Thesis (LL. M.)--Dalhousie University, 1990. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 249-272).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of British Columbia, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-164).

This thesis is divided into two parts and the rationale of the research conducted is based on the cytotoxicity of the prenylated quinones 1.24-1.29, isolated from the South African nudibranch Leminda millecra, against oesophageal cancer cells. The first part (Chapters 2 and 3) of the thesis initially documents the distribution of cytotoxic and antioxidant prenylated quinones and hydroquinones in the marine environment. We have been able to show, for the first time, that these compounds can be divided into eight structural classes closely related to their phyletic distribution. Secondly, we attempted to synthesize the two marine natural products 1.24 and 1.26 in an effort to contribute to an ongoing collaborative search with the Division of Medical Biochemistry at the University of Cape Town for new compounds with anti-oesophageal cancer activity. Accordingly, we followed the published synthetic procedure for 1.26 and, although we were unable to reproduce the reported results, we have generated five new prenylated quinone analogues 3.53-3.55, 3.63 and 3.71, which are a potentially viable addition to our ongoing structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies. Moreover, we embarked on a 7Li NMR mechanistic study for the synthesis of 3.2 from 3.1 which rewarded us with an improved and reproducible methodology for this crucial reaction that is detailed in Chapter 3. The second part of this thesis (Chapters 4 and 5) is concerned with a synthetic, structural, electrochemical and biological exploration of the 1,4-naphthoquinone nucleus as a primary pharmacophore in our search for new chemical entities which can induce apoptosis in oesophageal cancer cells, thus contributing to our overall ongoing SAR study in this class of compounds. Seven new naphthoquinone derivatves (4.19, 4.30, 4.31, 4.33 and 4.46-4.48) of the natural products 2-deoxylapachol (2.44), lapachol (4.1) and β-lapachone (5.2) were synthesized and 2-(1`-hydroxy-`-phenylmethyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone (4.29) was found to be the most cytotoxic (IC50 1.5 μM) against the oesophageal cancer cell line WHCO1, while 5.2, which is currently in phase II clinical trials as an anticancer drug, was found to be similarly active (IC50 1.6 μM). Electrochemical investigations of the redox properties of the benzylic alcohol derivatives 4.29-4.31 indicated a higher reduction potential compared to their oxidized counterparts 4.45-4.48, and this finding has been correlated to the increased activity of 4.29-4.31 against the WHCO1 cell line. Additionally, 4.29 is synthetically more accessible than either 1.26 or 5.2 and potentially a lead compound in our search for new and more effective chemotherapeutic agents against oesophageal cancer

A general mathematical equation relating variables affecting primary production has been developed to predict changes .in the vertical distribution of primary production in the oceans. The model is tested and shown to fit empirical observations from diverse oceanic areas.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Oregon State University, 2009. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-71). Also available on the World Wide Web.

No description available.

The projects described in this dissertation are focused on compounds derived from marine organisms collected from the western Atlantic marine environment. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the study of natural products chemistry, marine natural products, and overview of the research undertaken from natural product chemists. Chapter 2 describes the isolation and structure elucidation of a series of rare diterpenoids from the gorgonian Briareum asbestinum, together with their conformational analysis and biosynthetic interconversions. These rare diterpenes from Briareum asbestinum are linked by an unusual transannular oxa-6π electrocyclization which is described in detail and this work demonstates the biomimetic hemisynthesis of briareolate esters L (19) to B (22) achieved via an intermediary, briareolate ester G (2), through a controlled set of photoinduced isomerizations and a unique photochromic transannular oxa-6π electrocyclization. This work focuses largely on the mechanistic understanding of the photochemical production of these briarane diterpenoids and illustrates a unique UVA/UVC, photochromic switch which induces a transannular oxa- 6π electrocyclization. Chapter 3 describes the assay-guided isolation of marine antioxidants. This chapter focuses on the screening of marine organism extracts using the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay for antioxidant activity guided isolation of marine natural products. The chapter concludes with the activity guided isolation and structural elucidation of 1-O-palmitoyl-2-O-myristoyl-3-O-(6-sulfo-α-D-quinovopyranosyl)- glycerol (40) to show direct antioxidant potential through FRAP analysis. Chapter 4 describes the isolation, structural elucidation and pharmacological evaluation of the novel secondary metabolites iso-PsA(45), Iso-PsC (46), iso-PsD (47) as well as known Pseudopterosins A(41), B(42), C(43), D(44), K(48), K2’OAc(49), K2’OAc(50). These secondary metabolites were evaluated for both cytotoxicity. The chapter concludes with the screening of these compounds as αβ-amyloid fibril modulators utilizing atomic force microcopy (AFM). / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

