Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2012-07-19T20:54:41Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Giselle Calasans de Souza Costa. Investigação de Polimorfismos no gene humano da Glut1 - CPqGM - Dissertação de Mestrado - 2008.pdf: 901999 bytes, checksum: f8d18c6846f38a411006c2e451309767 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-07-19T20:54:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Giselle Calasans de Souza Costa. Investigação de Polimorfismos no gene humano da Glut1 - CPqGM - Dissertação de Mestrado - 2008.pdf: 901999 bytes, checksum: f8d18c6846f38a411006c2e451309767 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, Bahia, Brasil / O HTLV-1 é o agente etiológico da Paraparesia Espástica Tropical/Mielopatia Associada ao HTLV-1 (TSP/HAM) e da Leucemia/Linfoma das Células T do Adulto (ATLL). No entanto, o desenvolvimento de manifestações clínicas associadas ao HTLV-1 ocorre em 2-4% da população infectada e ainda não se sabe por que esta infecção permanece assintomática na maioria dos portadores. Tem sido sugerido que o desfecho da infecção pode ocorrer devido a variações (mutações) em genes do hospedeiro e/ou do vírus. Recentemente, foi demonstrado que o HTLV é capaz de utilizar a glicoproteína transportadora de glicose do tipo 1 (GLUT1) para infectar linfócitos T CD4+. Diversos estudos têm demonstrado uma associação entre mutações em regiões regulatórias de genes humanos e manifestação de doença. Polimorfismos no gene da GLUT1 foram associados à susceptibilidade a nefropatia diabética, em pacientes com diabetes mellitus dos tipos 1 e 2 em diferentes populações. Com o objetivo de verificar possíveis correlações entre polimorfismos nas regiões regulatórias e codificante do gene humano da GLUT1 com o desenvolvimento de TSP/HAM, analisamos os polimorfismos -2841A>T, XbaIG>T e HaeIIIT>C em indivíduos infectados pelo HTLV-1 e em indivíduos não-infectados de Salvador. Os SNPs XbaIG>T e HaeIIIT>C foram verificados por PCR/RFLP e o SNP -2841A>T, por seqüenciamento. Além disso, a carga proviral do HTLV-1 foi quantificada por PCR quantitativo em tempo real. Com o intuito de verificar a freqüência dos polimorfismos em GLUT1 na população brasileira com diferentes etnias, foi realizada a análise dos polimorfismos XbaIG>T e HaeIIIT>C em Ameríndios da tribo Tiriyó; descendentes de europeus da região Sul do Brasil; descendentes de japoneses, descendentes de europeus e afro-descendentes da região Sudeste. As freqüências genotípicas para os polimorfismos analisados estavam de acordo com o esperado pelo Equilíbrio de Hardy- Weinberg. O polimorfismo HaeIIIT>C estava em desequilíbrio de ligação com os polimorfismos XbaIG>T (χ2=37,555, p=0,003, 4 d.f.) e -2841A>T (χ2=∞, p=0,000, 4 d.f.). A freqüência do genótipo T/T do polimorfismo XbaIG>T foi mais elevada nos indivíduos assintomáticos e com TSP/HAM do que nos indivíduos oligosintomáticos. Em relação ao polimorfismo HaeIIIT>C, nós observamos uma maior freqüência do genótipo T/C nos pacientes com TSP/HAM. Quanto ao polimorfismo -2841A>T, foi verificada uma distribuição similar dos genótipos analisados em todos os grupos estudados. Não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significantes nas distribuições genotípicas e alélicas entre os indivíduos infectados e não-infectados pelo HTLV-1, assim como em relação ao status clínico dos pacientes infectados pelo HTLV- 1 nos polimorfismos XbaIG>T, HaeIIIT>C e -2841A>T. Em relação ao seqüenciamento de 339pb da região promotora de GLUT1, foi observada uma nova mutação G>T na posição -2807 em 6 indivíduos (1 assintomático, 2 com TSP/HAM e 3 não-infectados), caracterizando esta mutação como um polimorfismo. Nossos resultados indicam que os polimorfismos XbaIG>T, HaeIIIT>C e -2841A>T, apesar de, possivelmente, estarem relacionados com a entrada de glicose na célula (XbaIG>T e -2841A>T) não estão relacionados com a infecção pelo HTLV-1 nem com o desenvolvimento de TSP/HAM, sugerindo que as diferentes atividades realizadas pela proteína GLUT1 (transporte de glicose e recepção do HTLV-1) são mediadas por diferentes domínios da mesma. Quanto ao estudo de base populacional, nós confirmamos que as freqüências alélicas dos polimorfismos XbaIG>T e HaeIIIT>C variaram de acordo com a etnia. / The HTLV-1 is the etiological agent of Tropical spastic paraparesis/HTLV-1 associated mielopathy (TSP/HAM) and Adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). However, the development of HTLV-1 associated clinic manifestations occurs in 2-4% of the infected population and it is still an answered question why this infection remains asymptomatic at the most of the infected carriers. It has been suggested that the outcome of HTLV-1 associated disease manifestations may occur by individual and/or viral genetic variations (mutations). Recently, it was demonstrated that HTLV is able to use the Glucose transporter type 1 (GLUT1) to infect T CD4+ lymphocytes. Many studies have demonstrating an association between mutations in regulatory regions of human genes and disease manifestations. Polymorphisms in the GLUT1 gene were associated with susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy in patients with types 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus in different populations. To evaluate the