Plasmodium is a genus of parasites causing malaria, a virulent protozoan infection in humans resulting in over a million deaths annually. Treatment of malaria is increasingly limited by parasite resistance to available drugs. Hence, there is a need to identify new drug targets and authenticate antimalarial compounds that act on these targets. A relatively new therapeutic approach targets proteolytic enzymes responsible for parasite‟s invasion, rupture and hemoglobin degradation at the erythrocytic stage of infection. Cysteine proteases (CPs) are essential for these crucial roles in the intraerythrocytic parasite. CPs are a diverse group of enzymes subdivided into clans and further subdivided into families. Our interest is in Clan CA, papain family C1 proteases, whose members play numerous roles in human and parasitic metabolism. These proteases are produced as zymogens having an N-terminal extension known as the prodomain which regulates the protease activity by selectively inhibiting its active site, preventing substrate access. A Clan CA protease Falcipain-2 (FP-2) of Plasmodium falciparum is a validated drug target but little is known of its orthologs in other malarial Plasmodium species. This study uses various structural bioinformatics approaches to characterise the prodomain‟s regulatory effect in FP-2 and its orthologs in Plasmodium species (P. vivax, P. berghei, P. knowlesi, P. ovale, P. chabaudi and P. yoelii). This was in an effort to discover short peptides with essential residues to mimic the prodomain‟s inhibition of these proteases, as potential peptidomimetic therapeutic agents. Residues in the prodomain region that spans over the active site are most likely to interact with the subsite residues inhibiting the protease. Sequence analysis revealed conservation of residues in this region of Plasmodium proteases that differed significantly in human proteases. Further prediction of the 3D structure of these proteases by homology modelling allowed visualisation of these interactions revealing differences between parasite and human proteases which will lead to significant contribution in structure based malarial inhibitor design.

Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus are the etiologic agents of human and bovine trichomoniasis, respectively. As microaerophilic protozoans; both share a wide array of clinical manifestations ranging from vaginitis to abnormal pregnancies. Human trichomoniasis receives minimal public health attention despite of its worldwide high prevalence rate. Emerging evidence of metronidazole-resistant T vaginalis strains facilitates a concern to understand this protozoan. Cysteine proteases have been implicated as important virulence factors produced by T vagina/is. This study explores the expression of one particular legumain-like cysteine protease known as Tv AE 1. Furthermore, it highlights the relationship between inhibitory effects of trichomonal cells caused by sanguinarine and chelerythrine. A system for obtaining legumains by expressing it in methylotrophic yeast, Pichia pastor is, has been described. The recombinant legumains were produced and processed by the yeast to their inactive and mature forms. Secondly, T foetus cells were transfected with TvAEl construct. Localization and enzymatic studies on legumains will provide evidence into the pathogenicity ofT vagina/is. This study revealed the vesicularization of recombinantly unprocessed TvAEl proteins. Thirdly, plant derived compounds, sanguinarine (SA) and chelerythrine (CHE) were assessed in vitro for their inhibitory effects against T vagina/is and T. foetus. Treatment of SA and CHE for 24 h led to a significant inhibitory growth of in vitro cultures for all three trichomonal strains, G3, Tl and Dl, compared to untreated cells. For these bovine and human trichomonal strains, SA was slightly more effective inhibitor than CHE. With IC5o values between 3 - 8 micromolar for the alkaloids, CHE had less inhibitory effect compared to SA. These findings are significant considering the association between cysteine pro teases and trichomoniasis. Further elucidation of the exact anti protozoal mechanism of both compounds toward legumains may lead to the development of these potent agents against trichomonads.

