This thesis will be organized into two chapters discussing the placental expression of two proteins, pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) and heat shock protein 27 (HSP 27), in human placentas. Understanding the mechanisms of placental metabolism in healthy and diseased placentas helps us understand how placenta disorders occur and how we can treat these disorders. The goal is to investigate these proteins to gain an understanding of their roles in placental disorders and help decrease maternal and fetal mortality rates. Chapter one covers the background of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) in cancer and embryonic tissues, and the expression of PKM2 in the human placenta. Cancer PKM2 has been studied extensively, but little is know about the role of placental PKM2. Expression of PKM2 is confirmed in normal human placenta samples and described in preeclamptic and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) affected human placentas. Proteins associated with elevated PKM2 in cancer are also associated with elevated PKM2 in human placentas. Comparing normal and diseased placenta samples helps understand the similarities between cancer PKM2 and placental PKM2. Understanding the mechanisms of placental metabolism and PKM2 expression in the human placenta will clarify how the placenta is affected by preeclampsia and IUGR and the role placental PKM2 plays in each of these diseases. Chapter two will cover a paper that I wrote on the expression of phosphorylated heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) in the human placenta. Heat shock proteins are involved in the stress response and help inhibit apoptosis. The object of the study was to look for correlations between p-HSP27 and apoptosis in human and ovine placenta samples. P-HSP27 was quantified in human placenta samples and in placenta sampled collected from ovine models. Pregnant control and hyperthermic sheep models were used to quantify expression of p-HSP27 across gestation. This study showed similarities between human IUGR and our ovine IUGR model, suggesting a link between decreased p-HSP27 and increased apoptosis in IUGR.

Glyoxalase-I (Glo-I) and glyoxalase-II (Glo-II) comprise the glyoxalase system and are responsible for the detoxification of methylglyoxal (MGO). MGO is formed non-enzymatically as a by-product, mainly in glycolysis, and leads to the formation of advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs). AGEs bind to their receptor, RAGE, and activate intracellular transcription factors, resulting in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress, and inflammation. This review will focus on the implication of the Glo-I/AGE/RAGE system in liver injury and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). AGEs and RAGE are upregulated in liver fibrosis, and the silencing of RAGE reduced collagen deposition and the tumor growth of HCC. Nevertheless, data relating to Glo-I in fibrosis and cirrhosis are preliminary. Glo-I expression was found to be reduced in early and advanced cirrhosis with a subsequent increase of MGO-levels. On the other hand, pharmacological modulation of Glo-I resulted in the reduced activation of hepatic stellate cells and therefore reduced fibrosis in the CCl4-model of cirrhosis. Thus, current research highlighted the Glo-I/AGE/RAGE system as an interesting therapeutic target in chronic liver diseases. These findings need further elucidation in preclinical and clinical studies.

This thesis explores the pathogenesis of calciphylaxis, a rare and potentially fatal complication of chronic kidney disease (CKD) characterized by calcification and thrombosis of small- to medium-sized arteries. A range of bench techniques, including cell culture, genetic analysis, and immunofluorescence, were utilized in combination with human samples from patients with calciphylaxis and healthy controls. The results revealed a pathway that may modulate the thrombotic phenotype in these patients and, in turn, may serve as a targetable therapeutic axis. This work provides a foundation for further research and clinical advances in the field of calciphylaxis. Moreover, this study has the potential to inform the development of therapeutic interventions that could greatly improve the outcomes of CKD patients suffering from calciphylaxis. / 2026-03-05T00:00:00Z

Whilst progress has been made in reducing mortality in some cancers, mortality rates remain high in many cancers and there is a need to develop novel therapeutic strategies. In this thesis, various pharmacological strategies designed to enhance the activity of existing therapeutic drugs were evaluated. Cancer cells are dependent upon aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) and glutamine uptake. Using clinically approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors and Bortezomib, significant enhancement of chemosensitivity was observed when used in combination with inhibitors of lactate dehydrogenase (Gossypol) and pyruvate kinase dehydrogenase (Dichloroacetate). In contrast, depletion of glutamine from media had to be extensive in order to induce cell death and cell death only occurred after prolonged exposure to glutamine-deprived conditions. This suggests that glutamine depletion strategies alone are unlikely to be successful but may be useful in combination with other agents targeting glutamine addiction in cancer cells. Finally, Temozolomide (TMZ) is an important drug in the treatment of glioblastomas but its activity is reduced by resistance mechanisms including O6 methyl guanine methyltransferase (MGMT) and mismatch repair (MMR). This thesis has identified analogues of TMZ (EA02-45, EA02-59, EA02-64 and EA02-65) that are MGMT and MMR independent in terms of inducing cell kill in vitro. These compounds are promising leads for future development. In conclusion, this thesis has demonstrated that interfering with the metabolic phenotype of cancer can enhance the activity of existing drugs and identified novel analogues of TMZ that circumvent drug resistance mechanisms that hamper the efficacy of TMZ.

