Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a noninvasive technique that enables to follow metabolic processes in selected tissues in vivo. Recently the attention has been focused on metabolic mapping in target organs of insulin action to describe the pathophysiology of insulin resistance. The aim of our study was to present the practical application of ³¹P (phosphorus) MRS and ¹H (proton) MRS in metabolic studies of skeletal muscle in insulin resistant subjects and in subjects with impaired fasting glucose. The third study was aimed to evaluate the brain metabolism with ¹H MRS in healthy controls and subjects with type 1 diabetes during hyperinsulinemia. ¹H and ³¹P MRS were performed using a MR Scanner Siemens Vision operating at 1,5 Tesla. To assess the parameters of glucose metabolism and insulin action oral glucose tolerance test and hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp were performed. The study 1 was aimed to evaluate the skeletal muscle (m. soleus) energetic metabolism in the offspring of hypertensive parents (OH) with a higher level of insulin resistance. The concentrations of selected high energy phosphates (phosphocreatine, inorganic phosphate, adenosintriphosphate, phosphomonoesters, phosphodiesters) were evaluated with ³¹P MRS. Their amount in OH was comparable to healthy controls. However we...

The genus Streptomyces produces more than a half of the known bioactive substances, ranking it among the most important bacterial taxons. Streptomyces lincolnensis ATCC 25466 encodes a biosynthetic gene cluster for lincomycin biosynthesis in its genome. Apart from the biosynthetic and regulatory genes, the cluster also contains three resistance genes, lmr(A), lmr(B) a lmr(C), which could protect of the host from the toxicity of a synthesized antibiotic. The Lmr(C) protein belongs to ARE proteins which generaly confer resistance to clinically important classes of antibiotics: macrolides, streptogramins, lincosamides and pleuromutilins. In addition to antibiotic producers, ARE proteins are also present in pathogenic microorganisms. However, the resistance mechanism conferred by these protins which belong to ABC transporters, even though they lack the transmembrane domain, have not been characterized yet. This makes the ARE proteins an interesting subject of the research. Using deletion mutants in resistance genes lmr(A), lmr(B) a lmr(C) we studied their effect on the lincomycin production and resistance to lincosamides, lincomycin and clindamycin with special focus on the function of the lmr(C). We have found that deletion of lmr(C) does not significantly influence lincomycin production and...

4 ABSTRACT Charles University Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Candidate: Dimitrios Vagiannis Supervisor: RNDr. Jakub Hofman, Ph.D. Title of diploma thesis: Evaluation of antiproliferative effect of selected tyrosine kinase inhibitors in MDCKII cell lines Tyrosine kinases are important enzymes regulating crucial cellular processes including differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, transcription, metabolism, and intercellular communication. Deregulation of these enzymes is the cause of various types of cancers. The blockade of their function by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKis) is considered a promising approach especially in antitumor pharmacotherapy. ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug efflux transporters are a family of transmembrane proteins that pump a variety of structurally unrelated compounds out of the cell in an energy-dependent manner. They play an important role in pharmacokinetics (affect absorption, distribution, elimination) and, at the same time, can negatively influence efficacy of chemotherapy (participate in multidrug resistance phenomenon). In our research, we evaluated antiproliferative properties of four selected TKis, namely alectinib, brivanib, osimertinib and selumetinib, in MDCKII cell lines (parent one and those transduced with human...

The resistance to tamoxifen, a drug used in the adjuvant therapy for hormone sensitive breast cancer, represents a major clinical obstacle. Although various mechanisms leading to tamoxifen resistance have been described and intensively studied, a significant number of patients still become resistant to the treatment and eventually relapse. Tamoxifen therapy has been shown to enrich tumors with cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are naturally resistant, and have self-renewal ability and the potential to form secondary tumors. Metabolic rewiring, altered iron metabolism and upregulation of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters have been shown to be important in the maintenance of CSC phenotype. Therefore, we investigated these mechanisms as possible contributors to tamoxifen resistance in vitro in two tamoxifen resistant (Tam5R) cell lines that we established. We show that Tam5R cells have dramatically disassembled and less active mitochondrial supercomplexes (SCs) and higher level of mitochondrial superoxide, together with a fragmented mitochondrial network. Such dysfunction of mitochondria results in the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation and metabolic rewiring towards glycolysis. Importantly, cells lacking functional mitochondria are significantly more resistant to tamoxifen, supporting...

We tested the hypothesis that triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation in the liver induced by short-term high-fat diet (HFD) in rats leads to the dysregulation of endogenous TAG degradation via lysosomal pathway and is causally linked with the development of hepatic insulin resistance. Lysosomal lipase (LAL) is stored in qualitatively different depots (light and dense lysosomes). In contrast to dense lysosomal fraction, LAL associated with light lysosomes exhibits high activity on intracellular TAG and prandial- or diet-dependent regulation. On standard diet, LAL activity was up-regulated in starved and down-regulated in fed animals. In the HFD group, we demonstrated elevated LAL activity, increased TAG content, enhanced production of diacylglycerol and the abolishment of prandial-dependent LAL regulation in light lysosomal fraction. The impairment of insulin signalling and increased activation of PKCε was found in liver of HFD-fed animals. Lipolysis of intracellular TAG, mediated by LAL, is increased in steatosis probably due to the enhanced formation of phagolysosomes. Consequent overproduction of diacylglycerol may represent the causal link between HFD-induced hepatic TAG accumulation and hepatic insulin resistance via PKCε activation.

