Eric Hegg
Eric L. Hegg
Associate Professor
  • B.A. Kalamazoo College, 1991
  • Ph.D. University of Wisconsin, 1996
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Minnesota, 1996 - 1999
  • NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, 1997-1999
  • Cottrell Scholars Award, 2002
  • NSF Career Award, 2004

EricHegg@msu.edu
510 Biochemistry Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1319
Phone: 517-353-7120
Fax: 517-353-9334

Lab Members
Current Projects

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Eric L. Hegg

Research Interests


Graphic of heme transportation and synthesis (supplied by Eric Hegg)The Hegg lab has a long-standing interest in the biosynthesis and activation of small molecules, including O2 and H2. Very often the enzymes involved in these reactions require metal cofactors for activity. Clearly these metal cofactors are absolutely required for enzyme activity, and yet they are also potentially toxic if they are not properly transported and regulated. Therefore our research focuses on cofactor regulation and transport as well as the mechanism employed by these unique metalloenzymes. Because of the multidisciplinary nature of our research, students are exposed to numerous biochemical and biophysical techniques including spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, catalysis, protein purification, and mechanistic enzymology.

There are currently three major projects in the Hegg lab.

  1. Elucidating the biosynthesis, transport, and regulation of heme A. MORE
  2. Identifying and characterizing novel hydrogenase enzymes from diverse organisms including both halophiles and thermophiles. MORE
  3. Assessing metabolic activity by monitoring the isotope ratio of intracellular water.  MORE

Recent Publications

Morrison, M.S.; Cobine, P.A.; Hegg, E.L. "Probing the role of copper in the biosynthesis of the molybdenum cofactor in Escherichia coli and Rhodobacter sphaeroides." J. Biol. Inorg. Chem. 2007 12(8):1129-39. See PubMed

Kreuzer-Martin, H.W.; Lott, M.J.; Ehleringer, J.R.; Hegg, E.L. "Metabolic Processes Account for the Majority of the Intracellular Water in Log-Phase Escherichia coli Cells As Revealed by Hydrogen Isotopes." Biochemistry 2006, 45, 13622-13630. See PubMed

Zhuang, J.; Reddi, A.R.; Wang, Z.; Khodaverdian, B.; Hegg, E.L. ; Gibney, B.R. "Evaluating the Roles of the Heme a Sidechains in Cytochrome c Oxidase Using Designed Heme Proteins." Biochemistry 2006, 45, 12530-12538. See PubMed

Kreuzer-Martin, H.W.; Ehleringer, J.R.; Hegg, E.L. "Oxygen Isotopes Indicate Most Intracellular Water in Log-Phase Escherichia coli Is Derived from Metabolism." Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2005, 102, 17337-17341. See PubMed

Morrison, S.M.; Cricco, J.A.; Hegg, E.L. "The Biosynthesis of Heme O and Heme A Is Not Regulated by Copper." Biochemistry 2005, 44, 12554-12563. See PubMed

Brown, B.M.; Wang, Z.; Brown, K.R.; Cricco, J.A.; Hegg, E.L. "Heme O Synthase and Heme A Synthase from Bacillus subtilis and Rhodobacter sphaeroides Interact in Escherichia coli." Biochemistry 2004, 43, 13541-13548. See PubMed

Brown, K.R.; Brown, B.M.; Hoagland, E.; Mayne, C.L.; Hegg, E.L. "Heme A Synthase Does Not Incorporate Molecular Oxygen into the Formyl Group of Heme A." Biochemistry 2004, 43, 8616-8624. See PubMed

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