In recent years, several industrial yeasts, owing to their robust growth and certain other characteristics, have been developed as recombinant host systems for commercial production of heterologous proteins. One such yeast Pichia pastoris has proven to be an excellent host for production of secreted and intracellular proteins (Cereghino and Cregg. 2000). The increasing popularity of this particular expression system can be attributed to several factors, most importantly: (1) the simplicity of techniques needed for the molecular genetic manipulation of Pichia pastoris and their similarity to those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, one of the most well-characterized experimental systems in modern biology;(2) the ability of Pichia pastoris to produce foreign proteins at high levels, either intracellularly or extracellularly; and (3) the capability of performing many eukaryotic post-translational modifications, such as glycosylation, disulfide bond formation and proteolytic processing. The expression level for a given recombinant protein produced by Pichia pastoris seems to be determined largely by its inherent properties such as amino acid sequence, the tertiary structure and the site for expression (Sreekrishna et al.,1997). The attempts on increasing the protein expression levels by far are focused on genetic manipulations to enhance the gene expression and protein stability. Although this is crucial, there is ample scope to improve the productivity of Pichia pastoris fermentations by undertaking a systematic program of optimizing the entire fermentation process. This work aims at undertaking such a program by focusing on strategy to identify and to characterize trends in the behavior of the system. It can be expected that by addressing the process as a whole, rather than narrowly focusing on the protein expression alone, the methodology proposed here can simplify process scale-up and can be applied to several products made by the same host. Pichia pastoris is methylotrophic yeast. In the Pichia pastoris fermentation, the limiting carbon source is glycerol, method or mixture of both. It can grow on methanol as a sole carbon and energy source. It possesses a highly inducible methanol utilization pathway. The first step in the metabolism of methanol is the oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde using molecular oxygen by alcohol oxidase (AOX). AOX, the first enzyme of the pathway, accounts for up to 35% of the total protein in cells grown on limited amounts of methanol. The enzymes undetectable in cells grown on glucose, ethanol or glycerol. There are two genes in Pichia pastoris that code for AOX: AOXI. The AOXI gene product accounts for the majority of alcohol oxidase activity in the cell. This highly inducible and stringently regulated AOXI promoter has been used to construct expression vectors for the production of heterologous proteins in Pichia pastoris. Although some foreign proteins have expressed well in shake-flask cultures, expression levels are typically low compared to fomenter cultures. There are several key aspects of Pichia pastoris fermentations: 1. Fed-batch operation – Controlled addition of glycerol, methanol or mixture thereof. In general, strains are grown initially in a defined medium containing glycerol as its carbon source (growth phase). During this phase, biomass accumulates but heterogonous gene expression is fully repressed. Upon depletion of glycerol, a transition phase is initiated in which additional glycerol is fed to the culture at a growth-limiting rate. Finally, method a mixture of glycerol and methanol is fed to the culture to induce expression (induction phase). The duration of individual substrate feeds, the amount and mode of feeding are critical to optimal fermentation performance. 2.Online measurement and control-One of the most important key parameters in Pichia pastor is expression system is the methanol concentration. Monitoring and controlling this variable are important because high levels of this inductor substrate can be toxic to the cells and low levels of methanol may not be enough to initiate the AOX transcription (Cereghino and Cregg, 2000) This research work aims at investigation the above mentioned aspects by conduction an in depth engineering analysis of the Pichia Pastoris fermentations.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-06-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:50:48Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_vc_me_arafcf.pdf: 335369 bytes, checksum: 08eedc270c2e51ba9d6a9688bf400044 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O gene GPD2 de Saccharomyces cerevisiae, que codifica a enzima glicerol-3- fosfato desidrogenase (G3PDH; EC 1.1.1.8; NAD+: oxidoredutase) foi clonado na levedura Pichia pastoris para expressar extracelularmente a enzima em meio de cultura. Essa enzima apresenta aplicação prática em diversos sistemas acoplados para determinação quantitativa de triacilglicerol, glicerol, ácido fosfatídico e outros fosfolipidios também podendo ser usada para medir atividades enzimáticas em diversos tipos de amostras. Para que a atividade extracelular fosse suficiente em ensaios industriais e biológicos, um estudo de indução da expressão da enzima foi realizado no presente trabalho, que consistiu em escolher o clone que melhor secreta a enzima e estudar o meio de crescimento (BMGY), a densidade inicial celular (0,05 mg/mL), o meio de indução enzimática (BMMY), a natureza do tampão (tampão fosfato), o pH (6,0), o tempo de produção da proteína (4 dias), a concentração da enzima através de membrana filtrante (120 vezes), a melhor fonte de peptona (Acumédia), o estudo de pré-indução celular por estresse osmótico (atividade de 0,477 ± 0,0 U/mL em 24 horas com NaCl 0,35M). O processo de produção da G3PDH mostrou que a máxima produtividade enzimática (795 U/mL e atividade específica de 44,49 U/mg) e biomassa final de 17,75 mg/mL foi obtida com as seguintes condições experimentais: 48 horas de indução com meio BMMY, utilizando 