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This thesis examines the dynamics of the formation of tethers, which are tubes of lipids 20 - 200 nm in diameter. In particular, this work investigates how the loading rate affects the observed threshold force at which a tether forms from a vesicle membrane. Tether dynamics are important to a myriad of biological processes such as signaling when white blood cells adhere to the walls of healthy and diseased blood vessels, or in the transport of intracellular material between neighboring cells. To understand the dynamics of tether formation in such systems more fully, the studies presented in this thesis focus on the dependence of the force needed to create a tether on the rate of force change. To conduct these experiments, I combined, for the first time, a microfabricated magnetic force transducer, or a microscale device that generates well-controlled and localized magnetic fields, and microaspiration, a technique to apply known tension to a lipid membrane. Using the combined global and local mechanical control of the joint system, I discovered a strong correlation between the threshold force of tether formation and the applied force ramp. An energy model, based upon that used to describe membrane rupture, characterized the observed dependencies and provided a mechanism to examine physically relevant quantities within the system. The usefulness of this combined approach was further substantiated by determining the influence of membrane modulators, including cholesterol, tension, adhesion site concentration, and phosphatidylserine, on the dependence seen between force threshold and force rates. Additionally, application of the experimental technique developed in this thesis led to the calculation of the inter-layer drag coefficient between membrane leaflets and to the first measurements of the thermal expansivity in aspirated 1-stearoy1-2-oleoyl- sn -glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine vesicles. This new tool for dynamic studies of membrane mechanics may further be extended to study how tethers form off of flowing cells or how phase regimes, induced by the presence of cholesterol, influence membrane dynamics.

This thesis presents the experimental work performed on the spectrin protein. The aim of the work was to study the direct interactions of spectrin, the cytoskeleton of RBCs, with membrane lipid to determine its effects on the mechanical properties of the lipid bilayer. Motivation for this work came from a lack of unanimity in the field of spectrin, and the hypothesized potential of the protein to perforate giant unilamellar vesicles. The work aimed to investigate and determine how spectrin-lipid interactions influence membrane mesoscopic morphology and biophysics in ways that could ultimately be important to cellular function. For this purpose, a protocol was implemented to take into account the different aspects of the binding. Direct visualisation of the spectrin-lipid interaction and distribution was achieved using confocal fluorescence microscopy. Changes in the mechanical properties of the membrane were investigated using the micropipette aspiration technique. Finally the thermodynamics of the interaction were considered with isothermal titration calorimetry experiments. This allowed evaluation of the protein-lipid interaction in a complete and coherent manner. Experiments were also performed on another elastic protein, alpha-elastin, for comparison. In addition to its similarities with spectrin (both possess hydrophobic domains and entropy elasticity), elastin is auto-fluorescent which makes it an attractive model protein. Elastin was also used as a sample model to implement new techniques using nonlinear optics microscopy.

A acne vulgar é uma das doenças cutâneas mais comuns, apresentando como um de seus fatores fisiopatológicos primários a colonização pelo microrganismo Propionibacterium acnes. Atualmente, têm-se buscado terapias alternativas para o combate ao P. acnes, destacando-se alguns ácidos graxos, como o ácido laúrico (LA). O LA é uma molécula pouco solúvel em água, sendo possível sua incorporação em lipossomas. Os lipossomas apresentam capacidade de encapsulação/ liberação de ativos e impedem a desidratação da pele, tornando-se ingredientes inovadores na área de cosméticos. Foram preparados lipossomas de dipalmitoilfosfatidilcolina (DPPC) contendo diferentes concentrações de LA, que variaram de 0 a 50% da concentração total em mol, em quatro pHs: 9,0, 7,4, 5,0 e 3,0. Nestes pHs o estado de protonação do LA muda variando de 0 a -1. Os lipossomas foram extrusados por filtros com poros de 100 nm de diâmetro visando à obtenção de vesículas unilamelares grandes (LUV). As LUV foram caracterizadas quanto a sua estabilidade em condições de prateleira, temperatura de transição de fase da bicamada, encapsulamento no interior aquoso, liberação do LA, difusão das vesículas na pele e seus aspectos morfológicos foram caracterizados por espalhamento de raios-X a baixo ângulo (SAXS) e crio-microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. Estudos