Factor models attribute stock returns to a linear combination of factors. A model with great explanatory power (R2) can be used to estimate the systematic risk of an investment. One of the most important factors is the industry which the company of the stock operates in. In commercial risk models this factor is often determined with a manually constructed stock classification scheme such as GICS. We present Natural Language Industry Scheme (NLIS), an automatic and multivalued classification scheme based on topic modeling. The topic modeling is performed on transcripts of company earnings calls and identifies a number of topics analogous to industries. We use non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) on a term-document matrix of the transcripts to perform the topic modeling. When set to explain returns of the MSCI USA index we find that NLIS consistently outperforms GICS, often by several hundred basis points. We attribute this to NLIS’ ability to assign a stock to multiple industries. We also suggest that the proportions of industry assignments for a given stock could correspond to expected future revenue sources rather than current revenue sources. This property could explain some of NLIS’ success since it closely relates to theoretical stock pricing. / Faktormodeller förklarar aktieprisrörelser med en linjär kombination av faktorer. En modell med hög förklaringsgrad (R2) kan användas föratt skatta en investerings systematiska risk. En av de viktigaste faktorerna är aktiebolagets industritillhörighet. I kommersiella risksystem bestäms industri oftast med ett aktieklassifikationsschema som GICS, publicerat av ett finansiellt institut. Vi presenterar Natural Language Industry Scheme (NLIS), ett automatiskt klassifikationsschema baserat på topic modeling. Vi utför topic modeling på transkript av aktiebolags investerarsamtal. Detta identifierar ämnen, eller topics, som är jämförbara med industrier. Topic modeling sker genom icke-negativmatrisfaktorisering (NMF) på en ord-dokumentmatris av transkripten. När NLIS används för att förklara prisrörelser hos MSCI USA-indexet finner vi att NLIS överträffar GICS, ofta med 2-3 procent. Detta tillskriver vi NLIS förmåga att ge flera industritillhörigheter åt samma aktie. Vi föreslår också att proportionerna hos industritillhörigheterna för en aktie kan motsvara förväntade inkomstkällor snarare än nuvarande inkomstkällor. Denna egenskap kan också vara en anledning till NLIS framgång då den nära relaterar till teoretisk aktieprissättning.

Reverse genetics is an innovative molecular biology tool that enables the manipulation of viral genomes at the cDNA level in order to generate particular mutants or artificial viruses. The reverse genetics system for the influenza virus is arguably one of the best illustrations of the potential power of this technology. This reverse genetics system is the basis for the ability to regularly adapt influenza vaccines strains. Today, reverse genetic systems have been developed for many animal RNA viruses. Selection-free reverse genetics systems have been developed for the members of the Reoviridae family including, African horsesickness virus, bluetongue virus and orthoreovirus. This ground-breaking technology has led to the generation of valuable evidence regarding the replication and pathogenesis of these viruses. Unfortunately, extrapolating either the plasmid-based or transcript-based reverse genetics systems to rotavirus has not yet been successful. The development of a selection-free rotavirus reverse genetics system will enable the systematic investigation of poorly understood aspects of the rotavirus replication cycle and aid the development of more effective vaccines, amongst other research avenues. This study investigated the importance of co-expressed rotavirus proteins in the development of a selection-free rotavirus reverse genetics system. The consensus sequences of the rotavirus strains Wa (RVA/Human-tc/USA/WaCS/1974/G1P[8]) and SA11 (RVA/Simian-tc/ZAF/SA11/1958/G3P[2]) where used to design rotavirus expression plasmids. The consensus nucleotide sequence of a human rotavirus Wa strain was determined by sequence-independent cDNA synthesis and amplification combined with next-generation 454® pyrosequencing. A total of 4 novel nucleotide changes, which also resulted in amino acid changes, were detected in genome segment 7 (NSP3), genome