1% de metanol, 1% de glicerol, densidade inicial celular de 0,05 mg/mL, pH 5,0 e sobrenadante concentrado 120 vezes em membrana filtrante. / The GPD2 gene from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which encodes the enzyme glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH, EC 1.1.1.8, NAD +: oxidoredutase) was cloned in the yeast Pichia pastoris to express the enzyme extracellularly in the culture medium. The enzyme G3PDH has practical application in various systems coupled to quantitative determination of triacylglycerol, glycerol, phosphatidic acid and other phospholipids. It can also be used to measure the enzymatic activities in diverse types of samples. For the application of the enzyme extracellular in industrial and biological tests, a study of induction of expression of the enzyme was accomplished in the present work, that consisted of to choose of clone that more expressing the enzyme, the growth medium (BMGY), the cellular initial density (0.05 mg/mL), the medium of enzymatic induction (BMMY), the buffer nature (phosphate potassium), pH (6.0), the time of production of the protein (4 days), the concentration of the protein (120-fold), the peptone source (Acumédia), the study of pre-induction cellular for osmotic stress (activity of 0.477 ± 0.0 U/mL in 24 hours with NaCl 0.35M). The study of the variable determinative in the process of production of the G3PDH it showed that the maximum enzymatic productivity (0.795 U/mL and 44.49 U/mg of specific activity) and final biomass of 17.75 mg/mL was obtained with the following experimental conditions: 48 hours of induction with medium BMMY, using 1% methanol, 1% glycerol, cellular initial density of 0.05mg/mL, pH 5.0 and the supernatant concentrated 120-fold in filter menbrane.

Submitted by Caroline Falcao (caroline.rfalcao@ufpe.br) on 2017-04-04T18:59:29Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) 2011-Dissertação-JanaineCarvalho.pdf: 1997829 bytes, checksum: 1182cc1385c167fb2f0bfaa773d3a959 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-04T18:59:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) 2011-Dissertação-JanaineCarvalho.pdf: 1997829 bytes, checksum: 1182cc1385c167fb2f0bfaa773d3a959 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-10-07 / O câncer cervical é a segunda maior causa de mortes entre mulheres no mundo. Esta neoplasia maligna está relacionada com a presença do Papilomavírus Humano (HPV), sendo o tipo 16 responsável por 60% dos casos. O HPV infecta o tecido epitelial mucoso ou cutâneo e é responsável pelo aparecimento de verrugas ou papilomas benignos que tendem a regredir naturalmente na maioria dos casos, mas que ainda assim causam prejuízos aos indivíduos infectados e aos sistemas públicos de saúde, sendo a papilomatose considerada a doença sexualmente transmissível mais prevalente no mundo, tornando essencial a aplicação de estratégias de combate à esta infecção. Vacinas baseadas em Virus-like particles (VLPs), formadas a partir das proteínas capsidiais L1 e L2 - que induzem a formação de anticorpos neutralizantes - já estão comercialmente disponíveis. Contudo, possuem um preço elevado considerando, principalmente, os países em desenvolvimento. A imunidade humoral é direcionada contra os epítopos conformacionais da proteína L1 que compõe 90% da estrutura capsidial. Para produção das VLPs os genes das proteínas capsidiais são expressos em sistemas heterólogos e o produto resultante é purificado. A escolha de um sistema mais simples e barato para essa expressão é fundamental para a redução do custo das vacinas. Uma alternativa promissora é a levedura Pichia pastoris. Este trabalho propôs a produção extracelular e intracelular da proteína L1 de HPV16, que teve seu gene inserido no vetor pPCIZAα e pPCIZA, respectivamente. As construções pPICZAαL1H16 e pPICZAL1H16 foram integradas no genoma da levedura Pichia pastoris e a transcrição do gene L1 e a expressão da proteína foram confirmadas por RT-PCR e imunodetecção em Dot Blot. A busca de uma melhor expressão da proteína L1 de HPV 16, em células de P. pastoris, é uma etapa essencial na busca do desenvolvimento de uma estratégia vacinal mais economicamente viável baseada em VLPs. / The Cervical cancer is the second leading cause of death among women worldwide. This malignancy is related to the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV) being the type 16 responsible for 60% of the cases. HPV infects cutaneous or mucosal epithelial tissue and is responsible for the appearance of benign papillomas or warts that tend to regress naturally in most cases, but still cause damage to infected individuals and public health systems, with papillomatosis being considered the most prevalent sexually transmitted disease worldwide, making essential to implement strategies to combat this infection. Vaccines based on viruslike particles (VLPs), formed from the capsid proteins L1 and L2 - that induce the formation of neutralizing antibodies - are already commercially available. However, they are expensive considering mainly the developing countries. Humoral immunity is directed against conformational epitopes of the L1 protein which represents 90% of the capsid structure. In order to produce VLPs the capsid protein genes are expressed in heterologous systems and the resulting product is purified. The choice of a simpler and cheaper system for this expression is fundamental to reduce the cost of vaccines. A promising alternative is the Pichia pastoris yeast. This paper proposed the extracellular and intracellular generation of HPV16 L1 protein, which had its gene inserted into the vectors pPCIZAα e pPCIZA, respectively. The pPICZAαL1H16 and pPICZAL1H16 plasmids were integrated into the Pichia pastoris yeast genome and the L1 gene transcription and protein expression were confirmed by RT-PCR and immunodetection in Dot Blot. The search for better expression of HPV 16 L1 protein, in cells of P. pastoris, is an essential step in the quest to develop a more economically viable vaccine strategy based on VLPs.