role of GLUT1 gene polymorphisms in the development of TSP/HAM in HTLV-1 infected individuals, we had analyzed the -2841A>T, XbaIG>T and HaeIIIT>C polymorphisms in HTLV-1 infected and non-infected individuals from Salvador. The XbaIG>T and HaeIIIT>C SNP were analyzed by PCR/RFLP and the -2841A>T polymorphism, by sequencing. The proviral load of the HTLV-1 infected patients was analyzed by Real Time Quantitative PCR. We also analyzed the XbaIG>T and HaeIIIT>C polymorphisms in distinct Brazilian populations with different ethnic backgrounds: Amerindians from Tiriyó tribe, European descendants from Brazil South region; Japanese descendants, Europeans descendants and African descendants from Southeast region. Genotypic frequencies of the polymorphisms analyzed were in agreement with the expected by the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium. The HaeIIIT>C polymorphism was in linkage disequilibrium with the XbaIG>T (χ2=37.555, p=0.003, 4d.f.) and -2841A>T polymorphisms (χ2=∞, p=0.000, 4d.f.). T/T genotypic frequency of the XbaIG>T polymorphism was higher in asymptomatic and TSP/HAM individuals than in oligosymptomatics. Concerned to the HaeIIIT>C polymorphism, we observed a higher frequency of the T/C genotype in TSP/HAM patients. In relation to the -2841A>T polymorphism, it was verified a similar distribution of the analyzed genotypes in all studied groups. Genotypic and allelic frequencies of the three sites analyzed did not differ significantly for controls and HTLV-1 infected individuals. There were no differences in genotypic and allelic distribution among patients for either the presence or absence of HTLV-1 associated clinic manifestations. In relation to the sequencing of 339 bp of GLUT1 promoter region, it was observed a new mutation G>T at -2807 position in 6 individuals (1 asymptomatic, 2 with TSP/HAM and 3 non-infected). Regarding the quantification of the provirus load according to GLUT1 genotypes, we did not observe any differences. These results suggest that the XbaIG>T, HaeIIIT>C and -2841A>T polymorphisms, although possibly related with cell glucose entry (XbaIG>T and -2841A>T), do not contribute to HTLV-1 infection and to the genetic susceptibility of TSP/HAM in Brazilian HTLV-1 infected individuals, suggesting that different activities performed by GLUT1 protein (glucose transport and HTLV-1 entry) are mediated by its different domains. Concerned to the population study, we confirmed that the allelic frequencies from the XbaIG>T and HaeIIIT>C are influenced by ethnicity among the six Brazilian ethnic groups studied.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2015-07-23T16:56:03Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Igor Ives Santos Fraga Associação... 2014.pdf: 1141300 bytes, checksum: 79bef8840226ef6a639a9c8c9e118161 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2015-07-23T16:56:29Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Igor Ives Santos Fraga Associação... 2014.pdf: 1141300 bytes, checksum: 79bef8840226ef6a639a9c8c9e118161 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-07-23T16:56:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Igor Ives Santos Fraga Associação... 2014.pdf: 1141300 bytes, checksum: 79bef8840226ef6a639a9c8c9e118161 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / O controle da carga proviral do HTLV-1 depende em parte da lise de células infectadas por células citotóxicas mediada pelos linfócitos T CD8⁺ e pelas células NK (Natural killer). A família de receptores KIR (killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor) interage com as moléculas de HLA de classe I, principalmente os alelos do HLA C do grupo 1 (C*01, C*03, C*07, C*08, C*12, C*13, C*14 e C*16), ativando ou inibindo a função destas células.O objetivo do presente estudo foi avaliar se os genes KIR2DL2/KIR2DL3 e os alelos de HLA-C do grupo 1 estão associados ao controle da carga proviral do HTLV-1 e ao diagnóstico de HAM/TSP. O estudo foi realizado no Centro de HTLV da Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Púbica, em Salvador-Bahia. A presença dos genes KIR2DL2 e KIR2DL3 foi determinada por PCR em tempo real (Syber Green). Foram incluídos 248 indivíduos infectados pelo HTLV-1 (161 assintomáticos e 87 com HAM/TSP) cujos alelos de HLA de classe I haviam sido previamente determinados. A carga proviral (quantificada por PCR em tempo real) e as frequências de indivíduos assintomáticos e com diagnóstico de HAM/TSP (Possível, Provável e Definido) foram comparadas de acordo com a presença ou ausência dos genes KIR avaliados. As frequências dos genes KIR2DL2 e KIR2DL3 foi 84,3% e 96,8%, respectivamente. Não foram observadas diferenças estatisticamente significantes na frequência de indivíduos que possuíam os genes (KIR2DL2 ou KIR2DL3) nos grupos clínicos, assim como na frequência de indivíduos que tinham simultaneamente os genes KIR e os alelos de HLA-C do grupo 1. Os indivíduos do grupo HAM/TSP possível que apresentavam o gene KIR2DL2 tinham menor carga proviral (2,9% de células infectadas) que os indivíduos sem este gene (19,2% de células infectadas) (p<0,001). Quando avaliamos a combinação da presença do gene KIR2DL2 com os alelos de HLA-C do grupo 1, menor carga proviral (2,1%) foi observada nos indivíduos que apresentavam algum dos alelos