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The role of glutamine in leukemia cell metabolism
Sitdikova, Karina ; Hložková, Kateřina (advisor) ; Zelenka, Jaroslav (referee)
Leukemia is a heterogeneous group of hematological malignancies that result from the abnormal proliferation of immature blood cells. One of the hallmarks of tumor cells is their altered metabolism. Therefore, therapy targeting deregulated metabolic processes is an attractive strategy for the treatment of malignancies, including hematological ones. Amino acid metabolism is an important part of cellular metabolism, and targeting it appears to be a key attractive strategy in the treatment of leukemia. Glutamine, a conditionally essential amino acid, plays a crucial role in energy metabolism and maintaing the redox balance of leukemia cells, thereby contributing to their growth and proliferation. Strategies to treat leukemia by targeting glutamine metabolism include glutamine depletion, the use of glutamine transporter inhibitors and glutaminase enzyme inhibitors. To ensure the effectiveness of leukemia treatment, it is essential to recognize that glutamine is involved in numerous metabolic pathways, each of which is regulated by multiple factors. As a result, therapies targeting glutamine metabolism should be carefully designed to avoid affecting healthy cells and patient immunity. This thesis describes leukemia, including its types and treatments, and glutamine metabolism and its potential targeting...
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Metabolic alterations in cancer cells and their implications in the therapy of acute leukemias
Harárová, Alžbeta ; Starková, Júlia (advisor) ; Mrvová, Silvia (referee)
Cancer metabolism differs from that of the healthy cells in several aspects. Aerobic glycolysis (e.g. converting pyruvate to lactate under normoxic conditions) was the first described metabolic alteration of cancer cells. Metabolic alterations have since been described in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, in the metabolism of amino acids (especially glutamine, asparagine and serine) and also in the metabolism of fatty acids and cholesterol. The common feature of these changes is the tendency to prefer anabolic pathways, thus enabling fast proliferation of cancer cells. The study of cancer metabolism is particularly important in the case of cancer cells that show resistance to treatment, as their aberrant metabolism is not only a potential diagnostic marker but also a potential therapeutic target. The majority of metabolic alterations have been described for the first time in solid tumors, whereas only recently has the metabolism of acute leukamias gained more attention. Asparaginase is an example of a chemotherapeutic agent that targets a metabolic alteration of leukemic cells. Distinct metabolic profile is also associated with the glucocorticoid resistance. Detailled study of the metabolic alterations of leukemic cells has elucitated the mechanisms of the asparaginase and...
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The role of mitochondria in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease
Řeháková, Kateřina ; Hansíková, Hana (advisor) ; Kohoutová, Michaela (referee)
Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disease affecting the nervous system. It is caused by the mutation of the huntingtin protein coding gene. The mutation is manifested by the multiplication of CAG triplets. Huntingtin is present more in the cytoplasm. It interacts with many proteins and has roles also in transcription and cell transport. Huntingtin also participates in correct regulation of embryonic development and development of nerve tissue. Mutant huntingtin causes oxidative stress, mitochondrial biogenesis and OXPHOS disorders. Diagnosis of Huntington's disease is based on a laboratory examination of the presence of an allele predisposing to the disease. Clinical imaging is also an important part of diagnostics. The patient exhibits uncontrollable choreatic body movements and dementia. The aim of the thesis was to describe the main characteristics of Huntington's disease with the focus of HD on mitochondrial energy metabolism. In the practical part, the aim was to analyze mitochondrial respiration by high resolution polarography in a set of 3 fibroblast lines from patients with Huntington's disease. Polarographic analyses showed that respiration of HD fibroblasts was decreased in comparison with controls. We found that complex II of oxidative phosphorylation was most affected in HD...
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Metabolic alterations in cancer cells and their implications in the therapy of acute leukemias
Harárová, Alžbeta ; Starková, Júlia (advisor) ; Mrvová, Silvia (referee)
Cancer metabolism differs from that of the healthy cells in several aspects. Aerobic glycolysis (e.g. converting pyruvate to lactate under normoxic conditions) was the first described metabolic alteration of cancer cells. Metabolic alterations have since been described in the tricarboxylic acid cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, in the metabolism of amino acids (especially glutamine, asparagine and serine) and also in the metabolism of fatty acids and cholesterol. The common feature of these changes is the tendency to prefer anabolic pathways, thus enabling fast proliferation of cancer cells. The study of cancer metabolism is particularly important in the case of cancer cells that show resistance to treatment, as their aberrant metabolism is not only a potential diagnostic marker but also a potential therapeutic target. The majority of metabolic alterations have been described for the first time in solid tumors, whereas only recently has the metabolism of acute leukamias gained more attention. Asparaginase is an example of a chemotherapeutic agent that targets a metabolic alteration of leukemic cells. Distinct metabolic profile is also associated with the glucocorticoid resistance. Detailled study of the metabolic alterations of leukemic cells has elucitated the mechanisms of the asparaginase and...
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Utilization of selected fungal saccharides by orchids and possibility of their transport in mycorrhiza
Dostálová, Magdalena ; Ponert, Jan (advisor) ; Votrubová, Olga (referee)
Orchideoid mycorrhizal symbiosis (OM) can be found in nearly one tenth of higher plant species. This symbiosis is absolutely critical for orchids as they are unable to grow from seeds without external energy which is in nature provided by symbiotic fungi. The mechanism of transport between symbionts remains unknown. It is supposed that trehalose is one of the substances transported from fungi to plants as the source of energy. This thesis mainly aims to find out which other fungal saccharides could contribute to the process. The ability to utilize selected compounds was tested on protocorms of the common marsh orchid, Dactylorhiza majalis. The results showed that arabitol, erythritol, mannitol and sucralose are not utilized, while xylitol, sorbitol, glycerol and mannose are. Glutamin, an amino acid also suspected of participation in the OM transport, does not suffice as a source of energy. In orchids there were identified three groups of sequences coding for manitol dehydrogenase and two groups of sequences coding for sorbitol dehydrogenase. Key words: orchideoid mycorrhizal symbiosis, sugar alcohols, mannose, glutamine, carbon flow, energy flow, sorbitol dehydrogenase, in vitro
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