@phdthesis{Ringleb2004,
  author    = {Ringleb, Jennifer},
  title     = {Identifikation antigener Determinanten des ZPB2 Proteins der Hauskatze und Charakterisierung ihrer kontrazeptiven und immunogenen Eigenschaften},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-0001901},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2004},
  abstract  = {Die immunologische Kontrazeption mittels Zona pellucida (ZP) Proteinen gilt als vielversprechender Ansatz f{\"u}r die Reproduktionskontrolle verwilderter Haus- und Wildtierbest{\"a}nde. Da die Applikation von nativer ZP mit Nebenwirkungen verbunden ist, wird die Verwendung einzelner ZP Peptide als Bestandteil kontrazeptiver Vakzine als besonders aussichtsreich erachtet. Das Prinzip dieser nebenwirkungsfreien ZP Immunisierung ist die gezielte Trennung der Entz{\"u}ndungsreaktionen ausl{\"o}senden T-Zell-Epitope der ZP von den kontrazeptiv wirkenden B-Zell-Epitopen. Niedermolekulare synthetische oder rekombinante Peptide allein sind gering immunogen und k{\"o}nnen somit keine ausreichende Immunantwort induzieren. Die Verwendung von Peptiden f{\"u}r die immunologische Kontrazeption erfordert daher ein \„Vakzin-Design\“, d. h. die gezielte Kombination der Peptide mit immunstimulierenden Substanzen (Liposomen, Carrierproteinen, Adjuvantien). Zielstellung der vorliegenden Arbeit war die Untersuchung des Potentials synthetischer Peptide f{\"u}r die Immunokontrazeption von verwilderten Hauskatzen (Felis catus). Dazu wurden zun{\"a}chst relevante B-Zell-Epitope des felinen Zona pellucida Proteins, ZPB2, identifiziert und synthetisiert. Zwei der synthetischen Peptide (P3, P6) wurden zur Herstellung von Antik{\"o}rpern an BSA konjugiert und zusammen mit Freundschem Adjuvans in Ratten verimpft. Die kontrazeptive Relevanz beider Peptide sowie der Ratten Anti-Peptid Antiseren wurde im in vitro Befruchtungssystem der Hauskatze gepr{\"u}ft. Zur Untersuchung der Immunogenit{\"a}t der Peptide in der Zielspezies Hauskatze erfolgte die Entwicklung von Vakzin-Prototypen f{\"u}r die einmalige Applikation. Neben der Eruierung der St{\"a}rke und Dauer der Immunantwort wurde durch Verpaarung der Tiere auch das kontrazeptive Potential in vivo abgesch{\"a}tzt.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Rettig2006,
  author    = {Rettig, Hartmut Arnim},
  title     = {Methoden zur Synthese von definierten bioorganisch-synthetischen Blockcopolymeren},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-10293},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2006},
  abstract  = {Bioorganisch-synthetische Blockcopolymere sind sowohl f{\"u}r die Materialwissenschaft als auch f{\"u}r die Medizin hochinteressant. Diese Arbeit besch{\"a}ftigte sich mit neuen Synthesewegen f{\"u}r die Herstellung dieser Blockcopolymere. Zun{\"a}chst wurde der klassische Ansatz zur Herstellung eines Blockcopolymers {\"u}ber die Kupplung der beiden Segmente aufgegriffen. Hierzu wurde eine Methode zur Synthese von selektiv s{\"a}ureendfunktionalisierten Polyacrylaten mittels einer terminalen Benzylesterschutzgruppe vorgestellt. F{\"u}r die Herstellung von bioorganisch-synthetischen Blockcopolymeren mit einem gr{\"o}ßeren Polymersegment wurde daher ein anderer Syntheseansatz entwickelt. Dieser geht von einem funktionalisierten Oligopeptid aus, an dem durch Polymerisation das synthetische Segment aufgebaut wird. Der Aufbau erfolgte durch kontrolliert radikalische Polymerisation, um ein m{\"o}glichst definiertes Segment zu erhalten. Zun{\"a}chst wurde eine Synthese von Oligopeptid-Makroinitiatoren f{\"u}r die ATRP-Polymerisation durchgef{\"u}hrt. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass in geeigneten polaren L{\"o}sungsmitteln (DMSO, DMF) eine Polymerisation mit dem ATRP-Oligopeptid-Makroinitiator erfolgreich ist. Allerdings treten w{\"a}hrend der Polymerisation Wechselwirkungen zwischen dem Katalysator und dem Oligopeptid auf. Eine Alternative bietet die RAFT-Polymerisation, da sie ohne einen Katalysator durchgef{\"u}hrt wird. Es gelang ausgehend von dem Oligopeptid-ATRP-Makroinitiator den {\"U}bertr{\"a}ger herzustellen. Die RAFT-Polymerisation mit einem Oligopeptid{\"u}bertr{\"a}ger stellt eine wichtige Methode f{\"u}r die Herstellung von bioorganisch-synthetischen Blockcopolymeren dar. Sie besitzt eine hohe Toleranz gegen{\"u}ber funktionellen Gruppen. Die so hergestellten Blockcopolymere sind frei von Verunreinigungen, wie z.B. {\"U}bergangsmetallen. Dabei l{\"a}ßt sich das Molekulargewicht des synthetischen Blocks bei einer Polydispersit{\"a}t um 1,2 gut kontrollieren.},
