A indústria biotecnológica vem ganhando destaque em função das negativas atreladas ao uso de recursos fósseis. Nesse cenário, o Brasil se destaca por seu programa de produção de bioetanol bem estabelecido e pelo uso de cana-de-açúcar como matéria prima barata. O presente trabalho construiu Saccharomyces cerevisiae transgênicas para aprodução de compostos de interesse econômico cuja biossíntese consome energia livre (ATP). Para tanto, a expressão de proteínas heterólogas e engenharia evolutiva foram realizadas em levedura de modo que a produção de determinados compostos se torne energicamente viável. / The biotechs industry is a growing field since fossil resources are being attached to ecological and geopolitical constraints. In this scenario, Brazil has a major role due to its large experience in the bioethanol industry and sugarcane use as a cheap feedstock. The aim of this work is to optimize Saccharomyces cerevisiae allowing them to occupy a new niche: the production of economically valuable chemicals that require cellular free energy (ATP) on their biosynthesis. In this context, heterologous protein expression and evolutionary engineering were done. Therefore, this work will potentially contribute to make certain energy demanding chemicals production economically viable.

Foram determinadas por meio de difração de raios x as estruturas de cinco compostos azaçúcares. Foram estudadas as interações envolvidas na formação das redes cristalinas em cada um dos compostos analisados. Foi encontrado que nos compostos azaçúcares estudados, as interações principais são as ligações de hidrogênio do tipo C-H···O e C-H···π. Este comportamento foi verificado usando ferramentas como as superfícies de Hirshfeld e os gráficos de impressão digital. Realizou-se o estudo de docking molecular dos compostos azaçúcares com respeito à enzima purina nucleosídeo fosforilase (PNP). Foi determinado que estes compostos têm a capacidade de entrar no sitio ativo da PNP. O estudo das interações dos cinco azaçúcares com a PNP mostrou que estes compostos apresentam as mesmas interações presentes em inibidores da PNP já reportados. / Structures of five azasugars were determined by X-ray diffraction. Crystal network interactions were analyzed for each compound. The main interaction found for these azasugar compounds is hydrogen bond as C-H···O e C-H···π. This behavior was verified by tools as Hirshfeld surface and 2D finger print plots. Molecular docking was performed for azasugar compounds in Purine Nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP). This study confirmed that these compounds are available to enter to the PNP active site. Interactions exploration showed the same interactions for the azasugars studied and for already known PNP inhibitors.

Trypanosoma brucei causes African sleeping sickness in humans and Nagana in cattle. There are no vaccines available against the disease and the current treatment is also not satisfactory because of inefficacy and numerous side effects of the used drugs. T. brucei lacks de novo synthesis of purine nucleosides; hence it depends on the host to make its purine nucleotides. T. brucei has a high affinity adenosine kinase (TbAK), which phosphorylates adenosine, deoxyadenosine (dAdo), inosine and their analogs. RNAi experiments confirmed that TbAK is responsible for the salvage of dAdo and the toxicity of its substrate analogs. Cell growth assays with the dAdo analogs, Ara-A and F-Ara-A, suggested that TbAK could be exploited for drug development against the disease. It has previously been shown that when T. brucei cells were cultivated in the presence of 1 mM deoxyadenosine (dAdo), they showed accumulation of dATP and depletion of ATP nucleotides. The altered nucleotide levels were toxic to the trypanosomes. However the salvage of dAdo in trypanosomes was dramatically reduced below 0.5 mM dAdo. Radiolabeled dAdo experiments showed that it (especially at low concentrations) is cleaved to adenine and converted to ATP. The recombinant methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (TbMTAP) cleaved methylthioadenosine, dAdo and adenosine into adenine and sugar-1-P in a phosphate-dependent manner. The trypanosomes became more sensitive to dAdo when TbMTAP was down-regulated in RNAi experiments. The RNAi experiments confirmed that trypanosomes avoid dATP accumulation by cleaving dAdo. The TbMTAP cleavage-resistant nucleoside analogs, FANA-A and Ara-A, successfully cured T. brucei-infected mice. The DNA building block dTTP can be synthesized either via thymidylate synthase in the de novo pathway or via thymidine kinase (TK) by salvage synthesis. We found that T. brucei and three other parasites contain a tandem TK where the gene sequence was repeated twice or four times in a single open reading frame. The recombinant T. brucei TK, which belongs to the TK1 family, showed broad substrate specificity. The enzyme phosphorylated the pyrimidine nucleosides thymidine and deoxyuridine, as well as the purine nucleosides deoxyinosine and deoxyguanosine. When the repeated sequences of the tandem TbTK were expressed individually as domains, only domain 2 was active. However, the protein could not dimerize and had a 5-fold reduced affinity to its pyrimidine substrates but a similar turnover number as the full-length enzyme. The expressed domain 1 was inactive and sequence analysis revealed that some active residues, which are needed for substrate binding and catalysis, are absent. Generally, the TK1 family enzymes form dimers or tetramers and the quaternary structure is linked to the affinity for the substrates. The covalently linked inactive domain-1 helps domain-2 to form a pseudodimer for the efficient binding of substrates. In addition, we discovered a repetition of an 89-bp sequence in both domain 1 and domain 2, which suggests a genetic exchange between the two domains. T. brucei is very dependent on de novo synthesis via ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) for the production of dNTPs. Even though T. brucei RNR belongs to the class Ia RNR family and contains an ATP-binding cone, it lacks inhibition by dATP. The mechanism behind the RNR activation by ATP and inactivation by dATP was a puzzle for a long time in the ~50 years of RNR research. We carried out oligomerization studies on mouse and E. coli RNRs, which belongs to the same family as T. brucei, to get an understanding of the molecular mechanism behind overall activity regulation. We found that the oligomerization status of RNRs and overall activity mechanism are interlinked with each other. / Targeting the nucleotide metabolism of the mammalian pathogen Trypanosoma brucei.