Submitted by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-05-26T13:43:05Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Ilítia Ganaê de Oliveira Costa - 2016.pdf: 5422422 bytes, checksum: da6f13721ce50902b9fe7d9ac3713ab5 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2017-05-26T13:43:28Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Ilítia Ganaê de Oliveira Costa - 2016.pdf: 5422422 bytes, checksum: da6f13721ce50902b9fe7d9ac3713ab5 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-26T13:43:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Ilítia Ganaê de Oliveira Costa - 2016.pdf: 5422422 bytes, checksum: da6f13721ce50902b9fe7d9ac3713ab5 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / In the last decades the search for new renewable energy sources have increased and one of the emerged technologies was the production of ethanol from lignocellulosic biomass (second generation ethanol). For obtaining fermentable sugars from biomass, a complex of enzymes and proteins that acts on polysaccharides of the plant cell wall is required. Expansins are proteins that can help enzymes in the degradation process, promoting the loosening of the cell wall of plants by breaking hydrogen bonds between cellulose fibers and hemicellulose. The superfamily of expansins has been described mainly in plants, although they are also found in fungi and bacteria. Four families are described to this superfamily: α-expansins, β-expansins, expansins-like A and expansins-like B. The α-expansins are present in most eudicots, whereas the β-expansins are involved in cellular expansion process of the monocots family Poaceae. To analyze the sequence and to verify the functional activity of a β-expansin on filter paper, in this work a gene of β-expansin (expb11) of sugarcane was isolated, cloned and expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris. Nucleotide sequences of expansin genes from sugarcane were initially obtained from the public SUCEST database using reference sequences of expansins from sorghum, maize and rice as query. A total of 227 ESTs were identified. These ESTs were submitted to clustering and 30 contigs and 92 singletons were obtained. Specific oligos were designed and used to capture the genomic fragment corresponding to the expb11 gene by PCR. The coding DNA fragment of expb11 was obtained by RT-PCR from the total RNA extracted from stalks of the RB867515 sugarcane cultivar. This fragment was cloned into the pGEM-T Easy vector and subcloned into the pPIC9 vector. Genomic and cDNA fragments were sequenced. The expression cassette generated by subcloning into the pPIC9 expression vector was integrated into the P. pastoris strain GS115 genome, but it has not been possible to detect a functional activity of expansin. The expb11 gene comprises 1367 bp, containing 3 introns, and its cDNA is 801 bp long, with an ORF of 776 bp. The alignment of sugarcane and sorghum sequences of expb11 showed that the two species share a 95% sequence identity along these genes and that the gene structure is highly conserved in these species. The in silico analysis of the putative EXPB11 amino acid sequence allowed the detection of two conserved domains, one similar to the GH45 family, and the other to the carbohydrate binding module (CBM). The putative EXPB11 protein has a predicted molecular weight of approximately 26.4 kDa, an isoelectric point (pI) of 4.88, and contains two glycosylation sites. Our results confirmed that the isolated and cloned expb11 gene corresponds to a β-expansin gene from sugarcane, paving the way to the expression, isolation and use of recombinant EXPB11 in the mix of enzymes and proteins for lignocellulosic biomass degradation. / Nos últimos anos tem crescido a busca por novas fontes de energia renováveis, e uma das tecnologias utilizadas é a produção de etanol a partir da biomassa lignocelulósica (etanol de segunda geração). Para a obtenção de açúcares fermentáveis a partir dessa biomassa, é necessário um complexo de enzimas e proteínas que atuarão sobre os polissacarídeos da parede celular vegetal. As expansinas são proteínas que podem auxiliar as enzimas no processo de degradação, promovendo o afrouxamento da parede celular das plantas pelo rompimento de ligações de hidrogênio entre fibras de celulose e hemicelulose. A superfamília das expansinas foi descrita principalmente em plantas, entretanto, há relatos em fungos e bactérias. São descritas 4 famílias de expansinas: α-expansinas, β-expansinas, expansinas like-A e expansinas like-B. As α e β-expansinas já são caracterizadas, desempenhando importante função no crescimento vegetal. As α-expansinas são mais presentes em plantas dicotiledôneas, enquanto que as β-expansinas estão envolvidas no processo de expansão celular de monocotiledôneas da família Poaceae. Para