  subject      = {ATRP},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Hentschel2008,
  author    = {Hentschel, Jens},
  title     = {Synthese und kontrollierte Mikrostrukturbildung funktionaler Peptid-Polymerkonjugate in organischen L{\"o}sungsmitteln},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-19840},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  year      = {2008},
  abstract  = {In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde ein Ansatz verfolgt, die besonderen Eigenschaften der Strukturbildung sequenzdefinierter Peptide mit den vielseitigen Materialeigenschaften synthetischer Blockcopolymere zu kombinieren. Dazu wurde ein synthetisches Polymer kovalent mit einer definierten Peptidsequenz verkn{\"u}pft. Der Peptidblock (die Organisationseinheit) wurde speziell designt, um sp{\"a}ter die Strukturbildung des Peptid-Polymerkonjugates induzieren und leiten zu k{\"o}nnen. Als Organisationsmotiv diente hierbei das aus der Natur bekannte β-Faltblatt Strukturmotiv. Das Peptidsegment wurde in einer festphasengebundenen Synthese aufgebaut. Dabei wurden tempor{\"a}re St{\"o}r-Segmente (Switch-Segmente) in die Peptidsequenz integriert. Diese Segmente unterdr{\"u}cken die Aggregationstendenz w{\"a}hrend der Synthese und k{\"o}nnen durch einen pH-abh{\"a}ngigen Schaltvorgang in das nat{\"u}rliche Peptidr{\"u}ckgrat {\"u}berf{\"u}hrt werden. Zus{\"a}tzlich zu der verbesserten Ausbeute und Reinheit der entsprechenden Peptide war auf diese Weise eine kontrollierte Aktivierung der Mikrostrukturbildung m{\"o}glich. Mit Hilfe zwei verschiedener Synthesestrategien (Kupplungs- bzw. Polymerisationsstrategie) wurde ein Satz von definierten Peptid-Polymerkonjugaten mit unterschiedlich großen Polymersegmenten synthetisiert. Diese wurden anschließend im Hinblick auf ihre Strukturbildungseigenschaften in organischen L{\"o}sungsmitteln untersucht. Durch mikroskopische Verfahren (AFM, TEM), konnte f{\"u}r alle Konjugate, die Bildung faserartiger Aggregate mit Dimensionen im Nano- bis Mikrometerbereich beobachtet werden. Genauere Untersuchungen zeigten, dass die Peptidsegmente in diesen Faserstrukturen ein β-Faltblatt ausbilden. Dies ist ein deutlicher Hinweis darauf, dass die Strukturbildung der Konjugate tats{\"a}chlich durch den Peptidblock gesteuert und kontrolliert wurde.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Memczak2014,
  author    = {Memczak, Henry},
  title     = {Entwicklung influenzabindender Peptide f{\"u}r die Biosensorik},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-72470},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {X, 117},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Das Influenzavirus infiziert S{\"a}ugetiere und V{\"o}gel. Der erste Schritt im Infektionszyklus ist die Anbindung des Viruses {\"u}ber sein Oberfl{\"a}chenprotein H{\"a}magglutinin (HA) an Zuckerstrukturen auf Epithelzellen des respiratorischen Traktes im Wirtsorganismus. Aus den drei komplementarit{\"a}tsbestimmenden Regionen (complementarity determining regions, CDRs) der schweren Kette eines monoklonalen H{\"a}magglutinin-bindenden Antik{\"o}rpers wurden drei lineare Peptide abgeleitet. Die Bindungseigenschaften der drei Peptide wurden experimentell mittels Oberfl{\"a}chenplasmonenresonanzspektroskopie untersucht. Es zeigte sich, dass in {\"U}bereinstimmung mit begleitenden Molekulardynamik-Simulationen zwei der drei Peptide (PeB und PeC) analog zur Bindef{\"a}higkeit des Antik{\"o}rpers in der Lage sind, Influenzaviren vom Stamm X31 (H3N2 A/Aichi/2/1968) zu binden. Die Interaktion des Peptids PeB, welches potentiell mit der konservierten Rezeptorbindestelle im HA interagiert, wurde anschließend n{\"a}her charakterisiert. Die Detektion der Influenzaviren war unter geeigneten Immobilisationsbedingungen im diagnostisch relevanten Bereich m{\"o}glich. Die Spezifit{\"a}t der PeB-Virus-Bindung wurde mittels geeigneter Kontrollen auf der Seite des Analyten und des Liganden nachgewiesen. Des Weiteren war das Peptid PeB in der Lage die Bindung von X31-Viren an Mimetika seines nat{\"u}rlichen Rezeptors zu inhibieren, was die spezifische Interaktion mit der Rezeptorbindungsstelle im H{\"a}magglutinin belegt. Anschließend wurde die Prim{\"a}rsequenz von PeB durch eine vollst{\"a}ndige Substitutionsanalyse im Microarray-Format hinsichtlich der Struktur-Aktivit{\"a}ts-Beziehungen charakterisiert. Dies f{\"u}hrte außerdem zu verbesserten Peptidvarianten mit erh{\"o}hter Affinit{\"a}t und breiterer Spezifit{\"a}t gegen aktuelle Influenzast{\"a}mme verschiedener Serotypen (z.B. H1N1/2009, H5N1/2004, H7N1/2013). Schließlich konnte durch Verwendung einer in der Prim{\"a}rsequenz angepassten h{\"o}her affinen Peptidvariante die Influenzainfektion in vitro inhibiert werden. Damit stellen die vom urspr{\"u}nglichen Peptid PeB abgeleiteten Varianten Rezeptormolek{\"u}le in biosensorischen Testsystemen sowie potentielle Wirkstoffe dar.},