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The cysteine proteinases cathepsins B, L, and S are lysosomal enzymes responsible for the degradation of endocytosed proteins. Their presence in human cell monocytic lines THP1 and U937 was detected by the use of the membrane-permeable, irreversible, active-site directed inhibitor Fmoc-(¹²⁵I)Tyr- Ala-CHN₂ followed by immunoprecipitation of the enzymes, SDSPAGE, and autoradiography. All three enzymes were detected in THP1 cells; only after differentiation of U937 cells to macrophage-like cells were the enzymes detectable. Both cell lines show multiple forms of cathepsin S, at 35 kDa, 28 kDa, and 26 kDa, suggesting the presence of an active pro-form of cathepsin S as well as the processing of cathepsin S into single- and two-chain forms. This is the first evidence for an active pro-form of a cysteine proteinase and for the processing of cathepsin S to a two-chain enzyme form. Multiple forms of cathepsin L were analyzed by isoelectric focusing followed by denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The multiple forms are not due to the presence of carbohydrate chains on the protein. The inhibitor Fmoc-Tyr-Ala-CHN₂ synthesized and its inhibitory properties against cathepsins B, L, and S were determined. Both in vitro and in vivo studies show that this inhibitor is an effective reagent for studying lysosomal cysteine proteinases. In order to be useful in the study of the delivery of lysosomal enzymes to vesicles containing recently internalized compounds, the deblocked peptidyl diazomethane inhibitor NH₂-Tyr-Ala-CHN₂ was cross-linked to bovine serum albumin (BSA) using the heterobifunctional crosslinking agent sulfo-SANPAH. This non-reducible cross-linked complex was used to characterize the inhibitory properties of the protein-inhibitor complex against cathepsins B, L, S and papain in vitro and in vivo. / Ph. D.

Receptores ativados por protease (PARs) pertencem à família de GPCRs. Desses, PAR-1, PAR-3 e PAR-4 são ativados por trombina, e PAR-2 por tripsina. Como as proteases, peptídeos sintéticos (PARs-AP) também ativam esses receptores. Estudamos o papel dos PARs na reatividade vascular de Wistar e SHR. In vitro, PAR-1 AP, promoveu maior vasoconstrição em aorta com endotélio (E+) de SHR vs Wistar. PAR-2 AP promoveu vasodilatação similar em aorta E+ de SHR e Wistar, enquanto PAR-4 AP e peptídeos reversos não causaram efeito. In vivo/in situ PAR-1 e PAR-2 AP mostraram intensa vasomotilidade em arteríolas mesentéricas. A expressão gênica de PAR-1 está aumentada em aorta e arteríolas de SHR, mas a expressão protéica está aumentada apenas em arteríolas. Demonstramos ainda que a vasoconstrição induzida por PAR-1 AP, é dependente de Ca++ e da liberação de Ang II, ET-1 e O2- pelo endotélio. Assim, sugerimos que PAR-1 pode ser um alvo terapêutico para novos antihipertensivos com efeito antitrombótico, já que este receptor também tem sido envolvido em eventos romboembólicos. / Protease activated receptors are a new GPCRs family. The PAR-1, PAR-3 and PAR-4 are activated by thrombin and PAR-2 by tripsin. Like proteases, synthetic peptides (PARs-AP) can also activate those receptors. We studied the role of PARs in vascular reactivity of Wistar and SHR. In vitro, PAR-1 promoted higher vasoconstriction to PAR-1 AP in SHR aorta with endothelium (E+) than the Wistar ones. PAR-2 AP produced similar vasodilation in Wistar and SHR aorta E+, while neither PAR-4 nor reverse peptides presented any effect. In vivo/in situ PAR-1 and PAR-2 showed an intensive vasomotion in mesenteric vessels. PAR-1 gene expression was increased in SHR aorta and arterioles, while the protein expression was increased only in the arterioles. We have also shown that the vasoconstriction induced by PAR-1 AP, is Ca++-dependent and Ang II, ET-1 and O2- release from endothelium. Thus, we suggest that PAR-1 might represent a therapeutic target to new antihypertensive drugs with antithrombotic effect, since this receptor has been involved in thromboembolics events.

