Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Major

Chemistry

Major Professor

Joshua Baccile

Abstract

Isoprenes are a class of natural products that are used as biosynthetic building blocks. They have diverse structures and are involved in a multitude of biological functions such as protein prenylation, post translational modification of proteins, cellular signaling and cell growth modulation. In addition to this, many isoprenes are potential drug candidates.

Isoprene biosynthesis in organism involve the role of two 5 carbon precursors- isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP). The head-to-tail condensation of IPP and DMAPP leads to the formation of numerous biologically significant metabolites, including carvacrol, geraniol, coenzyme Q (CoQ), and cholesterol. Coenzyme Q plays a vital role in reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mitochondria, thereby regulating apoptosis in cells. This thesis presents efforts to synthesize and deliver IPP and DMAPP analogs into the mitochondria to investigate their impact on cell health and apoptosis using various bioassays.

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