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Non-canonical Bioenergetics of the Cell
Smolková, Katarína ; Ježek, Petr (advisor) ; Štukavec, Jan (referee) ; Lukeš, Julius (referee)
Cancer cells generally present abnormal bioenergetic properties including an elevated glucose uptake, a high glycolysis and a poorly efficient oxidative phosphorylation system. However, the determinants of cancer cells metabolic reprogramming remain unknown. The main question in this project was how environmental conditions in vivo can influence functioning of mitochondrial OXPHOS, because details of mitochondrial bioenergetics of cancer cells is poorly documented. We have combined two conditions, namely glucose and oxygen deprivation, to measure their potential interaction. We examined the impact of glucose deprivation and oxygen deprivation on cell survival, overall bioenergetics and OXPHOS protein expression. As a model, we have chosen a human breast carcinoma (HTB-126) and appropriate control (HTB-125) cultured cells, as large fraction of breast malignancies exhibit hypoxic tumor regions with low oxygen concentrations and poor glucose delivery. (...) Apoptosis is a natural, genetically controlled process of cell elimination. The mechanisms of its activation and regulation is a fundamental scientific question and growing body of evidence reveal further molecular pathways of apoptotic machinery. The well-known caspase activation cascade along with pro- and anti-apoptotic members of BCL family is the basic...
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Distribution of mitochondrial uncoupling proteins in selected tissues from mice and rat
Alán, Lukáš ; Ježek, Petr (advisor) ; Flachs, Pavel (referee)
Mitochondrial uncoupling proteins (UCPs) belong to the superfamily of mitochondrial anion-carriers. The longest known is UCP1, predominantly expressed in brown adipose tissue, where it takes part in nonshivering thermogenesis. In the late 1990s were discovered other sequence homologs of UCP1 with tissue specific distribution. The Function of these "new" uncoupling proteins is still uncertain. It is assumed that each of the isoforms has a specific function depending on the type of tissue. This thesis showed differences in tissue transcription pattern between rat and mice using RT-PCR absolute quantification. Significant differences in pattern were found in lungs, brain and muscle. In each case UCP expression was higher in mice tissues. Mice lungs express mainly UCP2. The difference in mice brain is caused by ucp4 and ucp5 genes transcription and finally in muscle is highest content of UCP3 mRNA. We investigated whether any of ucp transcript can complement ucp2 transcripton in spleen or lungs of ucp2 -/- mice. We did not find any difference which can explain, that in isolated lung mitochondria of fasted ucp2-/- mice were uncoupled in state 4. In the last project, we found relationship between ucp2 transcription in insulinoma INS-1E cells and oxygen levels of the cultivation atmosphere.
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Quantitative aspects of mitochondrial genome in cancer and diabetes
Alán, Lukáš ; Ježek, Petr (advisor) ; Teisinger, Jan (referee) ; Modrianský, Martin (referee)
Mitochondria are cellular powerhouses and physiological regulators with many features resembling their prokaryotic ancestors. They maintain their own mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) encoding 13 inner mitochondrial membrane proteins of oxidative phosphorylation machinery, 22 transfer RNAs and two ribosomal RNAs. Healthy mitochondria in normal cells form a dynamic network consisting of highly interconnected tubules. The mitochondrial disorders are very heterogeneous and difficult to diagnose and cure. It is due to combining products of two genomes, the complexity of mitochondrial structure and due to insufficiency of current state of knowledge. To understand the mitochondrial nucleic acid species distribution, we have developed and established new techniques to visualize mitochondrial network, nucleoids and different RNA species together with qPCR techniques for monitoring the mitochondrial intactness. We determined nucleoid distribution and mtDNA amount following rotenone mediated respiratory inhibition or following degeneration of the electrical component of the protonmotive force by valinomycin treatment. Native mitochondria were mostly tubular with average nucleoid spacing 1.1 +/- 0.2µm which we termed as a nucleoid code. Subsequently induced fission resulted in mitochondrial network fragmentation and each...
