Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

First Advisor

Andrew G. Palmer

Second Advisor

Toby S. Daly-Engel

Third Advisor

Alan B. Brown

Fourth Advisor

Vipuil Kishore

Abstract

Bacterial organisms can “talk” with one another on a colony-wide scale using a communication system known as quorum-sensing (QS) via chemical signals. These signals are produced at a basal rate throughout the life of the bacteria and are classified as autoinducers, which diffuse across the cell membrane. Once the critical concentration is reached, they begin to diffuse back into the cell and initiate a phenotypic change. As these signals exist outside the membrane of their producer, they are also accessible to other organisms. It has already been noted that some plant species uptake these compounds through their roots and break them down to stimulate growth. This, in turn, would increase the concentration that prokaryotic organisms would need to reach to begin to commence the QS response. To gain a better understanding of how eukaryotes detect and influence quorums, the unicellular eukaryote Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was investigated for the natural role it plays in altering this communication system. This model algae is known to co-exist in the same microbiome as these communicating prokaryotes and may directly influence the QS response. Here, this study looks to examine whether or not C. reinhardtii is able to use the Gram-negative quorum signaling molecule known as N-acyl-L-homoserine lactones (AHLs) as a metabolically incorporated nutrient. By employing two separate analytical methods, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry tandem Mass Spectrometry, we will gain a better understanding of the influence C. reinhardtii plays on the structural integrity and quantity of AHLs in its environment.

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