Prof. Dr. Christian Hertweck

Biomolecular Chemistry · Head +49 3641 532-1101 christian.hertweck@leibniz-hki.de

Curriculum vitae

Main Research Areas

Investigation of biosynthetic pathways of the secondary metabolism of bacteria and fungi
Use of enzymes and recombinant microorganisms for synthetic implementation
Isolation and structural identification of natural products
Molecular basis of fungus-bacteria-interactions

Professional Career

2008	Rejection of professorship, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zurich, Switzerland
2008 – 2023	Deputy Director at the Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology – Hans Knöll Institute (HKI) Jena, Germany
2008	Rejection of professorship, Technical University Munich, Germany
Since 2006	Head of Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, HKI Jena
Since 2006	Professor (W3) and chair of Natural Product Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU), Germany
2006	Habilitation (Venia legendi) in organic chemistry, FSU Jena
2005	Rejection of professorship (W3), Rheinische Friedrich Willhelms University of Bonn, Germany
2005	Acceptance of professorship (W3), FSU Jena
2001– 2005	Head of junior research group, HKI Jena
1999 – 2000	Research assistant, University of Washington, Seattle, USA, funded through a Feodor Lynen fellowship for postdocs (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation)
1996 – 1999	PhD, Friedrich Willhelms University Bonn and Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, funded through a Max Planck doctoral fellowship
1996	Diploma in chemistry at the Friedrich Willhelms University Bonn, Germany

Awards · Appointments · Scientific Activities

2015	Member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
2015	Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Award
2015	David Gottlieb Memorial Lecture Award, University of Illinois
2014	Wilhelm Manchot-Research Professor
Since 2013	Member of the editorial board Bioorganic Chemistry
Since 2012	Editor, Chemistry & Biology
Since 2012	Member of the faculty of 1000
Since 2011	Member of the editorial board, Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry
Since 2011	Member of the editorial board, Journal of Antibiotics
2011	NPR lecture award
Since 2010	Member of the editorial board, ChemBioChem
2009 – 2012	Member of the editorial board, Chemistry & Biology
2006	Research prize of the Dr. Otto Röhm-Memorial-Foundation
Since 2005	Member of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM)
2005	DECHEMA award for natural product research
2005	Science award for life sciences and physics from the Beutenberg Campus Jena e.V.
2005	Thuringian research award (category: basic research)
Since 2003	Member of the programme committee, Natural Product Meeting, Irsee
Since 2002	Member of the DECHEMA Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology
Since 2001	Member of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh)

Topics

Medicinal natural products

Biosynthetic pathways

Genome mining

Biotransformations

Microbial interactions

Publications

Götze S, Vij R, Burow K, Thome N, Urbat L, Schlosser N, Pflanze S, Müller R, Hänsch VG, Schlabach K, Fazlikhani L, Walther G, Dahse HM, Regestein L, Brunke S, Hube B, Hertweck C, Franken P, Stallforth P (2023) Ecological niche-inspired genome mining leads to the discovery of crop-protecting nonribosomal lipopeptides featuring a transient amino acid building block. J Am Chem Soc 145(4), 2342-2353.

Details

Herisse M, Ishida K, Staiger-Creed J, Judd L, Williams SJ, Howden BP, Stinear TP, Dahse HM, Voigt K, Hertweck C, Pidot SJ (2023) Discovery and biosynthesis of the cytotoxic polyene terpenomycin in human pathogenic Nocardia. ACS Chem Biol 18(8), 1872-1879.

Details

Joch M, Wojtas KP, Torres-Gómez H, Li Y, Meyer F, Straßburger M, Kerndl V, Dahse HM, Hertweck C, Hoffmann H, Görls H, Walter K, Hölscher C, Kloss F (2023) Whole cell hydride Meisenheimer complex biotransformation guided optimization of antimycobacterial benzothiazinones. Eur J Med Chem 264, 116023.

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Klapper M^*, Hübner A^*, Ibrahim A^*, Wasmuth I, Borry M, Haensch VG, Zhang S, Al-Jammal WK, Suma H, Fellows Yates JA, Frangenberg J, Velsko IM, Chowdhury S, Herbst R, Bratovanov EV, Dahse HM, Horch T, Hertweck C, González Morales MR, Straus LG, Vilotijevic I, Warinner C, Stallforth P (2023) Natural products from reconstructed bacterial genomes of the Middle and Upper paleolithic. Science 380(6645), 619-624.

Details

Krespach MKC, Stroe MC, Netzker T, Rosin M, Zehner LM, Komor AJ, Beilmann JM, Krüger T, Scherlach K, Kniemeyer O, Schroeckh V, Hertweck C, Brakhage AA (2023) Streptomyces polyketides mediate bacteria-fungi interactions across soil environments. Nat Microbiol 8(7), 1348-1361.

Details

Rassbach J, Hilsberg N, Haensch VG, Dörner S, Gressler J, Sonnabend R, Semm C, Voigt K, Hertweck C, Gressler M (2023) Non-canonical two-step biosynthesis of anti-oomycete indole alkaloids in Kickxellales. Fungal Biol Biotechnol 1010(1), 19.

Details

Richter I, Uzum Z, Wein P, Molloy EM, Moebius N, Stinear TP, Pidot SJ, Hertweck C (2023) Transcription activator-like effectors from endosymbiotic bacteria control the reproduction of their fungal host. mBio 14(6), e0182423.

Details

Richter I, Wein P, Uzum Z, Stanley CE, Krabbe J, Molloy EM, Moebius N, Ferling I, Hillmann F, Hertweck C (2023) Transcription activator-like effector protects bacterial endosymbionts from entrapment within fungal hyphae. Curr Biol 33(13), 2646-2656.e4..

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Schäfer E, Seibold PS, Bartram S, Trottmann F, Hänsch V, Gressler M, Chadeayne A, Hertweck C, O'Connor S, Hoffmeister D (2023) A "Magic Mushroom" multi-product sesquiterpene synthase. ChemBioChem 24(21), e202300511.

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Stallforth P^*, Mittag M, Brakhage AA, Hertweck C, Hellmich UA^* (2023) Functional modulation of chemical mediators in microbial communities. Trends Biochem Sci 48(1), 71-81. (Review)

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