segment 9 (VP7) and genome segment 10 (NSP4). In silico analysis indicated that none of the detected nucleotide changes, and consequent amino acid variations, had any significant effect on viral structure. Evolutionary analysis indicated that the sequenced rotavirus WaCS was closely related to the ParWa and VirWa variants, which were derived from the original 1974 Wa isolate. Despite serial passaging in animals, as well as cell cultures, the Wa genome seems to be stable. Considering that the current reference sequence for the Wa strain is a composite sequence of various Wa variants, the rotavirus WaCS may be a more appropriate reference sequence. The rotavirus Wa and SA11 strains were selected for plasmid-based expression of rotavirus proteins, under control of a T7 promoter sequence, due to the fact that they propagate well in MA104 cells and the availability of their consensus sequences. The T7 RNA polymerase was provided by a recombinant fowlpox virus. After extensive transfection optimisation on a variety of mammalian cell lines, MA104 cells proved to be the best suited for the expression rotavirus proteins from plasmids. The expression of rotavirus Wa and SA11 VP1, VP6, NSP2 and NSP5 could be confirmed with immunostaining in MA104 and HEK 293H cells. Another approach involved the codon-optimised expression of the rotavirus replication complex scaffold in MA104 cells under the control of a CMV promoter sequence. This system was independent from the recombinant fowlpox virus. All three plasmid expression sets were designed to be used in combination with the transcript-based reverse genetics system in order to improve the odds of developing a successful rotavirus reverse genetics system. Rotavirus transcripts were generated using transcriptively active rotavirus SA11 double layered particles (DLPs). MA104 and HEK293H cells proved to be the best suited for the expression of rotavirus transcripts although expression of rotavirus VP6 could be demonstrated in all cell cultures examined (MA104, HEK 293H, BSR and COS-7) using immunostaining. In addition, the expression of transcript derived rotavirus VP1, NSP2 and NSP5 could be confirmed with immunofluorescence in MA104 and HEK 293H cells. This is the first report of rotavirus transcripts being translated in cultured cells. A peculiar cell death pattern was observed within 24 hours in response to transfection of rotavirus transcripts. This observed cell death, however does not seem to be related to normal viral cytopathic effect as no viable rotavirus could be recovered. In an effort to combine the transcript- and plasmid systems, a dual transfection strategy was followed where plasmids encoding rotavirus proteins were transfected first followed, 12 hours later, by the transfection of rotavirus SA11 transcripts. The codon- optimised plasmid system was designed as it was postulated that expression of the DLP-complex (VP1, VP2, VP3 and VP6), the rotavirus replication complex would form and assist with replication and/or packaging. Transfecting codon- optimized plasmids first noticeably delayed the mass cell death observed when transfecting rotavirus transcripts on their own. None of the examined coexpression systems were able to produce a viable rotavirus. Finally, the innate immune responses elicited by rotavirus transcripts and plasmid-derived rotavirus Wa and SA11 proteins were investigated. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments indicated that rotavirus transcripts induced high levels of the expression of the cytokines IFN- α1, IFN-1β, IFN-λ1 and CXCL10. The expression of certain viral proteins from plasmids (VP3, VP7 and NSP5/6) was more likely to stimulate specific interferon responses, while other viral proteins (VP1, VP2, VP4 and NSP1) seem to be able to actively suppress the expression of certain cytokines. In the light of these suppression results, specific rotavirus proteins were expressed from transfected plasmids to investigate their potential in supressing the interferon responses provoked by rotavirus transcripts. qRT-PCR results indicated that cells transfected with the plasmids encoding NSP1, NSP2 or a combination of NSP2 and NSP5 significantly reduced the expression of specific cytokines induced by rotavirus transcripts. These findings point to other possible viral innate suppression mechanisms in addition to the degradation of interferon