de HLA-C do grupo 1,comparados aqueles que portavam apenas KIR2DL2 (5,0%) (p=0,013). Menor carga proviral também foi observada nos indivíduos assintomáticos que portavam simultaneamente o gene KIR2DL2 e o alelo HLA-C*07, comparados aos indivíduos com apenas o gene KIR2DL2 (p=0,03), enquanto que os indivíduos com HAM/TSP-PB que tinham essa combinação (KIR2DL2/HLA-C*07) apresentaram tendência de menor carga proviral (p=0,051). Em conclusão, a presença da combinação do gene KIR2DL2 e de algum alelo de HLA-C do grupo 1 está associada ao controle da carga proviral. Este estudo quantificou pela primeira vez as frequências de genes KIR em uma coorte de indivíduos infectados pelo HTLV-1 do estado da Bahia. Estudos futuros são necessários para confirmar estes achados em outras populações e avaliar o valor prognóstico da associação de KIR2DL2 e HLA-C do grupo 1. / The control of proviral load of HTLV-1 depends in part of the lysis of infected cells mediated by cytotoxic CD8⁺T lymphocytes and NK (Natural killer) cells. The family of KIR (killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor) interacts with HLA class I molecules, especially those HLA-C alleles in-group 1 (C*01, C*03, C*07, C*08, C*12, C*13, C*14 and C*16) by activating or inhibiting the function of these cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the KIR2DL2, KIR2DL3 genes and group 1 HLA-C alleles are associated with the control of proviral load of HTLV-1 and the diagnosis of HAM/TSP. The study was performed at Bahiana School HTLV Center of Medicine and Health Public, in Salvador, Bahia. The presence of KIR2DL2 and KIR2DL3 genes was determined by real-time PCR (Syber Green). The study included 248 subjects infected with HTLV-1(161 and 87 asymptomatic with HAM/TSP) whose HLA class I alleles were previously determined. The proviral load (quantified by real-time PCR) and the frequency asymptomatic individuals diagnosed with HAM/TSP (possibly, probably and definitive) were compared according to the presence or absence of KIR genes evaluated. The frequencies of KIR2DL2 and KIR2DL3 genes were 84.3% and 96.8%, respectively. No statistically significant differences were observed in the frequency of individuals who possessed the genes (KIR2DL2 or KIR2DL3) in clinical groups, as well as the frequency of individuals who had both the KIR genes and HLA-C alleles group 1. Individuals in the group HAM/TSP possible to KIR2DL2 showed that the gene had lower proviral load (2.9%of cells infected) individuals without this gene (19.2% infected cells) (p<0.001). When we evaluated the combination of the presence of KIR2DL2 and 2DL3 genes with HLA-C genes in group 1, lower proviral load (2.1%) was observed in individuals with any of the alleles of HLA-C group 1, compared who those which harbored only KIR2DL2 (5.0%) (p=0.013) .Minor proviral load was also observed in asymptomatic individuals which carried both the KIR2DL2 gene and HLA-C*07 allele when compared to individuals with only KIR2DL2 gene (p=0.03), whereas patients with HAM/TSP-PB that had this combination (KIR2DL2/HLA-C*07) tended to lower proviral load(p=0.051). In conclusion, the presence of the combination of KIR2DL2 gene and a HLA-C group1allele is associated with proviral load control. This study quantified for the first time the frequencies of KIR genes in a cohort of individuals infected with HTLV-1 in Bahia. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings in other populations and to evaluate the prognostic value of KIR2DL2 association and HLA-C group 1.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2016-02-19T13:06:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Leandro de Oliveira Cedraz Concentrações... 2015.pdf: 1784489 bytes, checksum: 5639169c6995e05270cd7c552e5ccb71 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2016-02-19T13:06:35Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Leandro de Oliveira Cedraz Concentrações... 2015.pdf: 1784489 bytes, checksum: 5639169c6995e05270cd7c552e5ccb71 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-02-19T13:06:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Leandro de Oliveira Cedraz Concentrações... 2015.pdf: 1784489 bytes, checksum: 5639169c6995e05270cd7c552e5ccb71 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / INTRODUÇÃO: O vírus linfotrópico das células T humano tipo 1 (HTLV-1) é endêmico na Bahia e está associado com doenças graves, como a Paraparesia Espástica Tropical/Mielopatia associada ao HTLV-1 (HAM/TSP) e a Dermatite Infecciosa associada ao HTLV-1 (DIH). Escassos trabalhos tem sido reportados com a avaliação de citocinas e quimiocinas em indivíduos jovens infectados pelo HTLV-1 e não existem dados sobre a manifestação simultânea DIH e HAM/TSP na faixa infanto-juvenil. OBJETIVO: Avaliar as concentrações plasmáticas de citocinas e quimiocinas na infecção pelo HTLV-1 em indivíduos infanto-juvenis. MÉTODO: Foram incluídos 61 indivíduos portadores do HTLV-1 distribuídos nos grupos Portadores assintomáticos, pacientes com a DIH, pacientes com DIH/HAM/TSP, pacientes com a HAM/TSP e 20 indivíduos saudáveis sem a infecção pelo HTLV-1, todos na faixa infanto-juvenil. As concentrações plasmáticas foram comparadas através do método de Elisa e de Cytometric Bead Array (CBA). As análises estatísticas foram realizadas com