Thesis (M. S.)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006. / Committee Chair: Zhu, Cheng; Committee Member: Babensee, Julia; Committee Member: Dustin, Michael; Committee Member: Garcia, Andres; Committee Member: Jo, Hanjoong; Committee Member: van der Merwe, Anton. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection. Non-Latin script record

The phosphine crown ether, 16-(4'diphenylphosphinophenyl)-1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxa-16azacyclooctadecane (III), was synthesized using a reaction scheme beginning with n-phenyldiethanolamine and the dichloride of tetraethylene glycol, with an overall yield of 4%. Platinum and Palladium complexes of the ligand, of the form MC12L2, were synthesized as well. 13C NMR and picrate extraction data indicate III and IV (the crown-5 analog) both moderately bind sodium (14%, 15%) and potassium ions (17%, 28%). Compound V (a crown-5, triphenylphosphine-based ligand) will bind both sodium and potassium ions as well (18%, 6%). When IV is complexed to nickel carbonyl (Ni(CO)3), the addition of sodium and potassium ions cause the Al carbonyl stretching frequency to increase slightly (0.3 cm-1, 0.2 cm 1). For comparison, the addition of a proton causes the A1 carbonyl stretching frequency to increase 5.2 cm-1. However, the shift in the A1 carbonyl stretching frequency upon the addition of sodium or potassium ions indicates that ion binding by the crown ether is communicated to the phosphorus and finally to the carbonyl groups.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306 / Department of Chemistry

This thesis describes the synthesis and characterisation of new mononuclear and binuclear zirconium and hafnium compounds containing ansa-bridged ligands. Some olefin polymerization studies, employing the new compounds as catalysts, are also presented. <strong>Chapter 1</strong> begins with an introduction to Ziegler-Natta polymerization of olefins, concentrating on recently developed metallocene-based catalyst systems. The second part of the Chapter charts the development of group 4 ansa-metallocene derivatives, especially their use as stereospecific catalysts. Finally, a review of binuciear group 4 metallocene compounds containing bridging bis(cyclopentadienyl)-type ligands is presented. <strong>Chapter 2</strong> describes the synthesis and characterisation of some novel mononuclear metallocene compounds of zirconium and hafnium containing ansa-bridged ligands. The ansa-bridged mononuclear compounds [{Me₂C(η⁵-C₅H₄)(η²-C₉H₆)}M(η⁵C₅H₅)Cl] (M = Zr, Hf), [{(CH₂)₅C(η⁵-C₅H₄)(η²-C₉H₆)}M(η⁵-C₅H₅)Cl] (M = Zr, Hf) and [{Me₂(η⁵-C₅H₄)(η³-C₁₃H₈)}Zr(η⁵-C₅H₅)Cl] are described, along with the X-ray crystal structures of the zirconium compounds. The η²-indenyl and η³-fluorenyl coordination modes observed for these compounds are unprecedented. The synthesis and characterisation of the novel, mononuclear ansa-bridged compounds [{Me₂C(η⁵-C₅H₄)<sub<2</sub>}M(η⁵-C₅H₅)Cl] (M = Zr, Hf) is also described, along with their X-ray crystal structures. The variable temperature solid state ¹³C CP/MAS NMR spectra of [{Me₂C(η⁵-C₅H₄)<sub<2</sub>}M(η⁵-C₅H₅)Cl] (M = Zr, Hf) show slow rotation of the C₅H₅ ring on the NMR timescale. <strong>Chapter 3</strong> describes the synthesis and characterisation of some novel homo- and hetero-binuclear metallocene compounds of zirconium and hafnium in which the metals are bridged by an unsymmetrical ansa ligand. The novel, chiral homobinuclear compounds [(η⁵-C₅H₅)MCl₂{(η⁵-C₅H₄)CMe₂(η⁵-C₉H₆)}MCl₂(η⁵-C₅H₅)] (M = Zr, Hf) are described. The ansa-bridged mononuclear compounds [{Me₂C(η⁵-C₅H₄)(η²-C₉H₇)M(η⁵-C₅H₅)Cl] (M = Zr, Hf) are used as reagents for the selective synthesis of the heterobinuclear analogues [(η⁵-C₅H₅)MCl₂{(η⁵-C₅H₄)CMe₂(η⁵-C₉H₆)}M*Cl₂(η⁵-C₅H₅)] (M = Zr, M* = Hf ; M = Hf, M* = Zr) and the unsymmetrical homobinuclear compound [(η⁵-C₅H₅)ZrCl₂{(η⁵-C₅H₄)CMe₂(��⁵-C₉H₆)}ZrCl₂(η⁵-C₅Me₅)]. The methylated derivatives [(η⁵-C₅H₅)M(CH₃)₂{(η⁵-C₅H₄)CMe₂(η⁵-C₅H₆)}M*(CH₃)₂(η⁵-C₅H₅)] (M = Zr, M* = Zr, Hf; M = Hf, M* = Zr, Hf) are also described. The structurally related mononuclear compounds [(η⁵-C₅H₅)MCl₂{(η⁵-C₅H₄)CMe₂(C₉H₇)}] (M = Zr, Hf) and [(η⁵-C₅H₅)Zr(CH₃)₂{(η⁵-C₅H₄)CMe₂(C₉H₇)}] have also been prepared. <strong>Chapter 4</strong> presents some olefin polymerization studies using the new compounds described in Chapter 3 as catalysts, along with either methylaluminoxane or the recently developed co-catalysts [Ph₃C]⁺[B(C₆F₅)₄]^- and B(C₆F₅)₃. <strong>Chapter 5</strong> provides the experimental details for the reactions described in this thesis and the characterising data for all new compounds are given in <strong>Chapter 6</strong> Crystallographic data for the for the X-ray structure determinations in Chapter 2 are given in the <strong>Appendices</strong>.