regulatory factors by NSP1. The suppression of the strong innate immune response elicited by rotavirus transcripts might well prove to be vital in the quest to better understand the replication cycle of this virus and eventually lead to the development of a selection-free reverse genetics system for rotavirus. / PhD (Biochemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Reverse genetics is an innovative molecular biology tool that enables the manipulation of viral genomes at the cDNA level in order to generate particular mutants or artificial viruses. The reverse genetics system for the influenza virus is arguably one of the best illustrations of the potential power of this technology. This reverse genetics system is the basis for the ability to regularly adapt influenza vaccines strains. Today, reverse genetic systems have been developed for many animal RNA viruses. Selection-free reverse genetics systems have been developed for the members of the Reoviridae family including, African horsesickness virus, bluetongue virus and orthoreovirus. This ground-breaking technology has led to the generation of valuable evidence regarding the replication and pathogenesis of these viruses. Unfortunately, extrapolating either the plasmid-based or transcript-based reverse genetics systems to rotavirus has not yet been successful. The development of a selection-free rotavirus reverse genetics system will enable the systematic investigation of poorly understood aspects of the rotavirus replication cycle and aid the development of more effective vaccines, amongst other research avenues. This study investigated the importance of co-expressed rotavirus proteins in the development of a selection-free rotavirus reverse genetics system. The consensus sequences of the rotavirus strains Wa (RVA/Human-tc/USA/WaCS/1974/G1P[8]) and SA11 (RVA/Simian-tc/ZAF/SA11/1958/G3P[2]) where used to design rotavirus expression plasmids. The consensus nucleotide sequence of a human rotavirus Wa strain was determined by sequence-independent cDNA synthesis and amplification combined with next-generation 454® pyrosequencing. A total of 4 novel nucleotide changes, which also resulted in amino acid changes, were detected in genome segment 7 (NSP3), genome segment 9 (VP7) and genome segment 10 (NSP4). In silico analysis indicated that none of the detected nucleotide changes, and consequent amino acid variations, had any significant effect on viral structure. Evolutionary analysis indicated that the sequenced rotavirus WaCS was closely related to the ParWa and VirWa variants, which were derived from the original 1974 Wa isolate. Despite serial passaging in animals, as well as cell cultures, the Wa genome seems to be stable. Considering that the current reference sequence for the Wa strain is a composite sequence of various Wa variants, the rotavirus WaCS may be a more appropriate reference sequence. The rotavirus Wa and SA11 strains were selected for plasmid-based expression of rotavirus proteins, under control of a T7 promoter sequence, due to the fact that they propagate well in MA104 cells and the availability of their consensus sequences. The T7 RNA polymerase was provided by a recombinant fowlpox virus. After extensive transfection optimisation on a variety of mammalian cell lines, MA104 cells proved to be the best suited for the expression rotavirus proteins from plasmids. The expression of rotavirus Wa and SA11 VP1, VP6, NSP2 and NSP5 could be confirmed with immunostaining in MA104 and HEK 293H cells. Another approach involved the codon-optimised expression of the rotavirus replication complex scaffold in MA104 cells under the control of a CMV promoter sequence. This system was independent from the recombinant fowlpox virus. All three plasmid expression sets were designed to be used in combination with the transcript-based reverse genetics system in order to improve the odds of developing a successful rotavirus reverse genetics system. Rotavirus transcripts were generated using transcriptively active rotavirus SA11 double layered particles (DLPs). MA104 and HEK293H cells proved to be the best suited for the expression of rotavirus transcripts although expression of rotavirus VP6 could be demonstrated in all cell cultures examined (MA104, HEK 293H, BSR and COS-7) using immunostaining. In addition, the expression of transcript derived rotavirus VP1, NSP2 and NSP5 could