No description available.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第23763号 / 医博第4809号 / 新制||医||1056(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 中島 貴子, 教授 戸井 雅和, 教授 伊藤 貴浩 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

L’objectif de ces travaux de thèse était de rechercher un potentiel effet inhibiteur de l’acide acétique endogène sur le métabolisme oxydo réductif de Saccharomyces cerevisiae, afin d’évaluer la pertinence d’une stratégie d’amélioration des capacités de production d’éthanol par la modulation de la synthèse de cet acide. Ces travaux devaient également permettre d’approfondir la compréhension des principaux facteurs commandant la synthèse de l’acide acétique et plus largement des acides organiques. La stratégie de modulation de la synthèse d’acide acétique mise en place reposait sur des approches microbiologique et génétique, consistant en l’ajout d’acide oléique et / ou de carnitine dans le milieu de culture ainsi que la surexpression du gène CIT2 ou la suppression du gène ALD6.Cette démarche a permis de montrer que, contrairement à la version exogène, l’acide acétique endogène ne présentait pas d’effet inhibiteur du métabolisme oxydo réductif de Saccharomyces cerevisiae ou qu’il était négligeable par rapport au stress éthanol. En outre, la modulation de la production de cet acide ne semble pas être une stratégie envisageable en vue de l’amélioration des capacités de production d’éthanol de cette levure, bien qu’une corrélation ait été observée entre les titres finaux de ces deux molécules.En outre, il a été montré que l’isoforme 6 de l’acétaldéhyde déshydrogénase (Ald6p) était essentiel pour assurer la croissance cellulaire normale ainsi que les mécanismes de résistance au stress éthanol dans ces conditions de culture. Plus largement, l’interrelation entre les différents isoformes ne paraissait pas aussi flexible qu’en anaérobiose. Saccharomyces cerevisiae semblait également présenter un métabolisme flexible en réponse à une modulation de la synthèse d’acide acétique. La voie des pentoses phosphates serait ainsi capable de prendre le relais de l’Ald6p pour assurer la régénération du NADPH cytosolique, bien que le flux à travers cette voie semble avoir été limité par le ratio NADP+ / NADPH. Enfin, les cellules paraissaient capables de réguler la synthèse de l’acétyl coA à partir d’acide acétique en réaction à une évolution des besoins anaboliques lors de la fin de la phase de croissance. Elles seraient toutefois incapables de pallier le manque d’acétyl coA suite à la suppression du gène ALD6. La modulation de la synthèse des acides pyruvique et succinique a également fait l’objet de discussions. / The aim of this work was to investigate a potential inhibitory effect of endogenous acetic acid on the oxido-reductive metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, to assess the relevance of a strategy based of the modulation of the synthesis of this acid, to improve ethanol production capacities. This work should also help to broaden the understanding of the main factors controlling the synthesis of acetic acid, and more generally organic acids. The strategy to modulate the synthesis of acetic acid was based on microbiological and genetic approaches, consisting in the addition of oleic acid and / or carnitine in the medium as well as the overexpression of the gene CIT2 or the deletion of the gene ALD6.This approach has shown that, contrary to exogenous version, endogenous acetic acid did not induce inhibitory effects on the oxido-reductive metabolism of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or was negligible compared to stress caused by ethanol. Moreover, the modulation of the synthesis of this acid appear to be not an attractive strategy to improve ethanol production capacities of the yeast, although a correlation was observed between the end-culture titer of these two molecules.In addition, it has been shown that the isoform 6 of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (Ald6p) was essential to ensure regular growth and mechanisms of ethanol stress resistance under these conditions of culture. More broadly, the interrelation between the different isoforms did not seem as flexible as under anaerobic conditions. Saccharomyces cerevisiae also seemed to have a flexible metabolism in response to a modulation of the synthesis of acetic acid. The pentose-phosphate way would be able to take over from Ald6p for regeneration of cytosolic NADPH, although the ratio NADP+ / NADPH seemed to lessen the flux through this pathway. Finally, the cells appeared to be able to regulate the synthesis of acetyl-CoA from acetic acid in response to changing in anabolic needs at the end of the growth phase. However, yeasts would be unable to overcome the lack of acetyl-CoA following the suppression of the gene ALD6. The modulation of the synthesis of pyruvic and succinic acids has also been discussed.

