Christian Hertweck

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)

Publications

Haensch VG, Hertweck C (2024) Photosensitizers enable the formation of biphenyls with UV-LEDs and sunlight. Chemistry , e202400605.
Little RF, Trottmann F, Hashizume H, Preissler M, Unger S, Sawa R, Kries H, Pidot S, Igarashi M, Hertweck C (2024) Analysis of the valgamicin biosynthetic pathway reveals a general mechanism for cyclopropanol formation across diverse natural product scaffolds. ACS Chem Biol 19(3), 660-668.
Roman D, Meisinger P, Guillonneau R, Peng CC, Peltner LK, Jordan PM, Haensch V, Götze S, Werz O, Hertweck C, Chen Y, Beemelmanns C (2024) Structure revision of a widespread marine sulfonolipid class based on isolation and total synthesis. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl , e202401195.
Büttner H, Hörl J, Krabbe J, Hertweck C (2023) Discovery and biosynthesis of anthrochelin, a growth-promoting metallophore of the human pathogen Luteibacter anthropi. Chembiochem 24(17), e202300322.
Büttner H, Pidot SJ, Scherlach K, Hertweck C (2023) Endofungal bacteria boost anthelminthic host protection with the biosurfactant symbiosin. Chem Sci 14(1), 103-112.
Dell M, Tran MA, Capper MJ, Sundaram S, Fiedler J, Koehnke J, Hellmich UA, Hertweck C (2023) Trapping of a polyketide synthase module after C-C bond formation reveals transient acyl carrier domain interactions. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 63(9), e202315850.
Ehinger F, Niehs S, Dose B, Dell M, Krabbe J, Pidot SJ, Stinear TP, Scherlach K, Ross C, Lackner G, Hertweck C (2023) Analysis of rhizonin biosynthesis reveals origin of pharmacophoric furylalanine moieties in diverse cyclopeptides. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 62(42), e202308540.
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.
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.
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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