Clonagem, expressão e purificação de uma proteina da superfamilia TCTP (Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein) a partir de biblioteca de cDNA da glandula produtora de veneno de aranha-marrom(Loxosceles intermedia)

Orientadora : Dr.Silvio Sanches VeigaCo_orientadora: Prof. Andrea Senff RibeiroDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular. Defesa: Curitiba, 29/10/2009Bibliografia: fls.74-85Área de concentração: Biologia celular e molecularAranhas do gênero Loxosceles, conhecidas como aranhas-marrons, são responsáveis por acidentes em todo o mundo, com grande importância clínica no Sul do Brasil. Os venenos destas aranhas são compostos por diversas toxinas, entre elas proteínas, responsáveis pelo quadro conhecido como loxoscelismo, que se manifesta em sintomas cutâneos e/ou sistêmicos. O quadro cutâneo é o mais comum e pode levar ao desenvolvimento de uma lesão necrótica com espalhamento gravitacional, resultado de uma inflamação exacerbada que envolve a participação de mastócitos e eventos histaminérgicos. Na biblioteca de cDNA da glândula de veneno de Loxosceles intermedia foi identificada uma seqüência que codifica uma proteína da superfamília TCTP (Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein). As funções desta proteína ainda não são totalmente entendidas, mas demonstrou-se que ela atua no ambiente extracelular como um fator de liberação de histamina e está ligada a respostas alérgicas em indivíduos parasitados por nematódeos e protozoários. O alinhamento da proteína TCTP de L. intermedia com homólogas de outros organismos revelou um alto grau de conservação da proteína, especialmente em resíduos de aminoácidos relacionados com a interação com GTPases monoméricas. A análise filogenética mostrou que a proteína de L. intermedia esta agrupada com proteínas TCTP presentes na saliva de carrapatos e para as quais já foi demonstrada a atividade de liberação de histamina. Para investigar a função desta proteína no veneno de aranha-marrom, foi realizada a clonagem do cDNA que codifica a proteína em pET 14b e a expressão da proteína recombinante em Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS. A TCTP recombinante foi expressa como uma proteína fusionada com um His-Tag N-Terminal. A purificação envolveu dois passos de cromatografia, o primeiro em resina Ni2+-NTA agarose e o segundo em resina DEAE-Agarose. Com a proteína recombinante purificada foram produzidos anticorpos utilizados em um ensaio de Western Blot que evidenciou a presença da proteína TCTP no veneno de L. intermedia. Os dados do trabalho sugerem que a proteína possa estar envolvida nos efeitos nocivos do veneno de aranha-marrom, sendo necessários ensaios biológicos para avaliar a atividade desta proteína no veneno e seu possível papel como um fator de liberação de histamina.Loxosceles genus spiders, known as brown spiders, are responsible for accidents all over the world and have clinical importance in the South of Brazil. The venom of these spiders is made up of several toxins, including proteins, which are responsible for the clinical pattern called loxoscelism, which involves cutaneous and/or systemic symptoms. Cutaneous reactions are more frequent and may lead to the development of a necrotic lesion with gravitational spreading, resulting from a dysregulated inflammatory response that involves the participation of mast cells and histaminergic events. On the cDNA library of Loxosceles intermedia venom gland was identified a sequence encoding a protein of the TCTP (Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein) superfamily. Functions of this protein are still unclear, but it was shown that it can act as a histamine releasing factor in the extracellular environment, being related to allergic responses in patients parasitized by nematodes and protozoan parasites. Sequence alignment of L. intermedia TCTP protein with homologous in other organisms revealed a high degree of conservation, specially in amino acids residues related to the interaction with monomeric GTPases. Phylogenetic analysis showed that L. intermedia TCTP protein is grouped with proteins that are present in tick’s saliva and for which was demonstrated the activity of histamine releasing. To study the function of this protein in the venom of brown spiders, the cDNA that codes the protein was cloned into pET 14b and the expression of the recombinant protein was carried out in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS. TCTP recombinant protein was expressed as a fusion protein with an N-Terminal His-Tag. Protein purification had two chromatographic steps, the first in Ni2+-NTA agarose resin and the latter in DEAE-Agarose resin. With the purified recombinant proteins, antibodies were produced and used in a Western Blot assay that showed the presence of TCTP protein in L. intermedia venom. The data of this work suggest that the protein is involved in the noxious effects of brown spider venom and biological assays are necessary to evaluate the activity of this protein in the venom, as well as its role as a possible histamine releasing factor

