email:  keckmike@emporia.edu
Office:  Science Hall 221F
Phone:  620(341)-5988

 I have been on the faculty at ESU since the Fall of 1995.

Academic Background

B.S. Chemistry (with honors): University of California, Berkeley (1987)

                                                  UG 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

CH 123/124/126/127 - Chemistry I/II, and labs

CH 560/561 – Biochemistry and Biochemistry Laboratory 

A one semester set of courses in which basic biochemical principles and processes are discussed and practiced.  The lab is formally optional but functionally necessary.

CH 760 – Advanced Biochemistry 

Emphasis is placed on the chemistry and biochemistry of the nucleic acids.  In addition to discussing some of the "standard" nucleic acids – related topics, we look into current areas of research in nucleic acids chemistry. Current literature is a major source of course materials.

 Other courses I have taught on occasion

CH 121 – General Chemistry Lab

A course primarily taken by our nursing majors.

CH 500 – High Performance Liquid Chromatography

A 5 week short course in which students are taught the basics of HPLC and the operation of our Waters HPLC system with diode array detector.

CH 725 – Advanced Inorganic Chemistry

CH 776 – Descriptive Biochemistry for Teachers

A survey of biochemistry intended for high school teachers who are in our masters program in physical science education.

 Research

 Research Philosophy

The chemistry department at Emporia State considers involvement in research to be a vital part of  the student's chemistry education, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Undergraduates majoring in chemistry must carry out a research project under the guidance of one of our faculty, prepare a formal research report, and present a departmental seminar describing their work.  Many of our students also present their work at professional meetings, such as regional or national ACS meetings. 

Students wishing to undertake a research project under my tutelage can choose from two different project areas, which are described below.  I strongly encourage undergraduate students who are interested in this to take biochemistry in their junior year (Fall semester) and be ready to begin their research at that time.  This will provide a year or more of research experience.  Such an experience will 1) look great on a resume;  2)  provide a reasonable opportunity to develop an interesting and productive project;  3) better prepare you for professional school, graduate school, the job market, or whatever your 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.

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 Dr. Jan Leach, Dept. of Plant Pathology at Kansas State University, and has been supported through a NASA-EPSCoR grant.

Recent Presentations – Underlined names are ESU undergraduates

 "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,  2^nd 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 tRNA^Phe 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.