PATRICK JACK SPENCER

PATRICK JACK SPENCER

(Fonte: Lattes)

Resumo

Possui graduação em Ciências Biológicas pela Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (1991), mestrado em Tecnologia Nuclear pela Universidade de São Paulo (1995) e doutorado em Tecnologia Nuclear pela Universidade de São Paulo (2000) tendo sido bolsista sandwich no US Army Medical Research Institute for Infeccious Diseases (98-99). É responsável pelo Biotério de criação e manutenção de animais de laboratório do IPEN. Tem experiência na área de Bioquímica, com ênfase em Proteínas, atuando principalmente nos seguintes temas: veneno, proteínas, bothrops, irradiação e miotoxina.(Texto extraído do Currículo Lattes em 22 dez. 2021)

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Molecular model of cytotoxin-1 from Naja mossambica mossambica venom in complex with chymotrypsin
2015 - MUNAWAR, AISHA; AKREM, AHMED; HUSSAIN, ASHIQ; SPENCER, PATRICK; BETZEL, CHRISTIAN
Snake venom is a myriad of biologically active proteins and peptides. Three finger toxins are highly conserved in their molecular structure, but interestingly possess diverse biological functions. During the course of evolution the introduction of subtle mutations in loop regions and slight variations in the three dimensional structure, has resulted in their functional versatility. Cytotoxin-1 (UniProt ID: P01467), isolated from Naja mossambica mossambica, showed the potential to inhibit chymotrypsin and the chymotryptic activity of the 20S proteasome. In the present work we describe a molecular model of cytotoxin- 1 in complex with chymotrypsin, prepared by the online server ClusPro. Analysis of the molecular model shows that Cytotoxin-1 (P01467) binds to chymotrypsin through its loop I located near the N-terminus. The concave side of loop I of the toxin fits well in the substrate binding pocket of the protease. We propose Phe10 as the dedicated P1 site of the ligand. Being a potent inhibitor of the 20S proteasome, cytotoxin-1 (P01467) can serve as a potential antitumor agent. Already snake venom cytotoxins have been investigated for their ability as an anticancer agent. The molecular model of cytotoxin-1 in complex with chymotrypsin provides important information towards understanding the complex formation.
Characterization and evaluation of the enzymatic activity of tetanus toxin submitted to gamma radiation by Cobalt 60
2019 - SARTORI, GISELLE P.; COSTA, ANDREA; MACARINI, FERNANDA L.S.; MARIANO, DOUGLAS O.C.; PIMENTA, DANIEL C.; SPENCER, PATRICK J.; GALISTEO JUNIOR, ANDRES J.
Tetanus is a neurological disease which blocks the inhibitory neurotransmitters liberation. Also treatment does not cure the disease, and its main form of prevention is through vaccination. The vaccine is produced by the inactivation of tetanic toxin (TeNT) with formaldehyde, which may cause side effects. An alternative way is the use of ionizing radiation for inactivation of the toxin and also to improve the potential immunogenic response and to reduce the pos-vaccination side effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the TeNT structure after different doses of ionizing radiation of Cobalt 60, and also to assess the enzymatic activity after the radiation. SDS PAGE and MALDI-TOF analysis revealed gradual modification on the TeNT structure according to doses increase. Also, fragmentation and possible aggregations of the protein fragments were observed in higher doses. In the analysis of peptide preservation by enzymatic digestion and mass spectrometry, there was a slight modification in the recognition up to the dose of 4 kGy at subsequent doses, recognition was minimal. The analysis of the enzymatic activity by fluorescence showed a 35 % attenuation in the activity even at higher doses. In the antigenic evaluation performed by ELISA and Western Blot, anti-TeNT antibodies were detected against the irradiated toxins at the different doses, with a gradual decrease as the dose increased, but remaining at satisfactory levels, indicating the possibility of possible use as an immunogen, however, studies of enzymatic activity on higher should be further analyzed.
Proteomic analysis of soluble proteins retrieved from Duttaphrynus melanostictus skin secretion by IEx-batch sample preparation
2019 - MARIANO, DOUGLAS O.C.; PREZOTTO-NETO, JOSE P.; SPENCER, PATRICK J.; SCIANI, JULIANA M.; PIMENTA, DANIEL C.