o GraphPad Prism 6.1 através do teste Mann Whitney para comparação das medianas e pelo teste Wilcoxon para comparação das amostras pareadas, e a avaliação das correlações pelo coeficiente de Spearman. RESULTADOS: As citocinas IL-2, IL-6 estiveram em maiores concentrações em todos os grupos de portadores do HTLV-1. Os indivíduos saudáveis apresentaram menores concentrações de IFN-γ que o grupo de indivíduos portadores assintomáticos e o grupo de pacientes com a DIH, além de menores concentrações de IL-4 e IL-10 quando comparado com os indivíduos infectados, contudo apenas a IL-10 esteve em concentrações diferentes nos indivíduos com o vírus. Os indivíduos saudáveis apresentaram maiores concentrações da quimiocina CCL-22. Portadores assintomáticos e pacientes com a DIH apresentaram menores concentrações de IL-1β quando comparados com indivíduos saudáveis. Os portadores assintomáticos apresentaram menores concentrações da IL-17 que os indivíduos não infectados. Os pacientes com a DIH/HAM/TSP apresentaram maiores concentrações para a IL-1β, quando comparado com o grupo de pacientes com a DIH e com o grupo de pacientes com a HAM/TSP, além de menores concentrações da quimiocina CCL-27. O grupo HAM/TSP apresentou menores concentrações de IL-8 que os grupos DIH e DIH/HAM/TSP. A carga proviral foi menor no grupo dos portadores assintomáticos, seguidos do grupo de pacientes com DIH, e do grupo de pacientes de DIH que também manifestaram HAM/TSP, já o grupo de pacientes com a HAM/TSP apresentaram cargas provirais menores que o grupo DIH e o grupo DIH/HAM/TSP. Apenas a IL-8 e IL-10 apresentaram correlações fracas com a carga proviral. Na remissão da DIH, houve maiores concentrações da CCL-27, enquanto o TNF-α esteve em maiores concentrações no momento em que o paciente apresentou a DIH/HAM/TSP. CONSIDERAÇÕES FINAIS: Na infecção pelo HTLV-1 na faixa infanto-juvenil ocorre uma desregulação imunológica acompanhada de um mecanismo imunomodulador. Nos portadores assintomáticos, parece existir um maior equilíbrio entre a resposta pro e anti-inflamatória. A manifestação de DIH e da HAM/TSP, parece estar relacionada com um maior desequilíbrio entre a resposta imunológica, e nos pacientes com a DIH/HAM/TSP esta resposta parece sofrer influência de mecanismos da comanifestação. / INTRODUCTION: The lymphotropic virus of cells T human type 1 (HTLV ) is endemic in Bahia and it is associated with serious diseases such as Tropical Spastic Paraparesis/associated myelopathy with HTLV-1 and Infectious Dermatitis associated with HTLV -1 (IDH). Very little work has been reported with the evaluation of cytokines and chemokines in the IDH and there has been no data on the manifestation simultaneous IDH and HAM\TSP in children and youth range. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the plasma concentrations of cytokines and chemokines in HTLV-1 infection in children and young individuals. METHOD: We included 61 individuals HTLV-1 spread in groups Asymptomatic Carriers, patients with IDH, patients with IDH/HAM/TSP, patients with HAM/TSP and 20 healthy individuals without HTLV-1, all in children's range. Plasma concentrations were compared using the ELISA method and Cytometric Bead Array (CBA). Statistical analyzes were performed using GraphPad Prism 6.1 using the Mann Whitney test to compare the medians and the Wilcoxon test for comparison of paired samples, and evaluation of correlations by Spearman coefficient. RESULTS: The cytokines IL-2 and IL-6 concentrations were higher in all groups of patients with HTLV-1. Healthy individuals showed lower concentrations of IFN-γ to the group of asymptomatic individuals and the group of patients with IDH, in addition to lower concentrations of IL-4 and IL-10 when compared to infected individuals, but only IL-10 was in different concentrations in subjects with the virus. Healthy individuals showed higher concentrations of the chemokine CCL-22. Asymptomatic carriers and patients with IDH had lower IL-1β levels in comparison with healthy subjects. Asymptomatic carriers had lower IL-17 concentrations that Healthy individuals. Patients with IDH/HAM/TSP had higher concentrations of IL-1β compared with the group of patients with the IDH and the group of patients with HAM/TSP, and lower concentrations of CCL-27 chemokine. The HAM/TSP group had lower IL-8 concentrations of the IDH and IDH/HAM/TSP groups. The proviral load was lower in asymptomatic patients, followed by the group of patients with IDH, and the group of IDH patients also expressed HAM/TSP, the group of patients with HAM/TSP had lower proviral loads that the IDH group and IDH/HAM/TSP group. As IL-8 and IL-10 exhibit weak correlation with proviral load. In Remission IDH, there were higher concentrations of CCL-27, while TNF-α was higher concentrations at the time the patient showed IDH/HAM/TSP. CONCLUSIONS: In the HTLV-1 infection in children and young occurs an immune dysregulation accompanied of an immunomodulatory mechanism. In asymptomatic patients, there seems to be a greater balance between the response pro and anti-inflammatory. The manifestation of IDH and HAM/TSP seems to be related to a greater imbalance between the immune response, and in patients with IDH/HAM/TSP this answer seems to be influenced by mechanisms of co-expression mechanisms.

