Prof. Dr. Michael Hecker (retired)

Microbial Physiology and Molecular Biology

F.- L.- Jahn-Straße 15 - 1. floor - room: 201
17489 Greifswald

phone: +49 (0)3834 420 5905
fax:      +49 (0)3834 420 5909
email:   hecker[at]uni-greifswald.de

opening hours: only by appointment
 

Curriculum Vitae
1990 – 2013 Full-Professor (C4) and Head of the Institute for Microbiology der Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University Greifswald, Germany
1990 – 1994 Dean of the Faculty for Natural Sciences at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Germany
1977 Habilitation at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Germany
1973 Ph.D. (Biochemistry of plants) at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Germany
1965 – 1970 Studies of Biology, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University Greifswald, Germany
1946 Year of birth
Functions in Scientific Societies and Committees, Project Coordination (Selection)
2006 – 2012 Coordinator SFB/TRR34 “Pathophysiology of Staphylococci in the Post-Genomic Era”  
since 2005 Chairman of Competence Center Functional Genomics, BMBF-funded  
since 1995 Member in Editorial Boards of Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol., Int. J. Med. Microbiol., Environm. Microbiol., J. Bacteriol., Curr. Analyt. Chem., Mol. Gen. Genom., Mol. Biotechnol., Microbial Cell. Fact.; Senior Editor in Proteomics und Proteomics – Clinical Applications  
1995 – 2013 Head of the technology platform “Microbial Proteomics” (EU, 6th and 7th framwork, GenoMik, Pathogenomik, GenoMik-Transfer an other)  
1995 – 2001 President and Vice President of the German Microbiology Society (VAAM)  
1993 – 1996 Reviewer of the German Research Foundation (DFG) for Microbiology  
Awards

2023

Honorary Doctor of the Georg-August University of Göttingen

 

2017

Honorary Member of the Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM)

 

2013

North German Research Prize
 

2013

Greifswald University Club Senior Award
 

2012

Doktor Robert Pfleger Research Award
 

2010

Chairman of Section 13 and Senat Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
 

2010

Member of the European Academy of Microbiology (EAM)
 

2009

Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences and Humanities Göttingen, Germany
 

2008 – 2011

Chairman Bacteriology Applied Microbiology Division (BAM) of the International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS)
 

2008

Member of the Academy of Sciences and Humanities Hamburg, Germany
 

2006

Research / Technology Invention Award, Henkel KGaA
 

2002

Member of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM)
 

2000

Member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Germany
 

1999

Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

Major Scientific Interests
  • Physiological proteomics of Bacillus subtilis

Bacillus subtilis is regarded not only as a model organism of Gram positive bacteria but also of functional genomics. Its genome sequence, however, published in 1997 (Kunst et al. 1997) only provides its “blue-print of life”, now functional genomics (transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics etc.) is required to bring this genome sequence to cell physiology. The role of proteomics to transfer the “virtual life of the genes to the real life of the proteins” as the main players of life is the main topic of our research program. Proteomes of growing and non-growing cells will provide global information on the regulation of metabolic pathways or on the stress and starvation responses. Stress/starvation proteomic signatures are valuable tools for the prediction of the physiological state of cells or for the prediction of the action mechanisms of unknown drugs.

  • Stress response of Bacillus subtilis: The σB-dependent general stress response

The induction of the σB-dependent stress proteins is one of the most obvious changes in the protein synthesis profile in response to stress and starvation. About 150 genes belong to this σB-dependent general stress regulon. These proteins provide the non-growing B. subtilis cell with a multiple, non-specific and preventive stress resistance in anticipation of “future stress”. The function of the single stress protein in the establishment of a global resistance against heat, ethanol, oxidative, cold, acid, and osmotic stress is currently analysed. Furthermore, the integration of the general stress regulon into a highly sophisticated adaptational network is under study.

  • Proteomics of industrial bacteria (B. licheniformis, B. pumilus and other)
  • A proteomic view of pathogenicity of bacteria (S. aureus and other)