Torpedo AChR structure was used to make models of other LGICs. Coarse-grain MD allowed the identification of residues in the TM domain interacting with the lipid-bilayer. Born energy profiles through LGIC pores reveal that the EC domain plays a key role in ion selectivity.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--Carleton University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 52-61). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Immunology, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on September 3, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, November, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 165-167)

In part 1 of this thesis, the antidiabetic activity of a series of novel oxovanadium(IV) complexes was investigated. A range of bidentate N,O-donor ligands, which partially mimic naturally occurring bioligands, were prepared and reacted with the vanadyl ion to form the corresponding bis-coordinated complexes. Initially, 2-(2ˊ-hydroxyphenyl)-1R-imidazoline (where R = H, ethyl and ethanol) ligands were prepared. The aqueous pH-metric chemical speciation was investigated using glass electrode potentiometry which allowed for the determination of protonation and stability constants of the ligands and complexes, respectively. The species distribution diagrams generated from this information gave an indication of how the complexes might behave across the broad pH range experienced in the digestive and circulatory systems. This information was used to create an improved 2nd generation of ligands that were constructed by combining the imidazole and carboxylic acid functionalities. These corresponding bis[(imidazolyl)carboxylato]-oxovanadium(IV) complexes displayed a broader pH-metric stability. Both sets of complexes improved glucose uptake and reduced coagulation in vitro. In part 2 of this thesis, a range of homogeneous and heterogeneous oxovanadium(IV) catalysts were prepared. Firstly, Merrifield beads were functionalized with ligands from Part 1 and then reacted with vanadyl sulfate to afford the corresponding heterogeneous catalysts. These displayed promising catalytic activity for the peroxide facilitated oxidation of thioanisole, styrene and ethylbenzene as well as the oxidative bromination of phenol red. Smaller imidazole-containing beads with higher surface areas than the Merrifield beads were prepared by suspension polymerization. These beads similarly demonstrated excellent catalytic activity for the oxidation of thioanisole and were highly recyclable. In attempt to increase the exposed catalytic surface area, while retaining the ease of separation achieved in the before mentioned systems, micron to nano sized electrospun fibers containing coordinating ligands were fabricated. The corresponding oxovanadium(IV) functionalized fibers were applied to the oxidation of thioanisole using a continuous flow system. The flexible and porous nature of the fiber mats was well suited to this approach. After optimization of the reactant flow rate and catalyst amount, near quantitative (> 99%) oxidation was achieved for an extended period. In addition, leaching of vanadium was mitigated by modification of the attached ligand or polymer material.