de estabilidade mostraram que independentemente da concentração de LA, as formulações são mais estáveis em pHs mais altos, quando LA está em sua maioria na forma de laurato. Os experimentos de DSC revelaram que em pHs 3,0 e 5,0 e concentrações maiores de LA, a interação deste ácido graxo com as bicamadas é favorecida, havendo um aumento da temperatura de transição de fase (Tm) e diminuição da cooperatividade. Análises de taxa de incorporação de sondas hidrofílicas confirmaram a presença de um compartimento aquoso interno para as vesículas de DPPC:LA. O LA conseguiu permear a pele no período avaliado e pouco LA foi liberado das vesículas em condições de temperatura ambiente. A morfologia das LUV se mostrou bem diferente da esperada e se observaram vesículas com mais de uma bicamada e outros formatos que não o esférico. Estes resultados podem auxiliar na otimização das condições para uma formulação que poderá ser usada no tratamento da acne, aumentando a eficácia do LA no sítio alvo. / Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin diseases, presenting as one of its causes the microorganism Propionibacterium acnes colonization. Currently, it has been sought alternatives therapies against P. acnes, especially some fatty acids, like the lauric acid (LA). LA is a molecule with low water solubility, allowing its incorporation in liposomes. Liposomes have encapsulation/release capacity of drugs and promote skin lipids regeneration, becoming an innovative ingredient in cosmetics area. Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) vesicles containing different LA concentrations were prepared at pHs: 9.0, 7.4, 5.0 and 3.0. At these pHs the LA protonation changes and its charge varies from 0 to -1. The vesicles were extruded through filters containing pores of 100 nm to obtain large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) that were characterized for stability in shelf conditions, bilayer phase transition temperature, aqueous internal compartment encapsulation, LA release and in vitro skin permeation. Its morphological features were characterized by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryo-electron transmission microscopy. Stability assays showed that, regardless LA concentration, formulations were more long-term stable in higher pHs, when LA is mostly in the form of laurate. The differential scanning calorimetry, DSC, experiments showed that, at pHs 3.0 and 5.0 and higher LA concentrations, the interaction between the bilayer and LA is favored, increasing phase transition temperature (Tm) and reducing cooperativity. Incorporation of hydrophilic probes confirmed the presence of an internal aqueous compartment in DPPC:LA vesicles. The LA managed to permeate the skin on the period evaluated and, in ambient conditions, low LA concentration was released from the vesicles. LUV containing more than one bilayer and non-spherical structures were observed. The obtained results may help in the optimization of the conditions for a formulation that can be used in the treatment of acne and improving the effectiveness of LA delivery to the target site.

A acne vulgar é uma das doenças cutâneas mais comuns, apresentando como um de seus fatores fisiopatológicos primários a colonização pelo microrganismo Propionibacterium acnes. Atualmente, têm-se buscado terapias alternativas para o combate ao P. acnes, destacando-se alguns ácidos graxos, como o ácido laúrico (LA). O LA é uma molécula pouco solúvel em água, sendo possível sua incorporação em lipossomas. Os lipossomas apresentam capacidade de encapsulação/ liberação de ativos e impedem a desidratação da pele, tornando-se ingredientes inovadores na área de cosméticos. Foram preparados lipossomas de dipalmitoilfosfatidilcolina (DPPC) contendo diferentes concentrações de LA, que variaram de 0 a 50% da concentração total em mol, em quatro pHs: 9,0, 7,4, 5,0 e 3,0. Nestes pHs o estado de protonação do LA muda variando de 0 a -1. Os lipossomas foram extrusados por filtros com poros de 100 nm de diâmetro visando à obtenção de vesículas unilamelares grandes (LUV). As LUV foram caracterizadas quanto a sua estabilidade em condições de prateleira, temperatura de transição de fase da bicamada, encapsulamento no interior aquoso, liberação do LA, difusão das vesículas na pele e seus aspectos morfológicos foram caracterizados por espalhamento de raios-X a baixo ângulo (SAXS) e crio-microscopia eletrônica de transmissão. Estudos de estabilidade mostraram que independentemente da concentração de LA, as formulações são mais estáveis em pHs mais altos, quando LA está em sua maioria na forma de laurato. Os experimentos de DSC revelaram que em pHs 3,0 e 5,0 e concentrações maiores de LA, a interação deste ácido graxo com as bicamadas é favorecida, havendo um aumento da temperatura de transição de fase (Tm) e diminuição da cooperatividade. Análises de taxa de incorporação de sondas hidrofílicas confirmaram a presença de um compartimento aquoso interno para as vesículas de DPPC:LA. O LA conseguiu permear a pele no período