be confirmed with immunofluorescence in MA104 and HEK 293H cells. This is the first report of rotavirus transcripts being translated in cultured cells. A peculiar cell death pattern was observed within 24 hours in response to transfection of rotavirus transcripts. This observed cell death, however does not seem to be related to normal viral cytopathic effect as no viable rotavirus could be recovered. In an effort to combine the transcript- and plasmid systems, a dual transfection strategy was followed where plasmids encoding rotavirus proteins were transfected first followed, 12 hours later, by the transfection of rotavirus SA11 transcripts. The codon- optimised plasmid system was designed as it was postulated that expression of the DLP-complex (VP1, VP2, VP3 and VP6), the rotavirus replication complex would form and assist with replication and/or packaging. Transfecting codon- optimized plasmids first noticeably delayed the mass cell death observed when transfecting rotavirus transcripts on their own. None of the examined coexpression systems were able to produce a viable rotavirus. Finally, the innate immune responses elicited by rotavirus transcripts and plasmid-derived rotavirus Wa and SA11 proteins were investigated. Quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) experiments indicated that rotavirus transcripts induced high levels of the expression of the cytokines IFN- α1, IFN-1β, IFN-λ1 and CXCL10. The expression of certain viral proteins from plasmids (VP3, VP7 and NSP5/6) was more likely to stimulate specific interferon responses, while other viral proteins (VP1, VP2, VP4 and NSP1) seem to be able to actively suppress the expression of certain cytokines. In the light of these suppression results, specific rotavirus proteins were expressed from transfected plasmids to investigate their potential in supressing the interferon responses provoked by rotavirus transcripts. qRT-PCR results indicated that cells transfected with the plasmids encoding NSP1, NSP2 or a combination of NSP2 and NSP5 significantly reduced the expression of specific cytokines induced by rotavirus transcripts. These findings point to other possible viral innate suppression mechanisms in addition to the degradation of interferon regulatory factors by NSP1. The suppression of the strong innate immune response elicited by rotavirus transcripts might well prove to be vital in the quest to better understand the replication cycle of this virus and eventually lead to the development of a selection-free reverse genetics system for rotavirus. / PhD (Biochemistry), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

L‘adaptation des bactéries à leur environnement résulte de régulations de l’expression génique pour optimiser leur physiologie aux conditions de culture. Le contrôle de la concentration des ARNm constitue l’une de ces régulations. Il dépend à la fois des variations de transcription et de dégradation des messagers. Si ces deux mécanismes sont bien étudiés à l’échelle moléculaire chez E. coli, leurs poids respectifs sur la régulation du niveau des transcrits à l’échelle du génome restent inconnus en raison de l’absence de données omiques relatives à la dégradation des ARNm lors de changements environnementaux. D’autre part, les paramètres déterminant la stabilité des messagers sont mal identifiés et n’ont jamais été hiérarchisés.Au cours de cette thèse, la stabilité de chacun des ARNm d’E. coli a été mesurée par la détermination du stabilome. Plus précisément, le temps de demi-vie de près de 70 % de tous les messagers a pu être déterminé de façon fiable pour quatre taux de croissance différents obtenus dans les mêmes conditions de culture à l’aide de chémostats. Pour la première fois, cette étude démontre qu’une croissance bactérienne plus rapide entraîne une augmentation globale de la dégradation des transcrits. L’intégration de ces données avec les données transcriptomiques montre que même si la transcription est le mécanisme principal de régulation du niveau des messagers, la dégradation exerce un effet inverse dans la plupart des cas. De plus, le rôle de la dégradation dans le contrôle de la concentration des ARNm s’accentue de façon significative avec l’augmentation du taux de croissance et affecte particulièrement les gènes impliqués dans le métabolisme carboné central. À partir des données de stabilité générées à différents taux de