Distinguished McKnight University Professor Head, Microbial and Biotechnology Division

Research Interests   Biodegradation; dehalogenases; industrial biotransformations; metalloenzymes

The Wackett laboratory studies microbial catabolic enzymology and functional genomics: fundamental biological mechanisms, enzyme evolution and applications for biotechnology. Microbial enzymes represent the most diverse biocatalytic potential on Earth. Our knowledge of what nature has wrought is increasingly being used for bioremediation to detoxify hazardous waste and for biocatalysis to synthesize specialty and commodity chemicals. Current studies are focussed on microbial genomics and the generation of bio-based fuels from renewable resources. We represent the breadth of microbial biocatalytic reactions on the web-based Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database, see http://umbbd.msi.umn.edu/. This research has led to the development of software tools for predicting microbial metabolic pathways, see http://umbbd.msi.umn.edu/predictbt/.

Daly, M.J., E. K. Gaidamakova, V. Y. Matrosova, A. Vasilenko, M. Zhai, A. Venkateswaran, M. Hess, M. V. Omelchenko, H. M. Kostandarithes, K. S. Makarova, L. P. Wackett, J. K. Fredrickson, and D. Ghosal (2004) Accumulation of Mn(II) in Deinococcus radiodurans facilitates gamma-radiation resistance. Science 306:1025-1028.

Dodge, A.G. and L.P. Wackett (2005) Metabolism of bismuth subsalicylate and intracellular accumulation of bismuth by Fusarium sp. BI. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:876-882.

Shapir, N, C. Rosendahl, G. Johnson, M. Andreina, M.J. Sadowsky and L.P. Wackett (2005) Substrate specificity and colorimetric assay for recombinant TrzN derived from Artheobacter aurescens TC1. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71:2214-2220.

Ghosal, D., M.V. Omelchenko, V.Y. Matrosova, A. Vasilenko, E.K. Gaidamakova, M. Zhai, H.K. Kostandaithes, K.S. Makarova, L.P. Wackett, J.K. Fredrickson, and M.J. Daly (2005) Rethinking how radiation kills cells: Survival of Deinococcus radiodurans and Shewanella oneidensis viewed from the perspective of systems that produce and defend against oxidative stress. FEMS Microbiol. Rev. 29:361-375.

Shapir, N.C., M.J. Sadowsky, and L.P. Wackett (2005) Purification and characterization of allophanate hydrolase (AtzF) from Pseudomonas sp. ADP. J. Bacteriol. 187:3731-3738.

Cheng, G., N. Shapir, M.J. Sadowsky, and L.P. Wackett (2005) Allophanate hydrolase, not urease, functions in bacterial cyanuric acid metabolism. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 187:3731-3738.

Wang, L., D.A. Samac, N. Shapir, L.P. Wackett, C.P. Vance, and M.J. Sadowsky (2005) Biodegradation of atrazine in transgenic plants expressing a modified bacterial atrazine chlorohydrolase (atzA) gene. Plant Biotechnol. J. 3:475-486.

Emerson, J.P., Wagner, M.L., M.F. Reynolds, L.Que, Jr., M.J. Sadowsky, and L.P. Wackett (2005) The role of histidine-200 in MndD, the Mn(II)-dependent 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetate 2,3-dioxygenase from Arthrobacter globiformis strain CM-2, a site-directed mutagenesis study. J. Bioinorg. Chem. 10:751-760.

Ellis, L.B.M., D. Roe, and L.P. Wackett (2006) The University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database: The first decade. Nucl. Acids Res. 34: D517-D521.

Shapir, N., G. Cheng, M.J. Sadowsky and L.P. Wackett (2006) Purification and characterization of TrzF: Allophanate hydrolases support growth on biuret. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72:2491-2495.

Brim, H., J. P. Osborne, V.Y. Matrosova, M. Zhai, A. Venkateswaran, H.M. Kostandarithes, J. K. Fredrickson, L.P. Wackett, and M. J. Daly. (2006) Deinococcus radiodurans engineered for complete toluene degradation facilitates Cr(VI) reduction. Microbiology 152: 2469-2477.

Shapir, N. C. Pedersen, O. Gil, L. Strong, J. Seffernick, M.J. Sadowsky and L.P. Wackett (2006) TrzN from Arthrobacter aurescens TC1 is a zinc amidohydrolase. J. Bacteriol. 188: 5859-5864.