  language  = {de}
}
@phdthesis{Vranic2019,
  author    = {Vranic, Marija},
  title     = {3D Structure of the biomarker hepcidin-25 in its native state},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-45929},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-459295},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {xii, 135},
  year      = {2019},
  abstract  = {Hepcidin-25 (Hep-25) plays a crucial role in the control of iron homeostasis. Since the dysfunction of the hepcidin pathway leads to multiple diseases as a result of iron imbalance, hepcidin represents a potential target for the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of iron metabolism. Despite intense research in the last decade targeted at developing a selective immunoassay for iron disorder diagnosis and treatment and better understanding the ferroportin-hepcidin interaction, questions remain. The key to resolving these underlying questions is acquiring exact knowledge of the 3D structure of native Hep-25. Since it was determined that the N-terminus, which is responsible for the bioactivity of Hep-25, contains a small Cu(II)-binding site known as the ATCUN motif, it was assumed that the Hep-25-Cu(II) complex is the native, bioactive form of the hepcidin. This structure has thus far not been elucidated in detail. Owing to the lack of structural information on metal-bound Hep-25, little is known about its possible biological role in iron metabolism. Therefore, this work is focused on structurally characterizing the metal-bound Hep-25 by NMR spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations. For the present work, a protocol was developed to prepare and purify properly folded Hep-25 in high quantities. In order to overcome the low solubility of Hep-25 at neutral pH, we introduced the C-terminal DEDEDE solubility tag. The metal binding was investigated through a series of NMR spectroscopic experiments to identify the most affected amino acids that mediate metal coordination. Based on the obtained NMR data, a structural calculation was performed in order to generate a model structure of the Hep-25-Ni(II) complex. The DEDEDE tag was excluded from the structural calculation due to a lack of NMR restraints. The dynamic nature and fast exchange of some of the amide protons with solvent reduced the overall number of NMR restraints needed for a high-quality structure. The NMR data revealed that the 20 Cterminal Hep-25 amino acids experienced no significant conformational changes, compared to published results, as a result of a pH change from pH 3 to pH 7 and metal binding. A 3D model of the Hep-25-Ni(II) complex was constructed from NMR data recorded for the hexapeptideNi(II) complex and Hep-25-DEDEDE-Ni(II) complex in combination with the fixed conformation of 19 C-terminal amino acids. The NMR data of the Hep-25-DEDEDE-Ni(II) complex indicates that the ATCUN motif moves independently from the rest of the structure. The 3D model structure of the metal-bound Hep-25 allows for future works to elucidate hepcidin's interaction with its receptor ferroportin and should serve as a starting point for the development of antibodies with improved selectivity.},
  language  = {en}
}
@phdthesis{Folikumah2022,
  author    = {Folikumah, Makafui Yao},
  title     = {Stimuli-promoted in situ formation of hydrogels with thiol/thioester containing peptide precursors},
  doi       = {10.25932/publishup-56971},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-569713},
  school      = {Universit{\"a}t Potsdam},
  pages     = {159},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Hydrogels are potential synthetic ECM-like substitutes since they provide functional and structural similarities compared to soft tissues. They can be prepared by crosslinking of macromolecules or by polymerizing suitable precursors. The crosslinks are not necessarily covalent bonds, but could also be formed by physical interactions such as π-π interactions, hydrophobic interactions, or H-bonding. On demand in situ forming hydrogels have garnered increased interest especially for biomedical applications over preformed gels due to the relative ease of in vivo delivery and filling of cavities. The thiol-Michael addition reaction