Development of chiral ligands capable of achieving high selectivity for various asymmetric catalytic reactions has been an important aim of both academia and industry. Nature is capable to selectively catalyze chemical reactions by using enzymes. An ideal catalyst would combine the selectivity of nature and the reactivity of man-made catalysts based on transition metal complexes. The two biomolecules chosen to achieve this are DNA and PNA. DNA is a chiral molecule with high binding selectivity towards small molecules and has been used as ligand for asymmetric catalysis. PNA is an achiral structural analogue of DNA that can form duplexes with DNA. To produce DNA based catalysts it is necessary to introduce a ligand such as a phosphine that will strongly coordinate to transition metals. To achieve this, functionalized linkers need to be introduced into a DNA strand, to covalently couple the phosphine moiety at a specific location of the DNA strand. Amine linkers and several modified nucleosides have been prepared containing thiol and amine functionalities and some of them were successfully introduced into DNA strands to function as linkers for the introduction of phosphine functionalities. Those strands were purified and an adequate procedure was developed for their analysis by MALDI-TOF. Diphenylphosphino carboxylic acids have been coupled to amine modified deoxyuridines by amide bond formation. The same coupling method has been used for oligonucleotides. DNA strands containing phosphine moieties were characterized by MALDI-TOF and ³¹P NMR spectrometry. ³¹P NMR spectroscopy was also used to confirm coordination of a phosphine modified 15-mer to [PdCl(η³-allyl)]₂. The phosphine modified nucleobases were also tested as ligands for palladium catalyzed allylic alkylation and allylic amination with diphenylallyl acetate as substrate although no enantioselectivity was observed. A PNA monomer was also modified with a bidentate sulfur protected phosphine and successfully introduced into a short PNA strand using manual solid phase synthesis. This strand was analyzed by MALDI-TOF. Moreover, preliminary studies were performed to test the use of aptamers as scaffolds for targets containing a ligand functionality.

Molecular switch systems that activate gene expression by a small molecule are effective technologies that are widely used in applied biological research. Previously, two orthogonal ligand receptor pairs (OLRP) were developed as potential molecular switch systems by modifying nuclear receptors, ligand-activated transcription factors, to bind and activate gene expression with the synthetic ligand LG335 and not with the natural ligand 9-cis retinoic acid (9cRA). The two OLRP previously discovered were RXR variant 130 (I268A, I310A, F313A, and L436F) (also known as GR130) and the RXR variant QCIMFI (Q275C, I310M, and F313I) and (also known as GRQCIMFI). The OLRP were further developed into molecular switches to provide controlled gene expression and potentially benefit gene therapy applications by replacing the DNA binding domain (DBD) with a Gal4 DBD, a yeast transcription factor. Both molecular switches are able to bind Gal4 RE in response to LG335 and activate expression of a luciferase or GFP reporter gene in either a two- or one-component system. When characterizing the GR130 variant in the two-component system, no activation was observed with the natural ligand 9cRA, and the variant displayed a 19±5-fold activation and a 50 nM EC50 value in the presence of LG335. When the GRQCIMFI variant was evaluated in the two-component system, activation was observed in the presence of LG335 with a 10 nM EC50 value and a 6±2-fold induction, and 9cRA induced activation only at the highest concentration. The GRQCIMFI variant was also characterized with the one-component system containing the reporter gene GFP in a transient transfection as well as through retroviral transduction, displaying green fluorescence in 30% of the cells in the presence of 10 µM LG335. Several attempts were made to improve the molecular switch system. The VP16 activation domain was fused to GRQCIMFI in an effort to increase the fold induction; however, the addition of the VP16 created a constitutively active protein. Another approach to improve the molecular switch incorporated error-prone PCR to discover a new variant, Q275C, I310M, F313I, L455M (QCIMFILM), which displayed a 10-fold increase in sensitivity towards LG335 with a 5 nM EC50 value. Examination of the L455 position in the crystal structure of RXR revealed this residue is located outside of the ligand binding pocket on helix 12 (H12), but is able to significantly enhance receptor function. In fact, the single variant, L455M, was able to enhance receptor activation, compensate for a nonfunctional variant, as well as influence coactivator association. The long-term goal of this research is to develop a gene regulation system that would be used in human gene therapy trials. In the process of creating this system a deeper assessment of the nuclear receptor structure and function is made, which can be used for the enhancement and development of transcriptional regulation mechanisms.