A la suite des nombreux travaux sur l'inhibition de la glycogène phosphorylase (GP) menés au laboratoire et au travers de diverses collaborations, cette thèse décrit en cinq chapitres suivis d'une partie expérimentale détaillée, les dernières avancées en termes de synthèse et d'évaluation biologique des inhibiteurs du site catalytique de la GP. La chapitre I de ce manuscrit est consacrée à la présentation des diabètes et plus particulièrement du diabète de type II dont le traitement, motivation première de ce projet, repose sur la connaissance des mécanismes complexes régulant la glycémie. Les différents inhibiteurs synthétisés sont classés par famille selon leur structure qui associe un aglycone hétérocyclique, susceptible d'affinité pour le canal β proche du site actif de l'enzyme, avec un motif glycopyranosidique, ou glycopyranosylidène dans le cas des motifs spiro. Le chapitre II est consacré aux inhibiteurs spiro-bicycliques tels que les glucopyranosylidène-spiro-1,4,2-oxathiazoles et les glucopyranosylidène-spiro-isoxazolines. Le chapitre III décrit la synthèse de C- et N-glycosyles hétérocycles, principalement des glycopyranosyl-1,2,3-triazoles. Enfin le chapitre IV décrit la fonctionnalisation de 5-halogéno-1,2,3-triazoles 4-substitués par couplages pallado-catalysés qui ont constitué un développement imprévu mais original des travaux. Pour terminer, le chapitre V décrit l'évaluation des molécules préparées en tant qu'inhibiteurs de la glycogène phosphorylase. Les expériences et résultats d'enzymologie, de cristallographie ainsi que les tests cellulaires in vitro et in vivo sur le rat sont présentés

No description available.