analisar a sequência e verificar a atividade funcional de uma β-expansina sobre bagaço de cana-de-açúcar, neste trabalho foi isolado, clonado e expresso um gene de β-expansina (expb11) de cana-de-açúcar na levedura Pichia pastoris. A sequência de nucleotídeos do gene de β-expansina da cana-de-açúcar foi obtida a partir da biblioteca de cDNA de cana-de-açúcar do projeto SUCEST. Sequências de referências de expansinas de sorgo, milho e arroz foram utilizadas para identificar ESTs de expansinas no banco de dados SUCEST. Foram identificadas 227 ESTs. Essas ESTs foram submetidas à clusterização e foram obtidos 30 contigs e 92 singletons. Após o desenho de oligonucleotídeos, o fragmento genômico correspondente ao gene expb11 foi amplificado por PCR. A região codante do gene expb11 foi obtida por RT-PCR a partir de RNA total obtido de colmo da cultivar RB867515. Esse material foi clonado no vetor pGEM-T Easy e subclonado no vetor pPIC9. Os fragmentos genômico e cDNA obtidos foram analisados por sequenciamento. O cassete de expressão gerado pela subclonagem em vetor de expressão pPIC9 foi integrado no genoma de P. pastoris linhagem GS115, mas não foi possível detectar atividade funcional da expansina. O gene expb11 possui 1367 pb, contendo 3 íntrons, enquanto o cDNA 801 pb. Pelo alinhamento das sequências genômicas do gene expb11 obtidas de cana-de-açúcar e de sorgo, foi possível se observar que estes genes possuem 95 % de identidade, e estrutura de íntrons/éxons semelhantes. Pela análise in silico da sequência de aminoácidos da proteína EXPB11 foi possível verificar que ela possui dois domínios, um similar ao da família GH45, e outro similar ao módulo de ligação ao carboidrato (CBM). A proteína EXPB11 possui peso molecular de aproximadamente 26,4 kDa, pI 4,88, e contém dois sítios de glicosilação. Os resultados obtidos através das análises in silico mostraram que o gene expb11, isolado e clonado, corresponde a um gene de β-expansina de cana-de-açúcar, e ao ser produzida, a EXPB11 recombinante poderá integrar o mix de enzimas e proteínas para a degradação de biomassa lignocelulósica.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:32:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_itaua_leston_araujo.pdf: 980896 bytes, checksum: 4007b4d62827e236b56c4fe512f94f29 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-27 / Glycoprotein D (gD) is essential for attachment and penetration of bovine herpesvirus type 5 (BoHV-5) into susceptible cells, and is a major target of host immune systems, inducing strong humoral and cellular immune responses. The immunogenicity of recombinant BoHV-5 (rgD5) expressed in Pichia pastoris was evaluated in bovines. Vaccines formulated with 100 μg rgD5 dose and adjuvants (Montanide ISA50V2 or Aluminum Hydroxide) with or without inactivated BoHV-5 or rgD5 without adjuvants were administered intramuscularly. A commercial vaccine was also used as control. The vaccine formulation rgD5 + ISA50V2 stimulated humoral immune responses after two doses, and higher titer of neutralizing antibodies were obtained in all three oil-based adjuvants formulations when compared to Hydroxide Aluminium adjuvant or the commercial vaccine. The vaccine BoHV-5 + rgD5 + ISA50V2 stimulated titers of neutralizing antibodies approximately 8 log2, which demonstrated higher correlations on the Indirect ELISA. Together, the results suggest that the recombinant gD5 conserved neutralizing epitopes and was able to stimulate a efficient humoral immune response in bovines. / A glicoproteína D (gD) é essencial para ligação e penetração de herpesvírus bovino 5 (BoHV-5) em células suscetíveis, e é um alvo importante do sistema imune do hospedeiro, induzindo respostas imunes humoral e celular. A imunogenicidade da glicoproteína D recombinante de BoHV-5 (rgD5) expressa em Pichia pastoris foi avaliada em bovinos. Vacinas formuladas com 100 μg de rgD5 por dose e adjuvante a base de óleo (Montanide ISA50V2) ou hidróxido de alumínio, com ou sem adição de BoHV-5 inativado foram administradas via intramuscular, e uma vacina comercial utilizada como controle. A vacina rgD5 + ISA50V2 estimulou resposta imune humoral após duas doses, e os mais elevados títulos de anticorpos neutralizantes foram obtidos em todas as três formulações de adjuvantes à base de óleo quando comparado com a formulação de vacinas de adjuvante de hidróxido de alumínio e vacina comercial. A vacina BoHV-5 + rgD5 + ISA50V2 estimulou títulos de anticorpos neutralizantes aproximadamente a 8 log2, demonstrando correlação significativa com o ELISA indireto. Em conjunto, os resultados sugerem que a rgD5 conservou epítopos neutralizantes e foi capaz de estimular uma resposta imune humoral eficiente em bovinos.