O vírus linfotrópico de células T humanas (HTLV-1) foi o primeiro retrovírus descrito e está etiologicamente ligado a duas principais doenças: a leucemia/linfoma de célula T do adulto (ATLL) e a mielopatia associada ao HTLV-1/paraparesia espástica tropical (HAM/TSP). Apenas 0,3 a 5% dos indivíduos infectados desenvolvem essas doenças associadas, enquanto a maioria permanece assintomática. A HAM/TSP é uma manifestação inflamatória do sistema nervoso central e o mecanismo pelo qual o HTLV-1 induz o surgimento de HAM/TSP ainda não está totalmente esclarecido. Atualmente, uma abordagem promissora no entendimento de mecanismos, bem como na fisiopatogênese das infecções virais tem sido a avaliação da função de microRNAs (miRNAs). Há poucos dados na literatura envolvendo estas moléculas na infecção pelo HTLV-1 em linfócitos T CD4+ bem como no estabelecimento da doença HAM/TSP. No presente estudo, foi avaliada a expressão de miRNAs dos linfócitos T CD4+ isolados de portadores sem HAM/TSP (HAC), pacientes HAM/TSP e indivíduos sadios (CT) por meio de PCR em tempo real. A análise do perfil de expressão dos miRNAs nessas células revelou que 56 e 10 miRNAs apresentavamse mais 1,5 vezes aumentados no grupo HAM/TSP e HAC, respectivamente. O miR- 125b-1-1 apresentou expressão significamente maior no grupo HAC e o miR-146a, no grupo HAM/TSP. A análise in silico de predição de alvo demonstrou que o gene IFNG era potencialmente alvo do miR-125b-1-1 e os genes IRAK1 e TRAF6 do miR- 146a. Foi demonstrado que a expressão do IFNG no grupo HAC era 1,3 vezes mais elevado que o grupo CT e 1,8 vezes mais elevado no grupo HAM que no grupo CT. Houve um aumento na expressão de TRAF6 de 15,7 e 1,5 vezes nos grupos HAM/TSP e HAC, respectivamente. Não foi observada diferença na expressão de IRAK1 entre os três grupos. O ensaios de superexpressão do miR-125b-1-1 alterou a expressão do IFNG e do miR-146a alterou a expressão do gene IRAK1 e sua proteína. Os resultados evidenciados neste trabalho ressaltam a importância dos miRNAs na modulação de genes e proteínas importantes durante a infeção pelo HTLV-1. A correlação entre o miR-125b-1-1 e gene IFNG sugere que este miRNA esteja envolvido nos mecanismos de desenvolvimento de HAM/TSP. Além disso, a interação entre o miR-146a e os genes IRAK1 e TRAF6 sugerem que este miRNA esteja relacionado a mecanismos de persistência viral da infecção pelo HTLV-1 em linfócitos T CD4+. / Human T-cell lymphotropic vírus type 1 (HTLV-1) was the first human retrovirus discovered and it is related with two major diseases: adult T cell lymphoma/leukaemia (ATLL) and HTLV-1 -associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TS). About 0.3 to 5% of infected individuals will develop HTLV-1 related diseases, while the majority will remain life-long asymptomatic carriers of the virus. HAM/TSP is an inflammatory manifestation of central nervous system and the mechanism involved in HAM/TSP development is noy well elucidated. Currently, a promising approach on understanding the mechanisms as well as physiopathogenesis of viral infections has been the evaluation of the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) roles. There are few data involving CD4+ T cells miRNA expression in HTLV-1 infection as well as HAM/TSP establishment. To identify miRNAs differentially expressed in CD4+ T cells among non-infected individuals (CT), asymptomatic (HAC) and HAM/TSP patients we applied quantitative real time PCR. The analysis of miRNA expression profile in these cells showed 56 and 10 miRNAs upregulated 1.5 times in HAM/TSP and HAC groups, respectively. miR- 125b-1-1 was upregulated in HAC group and miR-146a in HAM/TSP. In silico analysis of target prediction showed that IFNG was a potentially miR-125b-1-1 target and IRAK1 and TRAF6 were miR-146a targets. IFNG expression was 1.3 higher in HAC than CT group and 1.8 higher in HAM/TSP than CT group. It was observed that TRAF6 expression was 15.7 and 1.5 times higher in HAM/TSP and HAC groups, respectively. There was no difference of IRAK1 expression among the three groups. Overexpression assays of miR-125b-1-1 altered IFNG expression and overexpression of miR-146a altered IRAK1 gene and protein expression. The results revealed that miRNAs modulate genes and proteins during HTLV-1 infection. miR- 125b-1-1 and IFNG gene correlation suggests that miR-125b-1-1 seems to contribute to HAM/TSP development. Besides, miR-146a and IRAK1 and TRAF6 interaction suggests that miT-146a seems to contribute to HTLV-1 establishment in CD4+ T cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) são RNA de fita simples (22 nucleotídeos) que atuam como reguladores da expressão gênica celular. Estudos recentes têm demonstrado o papel dos miRNAs como moduladores da resposta celular frente às infecções virais. O vírus linfotrópico de células T humanas do tipo 1 (HTLV-1) é um retrovírus que apresenta genes estruturais comuns aos demais, além dos genes tax e rex, os quais dão origem às proteínas regulatórias. Entre elas, destaca-se a oncoproteína Tax, que é capaz de modular a expressão de genes celulares e virais, além de estar associada ao desencadeamento de patologias. Destacam-se duas manifestações clínicas associadas: a leucemia/linfoma de células T do adulto (ATLL) e a mielopatia associada ao HTLV/paraparesia espástica tropical (HAM/TSP). Fatores relacionados ao hospedeiro também estão correlacionados ao aparecimento das patologias. No intuito de estabelecer se miRNAs humanos podem influenciar em processos celulares que se encontram desregulados pela Tax (diferenciação, transdução de sinais, apoptose, proliferação celular e tumorigênese), o objetivo deste projeto foi analisar a expressão de miRNAs em células mononucleares de sangue periférico (PBMC) de indivíduos infectados HTLV-1. Para tanto, realizamos análises in silico para mapear alvos de miRNAs humanos no gene tax do HTLV-1. Foram utilizados dois algoritmos (miRanda e RNAhybrid), com os