J. Greg Zeikus
Professor Emeritus

B.A. 1967, University of South Florida
M.A. 1968, Ph.D. 1970, Indiana University
Postdoctoral Associate, 1970-72, University of Illinois
Faculty Member, 1972-84, University of Wisconsin
Visiting Professor and Humbolt Fellow, 1976-77, Universität Marburg
Visiting Research Fellow, 1981-82, Institute Pasteur
Doctor of Honoris Causa in Applied Biological Sciences, 1992, University of Ghent, Belgium
Executive Director, 1984-86, Michigan Biotechnology Institute, Lansing, Michigan
President, CEO, 1986-2000, MBI International, Lansing, Michigan

zeikus@msu.edu
410 Biochemistry Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1319
Office: 517-353-5556
Lab: 517-353-4674
FAX: 517-353-9334

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J. Greg Zeikus

Research Interests

Research in my lab focuses on the design and control of industrial biocatalysts. The use of biocatalysts (i.e., microbes and enzymes) in industrial processes has been greatly expanded by the application of new bioengineering technologies including genetic engineering. Industrial bioprocesses involve the use of biocatalysts in: biochemicals and biomaterials production, drug synthesis and manufacture, sensors and diagnostics, food and feed production, and waste treatment systems. Developing robust biocatalysts that function under harsh physical chemical processing conditions is a real challenge that has recently been aided by using extremophic organisms and their enzymes as model systems infundamental and applied research.

Our research on extremophilc enzymes involves determining and applying rational design parameters for controling biocatalyst stability, activity, and chemical yield.

Our work on the design and control of industrial biocatalysts includes the engineering of thermozymes by protein and genetic engineering techniques; microbial organic acid and alcohol fermentations by metabolic engineering of pathways and enzyme regulations; and anaerobic biodegradation granules by ecoengineering the performance of mixed microbial populations.

Our work on enzymes from thermophiles and hyperthermophiles focuses on six enzymes: xylose (glucose) isomerase used in fructose sweetener manufacture; amylopullulanase, (an a 1-6 and a 1-4 bond cleavage enzyme) used in starch processing; secondary alcohol dehydrogenase used in chiral chemical synthesis; alkaline phosphatase used in diagnosticsand adenylate kinase. MORE

Recent Publications

Hassler BL, Dennis M, Laivenieks M, Zeikus JG, Worden RM. Mutation of Tyr-218 to Phe in Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase: effects on bioelectronic interface performance. Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2007 Oct;143(1):1-15.

McKinlay JB, Vieille C, Zeikus JG. Prospects for a bio-based succinate industry. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2007 Sep;76(4):727-40.

Hassler BL, Kohli N, Zeikus JG, Lee I, Worden RM. Renewable dehydrogenase-based interfaces for bioelectronic applications. Langmuir. 2007 Jun 19;23(13):7127-33.

Musa MM, Ziegelmann-Fjeld KI, Vieille C, Zeikus JG, Phillips RS. Xerogel-encapsulated W110A secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus performs asymmetric reduction of hydrophobic ketones in organic solvents. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2007;46(17):3091-4. No abstract available.

Ziegelmann-Fjeld KI, Musa MM, Phillips RS, Zeikus JG, Vieille C. A Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus secondary alcohol dehydrogenase mutant derivative highly active and stereoselective on phenylacetone and benzylacetone. Protein Eng Des Sel. 2007 Feb;20(2):47-55.

Bazaes S, Toncio M, Laivenieks M, Zeikus JG, Cardemil E. Comparative kinetic effects of Mn (II), Mg (II) and the ATP/ADP ratio on phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinases from Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Protein J. 2007 Jun;26(4):265-9.

McKinlay JB, Shachar-Hill Y, Zeikus JG, Vieille C. Determining Actinobacillus succinogenes metabolic pathways and fluxes by NMR and GC-MS analyses of 13C-labeled metabolic product isotopomers Metab Eng. 2007 Mar;9(2):177-92.

Musa MM, Ziegelmann-Fjeld KI, Vieille C, Zeikus JG, Phillips RS. Asymmetric reduction and oxidation of aromatic ketones and alcohols using W110A secondary alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus. J Org Chem. 2007 Jan 5;72(1):30-4.

Finkelstein DA, Tender LM, Zeikus JG. (2006) Effect of electrode potential on electrode-reducing microbiota. Environ Sci Technol. Nov 15;40(22):6990-5.

Lowy DA, Tender LM, Zeikus JG, Park DH, Lovley DR. Harvesting energy from the marine sediment-water interface II Kinetic activity of anode materials. Biosens Bioelectron. 2006 May 15;21(11):2058-63.

McKinlay JB, Zeikus JG, Vieille C. Insights into Actinobacillus succinogenes fermentative metabolism in a chemicallydefined growth medium.Appl Environ Microbiol. 2005 Nov;71(11):6651-6.