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:32:53Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_luana_alves_dummer.pdf: 909354 bytes, checksum: d2af8cc0772177718829cf7f15391d43 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-06-12 / Outbreaks of fatal meningoencephalitis caused by Bovine Herpesvirus type 5 (BoHV-5) cause important economic losses in national trade of bovine beef. Commercial vaccines developed against Bovine Herpesvirus type 1 can protect cattle of neurological disease caused by BoHV-5. These cross-reactions are due to its genetic and antigenic similarities of both BoHV-1 and 5. However, these vaccines can not prevent latent infection of BoHV-5, even viral spread to healthy animals. This way, new vaccines strategies are based on envelope glycoproteins and are focusing safety, economic viability and on prevention of BoHV-5 latency and spread. This glycoprotein acts in initial steps of viral infection and glycoprotein D has drawn the attention in studies carried out with BoHV-1 and other homologous herpesvirus. The gD acts on viral membrane fusion with permissive cells through glycoproteins and host receptors interactions, so it is essential for viral entry. A vaccine that is capable to stimulate specific humoral and cellular immunity against BoHV-5 must be developed. The aim of this work was the production of a recombinant truncated form of gD of BoHV-5 in yeast Pichia pastoris and its antigenicity and immunogenicity evaluation. Data show that yeast P. pastoris can express the truncated form of BoHV-5 gD to the supernatant due to its secretion of ~190mg/L of recombinant protein, simplifying protein purification. The recombinant protein was successfully recognized by antibodies of animals immunized with BoHV-5, suggesting its antigenicity and immunogenicity and that native protein characteristic are conserved. The data presented herein allow the design of future studies aiming at expression optimization and further immunogenicity evaluation, as well as its capacity to neutralize the virus in biological models and on cattle. / Surtos de meningoencefalites fatais causadas pelo Herpesvírus Bovino tipo 5 (BoHV-5) ocasionam importantes perdas econômicas no comércio nacional de carne bovina. Vacinas comerciais destinadas ao Herpesvírus Bovino tipo 1 são capazes de impedir o aparecimento de sintomatologia clínica do BoHV-5. Estas reações cruzadas se devem a existência de semelhanças genéticas e antigênicas existentes entre ambos os vírus. No entanto, estas vacinas não impedem o estabelecimento da infecção latente e a disseminação do BoHV-5 para animais não imunizados. Desta forma, estratégias que visem à produção de vacinas seguras, economicamente viáveis e que possam ser capazes de impedir a latência do BoHV-5 e sua disseminação estão focadas para glicoproteínas localizadas no envelope viral e que atuam nas etapas iniciais da infecção. Dentre estas, a glicoproteína D tem se destacado em estudos realizados com BoHV-1 e outros herpesvírus homólogos. A gD atua na fusão do envelope viral com a membrana da célula permissiva no hospedeiro através de interações com receptores celulares e com outras glicoproteínas virais, sendo essencial para a entrada do capsídeo na célula. Assim, uma vacina que seja capaz de estimular respostas humorais e celulares contra esta glicoproteína deve ser desenvolvida. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram à produção da forma truncada da gD do BoHV-5 em levedura Pichia pastoris e a avaliação desta quanto a sua antigenicidade e imunogenicidade. Os resultados demonstram que a Pichia pastoris expressou a forma truncada da gD de BoHV-5 secretando para o meio de cultivo ~190mg/L da proteína recombinante, facilitando a purificação da mesma. Testada quanto a sua a sua antigenicidade e imunogenicidade, a proteína recombinante foi reconhecida por anticorpos de animais imunizados com o BoHV-5, sugerindo que características da proteína nativa foram conservadas na proteína recombinante. Os dados apresentados irão permitir o desenvolvimento de estudos 6 futuros com o objetivo de aperfeiçoar a expressão da proteína recombinante e avaliar a sua capacidade de neutralizar o vírus na espécie-alvo.