Amphibians display a toxic secretion that works as chemical defenses against predators and/or microorganisms that is stored in specialized glands located in the tegument. For some animals, such glands have accumulated in specific regions of the body and formed prominent structures known as macroglands. The Bufonidae family displays conspicuous macroglands in a post-orbital position, termed parotoids, which secretions are known to be extremely viscous and rich in alkaloids and steroids. Few proteins have been described in this material, though. Mainly, because of the difficulties to handle such biological matrix. In this context, we have performed a proteomic study on the parotoid macrogland secretion of the Asian bufonid Duttaphrynus melanostictus. By employing the Ion-Exchange (IEx)-batch chromatography (anionic, cationic and both) we obtained six fractions - bound and unbound – that were submitted to an in solution-trypsin digestion followed by LC-MS/MS. Proteins related to: antioxidant activity, binding processes (carbohydrate/lipid/protein), energy metabolism, hydrolases, lipid metabolism and membrane traffic were identified. Moreover, IEx was able to preserve the biological activity of the retrieved proteins (peptidasic). The current study increases the knowledge on the proteins present in the bufonids parotoid macrogland secretion, providing a better understanding of the physiological role played by such molecules. Significance: The current approach allowed a detailed proteomic analysis of the several proteins synthesized in the D. melanostictus parotoid macrogland (Bufonidae) that are secreted into the skins, but embedded within a complex viscous biological matrix. Moreover, our results aim to increase the knowledge on the biological role played by such proteins at the skin.
Protein identification from the parotoid macrogland secretion of Duttaphrynus melanostictus
2019 - MARIANO, DOUGLAS O.C.; MESSIAS, MARCELA D.G.; SPENCER, PATRICK J.; PIMENTA, DANIEL C.
Background: Bufonid parotoid macrogland secretion contains several low molecular mass molecules, such as alkaloids and steroids. Nevertheless, its protein content is poorly understood. Herein, we applied a sample preparation methodology that allows the analysis of viscous matrices in order to examine its proteins. Methods: Duttaphrynus melanostictus parotoid macrogland secretion was submitted to ion-exchange batch sample preparation, yielding two fractions: salt-displaced fraction and acid-displaced fraction. Each sample was then fractionated by anionic-exchange chromatography, followed by in-solution proteomic analysis. Results: Forty-two proteins could be identified, such as acyl-CoA-binding protein, alcohol dehydrogenase, calmodulin, galectin and histone. Moreover, de novo analyses yielded 153 peptides, whereas BLAST analyses corroborated some of the proteomicidentified proteins. Furthermore, the de novo peptide analyses indicate the presence of proteins related to apoptosis, cellular structure, catalysis and transport processes. Conclusions: Proper sample preparation allowed the proteomic and de novo identification of different proteins in the D. melanostictus parotoid macrogland secretion. These results may increase the knowledge about the universe of molecules that compose amphibian skin secretion, as well as to understand their biological/physiological role in the granular gland.
Biochemical and biological characterization of the Hypanus americanus mucus
2019 - COELHO, GUILHERME R.; PREZOTTO NETO, PEDRO; BARBOSA, FERNANDA C.; SANTOS, RAFAEL S. dos; BRIGATTE, PATRICIA; SPENCER, PATRICK J.; SAMPAIO, SANDRA C.; D’AMELIO, FERNANDA; PIMENTA, DANIEL C.; SCIANI, JULIANA M.
Stingrays skin secretions are largely studied due to the human envenoming medical relevance of the sting puncture that evolves to inflammatory events, including necrosis. Such toxic effects can be correlated to the biochemical composition of the sting mucus, according to the literature. Fish skin plays important biological roles, such as the control of the osmotic pressure gradient, protection against mechanical forces and microorganism infections. The mucus, on the other hand, is a rich and complex fluid, acting on swimming, nutrition and the innate immune system. The elasmobranch's epidermis is a tissue composed mainly by mucus secretory cells, and marine stingrays have already been described to present secretory glands spread throughout the body. Little is known about the biochemical composition of the stingray mucus, but recent studies have corroborated the importance of mucus in the envenomation process. Aiming to assess the mucus composition, a new noninvasive mucus collection method was developed that focused on peptides and proteins, and biological assays were performed to analyze the toxic and immune activities of the Hypanus americanus mucus. Pathophysiological characterization showed the presence of peptidases on the mucus, as well as the induction of edema and leukocyte recruitment in mice. The fractionated mucus improved phagocytosis on macrophages and showed antimicrobial activity against T. rubrumç. neoformans and C. albicans in vitro. The proteomic analyses showed the presence of immune-related proteins like actin, histones, hemoglobin, and ribosomal proteins. This protein pattern is similar to those reported for other fish mucus and stingray venoms. This is the first report depicting the Hypanus stingray mucus composition, highlighting its biochemical composition and importance for the stingray immune system and the possible role on the envenomation process.
