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Dr. Michael Keck Associate Professor Dept. of Chemistry Specialization: Biochemistry
email: mkeck@emporia.edu Office: Science Hall 221F Phone: 620(341)-5988
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Dr. Keck (right) with undergraduate students Tom Resch and Seth Vernon at the 2004 ACS meeting in Anaheim.
Ø Co-chair, Premed Advisory Committee
Ø Co-director, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Program
Academic Background
B.S. Chemistry (with honors): University of California, Berkeley (1987)
research advisors: Ken Raymond and Neil Bartlett
Ph.D.: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1992)
research advisor: Steve Lippard
Post doc: University of Virginia (1992-1995)
research advisor: Sid Hecht
Courses I teach on a regular basis
Courses I teach on a regular basis
CH 120/121 – General Chemistry for Allied Health Professionals (GOB)
CH 123/124/126/127 - Chemistry I/II, and labs
CH 376/377 – Quantitative Analysis
CH 560/561 – Biochemistry and Biochemistry Laboratory
A pair of one-semester courses in which basic biochemical principles and processes are discussed and practiced.
CH 660/661/662 – Biochemistry I and Biochemistry II, with lab
This is the year-long biochemistry sequence taken primarily by students majoring in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB).
CH 760 – Nucleic Acids Biochemistry (formerly Advanced Biochemistry)
In addition to discussing some of the "standard" topics, we look into methods and areas of modern research related to nucleic acids. Current literature is a major source of course materials.
Other courses I have taught on occasion
CH 525 – Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry
CH 725 – Advanced Inorganic Chemistry
CH 776 – Descriptive Biochemistry for Teachers A survey of biochemistry intended for in-service high school teachers pursuing a masters degree in physical science education.
Research
Research Philosophy
It is my strongly-held belief that undergraduate involvement in research is a vital part of a student's education in chemistry. Each undergraduate student majoring in chemistry or biochemistry at ESU is required to carry out a research project under the guidance of one of our faculty, prepare a formal research report, and present a departmental seminar describing the work. Many of our students also present their work at professional meetings, such as regional or national ACS meetings.
Students wishing to work with me for their research project can choose from two different project areas, which are described below. I strongly encourage undergraduate students who are interested in working with me to take biochemistry in the junior year and be ready to begin research at that time. This will provide a year or more of research experience, a timespan necessary to provide a reasonable opportunity to develop an interesting and productive project that is appropriate for presentation at a professional meeting. Students who do this will also be prepared much better for professional school, graduate school, the job market, or whatever the professional goals are.
Research Interests
1) Nucleic acids chemistry
I am interested in the interaction of small molecules, metal complexes, and proteins with DNA. We design and synthesize molecules with potentially interesting DNA interactions, and then allow these molecules to react with DNA and study what happens. Ultimately, we would like to obtain information that might be useful in understanding and designing chemotherapeutics. Much of our present work is centered on molecules that are DNA photosensitizers.
2) Role of peroxidase enzymes in the defense response in plants
When challenged by pathogen infection, plants are capable of mounting a vigorous defense response. Part of this response involves the induction of a new set of peroxidase enzymes at the infection site. We are interested in studying the role of these induced peroxidases in the defense response. Two questions motivate the work we do in this area. 1) How do peroxidase enzymes help the plant defend itself? 2) Why does the plant response involve induction of a new set of peroxidase genes, rather than a simple up-regulation of the normal peroxidase repertoire? Another way of asking this question is, what physiochemical properties do these induced peroxidases have that "normal" peroxidases don't, that are useful in self defense? This project is carried out in collaboration with now in the department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management at Colorado State University, and has been supported through a NASA-EPSCoR grant.
Recent Presentations underlined names are ESU undergraduates
“Derivatives of Azure B and Toluidine Blue as Potential Photodynamic Therapy Agents” Chee, Boonhuat; Kohlmeier, Jeffrey, and Keck, Michael V., 233rd ACS National Meeting, Chicago, IL, March 2007, Div.of Chem. Ed., abstract no. 1075.
"New Cytotoxic Bivalent Pd and Pt Cyanoximates” Durham, Paul; Sedivy, Danielle; Keck, Michael V.; Ratcliff, Jessica and Gerasimchuk, Nikolay, 232nd ACS National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 2006, Div.of Inorganic Chemistry, abstract no. 128.