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:32:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_ana_munhoz_vianna.pdf: 719262 bytes, checksum: c1b68d796b66c4c6c3d0037b6024cb3d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-07-25 / The equine piroplasmosis caused by Theileria equi is considered one of the most important equine diseases in both tropical and subtropical countries. Theileriosis is endemic in Brazil and causes significant economic losses for equine breeders. Disease-free countries restrict horse transit coming from endemic areas due to the high prevalence of asymptomatic carrier animals. In order to prevent and control this disease, it is therefore necessary to develop efficient diagnostic methods. Previous Theileria equi immunological diagnostic studies have been based in outer membrane antigens. Equi merozoite antigen (EMA) is a major outer membrane antigen of this protozoan, recognized by antibodies of Theileria equi positive horses. In this study, we reported the expression, purification and characterization of EMA-2 protein of Theileria equi in the yeast Pichia pastoris. The EMA-2 gene was cloned into the expression vector pPICZαB and the expressed protein was secreted to the medium as a soluble form. The expression and antigenicity of rEMA-2 protein was demonstrated by Dot and Western Blotting, using anti-histidine and equine Theileriosis clinically positive antibodies. An indirect ELISA with the rEMA-2 was performed and it was possible to differentiate with more than a threefold difference between negative and positive serum from horses confirmed with Theileriosis. The data obtained in this work suggest that the rEMA-2 protein expressed in P. pastoris is a potential candidate for use as antigen in immunodiagnostic of T. equi. / A Piroplasmose equina causada por Theileria equi é considerada uma das mais importantes doenças dos equinos em regiões tropicais e subtropicais. Acomete os equinos de forma endêmica no Brasil levando a significativas perdas econômicas. Países livres da doença não permitem a entrada de animais provindos de regiões endêmicas devido à alta prevalência de animais assintomáticos. Para controle e prevenção desta enfermidade se faz necessário desenvolvimento de métodos de diagnóstico eficazes. Os estudos sobre o diagnóstico imunológico para Theileriose concentram-se em antígenos da membrana externa. O principal antígeno da membrana externa deste protozoário, Equi Antígeno Merozoite (EMA) é reconhecido por anticorpos de cavalos positivos para Theileria equi. Neste estudo reportamos a expressão, purificação e a caracterização da proteína EMA-2 de Theileria equi na levedura Pichia pastoris. O gene EMA-2 foi clonado no vetor de expressão pPICZαB sendo a proteína expressa, secretada de forma solúvel ao meio. A expressão e antigenicidade da proteína rEMA-2 foi demonstrado por Dot e Western Blotting utilizando-se anti-histidina e anticorpos de equinos clinicamente positivos para Theileriose. Um ELISA indireto com rEMA-2 foi realizado e foi possível determinar uma diferença de mais de três vezes entre os soros de equinos confirmados como positivos e negativos para Theileriose. Com os dados obtidos neste trabalho podemos sugerir que a proteína rEMA-2 é um potencial candidato para ser utilizado como antígeno em imunodiagnóstico de T. equi.

Dans cette thèse de doctorat, la structure de membranes naturelles et modèles et leurs interactions avec des molécules biologiquement actives ont été étudiées au moyen de la réflectométrie de neutrons. Les lipides naturels ont été extraits de la levure Pichia pastoris, poussée en milieux deutéré et hydrogéné. L’analyse a montré que la quantité relative de phospholipides n’est pas affectée par le changement en composition isotopique du milieu de croissance. Cependant, les cellules de levures deutérées contiennent principalement des acides gras C18 :1 alors que le degré d’insaturation est plus élevé chez les levures hydrogénés. Diminuer la température du milieu de croissance permet d’augmenter le degré d’insaturation des acides gras chez les levures deutérées. Une analyse qualitative des sphingolipides a été réalisée et un protocole pour séparer les fractions phosphocholines et phosphoethanolamine a été établi.<p><p>La structure de bicouches composées des lipides de levures a été étudiée par réflectivité de neutrons. La bicouche composée de lipides deutérés polaires a une épaisseur similaire aux bicouches faites de phosphocholines C18:1 synthétiques. En présence de stérols, la rugosité aux interfaces entre les têtes polaires et les chaînes augmente. La bicouche composée de lipides polaires hydrogénés est plus mince que celle deutérée. Ceci est dû à la composition en acides gras beaucoup plus variée et du plus grand nombre d’insaturations. En présence de stérols, l’épaisseur de la bicouche hydrogénée augmente. <p>L’interaction de ces bicouches avec l’amphotéricine B (AmB) a été étudiée. L’AmB est un antifongique qui interagit fortement avec les membranes contenant de l’ergostérol et moins fortement avec des membranes contenant du cholestérol. Dans tous les cas, les molécules d’AmB forment une couche épaisse et diluée au dessus de la bicouche lipidique. En présence de stérols, les molécules d’AmB pénètrent dans la bicouche et change sa structure selon la composition en acide gras.