This item is only available for download by members of the University of Illinois community. Students, faculty, and staff at the U of I may log in with your NetID and password to view the item. If you are trying to access an Illinois-restricted dissertation or thesis, you can request a copy through your library's Inter-Library Loan office or purchase a copy directly from ProQuest.
Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/82822
Description
Title
Pathogen Membrane Interactions
Author(s)
Yang, Lihua
Issue Date
2008
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Wong, Gerard C.L.
Department of Study
Materials Science and Engineering
Discipline
Materials Science and Engineering
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Chemistry, Biochemistry
Language
eng
Abstract
Unlike polyelectrolyte, amplipathic molecules interact with lipid membranes through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. Natural antimicrobial peptides and their synthetic derivatives are amphipathic molecules with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, but the underlying mechanism needs clarification. We systematically investigated interactions between model bacterial membranes and a prototypical family of phenylene ethynylene-based antimicrobial oligomers (AMO's) with controllable activity and selectivity. Homologues in this family can be inactive, specifically active against bacteria, or non-specifically active against bacteria and eukaryotic cells. Our results show that antibacterial activity correlates with ability to induce small unilamellar vesicles into an inverted hexagonal phase. Moreover, AMO's with different activity profiles require different minimum threshold concentration of PE lipids to reconstruct the membrane. To test the relevance of PE-requirement observed with model membranes to the activity of AMO, we carried out microbicidal assays in vitro against a PE knockout mutant bacteria strain and its wild-type parent strain. The results show that, although the PE deficient mutant is normally more susceptible than its wild-type parent strain, the mutant strain surprisingly out-survives its wild-type parental strain W3899 in the presence of our AMO, which is consistent with our results from model system.
Use this login method if you
don't
have an
@illinois.edu
email address.
(Oops, I do have one)
IDEALS migrated to a new platform on June 23, 2022. If you created
your account prior to this date, you will have to reset your password
using the forgot-password link below.