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Mitochondria as a target of anticancer therapy.
Dvořák, Aleš ; Ježek, Petr (advisor) ; Poučková, Pavla (referee) ; Vecka, Marek (referee)
Mitochondrial isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) catalyzes reductive carboxylation (RC, reverse Krebs cycle pathway) and 2HG synthesis (2HG) - metabolite of which many scientists are interested. 2HG may be concurrently synthetized in cytosol by IDH1. RC is involved in anabolic reactions necessary for cell proliferation - produces citrate, fatty acid precursor - especially in hypoxia. IDH2 and IDH1 are not the only enzymes that are involved in 2HG synthesis. Recently, several enzymes, which participate in 2HG production, have been discovered. 2HG is useful in cancer diagnostics due to its overproduction by transformed cells. Moreover, 2HG may cause epigenetic changes via inhibition of 2-oxoglutarate dependent dioxygenase. In this work, the importance of RC and 2HG synthesis in cancer and healthy cells was investigated by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry detection as well as IDH2 influence. We found that IDH2 significantly participates in reverse RC and 2HG synthesis in breast cancer cell lines and uses glutaminolysis as a supplementary anaplerotic pathway. RC is increased by hypoxia, inhibition of respiration, and decreased by activation of respiration or hypocapnia. We confirmed 2HG synthesis and RC in healthy cells (fibroblasts, breast epithelial cells etc.) as well as in cancer cells....
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A comparative analysis of the isolates of Clostridioides difficile derived from different sources.
Eretová, Veronika ; Krůtová, Marcela (advisor) ; Ježek, Petr (referee)
Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI) are generally perceived as healtcare associated infections. However, there has been recently reported an increase of CDI incidence in the community. The occurrence of C. difficile has been described also in animals, food and the environment water and soil. The aim of this thesis was to characterize C. difficile isolates derived from different sources using molecular methods. The results were discussed with available data from Czech human C. difficile isolates. A total of 135 C. difficile isolates from the following sources were analyzed: pigs n = 57, calves n = 44, horses n = 18, water n = 15 and hedgehog. Using PCR ribotyping, 22 distinct ribotyping profiles were identified, the most frequently detected ribotypes were: 033, 011, 126, 078. Both toxigenic and non-toxigenic ribotypes were detected, including binary toxin-producing strains. The most frequently detected antimicrobial resistances were to ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, and erythromycin. All ribotypes and sequence types identified in the C. difficile isolates from animals and the environment, has been found also in C. difficile isolates from humans which confirms the role of animals and the environment as a source for C. difficile. However, no epidemic ribotype 001 and 176 that dominate the current...
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The effect of urate transporter polymorphisms on uric acid excretion
Mančíková, Andrea ; Krylov, Vladimír (advisor) ; Novotný, Jiří (referee) ; Ježek, Petr (referee)
Uric acid excretion disorders are the most common cause of primary dysuricemia. The kidneys eliminate two-thirds of uric acid production and the other third is eliminated in the gastrointestinal tract. Renal reabsorption and secretion occur through the polarised epithelial cells in the proximal tubules. Uric acid transporters are expressed on these cell membranes. Reabsorption deficiency leads to hypouricemia and elevated fraction excretion associated with urolithiasis, nephrolithiasis or acute renal injury. Decreased uric acid secretion in the kidneys and small intestine leads to hyperuricemia, which develops into gout in 10% of individuals. Genome wide association studies detected a strong effect of SLC22A12 (URAT1), SLC2A9 (GLUT9) reabsorbing transporters and ABCG2 (ABCG2) secreting transporter on uric acid serum concentration variability. This thesis aimed to map out urate transporter allelic variants in a cohort of primary dysuricemia patients and identification of the variants causing defective uric acid excretion. Six non-synonymous variants were described in SLC22A12 (URAT1) and SLC2A9 (GLUT9) genes in hypouricemic individuals, which had not been identified previously in any population studies. Significant decreases in uric acid transport have been demonstrated experimentally in vitro,...