<p><p>La structure de bicouches lipidiques de plante et leurs interactions avec des intermédiaires de synthèse ont aussi été étudiées par réflectivité de neutrons. Des mélanges ternaires de plantes étaient déposés sur silicium et des mélanges quaternaires sur saphir. L’épaisseur de la bicouche composée de mélange ternaire est de 38 Å, tandis que celle du mélange ternaire est de 28 Å, la différence venant probablement d’un effet de substrat. La présence de diacylglycérol (DAG) a comme conséquence d’augmenter l’aire par lipide, et ainsi de changer la conformation des têtes polaires. L’interaction des bicouches de lipide de plante avec l’acide phosphatidique (PA) dans le but d’observer un flip-flop possible a aussi été étudiée mais le PA a tendance à désorbé les bicouches du substrat et aucun mécanisme de flip flop n’a été détecté.<p><p>Finalement, la localisation d’une petite molécule, le resvératrol, dans des bicouches modèles a été étudiée. Le resvératrol est connu pour être responsable du « paradoxe français » qui est une corrélation inverse entre la consommation d’aliment gras et un faible taux de maladie cardiaque. Quand le resvératrol est adsorbé à partir de la phase liquide, il induit une réorganisation des têtes polaires. Quand il est déposé sur le substrat en présence des lipides, il est présent à l’interface entre les têtes polaires et les chaines.<p> / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Abstract Potential lethal diarrhoea caused by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli strains is one of the most common diseases in young pigs. It can be cured by single-chain antibody fragments (scFv), which can be produced in recombinant microorganisms. Pichia pastoris, a methylotrophic yeast, is generally considered an interesting production system candidate, as it can secrete properly folded proteins. These proteins accumulate in high concentrations during fermentation, reducing the cost for product recovery. Strong inducible AOX1 promoter, widely used in P. pastoris for fast, inexpensive production, is typically induced by methanol. The high oxygen demand of methanol metabolism makes oxygen supply a major parameter in cultivations requiring special process design strategies. In standard fed-batch cultivation, dissolved oxygen concentration inside a bioreactor is kept at a certain level by pumping air and pure oxygen into the reactor. There are safety concerns over the handling of oxygen, especially at a large scale. Therefore, there is a need to develop a production process under oxygen-limited conditions. This dissertation studies the development of a cost-efficient production process of scFv in P. pastoris. Both methanol and oxygen parameters influence the production process and the objective was to find a robust production process. Fed-batch cultivations were performed in a 10 L scale bioreactor. The effects of lower oxygen level, methanol concentration, glycerol feeding duration and specific substrate-uptake rates on product formation were studied. A P. pastoris GS115 his4 strain under an AOX1 promoter system expressing scFv was used in this study. The fed-batch fermentations were carried out in a bioreactor with basal salt media. In this doctoral dissertation, a process was developed for a single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) production in P. pastoris. The product levels of 3.5 g L-1 scFv in culture supernatant were achieved and a production process was designed without additional need of pure oxygen, thus relieving safety requirements and lowering the amount of methanol. The process developed during this research may potentially be utilised by both academia and industry having interests in expressing proteins in P. pastoris. The methanol-uptake control strategy is beneficial for those products that suffer from degradation or modification during limited feeding of methanol. / Tiivistelmä Enterotoksigeenisten E.coli kantojen aiheuttama ripuli on porsaiden tavallisimpia tauteja, joka voi johtaa jopa kuolemaan. Tautia voidaan hoitaa yhdistelmä-DNA-tekniikalla tuotetuilla vasta-ainefragmenteilla (scFv). Metylotrofista Pichia pastoris hiivaa pidetään kiinnostavana vasta-ainefragmenttien tuottoisäntänä, koska se pystyy erittämään oikealla tavalla laskostuneita proteiineja. Näitä proteiineja kertyy fermentointiprosessissa solujen ulkopuolelle korkeina pitoisuuksina, mikä vähentää tuotteiden talteenottokustannuksia. Vahva metanolilla indusoituva AOX1-promoottori on laajassa käytössä P. pastoris tuottosysteemissä tuoton nopeuden ja alhaisten kustannusten ansiosta. Metanolin aineenvaihdunta vaatii paljon happea, joten riittävän tehokas hapen liuottaminen on tärkeimpiä fermentointiparametreja ja vaatii erityisiä prosessin toteutusstrategioita. Perinteisessä fed-batch-fermentoinnissa liuenneen hapen pitoisuus bioreaktorissa pidetään halutulla tasolla lisäämällä ilmaa ja puhdasta happea reaktoriin. Koska hapen käsittelyyn liittyy turvallisuusriskejä erityisesti teollisuusmittakaavassa, happirajoitteisissa