Referat: Background: Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) also called sleeping sickness is an infectious disease of humans caused by an extracellular protozoan parasite. The disease, if left untreated, results in 100% mortality. However, the available drugs are full of severe drawbacks and fail to escape the fast development of trypanosoma resistance. Due to the probable similarities in cell metabolism among tumor and trypanosoma cells, some of the current registered drugs against HAT were derived from cancer chemotherapeutic research. Here too, for the first time, we have demonstrated that the simple ester, ethyl pyruvate, comprises such properties. On the other hand initial studies have confirmed the efficacy of protease inhibitors in treatment of Trypanosoma cruzi, Plasmodium falciparum and Leishmania major. However, studies on efficacy and specific proteases inhibition using HIV-1 protease inhibitors on T. brucei cells remain untouched. Methodology/Principal findings: The current study covers efficacy and corresponding target evaluation of ethyl pyruvate and HIV-1 protease inhibitors (ritonavir and saquinavir) on T. brucei cell lines using a combination of biochemical techniques including cell proliferation assays, enzyme kinetics, zymography, phase contrast microscopic video imaging and ex vivo drug toxicity tests. We have shown that ethyl pyruvate effectively kills trypanosomes most probably by net ATP depletion through inhibition of pyruvate kinase (Ki=3.0±0.29 mM). The potential of this compound as an anti-trypanosomal drug is also strengthened by its fast acting property, killing cells within three hours post exposure. This was demonstrated using video imaging of live cells as well as concentration and time dependency experiments. Most importantly, this drug produced minimal side effects in human erythrocytes and is known to easily cross the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) which makes it a promising candidate for effective treatment of the two clinical stages of sleeping sickness. Trypanosome drug resistance tests indicate irreversible killing of cells and a low chance of drug resistance development under applied experimental conditions. In addition to ethyl pyruvate our experimental study on HIV-1 protease inhibitors showed that both ritonavir (RTV) (IC50=12.23 µM) and saquinavir (SQV) (IC50=11.49 µM) effectively inhibited T. brucei cells proliferation. The major proteases identified in these cells were the cysteine- (~29kDa Mr) and metallo- (~66kDa Mr) proteases. Their proteolytic activity was, however, not hampered by either of these two protease inhibitors. Conclusion/Significance: Our results present ethyl pyruvate as a safe and fast acting drug. Hence, because of its predefined property to easily cross the BBB, it can probably be a new candidate agent to treat the heamolymphatic as well as neurological stages of sleeping sickness. Similarly, HIV-1 protease inhibitors, SQV and RTV, exhibited their antitrypanosomal potential but require further anlysis to identify their specific targets.

Sink limitations in plants reduce the potential for photosynthesis and yield, particularly under conditions that favour enhanced source activity such as elevated CO2 (EC). Dark respiration, considered catabolic, has rarely been exploited to enhance sink activity in plants. Arabidopsis thaliana L. lines with partially-suppressed mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (mtPDH) kinase (mtPDHK), a negative post-translational regulator of the mtPDH complex, was shown previously to have both elevated mtPDH complex activity and increased seed weight and oil content at ambient CO2 (AC), suggesting an enhancement of sink activity. The mtPDH links glycolysis with the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. It was hypothesized that Arabidopsis having suppressed mtPDHK will display their greatest plant productivity at EC through a combined enhancement of source and sink activities. Control and transgenic Arabidopsis having either constitutive or seed-specific expression of antisense mtPDHK were grown at either AC or EC. Expression of mtPDHK and mtPDH complex activity in rosette leaves and reproductive tissues were measured, which required the development of an assay to quantify mtPDH activity. Vegetative and reproductive growth over time, seed oil parameters, and leaf net C exchange were also quantified. A parabolic relationship was found between mtPDHK expression and mtPDH activity, reflecting a role for mtPDH in balancing photosynthetic and respiratory processes. A number of growth and seed oil parameters were improved in transgenic lines, particularly at EC; many of these parameters showed a significant linear or quadratic correlation with mtPDHK expression and mtPDH activity. The proportion of very long chain fatty acids was increased in transgenic lines. Leaf net C exchange was enhanced at AC and EC, and particularly in lines showing repression of mtPDHK. The greatest enhancement in total seed and oil productivity was found for the constitutive lines 104 and 31 at EC (up to 2.8 times). These two lines exhibited a significant increase in inflorescence size, an increase in leaf water use efficiency, the lowest rate of mtPDH complex inactivation by ATP, and an intermediary enhancement of mtPDH complex activity in seeds. Thus, it is concluded that the mtPDH plays a key role in regulating sink and source activities in plants. / Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) through the Green Crop Networks Research Network; Ontario Graduate Scholarship; Syngenta Graduate Scholarship; Ball Farm Services and Agrico Canada Ltd. Scholarship; Mrs. Fred Ball Scholarship; Arthur D. Latornell Scholarship; Hoskins Scholarship; Robb Travel Grant; Registrars and the Deans Scholarship and travel awards and bursaries from the University of Guelph, and the Ontario Agricultural College.