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Colistin resistance in clinically important Enterobacteriaceae
Smělíková, Eva ; Tkadlec, Jan (advisor) ; Ježek, Petr (referee)
Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic used to treat serious infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae and other multidrug resistant gram-negative bacteria. Recently discovered plasmid-borne colistin resistance, mediated by the mcr genes, poses a serious risk to colistin therapy. The aim of this diploma thesis was to map the occurrence of Enterobacteriaceae carrying the mcr-1 to 8 genes in hospitalized patients, travellers, prospective colistin-resistant clinical isolates and in a retrospective collection of Enterobacteriaceae using a combination of selective cultivation and qPCR. Isolates with a detected mcr gene were characterized by Whole-Genome Sequencing. The localization of mcr genes was determined and other resistance genes and plasmids were identified. Furthermore, the physiological profile of selected colistin- resistant Escherichia coli isolates was characterized. In the presence of a subinhibitory amount of colistin, a strain carrying the mcr-1 gene may be favored. Later, the mcr-9 gene was described and its occurence was subsequently tested retrospectively. Enterobacter spp. isolates carrying the mcr-9 gene were mostly colistin-sensitive but, in some cases, resistance was induced after exposure to sublethal doses of colistin. The results of the study show that the incidence of plasmid-mediated...
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The effect of urate transporter polymorphisms on uric acid excretion
Mančíková, Andrea ; Krylov, Vladimír (advisor) ; Novotný, Jiří (referee) ; Ježek, Petr (referee)
Uric acid excretion disorders are the most common cause of primary dysuricemia. The kidneys eliminate two-thirds of uric acid production and the other third is eliminated in the gastrointestinal tract. Renal reabsorption and secretion occur through the polarised epithelial cells in the proximal tubules. Uric acid transporters are expressed on these cell membranes. Reabsorption deficiency leads to hypouricemia and elevated fraction excretion associated with urolithiasis, nephrolithiasis or acute renal injury. Decreased uric acid secretion in the kidneys and small intestine leads to hyperuricemia, which develops into gout in 10% of individuals. Genome wide association studies detected a strong effect of SLC22A12 (URAT1), SLC2A9 (GLUT9) reabsorbing transporters and ABCG2 (ABCG2) secreting transporter on uric acid serum concentration variability. This thesis aimed to map out urate transporter allelic variants in a cohort of primary dysuricemia patients and identification of the variants causing defective uric acid excretion. Six non-synonymous variants were described in SLC22A12 (URAT1) and SLC2A9 (GLUT9) genes in hypouricemic individuals, which had not been identified previously in any population studies. Significant decreases in uric acid transport have been demonstrated experimentally in vitro,...
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Effect of ABCG2 allelic variants on the transport of uric acid
Vávra, Jiří ; Krylov, Vladimír (advisor) ; Ježek, Petr (referee)
Uric acid is a main metabolite of purine degradation in humans and in higher primates. Its increased plasmatic level is called hyperuricemia and may be the cause of gout and many other similar diseases. Uricemia is controlled by many transporters, which are located in proximal tubule of human kidney. When some transporter have abnormal function, the physiological plasmatic level of uric acid may be impaired. In genome wide association study (GWAS) it was discovered that some hyperuricemia or gout patients have ABCG2 protein damaged. This protein carries out uric acid from epithelial cell to the urine. The goal of this diploma thesis is the determination of transport capacity of ABCG2 allelic variants found via GWAS (Institute of Rheumatology of 1st medical faculty UK in Prague) in vitro with Xenopus laevis oocyte expression system. Uric acid secretion was compared with wild type variant. Keywords: Uric acid, GWAS study, Xenopus laevis, membrane transport protein, ABCG2
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