olosuhteissa toimiva tuotantoprosessi olisi hyödyllinen. Tässä väitöstutkimuksessa kehitettiin kustannustehokasta prosessia scFv-:n tuottoon P. pastoris hiivalla. Metanoliin ja happeen liittyvät parametrit ovat olennaisia prosessiin vaikuttavia tekijöitä. Tavoite oli kehittää yksinkertainen ja käytännöllinen prosessi. Työssä tutkittiin alhaisen happitason, metanolin pitoisuuden, glyserolisyötön keston ja substraattien spesifisten kulutusnopeuksien vaikutuksia tuotteen muodostumiseen 10 litran bioreaktorissa. Isäntäkantana oli P. pastoris GS115 his4, jossa scFv-ekspressiota säädeltiin AOX1 promoottorilla. Fed-batch fermentointien kasvatusalustana käytettiin Basal Salt Medium alustaa (BSM). Väitöstyössä kehitettiin tavoitteiden mukainen vasta-ainefragmenttien tuottoprosessi P.pastoris hiivalle. Menetelmällä saavutettiin tuotepitoisuus 3,5 g L-1 kasvatusliemen supernatantissa ilman puhtaan hapen lisäystarvetta, ja siten metanolin kulutus väheni ja prosessiturvallisuus parani verrattuna perinteisiin prosesseihin. Kehitetty prosessi soveltuu käytettäväksi sekä akateemisessa tutkimuksessa että teollisuudessa tuotettaessa erilaisia proteiineja P. pastoris hiivalla. Metanolin kulutuksen säätöstrategia on erityisen hyödyllinen tuotteille, joilla ongelmana on proteolyysi tai muokkautuminen metanolirajoitteisessa fermentoinnissa.

Papilomavírus humanos (HPVs) são vírus de DNA que infectam células epiteliais, podendo ser responsáveis pelo aparecimento de lesões benignas e malignas. Dentre os mais de 120 tipos identificados, o HPV -16 constitui o principal agente etiológico do câncer cervical, que é uma das maiores causas de morte por câncer em mulheres no mundo. Sendo assim, infecções associadas ao HPV devem ser prevenidas por vacinas indutoras de resposta imune vírus-específicas. A proteína L1 do capsídio viral é capaz de arranjar-se em partículas morfologicamente e antigenicamente semelhantes ao vírus, denominadas \"virus-like particles\" (VLPs), que induzem altos títulos de anticorpos neutralizantes. Neste trabalho, foram clonados os genes L1 selvagem e otimizado de HPV -16 em vetores de expressão de leveduras metilotróficas como Hansenula polymorpha e Pichia pastoris. Foi observada uma expressão consistente da proteína recombinante apenas em P. pastoris, com o gene L1 otimizado. Foram realizadas diversas tentativas de purificação da proteína heteróloga, empregando técnicas de cromatografia e ultracentrifugação em gradiente descontínuo de sacarose. A correta montagem das VLPs foi confirmada por microscopia eletrônica. Problemas de agregação, heterogeneidade e adsorção a superfícies apresentados pela proteína L1 foram resolvidos após utilização de surfactante não-iônico e de um procedimento de desmontagem e remontagem das partículas, gerando preparações mais homogêneas. Ensaios de hemaglutinação e inibição da hemaglutinação comprovaram a apresentação de epítopos conformacionais na superfície das VLPs. Este trabalho demonstrou pela primeira vez a expressão da proteína L1 de HPV -16 em P. pastoris, visando ao desenvolvimento de uma vacina profilática de baixo custo para o sistema público de saúde. / Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are DNA viruses that infect epithelial cells and can cause both benign and malignant lesions. From over 120 types catalogued so far, HPV-16 is the main etiologic agent of cervical cancer, which is the one of the most common causes of cancer deaths among women worldwide. Thus, HPV -associated infections might be prevented by vaccine inducing virus-specific immune responses. The L1 major capsid protein can self assemble into virus-like particles (VLPs), which are morphologically and antigenically indistinguishable from native viruses and induce high titers of neutralizing antibodies. In this work, we have cloned wild-type and codon-optimized L1 genes from HPV-16 in expression vectors of the methylotrophic yeasts Hansenula polymorpha and Pichia pastoris. Consistent L1 expression was only observed in P. pastoris transformed with the construction containing the codon-optimized gene. Many attempts to purify the heterologous protein were made, including chromatography and ultracentrifugation in sucrose density gradients. The correct assembly of VLPs was confirmed by electron microscopy. Some problems presented by recombinant L1 like aggregation, surface adsorption and heterogeneity were solved by using non-ionic surfactants and a procedure of disassembly and reassembly of the particles. Hemagglutination and hemagglutination inhibition assays corroborated the display of surface conformational epitopes by VLPs. This work showed for the first time the expression of the HPV-16 L1 protein in P. pastoris, aiming the development of a prophylactic vaccine free of charge for the public health system in Brazil.