules (neurohypophyseal hormones and their agonistic and antagonistic analogs, antimicrobial peptide lasiocepsin and its analogs having different disulfide pattern) we have traced specific spectral manifestation of nonplanar amides and disulfides. ROA results were supplemented by data obtained by complementary chiroptical methods - electronic (including vacuum UV - SRCD) and vibrational circular dichroism. When used in a concerted fashion, these techniques provide complex information on peptide/protein secondary structure. Where possible, experimental chiroptical data were compared to ab initio calculations. In chiroptical spectra we have found and interpreted signals reflecting nonplanarity of the amide group. Moreover, in ROA spectra we have identified signals due to S-S stretching vibrations which seem to reflect sense of the disulfide group torsion.