Relevance of obesity and overweight to salivary and plasma proteomes of human young adults from Brazil / Relevância da obesidade e sobrepeso para os proteomas salivares e plasmáticos de adultos jovens humanos do Brasil

Obesity is a chronic condition related to multiple comorbidities such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, periodontal and cardiovascular diseases. Obesity can lead to a metabolic change, creating a prolonged and low-intensity inflammatory process. This study aims to analyze the plasma and saliva proteomes of young adults with obesity and overweight comparing to normal weight individuals, to reveal if the rise on body mass influences the proteomic profiles. The reported population consisted of 18 students and/or employees of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, aged between 18 and 35 years. Individuals were categorized according to their anthropometric measures in the Normal Weight, Overweight and Obese groups. Proteomic characterization was assessed by quantitative Mass Spectrometry (LC-ESI Q/TOF). In addition, cytokines were identified by Multiplex analysis. A total of 118 human proteins from saliva and plasma were identified, including 7 that were common between both fluids. The salivary and plasma proteomes seemed to be related to the body mass index, once the three groups showed distinct proteome profiles. Altogether 49 proteins presented different abundances between the obese, overweight, and normal weight individuals. The main functional category modified in both fluids was the immune response. Most of the modified proteins were previously reported as related to inflammatory diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, in particular alpha-1 antitrypsin, C3 complement, alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, zinc-alpha2-glycoprotein, apolipoprotein AI and lysozyme, that could be tested to possible use as early biomarkers of obesity comorbidities

Phospholipase-D activity and inflammatory response induced by brown spider dermonecrotic toxin: Endothelial cell membrane phospholipids as targets for toxicity

Brown spider dermonecrotic toxins (phospholipases-D) are the most well-characterized biochemical constituents of Loxosceles spp. venom. Recombinant forms are capable of reproducing most cutaneous and systemic manifestations such as dermonecrotic lesions, hematological disorders, and renal failure. There is currently no direct confirmation for a relationship between dermonecrosis and inflammation induced by dermonecrotic toxins and their enzymatic activity. We modified a toxin isoform by site-directed mutagenesis to determine if phospholipase-D activity is directly related to these biological effects. the mutated toxin contains an alanine substitution for a histidine residue at position 12 (in the conserved catalytic domain of Loxosceles intermedia Recombinant Dermonecrotic Toxin - LiRecDT1). LiRecDT1H12A sphingomyelinase activity was drastically reduced, despite the fact that circular dichroism analysis demonstrated similar spectra for both toxin isoforms, confirming that the mutation did not change general secondary structures of the molecule or its stability. Antisera against whole venom and LiRecDT1 showed cross-reactivity to both recombinant toxins by ELISA and immunoblotting. Dermonecrosis was abolished by the mutation, and rabbit skin revealed a decreased inflammatory response to LiRecDT1H12A compared to LiRecDT1. Residual phospholipase activity was observed with increasing concentrations of LiRecDT1H12A by dermonecrosis and fluorometric measurement in vitro. Lipid arrays showed that the mutated toxin has an affinity for the same lipids LiRecDT1, and both toxins were detected on RAEC cell surfaces. Data from in vitro choline release and HPTLC analyses of LiRecDT1-treated purified phospholipids and RAEC membrane detergent-extracts corroborate with the morphological changes. These data suggest a phospholipase-D dependent mechanism of toxicity, which has no substrate specificity and thus utilizes a broad range of bioactive lipids. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Secretaria de Estado de CienciaTecnologia e Ensino Superior (SETI) do ParanaFundacao Araucaria-PRFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Univ Fed Parana, Dept Cell Biol, BR-81531990 Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biochem, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Ponta Grossa, Dept Struct Mol Biol & Genet, Ponta Grossa, BrazilCatholic Univ Parana, Hlth & Biol Sci Inst, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biochem, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Clonagem, expressão e purificação de uma proteina da superfamilia TCTP (Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein) a partir de biblioteca de cDNA da glandula produtora de veneno de aranha-marrom(Loxosceles intermedia)