seguintes parâmetros: score de 120 na região da semente; energia livre de até -15 kcal/mol. Assim, selecionou-se os hsa-miRNAs:149a, 648, 221, 222, 142-5p, 26a, 29a, 374 e 125b. Adicionalmente, foi observado que as regiões do gene tax, onde se ligam os miRNAs selecionados, são extremamente conservadas entre os diferentes subtipos de HTLV-1. Após estas análises in silico, realizou-se a validação dos miRNAs eleitos. Para tanto, foram isolados PBMC de 21 amostras de indivíduos-controle (CT), 10 portadores assintomáticos do HTLV-1 (HAC) e 12 com HAM/TSP (HAM). Do total de células, 1x106 tiveram seu DNA genômico extraído para quantificação da carga proviral (CPV) pela metodologia de PCR quantitativo em tempo real (qRT-PCR); 1x106 foram criopreservadas para quantificação de Tax por citometria de fluxo; 1x 107células foram utilizadas na extração de RNA para validação dos miRNAs por qRT-PCR. A fase orgânica do Trizol® foi utilizada para extração de proteínas totais e posterior análise da expressão de Tax por Western blot. A CPV apresentou-se significativamente aumentada (p= 0,0046) no grupo HAM, quando utilizado teste de Mann-Whitney. A expressão de Tax apresentou correlação significativa (p=0,0128) com a CPV, pelo teste de Spearmann e auxiliou na caracterização dos pacientes. O nível de expressão dos miRNAs foi avaliado nos grupos: CT vs Pacientes e CT vs HAC vs HAM por testes não-paramétricos de Mann-Whitney e Kruskal-wallis, respectivamente. Os miRNAs se mostraram desregulados no grupo de pacientes quando comparado ao grupo CT. Dentre estes, o hsa-miR-125b encontra-se aumentado significativamente no grupo de pacientes em relação ao controle (p=0,0285). Utilizou-se o teste de correlação de Spearmann, para associar a expressão de Tax com os miRNAs, porém os resultados encontrados não foram significativos. Apesar de não estar correlacionado com expressão de Tax, o hsa-miR-125b é responsável pela regulação de diversas proteínas, como TNF-, uma proteína inflamatória hiper-expressa em portadores do HTLV-1. Deste modo, acreditamos que este miRNA estaria aumentado proporcionalmente na tentativa de inibir a tradução desta proteína. Os resultados deste projeto sugerem a importância de esclarecer como os miRNAs humanos podem regular a infecção pelo HTLV-1 e gerar informações para o desenvolvimento de estratégias que possam interferir com a replicação e patogênese viral. / MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are simple strand RNA (22 nucleotides), which are regulators of cellular gene expression. Recent studies have been showed miRNAs role as modulators of cellular responses, when viral infection occurs. The human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is a retrovirus that presents the same regular structural genes compared to the other retrovirus, besides tax and rex genes, which encode regulatory proteins. In regard to this, Tax oncoprotein is a major determinant of viral persistence and pathogenesis. Two major diseases are related to this virus adult T cell leukemia (ATLL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). Host-related factors are also correlated with HAM/TSP development. To establish if human miRNAs could influence in the unregulated cellular process caused by Tax (differentiation, signal transduction, apoptosis, cellular proliferation and tumorigenesis), this study analyzed miRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from HTLV-1 infected patients. For this purpose, we performed in silico analyses to find human miRNAs that could targeted HTLV-1 tax region. We performed two algorithms (miRanda e RNAhybrid) and we set up two distinct parameters: score more than 120 in the seed region and minimum free energy until -15 kcal/mol. So, we have selected these hsa-miRNAs:149a, 648, 221, 222, 142-5p, 26a, 29a, 374 e 125b. Besides this, we compared several HTLV-1 sub-types and we observed that regions, where miRNAs are regulating, are extremely conserved. After the in silico analysis, we validated miRNAs that we have been chosen. We isolated PBMC samples from 21 control-individuals (CT), 10 from asymptomatic carriers and 12 from HAM/TSP (HAM). After the procedure, genomic DNA were extracted from 1x106 cells, in order to quantify the proviral load (PL) performing quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR). Tax was measured by flow cytometry and for this procedure, we used 1x106 criopreserved cells. Amount 1x 107cells were used to total RNA extraction that was used to miRNAs validation by qRT-PCR. The organic phase from Trizol® was employed to extract total proteins, which were used to analyze Tax expression by Western blot. The PL was significantly higher in HAM group than HAC (p= 0,0046), when Mann-Whitney statistical test was employed. The Tax expression was significantly correlated to PL (p=0,0128) by Spearmann test and this finding provided us a better characterization of the patients. The miRNAs expression was detected in the following groups: CT vs Patients and CT vs HAC vs HAM by non-parametrical tests Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-wallis, respectively. The miRNAs presented unregulated themselves in the patient group, when we compared to CT group. We observed that hsa-miR-125b expression are significantly higher in patients group than controls (p=0,0285). We have tried to associate miRNAs with Tax expression, employing Spearmann test, but this analysis did not show significant values. Despite this, hsa-miR-125b is responsible for regulating several proteins, such as TNF-, which is an inflammatory protein overexpressed in HTLV-1 carriers. In conclusion, we propose that this miRNA could be increased as a way to inhibit TNF- translation. These results suggest the importance in understanding how human miRNAs could regulated the HTLV-1 infection. In addition to this, they could generate data to be used as therapeutic strategies for the control of viral replication and pathogenic processes.