avaliado e pouco LA foi liberado das vesículas em condições de temperatura ambiente. A morfologia das LUV se mostrou bem diferente da esperada e se observaram vesículas com mais de uma bicamada e outros formatos que não o esférico. Estes resultados podem auxiliar na otimização das condições para uma formulação que poderá ser usada no tratamento da acne, aumentando a eficácia do LA no sítio alvo. / Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin diseases, presenting as one of its causes the microorganism Propionibacterium acnes colonization. Currently, it has been sought alternatives therapies against P. acnes, especially some fatty acids, like the lauric acid (LA). LA is a molecule with low water solubility, allowing its incorporation in liposomes. Liposomes have encapsulation/release capacity of drugs and promote skin lipids regeneration, becoming an innovative ingredient in cosmetics area. Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) vesicles containing different LA concentrations were prepared at pHs: 9.0, 7.4, 5.0 and 3.0. At these pHs the LA protonation changes and its charge varies from 0 to -1. The vesicles were extruded through filters containing pores of 100 nm to obtain large unilamellar vesicles (LUV) that were characterized for stability in shelf conditions, bilayer phase transition temperature, aqueous internal compartment encapsulation, LA release and in vitro skin permeation. Its morphological features were characterized by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and cryo-electron transmission microscopy. Stability assays showed that, regardless LA concentration, formulations were more long-term stable in higher pHs, when LA is mostly in the form of laurate. The differential scanning calorimetry, DSC, experiments showed that, at pHs 3.0 and 5.0 and higher LA concentrations, the interaction between the bilayer and LA is favored, increasing phase transition temperature (Tm) and reducing cooperativity. Incorporation of hydrophilic probes confirmed the presence of an internal aqueous compartment in DPPC:LA vesicles. The LA managed to permeate the skin on the period evaluated and, in ambient conditions, low LA concentration was released from the vesicles. LUV containing more than one bilayer and non-spherical structures were observed. The obtained results may help in the optimization of the conditions for a formulation that can be used in the treatment of acne and improving the effectiveness of LA delivery to the target site.

Vesicles are a type of biological or biomimetic particle consisting of one or more often spherical bilayers made up of amphipathic molecules, creating a closed system. They can function as an encapsulating device, holding hydrophilic molecules on the inside of the bilayer membrane(s) or hydrophobic molecules in the non-polar interstitial space in the middle of the bilayers. Because of this capacity to carry molecules, vesicles are a premier system for drug delivery and even theranostics in vivo. A peptide-based approach to release of encapsulated molecules has previously been developed but since drug delivery vesicles are in the size range of nanometers, the mechanisms have not been visualized. This project aims to produce giant unilamellar vesicles as a model system used to visualize membrane interactions vital to the understanding and further development of smaller vesicle-based systems for drug delivery. Giant unilamellar vesicles were produced successfully and a preparation protocol was established. Additionally, some membrane interactions were investigated using fluorescence microscopy.

Immunotoxins (ITx) represent a new, alternate class of therapeutic agent. ITx is made when the active part of a toxin is conjugated with the binding portion of an antibody that recognizes a cancer-specific antigen. The antibody component makes ITx highly specific, as it will only bind to cells displaying the correct surface antigen. This characteristic lowers the chance of nonspecific cell damage, which causes many of the severe side effects of other chemotherapeutics. The ITx we use is a conjugate of saporin toxin. Saporin is a ribosomal inhibiting protein derived from the plant Saponaria officinales, which kills the cell by inhibiting protein synthesis. ITx enters the cancer cell by binding to the cellular marker it is specific for on the cell surface. From there, it is endocytosed, compartmentalized in an endosome, and eventually escapes to the cytosol where its ribosomal target is located. Increasing the rate of escape to the cytosol is the key to increasing cell death. The mechanism by which saporin escapes the endosome and enters the cytosol is poorly understood. Two potential mechanisms involving the rupture of the endocytic vesicle were examined. Through experiments using large unilamellar vesicles as endosomal mimics, we have been able to characterize the mechanism by which saporin works to burst the endosomal membrane through RET and calcein release. Understanding this process is the key to producing more effective immunotoxin sensitizing drugs.