croissance, des approches de biologie intégrative ont permis d’identifier et de hiérarchiser les déterminants de la dégradation des ARNm. Ainsi, la concentration des messagers qui est le principal paramètre, mais aussi le biais de codon, la longueur de la séquence codante et la présence de certains motifs de séquence déterminent la stabilité d’un ARNm. Toutefois, si la hiérarchie des déterminants identifiés reste identique avec la variation du taux de croissance, la stabilité des ARNm de certaines catégories fonctionnelles en est dépendante. Cependant, d’autres déterminants du temps de demi-vie des messagers, en particulier à fort taux de croissance, restent encore à être identifiés. La protéine CsrA, appartenant au système Csr, est un exemple de régulateur post-transcriptionnel qui contrôle positivement ou négativement l’expression d’ARNm par divers mécanismes qui peuvent modifier leur stabilité. Toutefois, l’étendue de l’action de CsrA sur la stabilité des ARNm à l’échelle omique n’a jamais été étudiée. En comparant les stabilomes et transcriptomes d’une souche sauvage et d’une souche où l’activité de CsrA est diminuée, les effets indirects transcriptionnels de CsrA ont été mesurés et de nouveaux ARNm cibles de CsrA dont la stabilité est régulée par la protéine (en majorité stabilisés) ont été identifiés. De plus, la protéine CsrD, régulateur de la stabilité des ARN non codants CsrB/C, n’est pas impliquée dans la régulation de la stabilité des ARNm, mais agit sur la transcription de nombreux gènes indépendamment de son rôle au sein du système Csr. En conclusion, ces travaux ont permis de mieux appréhender les régulations de la stabilité des ARNm, en identifiant leurs déterminants et en caractérisant leur rôle et portée dans le contrôle de la concentration des messagers. Ils soulignent en particulier l’importance de ces régulations dans le processus d’adaptation bactérien / Bacterial adaptation to environment results from regulations of gene expression to optimize cell physiology to growth conditions. Control of mRNA concentration is one of those regulations. It depends on both variations of transcription and transcript degradation. Although these two mechanisms are well defined at the molecular level in E. coli, their respective impact on mRNA level regulation is still unknown at the genome scale because of a lack of omic data on mRNA stability during changing environment. Moreover, parameters determining messenger stability are not yet clearly identified and have never been ranked.During this PhD, the stability of each of the E. coli mRNAs was measured through stabilome determination. More precisely, the half-life of around 70 % of all messengers was reliably determined at four different growth rates obtained in the same growth conditions in chemostats. For the first time, this study demonstrated that increase of growth rate led to global increase of transcript degradation. Integration of these data with transcriptomic data showed that although transcription was the main mechanism which regulated mRNA level, messenger degradation exerted an opposite effect in most of the cases. The role of messenger degradation in the control of mRNA concentration was significantly accentuated with increasing growth rate and affected particularly genes involved in central carbon metabolism. Using mRNA stability data produced at different growth rates, integrative biology approaches allowed identification and ranking of the determinants of messenger stability. mRNA concentration which was the main parameter, but also codon bias, length of the coding sequence, sequence motifs contributed to transcript stability. However, although the hierarchy of determinants remained identical with variations of growth rate, the stability of mRNAs belonging to specific functional categories differed with the growth rate. Nevertheless, other determinants of messenger half-life, in particular at high growth rates still remain to be discovered. The CsrA protein, which belongs to the Csr system, is one example of a post-transcriptional regulator. CsrA positively or negatively controls expression of several mRNAs by mechanisms able to modify transcript stability. Nevertheless, the extent of CsrA effect on mRNA stability at the omic level has never been studied. By comparing stabilomes and transcriptomes of the wild type strain with a strain with reduced CsrA