MALTA, T.M. Análise do perfil de expressão gênica em linfócitos T CD8+ isolados de pacientes infectados pelo HTLV-1. 2009. 137f. Dissertação de Mestrado. Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto - Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, 2009. O vírus linfotrópico de células T humanas tipo 1 (HTLV-1) foi o primeiro retrovírus humano descrito e está etiologicamente associado a duas principais manifestações clínicas: a leucemia ou linfoma de células T do adulto (ATLL) e a mielopatia associada ao HTLV-1 ou paraparesia espástica tropical (HAM/TSP). É estimado que 3 a 5% das pessoas infectadas pelo HTLV-1 desenvolvem as doenças associadas, enquanto a maioria permanece assintomática. A HAM/TSP é uma manifestação inflamatória do sistema nervoso central e o mecanismo pelo qual o HTLV-1 induz o surgimento de HAM/TSP ainda é questão de debate. Os linfócitos T CD8+ citotóxicos (CTL) têm uma participação importante na resposta imunológica dirigida contra o HTLV-1 e a eficiência com que as CTLs eliminam as células infectadas pelo vírus está relacionada com a carga proviral (CPV) do indivíduo e consequentemente com o risco de desenvolvimento de HAM/TSP. No presente trabalho, foram avaliados os perfis de expressão gênica de linfócitos T CD8+ isolados de portadores assintomáticos (HAC), pacientes com HAM/TSP (HAM/TSP) e de indivíduos sadios (CT) por meio da metodologia de Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE). Os linfócitos T CD8+ utilizados foram isolados por meio de separação imunomagnética e um pool composto de quatro indivíduos infectados para cada grupo, HAC e HAM/TSP foi utilizado para a construção das bibliotecas. A análise do SAGE resultou num total de 51.017, 62.432 e 60.620 tags sequenciadas para as bibliotecas CT, HAC e HAM/TSP, respectivamente, o que permitiu a identificação de aproximadamente 12.000 transcritos diferentes em cada biblioteca. Foram identificados cerca de 900 genes diferencialmente expressos entre as bibliotecas CT e HAC ou HAM/TSP. A comparação dos grupos HAC e HAM/TSP revelou 290 genes. Um grande número destes genes diferencialmente expressos está envolvido com os processos de apoptose, adesão e migração celular. Os achados foram validados pela metodologia de PCR em tempo real em um total de 17 indivíduos assintomáticos, 14 com HAM/TSP e 24 indivíduos sadios. A validação evidenciou o aumento da expressão dos genes envolvidos na lise mediada por células PRF1, GZMB e GZMH, além do aumento de CCL5, ZAP70 e PXN nos indivíduos infectados pelo HTLV-1. Além disso, os resultados mostraram redução nos níveis de expressão de CXCR4 nesses pacientes. Adicionalmente, foi realizada a quantificação dos níveis protéicos de PRF1 e GZMB por citometria de fluxo e os resultados corroboraram com a PCR em tempo real. O perfil gênico dos linfócitos T CD8+ demonstrou a ocorrência de intensa ativação e migração celular durante a infecção pelo HTLV-1. Essas evidências indicam que as células CD8+ dos indivíduos infectados pelo HTLV-1 parecem contribuir mais para a proteção e controle da infecção pelo vírus, e menos para o desenvolvimento de HAM/TSP. Este foi o primeiro trabalho a analisar a expressão global de linfócitos T CD8+ nesta infecção por meio de SAGE e permitiu a geração de dados que serão empregados em diferentes abordagens na pesquisa com HTLV-1. / MALTA, T.M. Serial Analysis of Gene Expression in CD8+ T-cells isolated from HTLV-1 infected individuals. 2009. 137f. Dissertação de Mestrado. Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto - Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, 2009. Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) was the first human retrovirus discovered and is related with two major diseases: adult T cell lymphoma/leukaemia (ATLL) and HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). About 3 to 5% of infected individuals will develop HTLV-1 related diseases, while the majority remains life-long asymptomatic carriers of the virus. HAM/TSP is an inflammatory manifestation of central nervous system and the mechanism involved in HAM/TSP development are not well elucidated. CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) have an important function in the immune response against the HTLV-1 and is related with the individual proviral load and so in the risk of HAM/TSP. To identify genes differentially expressed among non-infected individuals, asymptomatic (HAC) and HAM/TSP (HAM/TSP) patients we performed a serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) using CD8+ T cells isolated from these individuals. The CD8+ T lymphocytes were isolated by magnetic cell separation system and HAC and HAM/TSP SAGE libraries were composed by pooled of four samples. SAGE analysis of 51,017, 62,432 and 60,620 tags from control, HAC and HAM/TSP groups respectively, allowed identification of approximately 12,000 different transcripts in each library. The expression profile revealed around 900 genes differentially expressed between control group and HAC or HAM/TSP, and 290 genes were identified between HAC and HAM/TSP groups. The expression profile revealed the presence of highly frequent transcripts related to apoptosis, cell adhesion and cell migration. These results were validated by real time PCR in 17 HTLV-1 asymptomatic carriers, 14 patients with HAM/TSP and 24 healthy individuals. The validation revealed the increased levels of expression of the cytolysis genes PRF1, GZMB and GZMH, and the increases of CCL5, ZAP70 and PXN in the HTLV-1 infected individuals. Besides, the CXCR4 was suppressed in these patients. Additionally, we performed the protein quantification of PRF1 and GZMB by flow cytometry and the real time PCR results were confirmed. The CD8+ T cells profiles showed strong cell activation and cell migration in HTLV-1 infection. These data suggests that CD8+ T cells from HTLV-1 individuals seem to contribute more to the protection and virus infection control than to the HAM/TSP development. This study represents the first extensive serial analysis of gene expression of CD8+T cells in HTLV-1 infection and allowed to generate data that will be used in different approaches in HTLV-1 research.

Angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels from existing vasculature; it requires the breakdown of existing blood vessel walls followed by the migration and proliferation of endothelial cells to form the new vessels. It is a complex process that is regulated by many pro- and anti-angiogenic factors and the roles of some of these factors are still unclear. Angiogenesis is a key feature of many pathological conditions including cancer, polycystic ovary syndrome and endometriosis so is an area of great research interest. There are several methods currently available for the study of angiogenesis, both in vitro and in vivo, and whilst all of these methods have enhanced understanding of angiogenesis, they also have limitations. The ovary is an excellent model for the study of angiogenesis as it undergoes intense vascular morphogenesis in a cyclical manner. The female reproductive system is unique as no other healthy adult tissue undergoes spontaneous angiogenesis. The tissues in the ovary undergo constant remodelling during both folliculogenesis and the formation and regression of the corpus luteum. Blood vessels are recruited from the ovarian stroma at the preantral stage to form vascular sheaths, in the thecal layer, which surround the developing follicle and supply nutrients, hormones and allow gaseous exchange. As follicular development progresses to the antral stage, when gonadotrophin-dependence is established, increased angiogenesis is essential to sustain development of the rapidly expanding follicle. Previous research into ovarian angiogenesis has focussed on the corpus luteum but the mechanisms of the regulation of angiogenesis during folliculogenesis need further elucidation. The work in this thesis aims to develop and utilise an in vitro angiogenesis assay using the culture of intact preantral and early antral follicles to provide a new approach to the study of follicular angiogenesis. During the course of this thesis this assay was utilised to investigate the effect of various factors on follicular angiogenesis and ovarian function. The role of the putative anti-angiogenic factor thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) in the regulation of physiological angiogenesis was investigated using the in vitro angiogenesis assay developed during the course of this thesis and the role of TSP-1 in normal ovarian function was investigated using the culture of isolated granulosa cells. The results suggest that TSP-1 is able to inhibit angiogenesis and that it has an extravascular role in the ovary, in vitro. These findings were extended to an in vivo angiogenesis model where follicular angiogenesis was assessed by quantitative immunohistochemistry for bromodeoxyuridine and the endothelial cell marker CD31. The extravascular role for TSP-1 was also further investigated in vivo and was assessed by quantitative immunohistochemistry for activated caspase-3. The results confirmed the findings of the in vitro study, indicating that TSP-1 has antiangiogenic action and acts to clear non-dominant follicles from the ovary through the induction of atresia. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the main factor involved in stimulating angiogenesis and many advances have been made into elucidating the role, and the mechanisms of action, of VEGF on angiogenesis. Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) is considered to be one of the main factors acting in concert with VEGF to stabilise new blood vessels and its role in angiogenesis has been the subject of much discussion and controversy. This thesis investigates the effects of Ang-1 on follicular angiogenesis and development, using the in vitro angiogenesis assay, granulosa cell culture and RNA knockdown experiments. The results have shown that Ang-1 can induce follicular angiogenesis at high doses and that at low doses stimulates prosurvival pathways and inhibits apoptotic mediators. This thesis describes a novel in vitro culture system for the study of angiogenesis in ovarian follicles. Using this system the effects of various factors on follicular angiogenesis and on follicle development and survival have been investigated. Investigations into the mechanisms of action of these factors have also been performed. These studies have improved understanding of the regulation of follicular angiogenesis and have indicated extravascular roles for angiogenic factors in the ovary. Since angiogenesis is a key feature of many pathological conditions, the ability to manipulate angiogenesis and to investigate and quantify the effects of proor anti-angiogenic compounds may have important clinical implications.

Σ’ αυτή τη διπλωματική εργασία, παρουσιάζουμε προσεγγιστικούς αλγόριθμους για το Πρόβλημα του Πλανόδιου Πωλητή, μερικές πρακτικές εφαρμογές και κάποιες σχετικές παραλλαγές του κύριου προβλήματος. Ένας πλανόδιος πωλητής θέλει να επισκεφθεί κάθε πόλη ενός συνόλου πόλεων ακριβώς μια φορά ξεκινώντας και επιστρέφοντας στην αρχική πόλη. Το κύριο πρόβλημά του είναι να βρει τη συντομότερη διαδρομή. Παρουσιάζουμε μια αυτόνομη εισαγωγή σε αλγοριθμικές και υπολογιστικές απόψεις του προβλήματος μαζί με τις θεωρητικές απαραίτητες προϋποθέσεις τους από την σκοπιά της Επιχειρησιακής Έρευνας. Η διπλωματική αποσκοπεί να παρουσιάσει τις διαδικασίες επίλυσης του Προβλήματος του Πλανόδιου Πωλητή ανάλογα με το μέγεθος και τη δομή του. Θεωρητικά αποτελέσματα παρουσιάζονται σε μορφή που να καθιστούν σαφή τη σημασία τους στο σχεδιασμό των προσεγγιστικών αλγόριθμων για αποδεδειγμένα καλές ή/και βέλτιστες λύσεις του Προβλήματος. / In this thesis, at short, we present the Travelling Salesman Problem with approximations algorithms, some practical applications and related problems of the main problem. A travelling salesman wants to visit each of a set of towns exactly once starting from and returning to his home town. One of his problems is to find the shortest such trip. We present a self-contained introduction into algorithmic and computational aspects of the TSP along with their theoretical prerequisites as seen from the point of view of an operations researcher who wants to solve practical instances. This thesis is intended to be a guideline of the reader confronted with the question of how to attack a TSP instance depending on its size, its structural properties. Theoretical results are presented in a form which make clear their importance in the design of algorithms for approximate but provably good, and optimal solutions of the TSP.

名古屋大学年代測定総合研究センターシンポジウム報告

Evolutionary and genetic algorithms are problem-solving methods designed according to a nature inspiration. They are used for solving hard problems that we cannot solve by any efficient specialized algorithm. The Monte Carlo method and its derivation the Monte Carlo Tree Search (MCTS) are based on sampling and are also commonly used for too complex problems, where we are dealing with enormous memory consumption and it is impossible to perform a complete searching. The goal of this thesis is to design a general problem solving method that is built from these two completely different approaches. We explain and implement the new method on one example problem: the Traveling salesman problem (TSP). Second part of this thesis contains various tests and experiments. We compare different settings and parametrizations of our method. The best performing variant is then compared with the classical evolutionary TSP solution or, for example, with greedy algorithms. Our method shows competitive results. The best results were achieved with the cooperation of our method and the classical evolutionary TSP solution. This union shows better results than any of its parts separately, which we find as a great success.