Regulation of the actin cytoskeleton is key to cellular function and underlies processes including cell migration, mitosis and endocytosis. Motile cells send out dynamic actin protrusions that enable them to sense and interact with their environment, as well as generating physical forces. Linking of the actin cytoskeleton to the cell membrane is essential for the formation of these protrusions. The proteins that are thought to fulfil such a role have a membrane interacting domain (such as the PH domain in lamellipodin, or I-BAR protein in IRSp53) and a domain which interacts with actin regulatory proteins (such as the SH3 domain of IRSp53, which binds Ena and VASP). I investigated the contribution of the F-BAR protein Toca-1 in linking actin polymerisation to membranes, by characterising a new protein-protein interaction and the interaction of Toca-1 with giant unilamellar vesicles. FBP17, a homologue of Toca-1, can oligomerise to form 2D flat lattices and 3D tubules on membranes. Proteins of the Toca-1 family have previously been implicated in actin polymerisation in cell-free systems and during endocytosis. However, there is emerging evidence that Toca-1 family proteins could also be involved in the formation of outward facing protrusions, lamellipodia and filopodia. In an in vitro system that recapitulates the formation of filopodia-like structures (FLS) on supported lipid bilayers, Toca-1 is recruited early, suggesting a Toca-1 scaffolding mechanism could precede the recruitment of other actin regulators. One prediction of this model is that Toca-1 would bind proteins previously implicated in filopodia formation, such as formins. I found that extracts depleted of Toca-1 binding partners no longer forms filopodia-like structures and subsequently optimised pull-down assays to identify Toca-1 binding partners by mass-spectrometry. I identified four formins, Diaph1, Diaph3, FHOD1 and INF2, and as well as the actin elongation factors and filopodia proteins, Ena and VASP. I further characterised these interactions and found that Toca-1 binds Ena and VASP via its SH3 domain. The interaction is direct and is strongly reduced if the proline-rich region in Ena is deleted. VASP was still able to bind without its proline rich region, suggesting there could be additional binding sites. I discovered that the binding of Ena and VASP was dependent on the clustering state of Toca-1, whilst the binding of the previously identified Toca-1 binding partner N-WASP was not. This further supports the importance of Toca-1 oligomerisation in actin polymerisation. I tested these interactions in the FLS system and found that increasing Toca-1 concentration leads to increased recruitment of N-WASP, as well as the novel binding partner Ena to the structures, whereas an increase in VASP was not observed. SH3-domain mediated interactions are required for Toca-1 recruitment to FLS, suggesting that its membrane and protein binding activities act cooperatively. I showed that unlike N-WASP, which promotes the formation of branched actin, Ena and VASP are not required for actin polymerisation on supported lipid bilayers, suggesting that they are redundant with other factors in the elongation step of FLS formation. Ena and VASP are known to be important for the formation of neuronal filopodia and so I began to further test the role of these interactions in a cellular context using a neuronal cell culture system. As well as recruiting protein binding partners, F-BAR family proteins are implicated in stabilising lipid microdomains and can induce the clustering of phosphoinositides. I investigated the role of Toca-1 in actin polymerisation on PI(4,5)P2-rich giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). Actin-rich tails formed on the GUVs only when excess Toca-1 was supplemented into the extracts, and I propose that this is due to lipid organisation by Toca-1. In summary, my work suggests a model in which Toca-1 clusters, stabilises the membrane lipids and recruits regulators of actin polymerisation, such as Ena. This mechanism could be used to link actin polymerisation to the membrane in cellular protrusions, such as filopodia.