provides a straightforward and robust strategy for in situ gel formation with its fast reaction kinetics and ability to proceed under physiological conditions. The incorporation of a trigger function into a crosslinking system becomes even more interesting since gelling can be controlled with stimulus of choice. The use of small molar mass crosslinker precursors with active groups orthogonal to thiol-Michael reaction type electrophile provides the opportunity to implement an on-demand in situ crosslinking without compromising the fast reaction kinetics. It was postulated that short peptide sequences due to the broad range structural-function relations available with the different constituent amino acids, can be exploited for the realisation of stimuli-promoted in situ covalent crosslinking and gelation applications. The advantages of this system over conventional polymer-polymer hydrogel systems are the ability tune and predict material property at the molecular level. The main aim of this work was to develop a simplified and biologically-friendly stimuli-promoted in situ crosslinking and hydrogelation system using peptide mimetics as latent crosslinkers. The approach aims at using a single thiodepsipeptide sequence to achieve separate pH- and enzyme-promoted gelation systems with little modification to the thiodepsipeptide sequence. The realization of this aim required the completion of three milestones. In the first place, after deciding on the thiol-Michael reaction as an effective in situ crosslinking strategy, a thiodepsipeptide, Ac-Pro-Leu-Gly-SLeu-Leu-Gly-NEtSH (TDP) with expected propensity towards pH-dependent thiol-thioester exchange (TTE) activation, was proposed as a suitable crosslinker precursor for pH-promoted gelation system. Prior to the synthesis of the proposed peptide-mimetic, knowledge of the thiol-Michael reactivity of the would-be activated thiol moiety SH-Leu, which is internally embedded in the thiodepsipeptide was required. In line with pKa requirements for a successful TTE, the reactivity of a more acidic thiol, SH-Phe was also investigated to aid the selection of the best thiol to be incorporated in the thioester bearing peptide based crosslinker precursor. Using 'pseudo' 2D-NMR investigations, it was found that only reactions involving SH-Leu yielded the expected thiol-Michael product, an observation that was attributed to the steric hindrance of the bulkier nature of SH-Phe. The fast reaction rates and complete acrylate/maleimide conversion obtained with SH-Leu at pH 7.2 and higher aided the direct elimination of SH-Phe as a potential thiol for the synthesis of the peptide mimetic. Based on the initial studies, for the pH-promoted gelation system, the proposed Ac-Pro-Leu-Gly-SLeu-Leu-Gly-NEtSH was kept unmodified. The subtle difference in pKa values between SH-Leu (thioester thiol) and the terminal cysteamine thiol from theoretical conditions should be enough to effect a 'pseudo' intramolecular TTE. In polar protic solvents and under basic aqueous conditions, TDP successfully undergoes a 'pseudo' intramolecular TTE reaction to yield an α,ω-dithiol tripeptide, HSLeu-Leu-Gly-NEtSH. The pH dependence of thiolate ion generation by the cysteamine thiol aided the incorporation of the needed stimulus (pH) for the overall success of TTE (activation step) - thiol-Michael addition (crosslinking) strategy. Secondly, with potential biomedical applications in focus, the susceptibility of TDP, like other thioesters, to intermolecular TTE reaction was probed with a group of thiols of varying thiol pKa values, since biological milieu characteristically contain peptide/protein thiols. L-cysteine, which is a biologically relevant thiol, and a small molecular weight thiol, methylthioglycolate both with relatively similar thiol pKa, values, led to an increase concentration of the dithiol crosslinker when reacted with TDP. In the presence of acidic thiols (p-NTP and 4MBA), a decrease in the dithiol concentration was observed, an observation that can be attributed to the inability of the TTE tetrahedral intermediate to dissociate into exchange products and is in line with pKa requirements for successful TTE reaction. These results additionally makes TDP more attractive and the potentially the first crosslinker precursor for applications in biologically relevant media. Finally, the ability of TDP to promote pH-sensitive in situ gel formation was probed with maleimide functionalized 4-arm polyethylene glycol polymers in tris-buffered media of varying pHs. When a 1:1 thiol: maleimide molar ratio was