Orientadora : Dr.Silvio Sanches VeigaCo_orientadora: Prof. Andrea Senff RibeiroDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Celular e Molecular. Defesa: Curitiba, 29/10/2009Bibliografia: fls.74-85Área de concentração: Biologia celular e molecularAranhas do gênero Loxosceles, conhecidas como aranhas-marrons, são responsáveis por acidentes em todo o mundo, com grande importância clínica no Sul do Brasil. Os venenos destas aranhas são compostos por diversas toxinas, entre elas proteínas, responsáveis pelo quadro conhecido como loxoscelismo, que se manifesta em sintomas cutâneos e/ou sistêmicos. O quadro cutâneo é o mais comum e pode levar ao desenvolvimento de uma lesão necrótica com espalhamento gravitacional, resultado de uma inflamação exacerbada que envolve a participação de mastócitos e eventos histaminérgicos. Na biblioteca de cDNA da glândula de veneno de Loxosceles intermedia foi identificada uma seqüência que codifica uma proteína da superfamília TCTP (Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein). As funções desta proteína ainda não são totalmente entendidas, mas demonstrou-se que ela atua no ambiente extracelular como um fator de liberação de histamina e está ligada a respostas alérgicas em indivíduos parasitados por nematódeos e protozoários. O alinhamento da proteína TCTP de L. intermedia com homólogas de outros organismos revelou um alto grau de conservação da proteína, especialmente em resíduos de aminoácidos relacionados com a interação com GTPases monoméricas. A análise filogenética mostrou que a proteína de L. intermedia esta agrupada com proteínas TCTP presentes na saliva de carrapatos e para as quais já foi demonstrada a atividade de liberação de histamina. Para investigar a função desta proteína no veneno de aranha-marrom, foi realizada a clonagem do cDNA que codifica a proteína em pET 14b e a expressão da proteína recombinante em Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS. A TCTP recombinante foi expressa como uma proteína fusionada com um His-Tag N-Terminal. A purificação envolveu dois passos de cromatografia, o primeiro em resina Ni2+-NTA agarose e o segundo em resina DEAE-Agarose. Com a proteína recombinante purificada foram produzidos anticorpos utilizados em um ensaio de Western Blot que evidenciou a presença da proteína TCTP no veneno de L. intermedia. Os dados do trabalho sugerem que a proteína possa estar envolvida nos efeitos nocivos do veneno de aranha-marrom, sendo necessários ensaios biológicos para avaliar a atividade desta proteína no veneno e seu possível papel como um fator de liberação de histamina.Loxosceles genus spiders, known as brown spiders, are responsible for accidents all over the world and have clinical importance in the South of Brazil. The venom of these spiders is made up of several toxins, including proteins, which are responsible for the clinical pattern called loxoscelism, which involves cutaneous and/or systemic symptoms. Cutaneous reactions are more frequent and may lead to the development of a necrotic lesion with gravitational spreading, resulting from a dysregulated inflammatory response that involves the participation of mast cells and histaminergic events. On the cDNA library of Loxosceles intermedia venom gland was identified a sequence encoding a protein of the TCTP (Translationally Controlled Tumor Protein) superfamily. Functions of this protein are still unclear, but it was shown that it can act as a histamine releasing factor in the extracellular environment, being related to allergic responses in patients parasitized by nematodes and protozoan parasites. Sequence alignment of L. intermedia TCTP protein with homologous in other organisms revealed a high degree of conservation, specially in amino acids residues related to the interaction with monomeric GTPases. Phylogenetic analysis showed that L. intermedia TCTP protein is grouped with proteins that are present in tick’s saliva and for which was demonstrated the activity of histamine releasing. To study the function of this protein in the venom of brown spiders, the cDNA that codes the protein was cloned into pET 14b and the expression of the recombinant protein was carried out in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) pLysS. TCTP recombinant protein was expressed as a fusion protein with an N-Terminal His-Tag. Protein purification had two chromatographic steps, the first in Ni2+-NTA agarose resin and the latter in DEAE-Agarose resin. With the purified recombinant proteins, antibodies were produced and used in a Western Blot assay that showed the presence of TCTP protein in L. intermedia venom. The data of this work suggest that the protein is involved in the noxious effects of brown spider venom and biological assays are necessary to evaluate the activity of this protein in the venom, as well as its role as a possible histamine releasing factor

Cinética de liberação de chumbo de solos de área de mineração e metalurgia de metais pesados