My thesis concerns spectroscopic studies (NMR, CD and fluorescence) of peptides with functions in biotechnology and biology, and their interactions with a model membrane (large unilamellar phospholipid vesicles). The resorufin-based arsenical hairpin binder (ReAsH) bound to a short peptide is a useful fluorescent tag for genetic labeling of proteins in living cells. A hairpin structure with some resemblance to type II β-turn was determined by NMR structure calculations (Paper I). Cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) are short (30-35 residues), often rich in basic amino acids such as Arg. They can pass through the cell membrane and deliver bioactive cargoes, making them useful for biotechnical and pharmacological applications. The mechanisms of cellular uptake and membrane translocation are under debate. Understanding the mechanistic aspects of CPPs is the major focus of Papers II, III, and IV. The effect of the pyrenebutyrate (PB) on the cellular uptake, membrane translocation and perturbation of several CPPs from different subgroups was investigated (Paper II). We concluded that both charge and hydrophobicity of the CPP affect the cellular uptake and membrane translocation efficiency. Endosomal escape is a crucial challenge for the CPP applications. We modeled the endosome and endosomal escape for different CPPs to investigate the corresponding molecular mechanisms (Papers III and IV). Hydrophobic CPPs were able to translocate across the model membrane in the presence of a pH gradient, produced by bacteriorhodopsin proton pumping, whereas a smaller effect was observed for hydrophilic CPPs. Dynorphin A (Dyn A) peptide mutations are associated with neurodegenerative disorders, without involvement of the opioid receptors. The non-opioid activities of Dyn A may involve membrane perturbations. Model membrane-perturbations by three Dyn A mutants were investigated (Paper V). The results showed effects to different degrees largely in accordance with their neurotoxic effects. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following paper was unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Neste trabalho investigamos efeitos de fotoirradiação e toxinas sob membranas celulares miméticas. Foram utilizadas, como modelo de membranas lipídicas, vesiculas unilamelares gigantes (GUVs) compostas pro lipídeos oxidados e não oxidados observadas por microscopia ótica de contraste de fase. Inicialmente estudamos a foto-resposta de membranas compostas por POPC e POPG dispersas em solução contendo azul de metileno (MB). Na sequência, estudamos o efeito de toxinas formadoras de poros, Esticolisina I (ST I) e Esticolisina II (ST II), em membranas contendo lipídeos oxidados e não oxidados. Os resultados de MB (10 µM) disperso em solução de membranas compostas por POPC e o lipídeo aniônico POPG indicaram que o aumento da densidade de carga negativa nas membranas das GUVs, que favorece a ligação da moléculas positivamente carregadas como MB nas membranas, tem como consequência um aumento de permeabilidade da membrana muito mais rápído em relação a membranas compostas apenas por POPC. Isto se deve ao fato que a localização preferencial do MB na membrana de POPC:POPG favorece a formação de oxigênio singlete próximo a dupla ligação da cadeia alquílica, dando início a reação de peroxidação lipídica de maneira mais efetiva que em membrana de POPC. Os resultados da ação das toxinas STI e STII (21 nM) em GUVs contendo lipídeos não oxidados PC e esfingomielina evidenciam que apenas STII é capaz de permear estas membranas a esta concentração. Mais ainda, nossos resultados sugerem que a existência de separação de fases fluida-gel na bicamada lipidica composta por PC:SM (razão molar 1:1) favorece a ação da toxina StII. Ao analisarmos membranas contendo lipídeos hidroperoxidados (POPC-OOH) dispersas em solução contendo STII (21 nM) observamos um aumento de permeabilidade na membrana num conjunto de GUVs, associado a formação de poros, apenas em bicamadas lipídicas formadas por misturas de lipídeos oxidados (POPC) e não oxidados (POPC-OOH). Quanto maior a concentração de lipídeos oxidados na membrana mais rapidamente ocorre o aumento de permeabilidade. / In this work we investigate the effects of photoirradiation and toxins on mimetic cell membranes. As a model of lipid membranes, giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) composed of oxidized and oxidized pro-lipids were observed by optical phase contrast microscopy. Initially we studied the photo-response of membranes composed of POPC and POPG dispersed in solution containing methylene blue (MB). Following, we studied the effect of pore-forming toxins, Sticolysin I (ST I) and Sticolysin II (ST II), on membranes containing oxidized and non-oxidized lipids. The results of MB (10 M) dispersed in solution of membranes composed of POPC and the anionic lipid POPG indicated that the increase in the negative charge density in the membranes of GUVs, which favors the binding of positively charged molecules as MB in the membranes, consequently increases membrane permeability in regard to membranes composed only of POPC. This is due to the fact that the preferred location of the MB in the POPC: POPG membrane favors the formation of singlet oxygen near the double bond of the alkyl chain, initiating the lipid peroxidation reaction more effectively than in the POPC membrane. The results of the action of the STI and STII toxins (21 nM) on GUVs containing non oxidised lipids PC and sphingomyelin show that only STII is able to permeate these membranes at this concentration. Moreover, our results suggest that the existence of fluid-gel phase separation in the lipid bilayer composed of PC:SM (molar ratio 1:1) favors the action of the StII toxin. When analyzing membranes containing hydroperoxidized lipids (POPC-OOH) dispersed in solution containing STII (21 nM) we observed an increase in membrane permeability in a set of GUVs, associated with pore formation, only in lipid bilayers formed by mixtures of oxidized lipids (POPC-OOH) and non-oxidized ones. The higher the concentration of oxidized lipids in the membrane, the faster the permeability increases.