Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Influence Of Conformational Restriction On The Antibacterial Activity And Ribosomal Selectivity Of Aminoglycoside Antibiotics, Michael Gabriel Pirrone

Wayne State University Dissertations

The ever-increasing threat posed by multidrug-resistant infectious bacteria necessitates

the development of novel antibiotics. Aminoglycoside antibiotics are growing in interest due to

their broad spectrum of activity, lack of known drug related allergies, low manufacturing cost,

and their well-studied mechanism of action. The simplification of rational drug design due to the

well-studied mechanism of action is the key to overcoming the issues presented by these drugs,

namely ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity.

A study of the effect of the conformation of the aminoglycoside ring I side chain is

described wherein it was discovered that an increase in a particular conformation augments the …

Synthesis Of Functionalized Gpi Anchors And Related Glycoconjugates, Benjamin M. Swarts

Wayne State University Dissertations

This dissertation is divided into two chapters describing the background, significance, and synthesis of GPI anchors and GPI-anchored molecules. GPI anchors are a class of complex glycolipids with the primary purpose of attaching cell surface proteins/glycoproteins to the cell membrane. The first chapter is focused on the synthesis of functionalized GPI anchors, and begins with an introductory look at the discovery, structure, biosynthesis, and biological functions of GPIs. Then, after surveying progress and achievements in GPI synthesis, including discussion about current strategic shortcomings in the field that prevent the chemical synthesis of various GPI derivatives, our approach to accessing uniquely …