Prevalence of obesity and associated diseases like type 2 diabetes has increased rapidly during last years. These diseases closely relate to each other. Obesity leads to insulin resistence, which directly precedes type 2 diabetes. Metformin is the most prescribed medicament for type 2 diabetic patients and insulin resistant people. It improves glucose tolerance and insulin resistance. Enzyme AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is strogly involved in metformin action. The latest studies using transgenic models lacking AMPK suggest, that notable part of mechanisms involved in metformin action is independent on AMPK. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), namely eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are abundant in sea fish, have beneficial effects on metabolism. These fatty acids lower plasma lipids and exert cardioprotective effects. n-3 PUFA also prevent development of insulin resistence and type 2 diabetes in rodents. The aim of this thesis was to characterise acute effects of metformin on glucose homeostasis, impact of short term diet intervention with diet rich in n-3 PUFA on metformin action and the role of insulin stimulated signalling pathways and AMPK. Results suggest that early effect of metformin is dose dependent and that single dose of metformin...

Numerous epidemiological and experimental studies have shown that patients suffering from metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (TDM2), insulin resistance or obesity are at a higher risk of cognitive functions impairment and developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Impairment of insulin signalling in the brain could contribute to two pathological changes which leads to AD development that include insoluble senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, containing an abnormally hyperphosphorylated tau protein (Tau). This work is focused on investigating of insulin signaling in hippocampi in the brains of mice models of insulin resistence, impact of disturbed insulin signaling on hyperphosphorylation of Tau, and possible benefical efect of insulin sensitizing agents on insulin signaling and Tau phosphorylation in the hippocampi of diabetic mice. The first, we examined insulin signaling and phosphorylation of Tau in hippocampi in two mouse models of TDM2 - lipodystrofic A-ZIP F-1 mice and monosodium glutamate obese mice (MSG mice). We did not observe any changes in insulin signaling and Tau phosphorylation in hippocampi of A-ZIP F-1 mice compared to controls. In the hippocampi of MSG mice there was attenuated phosphorylation of kinases of insulin signalling including Ser9 of glycogen synthase...

The resistance to tamoxifen, a drug used in the adjuvant therapy for hormone sensitive breast cancer, represents a major clinical obstacle. Although various mechanisms leading to tamoxifen resistance have been described and intensively studied, a significant number of patients still become resistant to the treatment and eventually relapse. Tamoxifen therapy has been shown to enrich tumors with cancer stem cells (CSCs), which are naturally resistant, and have self-renewal ability and the potential to form secondary tumors. Metabolic rewiring, altered iron metabolism and upregulation of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters have been shown to be important in the maintenance of CSC phenotype. Therefore, we investigated these mechanisms as possible contributors to tamoxifen resistance in vitro in two tamoxifen resistant (Tam5R) cell lines that we established. We show that Tam5R cells have dramatically disassembled and less active mitochondrial supercomplexes (SCs) and higher level of mitochondrial superoxide, together with a fragmented mitochondrial network. Such dysfunction of mitochondria results in the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation and metabolic rewiring towards glycolysis. Importantly, cells lacking functional mitochondria are significantly more resistant to tamoxifen, supporting...

Chronic myeloid leukemia is a clonal haematopoietic disease, with characteristic BCR-ABL1 fusion gene. Despite the significant improvement in patient treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), 20-30 % of patients develop resistance. One of the main causes of treatment failure are mutations in the BCR-ABL1 kinase domain (KD). The aim of this work was to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of resistance and mutagenesis development in CML using an in vitro CML model KCL-22. The main part of this work was focused on the identification of genes involved in DNA damage response and repair, that could play a role in the process of mutagenesis of BCR-ABL1. We used the RT2 Profiler PCR Arrays method for the group of selected genes regulating DNA damage response and repair. We identified the genes XRCC6 and PARP1 whose gene expression was significantly and specifically decreased during KD BCR-ABL1 mutagenesis. Products of these genes are involved in repairing DNA double-strand breaks through non-homologous end joining (NHEJ). During study of the KD BCR-ABL1 mutagenesis we also found that clones, which developed mutations, did not show the increased BCR-ABL1 expression in the beginning of the culture compared to the clones in which mutations have not evolved. Key words: myeloid leukemia, mutation,...

Charles University Faculty of Pharmacy in Hradec Králové Department of Biological and Medical Sciences Study program: Specialist on Laboratory Methods Autor: Bc. Marcela Vízková Supervisor: PharmDr. Ondřej Janďourek, Ph.D. Title: In vitro screening of novel potentially active antibacterial compounds III Since the discovery of penicillin, antibiotics have become part of modern therapeutic approaches. But the global spread of resistance makes their future uncertain. It is necessary to find new antibacterial substances useful in practice. As resistance is a global threat, the theoretical part deals with this issue. In addition to resistance, the theoretical part also briefly describes the antibiotics used, including new antibiotics, which were recently registered or likely to be registered. For selected groups, their mechanism of action is described in detail. Sensitivity should be determined to correctly indicate the antibiotic treatment. For this reason, the theoretical part also describes methods by which the sensitivity of a microbe to an antibiotic can be determined qualitatively or quantitatively. The theoretical part does not neglect the history of the development of antibacterial substances and familiarization with antibiotic policy in the Czech Republic. This diploma thesis is based on...