The amphibian diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2)
2019 - SCIANI, JULIANA M.; NEVES, ADRIANA; VASSÃO, RUTH C.; SPENCER, PATRICK; ANTONIAZZI, MARTA M.; JARED, CARLOS; PIMENTA, DANIEL C.
Amphibians are, currently, considered the first vertebrates that had performed the aquatic to terrestrial transition during evolution; therefore, water balance and dehydration control were prerequisites for such environment conquering. Among anurans, Phyllomedusa is a well-studied genus, due to its peptide-rich skin secretion. Here, we have analyzed the skin secretion of Phyllomedusa distincta targeting the proteins present in the skin secretion. The major soluble protein was chromatographically isolated and utilized to immunize rabbits. Through proteomics approaches, we were able to identify such protein as being the diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2), a crucial enzyme involved in lipid synthesis and in the skin water balance. Immunohistochemistry assays revealed the protein tissular distribution for different animal species, belonging to different branches of the phylogenetic tree. Specifically, there was positivity to the anti-DGAT2 on Amphibians’ skin, and no antibody recognition on fish and mammals’ skins. The DGAT2 multiple sequence alignment reveals some degree of conservation throughout the genera; however, there is a different cysteine pattern among them. Molecular modeling analyses corroborate that the different cysteine pattern leads to distinct 3D structures, explaining the different antibody recognition. Moreover, the protein phylogenetic analyses place the Xenopus DGAT2 (the available amphibian representative) next to the Coelacanthus enzyme, which have led the authors to term this a ‘paleo-protein’. DGAT2 would be, therefore, an ancient protein, crucial to the terrestrial environment conquest, with a unique folding—as indicated by the molecular models and immunohistochemistry analyses—a consequence of the different cysteine pattern but with conserved biological function.
Biochemical analyses of proteins from duttaphrynus melanostictus (Bufo melanostictus) skin secretion
2018 - MARIANO, DOUGLAS O.C.; MESSIAS, MARCELA Di G.; PREZOTTO-NETO, JOSE P.; SPENCER, PATRICK J.; PIMENTA, DANIEL C.
A crucial step in scientific analysis can be sample preparation, and its importance increases in the same rate as the sensitivity of the following employed/desired analytical technique does. The need to analyze complex, viscous matrices is not new, and diverse approaches have been employed, with different success rates depending on the intended molecules. Solid-phase extraction, for example, has been successfully used in sample preparation for organic molecules and peptides. However, due to the usual methodological conditions, biologically active proteins are not successfully retrieved by this technique, resulting in a low rate of protein identification reported for the viscous amphibian skin secretion. Here we describe an ion-exchange batch processing sample preparation technique that allows viscous or adhesive materials (as some amphibian skin secretions) to be further processed by classical liquid chromatography approaches. According to our protocol, samples were allowed to equilibrate with a specific resin that was washed with appropriated buffers in order to yield the soluble protein fraction. In order to show the efficiency of our methodology, we have compared our results to classically prepared skin secretion, i.e., by means of filtration and centrifugation. After batch sample preparation, we were able to obtain reproductive resolved protein chromatographic profiles, as revealed by SDS-PAGE, and retrieve some biological activities, namely, hydrolases belonging to serine peptidase family. Not only that, but also the unbound fraction was rich in low molecular mass molecules, such as alkaloids and steroids, making this sample preparation technique also suitable for the enrichment of such molecules.
Perfil epidemiológico e clínico dos casos de tuberculose em Ipatinga, Minas Gerais
2018 - MAGALHAES, FLAVIA A.; CUNHA, YAN de O.C.; PIRES, JOSE E.B.; NASCIMENTO, NANCI; SPENCER, PATRICK J.; ANDRADE, DELVONEI A.
A tuberculose (TB) é uma doença infecciosa de transmissão inalatória causada pelo Mycobacterium tuberculosis. É uma preocupação, dada a alta prevalência, morbidade e mortalidade. Ipatinga é um dos municípios de alta carga da doença no estado de Minas Gerais. O objetivo do estudo foi analisar o perfil epidemiológico e clínico dos pacientes com tuberculose notificados em Ipatinga pelo Programa de Controle da Tuberculose (PCT) no período de 2004 a 2014. Foi realizado estudo epidemiológico transversal, observacional de série temporal. Foram analisados 1.098 casos notificados como TB, sendo perceptível tendência de queda do número de casos ao longo dos anos. Houve predomínio do sexo masculino (66,2%), da faixa etária de 15 a 59 anos (83,9%), da raça branca e parda e do baixo nível de escolaridade. A maioria dos casos era de residentes no município (74,9%), sendo distribuídos irregularmente entre os bairros. Clinicamente predominou casos novos (85,9%), forma pulmonar (80,9%), sendo os agravos associados mais frequentes o alcoolismo (15,3%), Síndrome da Imunodeficiência Adquirida (AIDS) (8,3%) e diabetes (5,7%). Os desfechos clínicos foram: cura em 71,4%, abandono em 8,3% e 0,2% de multidrogarresistência. O perfil dos pacientes notificados encontra-se de acordo com o encontrado na literatura.