activity, the indirect transcriptional effects of CsrA were measured and new mRNAs whose stability was targeted by CsrA (mostly stabilized), were identified. Moreover, the CsrD protein, a regulator of CsrB/C small RNA stability, was not involved in mRNA stability regulation, but played a role in transcriptional regulation of many genes independently of its role in the Csr system. To conclude, this work provides a better understanding of the regulation of the mRNA stability. It identifies mRNA stability determinants and characterizes the role and extent of mRNA stability regulation in the control of messenger concentration. The study underlines the importance of this regulation in the process of bacterial adaptation

Das in der vorliegenden Arbeit vorgestellte Verfahren der nicht-radioaktiven Southern Blot Hybridisierung unter Verwendung einer Digoxigenin Markierung hat sich für die Darstellung von Rekombinationen im TEL-Genlokus genomischer DNA als sensitive Vergleichsmethode bewiesen. Es wurden insgesamt 122 Kinder mit dieser Methode auf das Vorliegen der Translokation t(12;21) untersucht. Bei einer nur relevante Faktoren berücksichtigenden Beschränkung des PatientInnenkollektivs auf protokollgerecht nach ALL-REZ BFM behandelte B-Vorläufer-Zell-ALL und Erstrezidive konnte eine Rekombination von TEL in 5 von 65 PatientInnen (7,7%) nachgewiesen werden. Lässt man die Einschlusskriterien der ALL-REZ BFM Studie unberücksichtigt, handelt es sich sogar um 7 von 71 (9,9%) PatientInnen. Damit bestätigen die hier vorliegenden Ergebnisse den Trend der aktuellen Diskussion über die Häufigkeit des Vorliegens des Fusionsgenes TEL-AML1 bei Erstrezidiven, die eine kumulative Inzidenz bei einem 10-jährigen Untersuchungszeitraum von 9 ± 5% angeben. Weiterhin konnte mit ereignisfreien Beobachtungszeiträumen nach dem 1. Rezidiv im Median von 8,6 Jahren ein Trend zu späten Rezidiven und somit eine mittelfristig günstige Prognose für die TEL-Rearrangement positiven Rezidivfälle konstatiert werden. Zusammenfassend kann gesagt werden, dass TEL-AML1 positive PatientInnen eine Subgruppe darstellen, die lange erkrankungsfreie Intervalle mit zur Zeit üblichen Therapieprotokollen erreichen, nach Therapie der Ersterkrankung aber auch nach dem ersten Rezidiv. Auf Grund der sich aus dem retrospektiven PatientInnekollektiv ergebenen Selektion war es nicht möglich, statistisch signifikante Aussagen zur unabhängigen prognostischen Bedeutung für die langfristige Prognose von ALL im Kindesalter mit TEL-Rekombinationen zu treffen. / The presence of TEL/AML1 fusion gene in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) defines a subgroup of patients with better than average outcome. Around 20% of the patient at point of initial ALL diagnosis are characterised by this fusion transcript from translocation t(12;21)(p12;q22). However, the prognostic significance of this aberration has recently been disputed by the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster (BFM) study group due to its relatively high incidence found in relapsed patients (19.6% and 21.9%, in two cohorts). Here we wanted to get more data in a long term follow up retrospect investigation by analysing DNA from frozen conserved bone marrow samples of 65 children. In the study presented here only five out of 65 (7.7%) patients selected as childhood B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukaemia only treated according to Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster (BFM) ALL relapse trial protocols (ALL-REZ BFM 82-96) (excluding T-lineage and Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive leukaemia) carry this fusion. The detection was done due to a new developed non-radioactive Southern blotting with a Digoxigenin marked template. We could confirm the still good middle term prognosis in the relapsed TEL-AML1 positive subgroup. The TEL-AML1-positive and negative patients differed with respect to duration of last remission and age at initial diagnosis. At a median follow-up time of 8.6 years, children positive for TEL-AML1 had a higher probability of disease-free survival. Because of the small number of patients in this study it was not possible to get statistical significant facts about the independent prognostic impact for the long term prognosis of ALL in childhood with TEL rearrangement.