Le ratio métabolique (MR) est un marqueur du métabolisme cérébral. Dans notre travail, nous avons démontré sa valeur pronostique chez 68 patients victimes d’une hémorragie sous-arachnoïdienne anévrysmale grave. En effet, une diminution du MR sous le seuil de 3,35 traduit un phénomène d’hyperglycolyse relative, dont le nombre d’événement est prédictive d’un pronostic défavorable avec une excellente sensibilité et spécificité. L’obtention de ces résultats est rendue possible, notamment après une phase de validation dans un modèle animal de procédures permettant de limiter les effets de facteurs pré-analytiques critiques. Ces résultats permettent d’envisager une étude pour savoir si l’intégration de ce marqueur dans la stratégie de prise en charge du patient, permet de modifier son devenir fonctionnel. Après avoir validé analytiquement les mesures de pyruvate, glucose et lactate impliquant la technique de microdialyse, nous avons étudié sur une cohorte de patients graves aSAH, modeste (n=18 patients) s’il existait des phénomènes d’hyperglycolyse et leur corrélation avec le pronostic. Dans notre série, à la différence de l’approche globale (cathétérisme de la veine jugulaire), un phénomène d’hyperglycolyse conduirait vers un bon pronostic. En fait, l’approche par microdialyse donne une information sur le métabolisme énergétique localisé à l’implantation de la sonde, alors que le MR donne une information globale, ce qui est probablement le facteur le plus important expliquant la différence d’interprétation entre les 2 approches. En l’absence d’outils de traitement de données et d’algorithmes de décision clinique validés, la microdialyse ne donne pas à l’heure actuelle, une valeur individuelle diagnostique ou pronostique. Un des résultats très prometteurs de ce travail, est la mise en évidence d’un phénomène d’hyperglycolyse relative globale lors du vasospasme, rapidement réversible chez les patients ayant bien évolué, alors qu’il perdure de nombreuses heures après le vasospasme chez les patients ayant évolué de manière péjorative. Ces résultats nécessitent d’être reproduits sur un nombre plus significatifs de patients, ce qui permettrait une confirmation radiologique du vasospasme de manière plus précoce afin de confirmer son importance, sa localisation et l’éventualité de le traiter rapidement / The metabolic ratio (MR) is an index of the brain energetic metabolism. In our study, we have demonstrated its prognostic value for 68 poor grade patients aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH): a MR below the threshold value of 3.35 reflects a phenomenon of global cerebral hyperglycolysis which, if repeated, is predictive of a bad outcome. These results were made possible after validation step in an animal mode which allowed to control the critical pre-analytical factors. Our results pave the way for a clinical study aiming to determine if taking into account the MR will help to improve the functional outcome of the aSAH patients. In another approach, based on the use of cerebral microdialysis, we have studied, in an 18 patients cohort, and after an analytical validation of a new biochemical analysis, if such cerebral hyperglycolysis phenomenon was a encountered in this cohort, if these was a correlation with the patients’ outcome. In contrast with the previous 68 aSAH patients, this hyperglycolysis phenomenon appears linked to a good outcome. This apparent discrepancy may be due the difference in the anatomical giving a more localized information on the brain metabolism than the jugular approach used for the MR determination. The most interesting of our results is the correlation found between hyperglycolysis and cerebral vasospasm. If conformed with a larger cohort of aSAH patients, the use of MR could allow an earlier detection and treatment of cerebral vasospasm