Trypanosoma brucei is a causative agent of African sleeping sickness. It is an extracellular parasite which circulates in the blood, lymph and eventually invades the central nervous system. There is a great need for new medicines against the disease and specific properties of nucleoside kinases in the pathogen can be exploited as targets for chemotherapy.  T. brucei contains a gene where two thymidine kinase sequences are fused into a single open reading frame. These types of tandem thymidine kinases were found only in different types of parasites, which made us to believe that it might be beneficial for them. Each thymidine kinase sequence in these tandem enzymes are here referred to as a domain. By cloning and expressing each domain from T. brucei separately, we found that domain 1 was inactive and domain 2 was as active as the full-length enzyme. T. brucei thymidine kinase phosphorylated the pyrimidine nucleosides thymidine and deoxyuridine and to some extent purine nucleosides like deoxyinosine and deoxyguanosine. Human thymidine kinase increases the affinity to its substrates when it forms oligomers. Similarly, the T. brucei two thymidine kinase sequences, which can be viewed as a pseudodimer, had a higher affinity to its substrates than domain 2 alone.  T. brucei lacks de novo purine biosynthesis and it is therefore dependent on salvaging the required purine nucleotides for RNA and DNA synthesis from the host. Purine salvage is considered as a target for drug development. It has been shown that in the presence of deoxyadenosine in the growth medium, the parasites accumulate high levels of dATP and the extensive phosphorylation of deoxyadenosine leads to depleted ATP pools. Initially, we wondered if deoxyadenosine could be used as a drug against T. brucei. However, we found that T. brucei is partially protected against deoxyadenosine because it was cleaved by the enzyme methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) to adenine and ribose-1-phosphate. At higher concentration of deoxyadenosine, 3 the formed adenine was not efficiently salvaged into ATP and started to inhibit MTAP instead. The deoxyadenosine was then instead phosphorylated by adenosine kinase leading to accumulation of dATP. The MTAP reaction makes deoxyadenosine itself useless as a drug and instead we focused on finding analogues of deoxyadenosine or adenosine that were cleavage-resistant and at the same time good substrates of T. brucei adenosine kinase. Our best hit was then 9-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro-ß-D-arabinofuranosyl) adenine (FANA-A). An additional advantage of FANA-A as a drug was that it was taken up by the P1 nucleoside transporter family, which makes it useful also against multidrug resistant parasites that often have lost the P2 transporter function and take up their purines solely by the P1 transporter. In parallel with our study of nucleoside metabolism in T. brucei, we also have a collaboration project where we screen essential oils from plants which are used in traditional medicine. If the essential oils are active against the trypanosomes, we further analyze the different components in the oils to identify new drugs against African sleeping sickness. One such compound identified from the plant Smyrnium olusatrum is isofuranodiene, which inhibited T. brucei proliferation with an IC50 value of 3 μM.

Foram determinadas por meio de difração de raios x as estruturas de cinco compostos azaçúcares. Foram estudadas as interações envolvidas na formação das redes cristalinas em cada um dos compostos analisados. Foi encontrado que nos compostos azaçúcares estudados, as interações principais são as ligações de hidrogênio do tipo C-H···O e C-H···π. Este comportamento foi verificado usando ferramentas como as superfícies de Hirshfeld e os gráficos de impressão digital. Realizou-se o estudo de docking molecular dos compostos azaçúcares com respeito à enzima purina nucleosídeo fosforilase (PNP). Foi determinado que estes compostos têm a capacidade de entrar no sitio ativo da PNP. O estudo das interações dos cinco azaçúcares com a PNP mostrou que estes compostos apresentam as mesmas interações presentes em inibidores da PNP já reportados. / Structures of five azasugars were determined by X-ray diffraction. Crystal network interactions were analyzed for each compound. The main interaction found for these azasugar compounds is hydrogen bond as C-H···O e C-H···π. This behavior was verified by tools as Hirshfeld surface and 2D finger print plots. Molecular docking was performed for azasugar compounds in Purine Nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP). This study confirmed that these compounds are available to enter to the PNP active site. Interactions exploration showed the same interactions for the azasugars studied and for already known PNP inhibitors.

A indústria biotecnológica vem ganhando destaque em função das negativas atreladas ao uso de recursos fósseis. Nesse cenário, o Brasil se destaca por seu programa de produção de bioetanol bem estabelecido e pelo uso de cana-de-açúcar como matéria prima barata. O presente trabalho construiu Saccharomyces cerevisiae transgênicas para aprodução de compostos de interesse econômico cuja biossíntese consome energia livre (ATP). Para tanto, a expressão de proteínas heterólogas e engenharia evolutiva foram realizadas em levedura de modo que a produção de determinados compostos se torne energicamente viável. / The biotechs industry is a growing field since fossil resources are being attached to ecological and geopolitical constraints. In this scenario, Brazil has a major role due to its large experience in the bioethanol industry and sugarcane use as a cheap feedstock. The aim of this work is to optimize Saccharomyces cerevisiae allowing them to occupy a new niche: the production of economically valuable chemicals that require cellular free energy (ATP) on their biosynthesis. In this context, heterologous protein expression and evolutionary engineering were done. Therefore, this work will potentially contribute to make certain energy demanding chemicals production economically viable.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第19188号 / 工博第4065号 / 新制||工||1627(附属図書館) / 32180 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科合成・生物化学専攻 / (主査)教授 跡見 晴幸, 教授 森 泰生, 教授 濵地 格 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM

No description available.