Previous 60-CO radiation from Paratrygon aiereba mucus induces the production of highly responsive antibodies and a better immune response in mice
2017 - THOMAZI, GABRIELA O.C.; COSTA, ANDREA da; RODRIGUES, JAQUELINE P.; ALVES, GLAUCIE J.; TURIBIO, THOMPSON de O.; ROCHA, ANDRE M.; AIRES, RAQUEL da S.; JACOME, LARISSA B.S.; SEIBERT, CARLA S.; SPENCER, PATRICK J.; GALISTEO JUNIOR, ANDRES J.; ANDRADE JUNIOR, HEITOR F. de
Wounds from stinging freshwater stingrays are painful, difficult to heal and cause extensive necrosis and systemic phenomena. The treatment is symptomatic, of low efficiency and there is no therapy, which causes more suffering to the injured. This study aimed to evaluate the immune response induced by the native or irradiated by 60-Co gamma from Paratrygon aiereba mucus. IPEN’s Committee on Ethics in the Use of Animals (n.º126/2013) and lanes captured under license from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (n.º6781-1/2014) approved this research. For the assays, sera from Swiss mice previously immunized against native or irradiated mucus were used. The proliferation of splenic B cells in response to mucus was evaluated by the In Vitro Induced Antibody Production method and serum and splenic cytokines were also quantified. Our data demonstrate that the irradiated mucus of P. aiereba induces greater production of antibodies and more immunological memory in the mice. Spleen cells from animals immunized against irradiated mucus produced IFN-γ, TNF-α and IL-10, and serum TNF-α (immunized group against irradiated mucus) and IL-6 and IL-17 (immunized group against native mucus). The results corroborate the use of ionizing radiation, with production of highly responsive antibodies and better immune response, besides proving that Paratrygon aiereba mucus is capable of stimulating cellular and humoral adaptive immune response, contributing to the continuity of associated investigations.
Protein profile analysis of two australian snake venoms by one- dimensional gel electrophoresis and MS/MS experiments
2017 - GEORGIEVA, DESSISLAVA; HILDEBRAND, DIANA; SIMAS, RODRIGO; CORONADO, MONIKA A.; KWIATKOWSKI, MARCEL; SCHLUTER, HARTMUT; ARNI, RAGHUVIR; SPENCER, PATRICK; BETZEL, CHRISTIAN
The Pseudechis colletti and Pseudechis butleri venoms were analyzed by 1-D gel electrophoresis, followed by mass spectrometric analysis of tryptic peptides obtained from the protein bands. Both venoms contain highly potent pharmacologically active components, which were assigned to the following protein families: basic and acidic phospholipases A2 (PLA2s), L-amino acid oxidases (LAAOs), P-III metalloproteinases (P-III SVMPs), 5’- nucleotidases (5’-NTDs), cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISPs), venom nerve growth factors (VNGFs) and post-synaptic neurotoxins. Considerable predominance of PLA2s over other toxins is a characteristic feature of both venoms. The major differences in the venom compositions are the higher concentration of SVMPs and CRISPs in the P. butleri venom, as well as the presence of post-synaptic neurotoxins. Furthermore, the analysis revealed a high concentration of proteins with myotoxic, coagulopathic and apoptotic activities. PLA2s are responsible for the myotoxic and anticoagulant effects observed in patients after envenomation (4). The other protein families, encountered in the two venoms, probably contribute to the major symptoms described for these venoms. These results explain the observed clinical effects of the black snake envenomation. The analyzed venoms contain group P-III metalloproteinases of medical importance with the potency to be used for diagnostic purposes of von Willebrand factor (vWF) disease, for regulation of vWF in thrombosis and haemostasis, for studying the function of the complement system in host defense and in the pathogenesis of diseases. Comparison of venomic data showed similarities in the major venom components of snakes from the genus Pseudechis, resulting in common clinical effects of envenomation, and demonstrating close relationships between venom toxins of Elapidae snakes.