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| Author(s): |
Guilherme Thomaz Pereira Brancini
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Ribeirão Preto. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (PCARP/BC) |
| Defense date: | 2015-08-11 |
| Examining board members: |
Gilberto Ubida Leite Braga;
Hamilton Cabral;
Nilce Maria Martinez Rossi
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| Advisor: | Gilberto Ubida Leite Braga |
| Abstract | |
Proteomics is a very important and largely employed technique for the elucidation of a series of biological mechanisms. This technique can be used, for instance, on the evaluation of cellular responses to stimulus or in determining protein modification resulting from a treatment. In the present work, a proteomic approach was used in two distinct biological systems: (1) to evaluate the light response in the fungus Metarhizium acridum, and (2) to determine the protein damage resulting from photodynamic treatment of the yeast Candida albicans. (1) The entomopathogenic fungus M. acridum, when grown in the presence of light, produces conidia with increased tolerance to ultraviolet-B radiation (290-315 nm). This increased resistance is desired for the application of this fungus on the biological control of agricultural pests. It is possible that this phenomenon results from the differential accumulation of proteins in conidia produced in the presence of light as compared to those produced in the dark. Therefore, a proteomic approach was used to determine which proteins could be differentially accumulated in conidia. The results showed that, out of a total of 501 identified proteins, only four were found to be differentially accumulated. Even though establishing a direct relationship between the observed accumulation and the increased tolerance to ultraviolet-B radiation was not possible, data from the literature on homolog proteins in Aspergillus fumigatus have shown that these proteins are regulated under stress conditions. Additionally, experiments were performed to gain further insight on the photobiology of M. acridum. It was stablished that, within visible light spectrum, blue light is responsible for inducing the increased tolerance to ultraviolet-B, while red light does not produce the same effect. It is concluded that a light-response study employing proteomics should rely on techniques yielding a higher number of identified proteins, as the differential accumulation does not seem to affect high abundance proteins. (2) Candida albicans is an important human pathogen responsible for superficial and systemic mycoses mainly in immunocompromised patients. The continuous use of the traditional fungicides has resulted in the selection of tolerant strains. In this scenario, antimicrobial photodynamic treatment became an important alternative on the treatment of C. albicans infections. Although the effectiveness of this treatment has been observed in multiple studies, an evaluation at the protein level had not been performed. A proteomic approach by two-dimensional electrophoresis revealed that, after cell treatment, many spots underwent an acidic shift, that is, a shift towards lower isoelectric point. On the other hand, protein spots resistant to modification were also observed. Proteins belonging to both groups were identified by mass spectrometry. Amino acid analysis revealed that the histidine content in C. albicans cells decreased by up to 60% after the treatment, which is a possible explanation to the observed acidic shift. It is concluded, after extensive literature review and discussion, that protein damage depends on protein-photosensitizer interaction and also on the presence of photooxidazible amino acids in the proximity of the interaction site. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 13/02486-8 - A proteomic approach for the identification of proteins related to stress tolerance in conidia of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium acridum |
| Grantee: | Guilherme Thomaz Pereira Brancini |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |