Education

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry, University of Dundee, Scotland, U.K., 1985

Current position

Professor in General Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saale, Germany

Publications (since 2010)

1. Jaroschinsky, M., and Sawers, R. G. (2014). Ferredoxin has a pivotal role in the biosynthesis of the hydrogen-oxidizing hydrogenases in Escherichia coli. Int. J. Hydrogen Energy. (In press).
2. Pinske, C. and Sawers, R. G. (2014). The importance of iron in the biosynthesis and assembly of [NiFe]-hydrogenases. BioMolecular Concepts 5(1): 55-70.
   
3. Sawers, R. G., Hunger, D. and Doberenza, C. (2014). Identification of key residues in the formate channel FocA that control import and export of formate. Biol Chem. (Epub ahead of print)
   
4. Doberenz, C., Zorn, M., Falke, D., Nannemann, D., Hunger, D., Beyer, L., Ihling, C. H., Meiler, J., Sinz, A. and Sawers, R. G. (2014). Pyruvate Formate-Lyase Interacts Directly with the Formate Channel FocA to Regulate Formate Translocation. J Mol Biol. (Epub ahead of print)
   
5. Trchounian, A. and Gary Sawers, R. (2013). Novel insights into the bioenergetics of mixed‐acid fermentation: Can hydrogen and proton cycles combine to help maintain a proton motive force? IUBMB Life.
   
6. Sawers, R. G. (2013). Nickel in Bacteria and Archaea. Encyclopedia of Metalloproteins: 1490-1496
   
7. Soboh, B. and Sawers, R. G. (2013). [NiFe]-hydrogenase cofactor assembly. Encyclopedia of Inorganic and Bioorganic Chemistry. Metals in Cells, Chapter eibc2154 (In press)
   
8. Brauer, L., Schicht, M., Worlitzsch, D., Bensel, T., Sawers, R. G. and Paulsen, F. (2013). Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa express and secrete human surfactant proteins. PLoS One 8(1): e53705.
   
9. Beyer, L., Doberenz, C., Falke, D., Hunger, D., Suppmann, B. and Sawers, R. G. (2013). Coordination of FocA and pyruvate formate-lyase synthesis in Escherichia coli demonstrates preferential translocation of formate over other mixed-acid fermentation products. J Bacteriol 195(7): 1428-1435.
   
10. Trchounian, K., Soboh, B., Sawers, R. G. and Trchounian, A. (2013). Contribution of hydrogenase 2 to stationary phase H2 production by Escherichia coli during fermentation of glycerol. Cell Biochem Biophys 66(1): 103-108.
    
11. Wagner, A., Segler, L., Kleinsteuber, S., Sawers, G., Smidt, H. and Lechner, U. (2013). Regulation of reductive dehalogenase gene transcription in Dehalococcoides mccartyi. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 368(1616): 20120317.
    
12. Zorn, M., Ihling, C. H., Golbik, R., Sawers, R. G. and Sinz, A. (2013). Selective selC-independent selenocysteine incorporation into formate dehydrogenases. PLoS One 8(4): e61913.
    
13. Pinske, C., Jaroschinsky, M. and Sawers, R. G. (2013). Levels of control exerted by the Isc iron-sulfur cluster system on biosynthesis of the formate hydrogenlyase complex. Microbiology 159(Pt 6): 1179-1189.
    
14. Stripp, S. T., Soboh, B., Lindenstrauss, U., Braussemann, M., Herzberg, M., Nies, D. H., Sawers, R. G. and Heberle, J. (2013). HypD is the scaffold protein for Fe-(CN)2CO cofactor assembly in [NiFe]-hydrogenase maturation. Biochemistry 52(19): 3289-3296.
    
15. Fischer, M. and Sawers, R. G. (2013). A universally applicable and rapid method for measuring the growth of streptomyces and other filamentous microorganisms by methylene blue adsorption-desorption. Appl Environ Microbiol 79(14): 4499-4502.
    
16. Soboh, B., Stripp, S. T., Bielak, C., Lindenstrauss, U., Braussemann, M., Javaid, M., Hallensleben, M., Granich, C., Herzberg, M., Heberle, J. and Sawers, R. G. (2013). The [NiFe]-hydrogenase accessory chaperones HypC and HybG of Escherichia coli are iron- and carbon dioxide-binding proteins. FEBS Lett 587(16): 2512-2516.
    
17. Fischer, M., Falke, D. and Sawers, R. G. (2013). A respiratory nitrate reductase active exclusively in resting spores of the obligate aerobe Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). Mol Microbiol 89(6): 1259-1273.
    
18. Poladyan, A., Trchounian, K., Sawers, R. G. and Trchounian, A. (2013). Hydrogen-oxidizing hydrogenases 1 and 2 of Escherichia coli regulate the onset of hydrogen evolution and ATPase activity, respectively, during glucose fermentation at alkaline pH. FEMS Microbiol Lett 348(2): 143-148.
    
19. Sawers R.G. (2012) Hydrogenase maturation endopeptidase. Chapter 70. In: Rawlings, N. and Salvesen, G. (eds.) Handbook of Proteolytic Enzymes. 3rd Edition. Academic Press.
    
20. Pinske, C. and Sawers, R. G. (2012). A-type carrier protein ErpA is essential for formation of an active formate-nitrate respiratory pathway in Escherichia coli K-12. J Bacteriol 194(2): 346-353.
    
21. Pinske, C., McDowall, J. S., Sargent, F. and Sawers, R. G. (2012). Analysis of hydrogenase 1 levels reveals an intimate link between carbon and hydrogen metabolism in Escherichia coli K-12. Microbiology 158(Pt 3): 856-868.
    
22. Pinske, C. and Sawers, R. G. (2012). Delivery of iron-sulfur clusters to the hydrogen-oxidizing [NiFe]-hydrogenases in Escherichia coli requires the A-type carrier proteins ErpA and IscA. PLoS One 7(2): e31755.
    
23. Trchounian, K., Pinske, C., Sawers, R. G. and Trchounian, A. (2012). Characterization of Escherichia coli [NiFe]-hydrogenase distribution during fermentative growth at different pHs. Cell Biochem Biophys 62(3): 433-440.
    
24. Kirchberg, J., Buttner, D., Thiemer, B. and Sawers, R. G. (2012). Aconitase B is required for optimal growth of Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria in pepper plants. PLoS One 7(4): e34941.
    
25. Fischer, M., Schmidt, C., Falke, D. and Sawers, R. G. (2012). Terminal reduction reactions of nitrate and sulfate assimilation in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2): identification of genes encoding nitrite and sulfite reductases. Res Microbiol 163(5): 340-348.
    
26. Soboh, B., Kuhns, M., Braussemann, M., Waclawek, M., Muhr, E., Pierik, A. J. and Sawers, R. G. (2012). Evidence for an oxygen-sensitive iron-sulfur cluster in an immature large subunit species of Escherichia coli [NiFe]-hydrogenase 2. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 424(1): 158-163.
    
27. Pinske, C., Jaroschinsky, M., Sargent, F. and Sawers, G. (2012). Zymographic differentiation of [NiFe]-hydrogenases 1, 2 and 3 of Escherichia coli K-12. BMC Microbiol 12: 134.
    
28. Soboh, B., Stripp, S. T., Muhr, E., Granich, C., Braussemann, M., Herzberg, M., Heberle, J. and Gary Sawers, R. (2012). [NiFe]-hydrogenase maturation: isolation of a HypC-HypD complex carrying diatomic CO and CN- ligands. FEBS Lett 586(21): 3882-3887.
    
29. Pinske, C., Kruger, S., Soboh, B., Ihling, C., Kuhns, M., Braussemann, M., Jaroschinsky, M., Sauer, C., Sargent, F., Sinz, A. and Sawers, R. G. (2011). Efficient electron transfer from hydrogen to benzyl viologen by the [NiFe]-hydrogenases of Escherichia coli is dependent on the coexpression of the iron-sulfur cluster-containing small subunit. Arch Microbiol 193(12): 893-903.
    
30. Pinske, C., Bonn, M., Kruger, S., Lindenstrauss, U. and Sawers, R. G. (2011). Metabolic deficiences revealed in the biotechnologically important model bacterium Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). PLoS One 6(8): e22830.
    
31. Soboh, B., Pinske, C., Kuhns, M., Waclawek, M., Ihling, C., Trchounian, K., Trchounian, A., Sinz, A. and Sawers, G. (2011). The respiratory molybdo-selenoprotein formate dehydrogenases of Escherichia coli have hydrogen: benzyl viologen oxidoreductase activity. BMC Microbiol 11: 173.
    
32. Pinske, C. and Sawers, G. (2011). Iron restriction induces preferential down-regulation of H(2)-consuming over H(2)-evolving reactions during fermentative growth of Escherichia coli. BMC Microbiol 11: 196.
    
33. Petkun, S., Shi, R., Li, Y., Asinas, A., Munger, C., Zhang, L., Waclawek, M., Soboh, B., Sawers, R. G. and Cygler, M. (2011). Structure of hydrogenase maturation protein HypF with reaction intermediates shows two active sites. Structure 19(12): 1773-1783.
    
34. Trchounian, K., Pinske, C., Sawers, R. G. and Trchounian, A. (2011). Dependence on the F0F1-ATP synthase for the activities of the hydrogen-oxidizing hydrogenases 1 and 2 during glucose and glycerol fermentation at high and low pH in Escherichia coli. J Bioenerg Biomembr 43(6): 645-650.
    
35. Bekker, M., Alexeeva, S., Laan, W., Sawers, G., Teixeira de Mattos, J. and Hellingwerf, K. (2010). The ArcBA two-component system of Escherichia coli is regulated by the redox state of both the ubiquinone and the menaquinone pool. J Bacteriol 192(3): 746-754.
    
36. Falke, D., Schulz, K., Doberenz, C., Beyer, L., Lilie, H., Thiemer, B. and Sawers, R. G. (2010). Unexpected oligomeric structure of the FocA formate channel of Escherichia coli : a paradigm for the formate-nitrite transporter family of integral membrane proteins. FEMS Microbiol Lett 303(1): 69-75.
    
37. Harris, R. L., Barbieri, S., Paraskevopoulos, K., Murphy, L. M., Eady, R. R., Hasnain, S. S. and Sawers, R. G. (2010). Characterization of cycP gene expression in Achromobacter xylosoxidans NCIMB 11015 and high-level heterologous synthesis of cytochrome c' in Escherichia coli. J Mol Microbiol Biotechnol 18(2): 102-108.
    
38. Pinske, C. and Gary Sawers, R. (2010). The role of the ferric-uptake regulator Fur and iron homeostasis in controlling levels of the [NiFe]-hydrogenases in Escherichia coli. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 35(17): 8938-8944.
    
39. Fischer, M., Alderson, J., van Keulen, G., White, J. and Sawers, R. G. (2010). The obligate aerobe Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2) synthesizes three active respiratory nitrate reductases. Microbiology 156(Pt 10): 3166-3179.
    
40. Soboh, B., Kruger, S., Kuhns, M., Pinske, C., Lehmann, A. and Sawers, R. G. (2010). Development of a cell-free system reveals an oxygen-labile step in the maturation of [NiFe]-hydrogenase 2 of Escherichia coli. FEBS Lett 584(18): 4109-4114.