used, TDP-PEG4MAL hydrogels formed within 3, 12 and 24 hours at pH values of 8.5, 8.0 and 7.5 respectively. However, gelation times of 3, 5 and 30 mins were observed for the same pH trend when the thiol: maleimide molar was increased to 2:1. A direct correlation of thiol content with G' of the gels at each pH could also be drawn by comparing gels with thiol: maleimide ratios of 1:1 to those with 2:1 thiol: maleimide mole ratios. This is supported by the fact that the storage modulus (G') is linearly dependent on the crosslinking density of the polymer. The values of initial G′ for all gels ranged between (200 - 5000 Pa), which falls in the range of elasticities of certain tissue microenvironments for example brain tissue 200 - 1000 Pa and adipose tissue (2500 - 3500 Pa). Knowledge so far gained from the study on the ability to design and tune the exchange reaction of thioester containing peptide mimetic will give those working in the field further insight into the development of new sequences tailored towards specific applications. TTE substrate design using peptide mimetic as presented in this work has revealed interesting new insights considering the state-of-the-art. Using the results obtained as reference, the strategy provides a possibility to extend the concept to the controlled delivery of active molecules needed for other robust and high yielding crosslinking reactions for biomedical applications. Application for this sequentially coupled functional system could be seen e.g. in the treatment of inflamed tissues associated with urinary tract like bladder infections for which pH levels above 7 were reported. By the inclusion of cell adhesion peptide motifs, the hydrogel network formed at this pH could act as a new support layer for the healing of damage epithelium as shown in interfacial gel formation experiments using TDP and PEG4MAL droplets. The versatility of the thiodepsipeptide sequence, Ac-Pro-Leu-Gly-SLeu-Leu-Gly-(TDPo) was extended for the design and synthesis of a MMP-sensitive 4-arm PEG-TDPo conjugate. The purported cleavage of TDPo at the Gly-SLeu bond yields active thiol units for subsequent reaction of orthogonal Michael acceptor moieties. One of the advantages of stimuli-promoted in situ crosslinking systems using short peptides should be the ease of design of required peptide molecules due to the predictability of peptide functions their sequence structure. Consequently the functionalisation of a 4-arm PEG core with the collagenase active TDPo sequence yielded an MMP-sensitive 4-arm thiodepsipeptide-PEG conjugate (PEG4TDPo) substrate. Cleavage studies using thiol flourometric assay in the presence of MMPs -2 and -9 confirmed the susceptibility of PEG4TDPo towards these enzymes. The resulting time-dependent increase in fluorescence intensity in the presence of thiol assay signifies the successful cleavage of TDPo at the Gly-SLeu bond as expected. It was observed that the cleavage studies with thiol flourometric assay introduces a sigmoid non-Michaelis-Menten type kinetic profile, hence making it difficult to accurately determine the enzyme cycling parameters, kcat and KM . Gelation studies with PEG4MAL at 10 \% wt. concentrations revealed faster gelation with MMP-2 than MMP-9 with 28 and 40 min gelation times respectively. Possible contributions by hydrolytic cleavage of PEG4TDPo has resulted in the gelation of PEG4MAL blank samples but only after 60 minutes of reaction. From theoretical considerations, the simultaneous gelation reaction would be expected to more negatively impact the enzymatic than hydrolytic cleavage. The exact contributions from hydrolytic cleavage of PEG4TDPo would however require additional studies. In summary this new and simplified in situ crosslinking system using peptide-based crosslinker precursors with tuneable properties exhibited in situ crosslinking gelation kinetics on similar levels with already active dithiols reported. The advantageous on-demand functionality associated with its pH-sensitivity and physiological compatibility makes it a strong candidate worth further research as biomedical applications in general and on-demand material synthesis is concerned. Results from MMP-promoted gelation system unveils a simple but unexplored approach for in situ synthesis of covalently crosslinked soft materials, that could lead to the development of an alternative pathway in addressing cancer metastasis by making use of MMP overexpression as a trigger. This goal has so far not being reach with MMP inhibitors despite the extensive work this regard.},
  language  = {en}
}