O estudo de cinética de liberação de metais pesados é uma importante ferramenta de diagnóstico ambiental de áreas contaminadas, pois determina, além dos teores acumulados liberados após tempos crescentes de equilíbrio, a taxa (velocidade) de dessorção desses poluentes para a solução do solo. Com o objetivo de avaliar a cinética de liberação de Pb de solos da área de mineração e metalurgia de metais pesados, no município de Adrianópolis (PR), vale do rio Ribeira, selecionaram-se oito solos, submetidos a diferentes formas de contaminação (solos 2, 4 e 5 - incorporação de resíduos da metalurgia de metais pesados aos perfis; solos 3, 6 e 7 - adição de Pb particulado via chaminés da fábrica; solo 8 - contaminação por passagem da água pluvial pela fábrica desativada, que escorre em direção ao rio Ribeira). O solo 1, sob mata nativa, fora da direção de caminhamento das fumaças da metalurgia, localizado a 1.560 m de distância e a 380 m acima da cota da fábrica desativada, foi escolhido como referência dos teores naturais de Pb dos solos da região. As amostras de solo, coletadas em duas profundidades (0 a 10 e 20 a 40 cm), foram submetidas a extrações sequenciais com ácido cítrico 0,1 mol L-1 após diferentes períodos de contato (tempos acumulados: 2, 14, 38, 86, 182, 326, 518, 806 e 1.382 h). Os teores totais de Pb (extração com HF e HNO3 concentrados e H2O2 30 % v/v) foram altos (máximo de 24.755,6 mg kg-1) e indicaram intensa contaminação dos solos. Os dados da cinética de liberação foram ajustados às equações parabólicas de difusão, sendo a liberação do Pb gradual e bifásica, com velocidade de liberação maior na primeira fase. Os solos 3 e 5 foram considerados com elevado potencial de contaminação ambiental devido aos altos teores de Pb dessorvido acumulados nas extrações sequenciais com ácido cítrico (máximo de 18.577,4 mg kg-1). O solo 6, com baixos teores de argila, apresentou a maior velocidade (taxa) de dessorção de Pb

Biological and structural comparison of recombinant phospholipase D toxins from Loxosceles intermedia (brown spider) venom

The clinical features of brown spider bites are the appearance of necrotic skin lesions, which can also be accompanied by systemic involvement, including weakness, vomiting, fever, convulsions, disseminated intravascular coagulation, intravascular hemolysis and renal disturbances. Severe systemic loxoscelism is much less common than the cutaneous form, but it may be the cause of clinical complications and even death following envenomation. Here, by using three recombinant dermonecrotic toxins, LiRecDT1, LiRecDT2 and LiRecDT3 (the major toxins found in the venom), we report the biological, immunological and structural differences for these members of this toxin family. Purified toxins evoked similar inflammatory reactions following injections into rabbit skin. Recombinant toxin treatments of MDCK cells with LiRecDT1 and LiRecDT2 changed cell viability, as evaluated by neutral red uptake and assessment of cell morphology through inverted microscopy, whereas LiRecDT3 caused only residual activity. Differences in cell cytotoxicity triggered by recombinant toxins were confirmed through a human red blood lysis assay, during which LiRecDT1 and LiRecDT2 caused a high degree of hemolysis compared to LiRecDT3, which induced only a small hemolytic effect. Additionally, biological differences for recombinant toxins were corroborated through mice lethality experiments, which showed animal mortality after LiRecDT1 and LiRecDT2 treatments, but an absence of lethality following LiRecDT3 exposure. Moreover, in experiments for edema, both the LiRecDT1 and the LiRecDT2 toxins evoked similar results, causing edema following toxin exposure, whereas LiRecDT3 caused only residual effects. Characterization of antigenic cross-reactivity using sera against crude venom toxins by immunoWestern blotting and immunodot blotting with recombinant LiRecDT1, LiRecDT2 and LiRecDT3 compared among themselves pointed to a higher cross-reactivity for LiRecDT1 compared to LiRecDT2 and LiRecDT3, corroborating structural and antigenic differences for these three toxins. Finally, evidence for structural differences among the recombinant toxins was strengthened by circular dichroism spectra, which suggested that the toxins were folded, and not aggregated or denatured proteins. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Univ Fed Parana, Dept Cell Biol, BR-81531990 Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biochem, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Ponta Grossa, Dept Struct Mol Biol & Genet, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Fed Parana, Dept Basic Pathol, BR-81531990 Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniv Fed Minas Gerais, Dept Biochem & Immunol, Belo Horizonte, MG, BrazilCatholic Univ Parana, Hlth & Biol Sci Inst, Curitiba, Parana, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biochem, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Med, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Effect of pH and temperature on the catalytic activity of AfmE1.

<p>(A) Determination of optimum pH. The hydrolytic activity was measured at different pHs at 40°C for 10 min. (B) Determination of optimum temperature. The hydrolytic activity was measured at temperatures ranging from 20 to 70°C. (C) Thermal stability assay. The enzyme was incubated at 45, 50 and 55°C for up to 4 h and residual activity was determined under the optimal reaction conditions. Error bars represent the standard deviation.</p

Data collection and refinement statistics.

<p>Data collection and refinement statistics.</p