by Tang, Kam Wing. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 139-149). / Abstract --- p.1 / Acknowledgements --- p.4 / Table of Contents --- p.5 / List of Tables --- p.6 / List of Figures --- p.7 / Chapter Chapter 1 --- General Introduction --- p.11 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- "Diel vertical migration and gut pigment rhythm of marine copepods in Tolo Harbour, Hong Kong" --- p.13 / Chapter 2.1 --- Literature Review --- p.13 / Chapter 2.2 --- Introduction --- p.21 / Chapter 2.3 --- Material and Methods --- p.25 / Chapter 2.4 --- Results --- p.31 / Chapter 2.5 --- Discussion --- p.66 / Chapter 2.6 --- Conclusion --- p.79 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Distribution and biology of marine cladocerans in the coastal waters of southern China --- p.80 / Chapter 2.1 --- Literature Review --- p.80 / Chapter 2.2 --- Introduction --- p.84 / Chapter 2.3 --- Material and Methods --- p.93 / Chapter 2.4 --- Results --- p.132 / Chapter 2.5 --- Discussion --- p.133 / Chapter 2.6 --- Conclusion / References --- p.139

The colonial, N2 fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium is a keystone species in oligotrophic ocean ecosystems. Trichodesmium is responsible for approximately 50% of the total biologically fixed N2 in the ocean, and this “new” nitrogen fuels primary productivity and the amount of carbon sequestered by the ocean. Trichodesmium does not exist in isolation. Colonies occur ubiquitously with an assemblage of epibiotic microorganisms that are distinct from planktonic microbes and modulated across environments, yet the implications of this relationship have not been explored. In this thesis, the ecology, physiology, and potential geochemical impact of interactions within the Trichodesmium host-microbiome system were examined across three different oligotrophic ocean environments. First, to establish the metabolic diversity contributed by the microbiome to Trichodesmium consortia, a whole community metagenomic sequencing approach was used across a transect the western North Atlantic. This study demonstrated that the microbiome contributes a large amount of unique functional potential and is modulated across a geochemical gradient. In the following study, metatranscriptomics was used to show that such metabolic potential in Trichodesmium and the microbiome was expressed and modulated across the environment. Colonies were sampled in the western tropical South Pacific and gene expression dynamics indicated co-limitation by iron and phosphorus, and revealed a mechanism for phosphate reduction by Trichodesmium and subsequent utilization by the microbiome. These activities were verified with phosphate reduction rate measurements and indicated cryptic phosphorus cycling within colonies. Next, the suite of potential physiological interactions between host and microbiome was assessed with metatranscriptome sequencing on high frequency samples of Trichodesmium colonies from the North Pacific subtropical gyre. Synchronized day-night gene expression periodicity between consortia members indicated tightly linked metabolisms. The functional annotations of these synchronous genes indicated intra-consortia cycling of nitrogen, phosphorus and iron, as well as a microbiome dependence on Trichodesmium-derived cobalamin—interactions that could alter the transfer of these resources to the surrounding water column. In the final study, the effect of the microbiome on Trichodesmium N2 fixation was assessed. Using colonies obtained from the North Atlantic, activity in the microbiome was selectively modified using quorum sensing acyl homoserine lactone cell-cell signaling, a mechanism that Trichodesmium itself does not possess. These experiments indicated that the microbiome has the potential to increase or decrease Trichodesmium N2 fixation to a degree that rivals the effects of alterations in nutrient concentration, but at a more rapid rate. In all, the research presented in this thesis demonstrates the integral importance of the microbiome to Trichodesmium physiology and ecology, highlighting the importance of an unexplored facet of marine microbial systems that likely influences the biogeochemistry of the planet.