“New cytotoxic Bivalent Pt and Pd Cyanoximates” Durham, Paul; Sedivy, Danielle; Keck, Michael; Ratcliff, Jessica and Gerasimchuk, Nikolay, 37th International Conference on Coordination Chemistry, Cape Town, South Africa, August 2006.
“Development of Phenothiazinium-based Compounds as Efficient DNA Photosensitizers” Hofmeier, Matthew L.; Reeves, Amanda and Keck, Michael V., 231st ACS National Meeting, Atlanta, GA, March 2006, Div.of Chem. Ed., abstract no. 193.
"Toward the Synthesis of DNA-Binding Red Light Photosensitizers" Vernon, Seth A; Resch, Thomas R.; Henrikson, Jon C. and Keck, Michael V., 227th ACS National Meeting, Anaheim, CA, March 2004, Div.of Chem. Ed., abstract no. 258.
"Kinetic Studies of Peroxidase Enzymes Involved in the Rice Defense Response" Houghton, Eric A.; Nashatizadeh, M. Jawad; Bombardier, Brian; Leach, Jan E. and Keck, Michael V., 36th Annual Meeting of the Midwest Region of the American Chemical Society, Lincoln, NE, October, 2001, abstract no. 87.
"NASA-EPSCoR Funded Research by the Gravitational Biology Cluster at Emporia State University." Keck, Michael V. and Saunders, David, Kansas NASA EPSCoR Review, November, 1999.
"Characterization of a Rice Cationic Peroxidase Associated with the Defense Response" Keck, Michael V.; Grantham, Michael L.; and Leach, Jan E., 34th Annual Meeting of the Midwest Region of the American Chemical Society, Quincy, IL, October, 1999, abstract no. 5.
"Summary of NASA-EPSCoR Funded Research from the Gravitational Biology Cluster at ESU" Keck, Michael V. and Saunders, David, 2nd Annual Kansas Statewide EPSCoR Conference, April 1999, Topeka, KS.
"Design and Synthesis of New Bifunctional DNA-Binding Molecules Which Cleave DNA Upon Red Light Irradiation" Keck, Michael V.; Alvarado, Seth A.; and Stamper, Woodie J., 32nd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Region of the American Chemical Society, Osage Beach, MO, October, 1997, abstract no. 53.
"Bleomycin-Mediated Double-stranded Cleavage of a Structurally Well-Defined Dodecanucleotide" Keck, Michael V., Manderville, Richard A.; and Hecht, Sidney M., 128th Meeting of the Kansas Academy of Science, Emporia, KS, March, 1996.
Recent Publications
Keck, Michael V.; Manderville, Richard A. and Hecht, Sidney M.," Chemical and Structural Characterization of the Interaction of Bleomycin A2 with d(CGCGAATTCGCG)2. Efficient Double-Strand DNA Cleavage Accessible without Structural Reorganization " J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2001, 123 (36), 8690-8700.
Leach, Jan E.; Ryba-White, Marietta; Sun, Qing; Wu, C.J.; Hilaire, Emmanuel; Gartner, Cody; Nedukha, Olena; Kordyum, E.; Keck, Michael; Leung, Hei and Guikema, James A. "Plants, Plant Pathogens, and Microgravity - A Deadly Trio" Gravitational and Space Biology Bulletin, 2001, 14 (2), 15 - 23.
Keck, Michael V., "DNA Topology Analysis in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory" Journal of Chemical Education, 2000, 77, 1471 - 1473.
Keck, Michael V., "A Final Exam Review Activity Based on the Jeopardy Format" Journal of Chemical Education, 2000, 77, 483.
Keck, Michael V. and Hecht, Sidney M., "Sequence-Specific Hydrolysis of Yeast tRNAPhe Mediated by Metal-Free Bleomycins" Biochemistry, 1995, 34, 12029 - 12037.
Hahn, F. Ekkehardt; Keck, Michael, and Raymond, Kenneth N., "Catecholate Complexes of Silicon: Synthesis, Molecular and Crystal Structures of [Si(cat)2]·2THF and Li2[Si(cat)3]·3.5dme" Inorg. Chem., 1995, 34, 1402 - 1407.
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Last updated August 17, 2007