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MONTEIRO JUNIOR, José Edvar. Detecção de inibidores de proteinases cisteínicas em raízes de feijão-de-corda [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] e avaliação de sua atividade sobre o nematóide das galhas Meloidogyne javanica. 2007. xx, 107 f. : Dissertação (Mestrado em Bioquímica) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza-CE, 2007. / Submitted by Eric Santiago (erichhcl@gmail.com) on 2016-05-30T13:05:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2007_dis_jemonteirojunior.pdf: 3368722 bytes, checksum: 6db6741733e59f2f818b4ae00227e385 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by José Jairo Viana de Sousa (jairo@ufc.br) on 2016-07-11T23:30:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2007_dis_jemonteirojunior.pdf: 3368722 bytes, checksum: 6db6741733e59f2f818b4ae00227e385 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-11T23:30:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2007_dis_jemonteirojunior.pdf: 3368722 bytes, checksum: 6db6741733e59f2f818b4ae00227e385 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Detection of cysteine proteinase inhibitors in cowpea[Vigna unguiculata(L.) Walpers] roots as well as the accumulation of inhibitors enriched fractions throughammonium sulfate precipitation followed by reversed-phase liquid chromatography were in this present work accomplished. Fractions containing higher levels of cysteine proteinase inhibitor activity were selected and subjected to evaluation of its ability of to suppress the mobility of second stage juveniles (J2) of the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica, race 1. In addition, the nematicidal effect of these fractions was also tested. When the mobility parameter was analyzed the ammonium sulfate precipitated F 30/60 fraction, at a dose of 40 μg of proteins, it shown to be the most potent of all tested samples at 24 h after incubation. However, regarding to mortality the both picks, PIHPLC and PIIHPLC, obtained from the HPLC step were the more actives causing a percentage of killing nematodes of 95.0 % and 94.2 %, respectively when the most potent doses of these picks were compared. Moreover, FITC-coupled F 30/60 fraction was used in light-flu orescence microscopy experiments in order to answer the following basic questions: 1) the observed effects on mobility and mortality will be related to the binding of the proteins in the nematode? And 2) If yes, this interaction is performed with the gut or surface nematode, or yet in the both structures? F 30/60 fraction appears to be incorporated by juveniles and specifically bind to the region corresponding to the gut of nematodes at 6 h after incubation, while at 24 h after incubation the fluorescent complex appears to be widespread along the whole body of the nematode, as observed by light-fluorescence microscopy. These results, all together, suggest the possible use of the inhibitors present in cowpea roots as a potential biological tool in the control of the root-knot nematode, M. javanica. / A detecção de inibidores de proteinases cisteínicas em raízes de feijão-de-corda [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walpers] bem como o acúmulo de frações ricas nestes inibidores por meio de precipitação com sulfato de amônio seguida de cromatografia líquida de fase reversa foram realizados no presente trabalho. Frações contendo os maiores níveis de atividade de inibidores de proteinases cisteínicas foram selecionadas e sujeitas à avaliação de sua habilidade em suprimir a mobilidade de juvenis de segundo estágio (J2) do nematóide das galhas Meloidogyne javanica, raça 1. Em adição o efeito nematicida destas também foi avaliado. Quanto ao parâmetro mobilidade, a fração F 30/60 precipitada com sulfato de amônio, numa dose de 40 µg de proteínas, mostrou ser a mais potente de todas as amostras testadas, às 24 h de incubação. No entanto, com relação à mortalidade ambos os picos PIHPLC e PIIHPLC, obtidos dos passos de HPLC, foram os mais ativos causando um percentual de mortes de nematóides de 95,0 e 94,7 %, respectivamente, quando as doses mais potentes destes picos foram comparadas. Além disso, a fração F 30/60 acoplada a FITC foi usada em experimentos de microscopia de luz-fluorescência para responder as seguintes questões: 1) Estariam os efeitos observados sobre a mobilidade e mortalidade relacionados à ligação das proteínas no nematóide? e 2) Se sim, esta interação é realizada com a superfície do nematóide ou seu intestino, ou com ambas estruturas? A fração F 30/60 parece ser incorporada pelos juvenis e ligar-se especificamente à região correspondente ao intestino dos nematóides às 6 h após incubação, enquanto que às 24 h após incubação o complexo fluorescente parece se dispersar ao longo de todo o corpo do nematóide, como observado pela microscopia de luz-fluorescência. Estes resultados, somados, sugerem o possível uso dos inibidores presentes em raízes de feijão-de-corda como ferramentas biológicas potenciais no controle do nematóide das galhas, M. javanica.