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Obesidade é fator de risco para a hipertensão arterial e os mecanismos envolvidos nesta doença não são totalmente esclarecidos. Camundongos C57BL/6J e transgênicos com com deleção em neurônios e glia da via inflamatória do receptor toll-like-NFκB foram submetidos à dieta hiperlipídica (HL) por 8 e 15 semanas e avaliados parâmetros metabólicos, pressão arterial, frequência cardíaca, atividade do sistema nervoso autônomo, fatores inflamatórios e neuropeptídeos no hipotálamo e no tronco encefálico. Os camundongos expostos HL desenvolveram hipertensão arterial acompanhada de disfunção autonômica e aumento de CART no DMH. Os animais transgênicos quando submetidos à dieta HL desenvolveram um quadro de obesidade, porém não apresentaram hipertensão arterial e disfunção autonômica. Além disso, o grupo de animais HL aumentou o RNAm de CCL5 no hipotálamo e de CD86 no tronco-encefálico e a densidade de microglia no NTS caudal. Os resultados sugerem novos mecanismos para a hipertensão e disfunção autonômica secundárias à ingestão de dieta hiperlipídica mostrando o papel do CART o DMH e o envolvimento da via inflamatória do TLR-NFκB em neurônios e glia nos mecanismos desta patologia. / Obesity is a risk factor for high blood pressure and the mechanisms involved in this disease are not fully clarified. C57BL/6J and transgenic mice with toll-like-NFκB receptor inflammatory- pathway deletion in neurons and glia were fed with high-fat diet (HL) for 8 or 15 weeks and assessed metabolic parameters, blood pressure, heart rate, autonomic nervous system activity, inflammatory factors and neuropeptides in the hypothalamus and brainstem. The HL mice developed hypertension accompanied with autonomic dysfunction and increased CART in DMH. Transgenic animals when submitted to HL diet developed obesity, but not showed high blood pressure and autonomic dysfunction. In addition, HL animals had increased CCL5 mRNA in hypothalamus, CD86 mRNA in brainstem and micróglia density in caudal NTS. The results suggest new mechanisms for hypertension and autonomic dysfunction secondary to intake of high-fat diet by showing CART role in DMH and the involvement of the inflammatory pathway TLR-NFκB in neurons and glia.

Obesidade é fator de risco para a hipertensão arterial e os mecanismos envolvidos nesta doença não são totalmente esclarecidos. Camundongos C57BL/6J e transgênicos com com deleção em neurônios e glia da via inflamatória do receptor toll-like-NFκB foram submetidos à dieta hiperlipídica (HL) por 8 e 15 semanas e avaliados parâmetros metabólicos, pressão arterial, frequência cardíaca, atividade do sistema nervoso autônomo, fatores inflamatórios e neuropeptídeos no hipotálamo e no tronco encefálico. Os camundongos expostos HL desenvolveram hipertensão arterial acompanhada de disfunção autonômica e aumento de CART no DMH. Os animais transgênicos quando submetidos à dieta HL desenvolveram um quadro de obesidade, porém não apresentaram hipertensão arterial e disfunção autonômica. Além disso, o grupo de animais HL aumentou o RNAm de CCL5 no hipotálamo e de CD86 no tronco-encefálico e a densidade de microglia no NTS caudal. Os resultados sugerem novos mecanismos para a hipertensão e disfunção autonômica secundárias à ingestão de dieta hiperlipídica mostrando o papel do CART o DMH e o envolvimento da via inflamatória do TLR-NFκB em neurônios e glia nos mecanismos desta patologia. / Obesity is a risk factor for high blood pressure and the mechanisms involved in this disease are not fully clarified. C57BL/6J and transgenic mice with toll-like-NFκB receptor inflammatory- pathway deletion in neurons and glia were fed with high-fat diet (HL) for 8 or 15 weeks and assessed metabolic parameters, blood pressure, heart rate, autonomic nervous system activity, inflammatory factors and neuropeptides in the hypothalamus and brainstem. The HL mice developed hypertension accompanied with autonomic dysfunction and increased CART in DMH. Transgenic animals when submitted to HL diet developed obesity, but not showed high blood pressure and autonomic dysfunction. In addition, HL animals had increased CCL5 mRNA in hypothalamus, CD86 mRNA in brainstem and micróglia density in caudal NTS. The results suggest new mechanisms for hypertension and autonomic dysfunction secondary to intake of high-fat diet by showing CART role in DMH and the involvement of the inflammatory pathway TLR-NFκB in neurons and glia.