Distinguished Research Professor

Educational Background

Ph.D., 1970, Oklahoma State University
M.S., 1968, Oklahoma State University
B. S., 1963, University of Madras

Honors Received:
Fellow- American Academy of Microbiology- Elected 1998. 
Presidential Research Professor-2002-2006
Distinguished Research Professor-2006-Present

Fields of Interest: Microbiology, biotechnology, microbial physiology, biochemistry, molecular biology.

Course / Lab Information

BIOS 313

Article: What Causes the Characteristic Smell of Soil?

Contact: Dr. R. Meganathan
RMeganathan@niu.edu
(815) 753-7803
Office: MO 318, Lab: MO. 319
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Nothern Illinois University
DeKalb, IL 60115

Representative Publications

Ranganathan, Y., S. Patel*.,V. K. Pasupuleti and R. Meganathan. (2010).  Protein hydrolysates from non-bovine and plant sources replaces tryptone in microbiological media. Chapter 7, pp 115-125.  In V.K. Pasupuleti and A.L. Demain, (Eds.), Protein hydrolysates in biotechnology,  Springer.  http://www.springerlink.com/content/g302323827512t43/

Meganathan, R. (2010).  Menaquinone/Ubiquinone Biosynthesis and Enzymology. In Comprehensive Natural Products II: Chemistry and Biology, Editors-In-Chief  Lewis Mander and Hung-Wen Liu; Volume 7. Pp. 411-444.  “Cofactors” Edited by Tadhg Begley. Elsevier Science.
http://www.elsevierdirect.com/ISBN/9780080453811/Comprehensive-Natural-Products-II-Chemistry-and-Biology

Meganathan, R. and O. Kwon. 2008. Biosynthesis of Menaquinone (Vitamin K2) and Ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q). January 2009, posting date. Chapter 3.6.3.3, In A. Böck, R. Curtiss III, J. B. Kaper, P. D. Karp, F. C. Neidhardt, T. Nyström, J. M. Slauch, C. L. Squires, and D. Ussery (ed.), EcoSal-Escherichia coli and Salmonella: cellular and molecular biology. http://www.ecosal.org. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC.

Meganathan. R., Y. Ranganathan and C. A. Reddy.  2007.  Carbohydrate fermentations. pp 558-585. In C. A. Reddy, T. J. Beveridge, J. A. Breznak, G. A. Marzluff, and T. M. Schmidt (ed.), Methods for General and Molecular Microbiology, American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.

Kwon, O., M. Druce-Hoffman, and R. Meganathan.  2005.  Regulation of the ubiquinone (Coenzyme Q) biosynthetic genes ubiCA in Escherichia coli. Curr. Microbiol.  50:180-189.

Lee, K., X. Zhan, J. Gao, J. Qiu, Y. Feng, R. Meganathan, S. N. Cohen, and G Georgiou. 2003. RraA: a protein inhibitor of RNase E activity that globally modulates RNA abundance in E. coli. Cell 114:623-634.

Meganathan, R. 2001. Biosynthesis of menaquinone (vitamin K₂) and ubiquinone (coenzyme Q): A perspective on enzymatic mechanisms. Vitamins and Hormones, 61:173-218.

Meganathan, R. 2001.Ubiquinone biosynthesis in microorganisms. FEMS Microbial. (MiniReview). 203:131-139.

Thompson, T., J. B., Garrett, E. A. Taylor, R. Meganathan, J. S. Gerlt, and I Rayment. 2000. Evolution of enzymatic activity in the enolase superfamily: Structure of o-succinylbenzoate synthase from Escherichia coli in complex with Mg2+ and o-succinylbenzoate. Biochemistry 39:10662-10676.

Kwon, O., A. Kotsakis and R. Meganathan. 2000 Ubiquionone (Coenzyme Q) biosynthesis in Escherichia coli: localization, isolation, and identification of ubiF gene. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 186: 157-161.

Palmer, D. R. J., Garret, J. B., Sharma, V., Meganathan, R., Babbitt, P. C., and Gerlt, J. A. 1999 Unexpected divergence of enzyme function and sequence: N-acylamino acid racemase is o-succinylbenzoate synthase. Biochemistry. 38:4252-4258.

Suvarna, K., D. Stevenson, R. Meganathan, and M.E.S. Hudspeth. 1998. Menaquinone (vitamin K₂) biosynthesis: Localization and characterization of the menA gene from Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 180:2782-2787.

Daruwala, R., D.K. Bhattacharyya, O. Kwon and R. Meganathan. 1997. Menaquinone (vitamin K₂) biosynthesis: overexpression, purification and characterization of a new Isochorismate synthase from Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 179:3133-3138.

Bhattacharyya, D.K., O. Kwon and R. Meganathan. 1997. Vitamin K₂ (menaquinone) biosynthesis in Escherichia coli: Evidence for the presence of an essential histidine residue in o-succinylbenzoyl coenzyme A synthetase. J. Bacteriol. 179:6061-6065.

Kwon, O., D.K. Bhattacharyya and R. Meganathan. 1996. Menaquinone (vitamin K₂) biosynthesis: Overexpression, purification and properties of o-succinylbenzoyl-coenzyme A synthetase from Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 178:6778-6781.

Daruwala, R., O. Kwon, R. Meganathan and M. E. S. Hudspeth. 1996. A new isochorismate synthase specifically involved in menaquinone (vitamin K₂) biosynthesis encoded by the menF gene. FEMS Microbiology Lett. 140:159-164.

Kwon, O., M.E.S. Hudspeth and R. Meganathan. 1996. Anaerobic biosynthesis of enterobactin in Escherichia coli.: Regulation of entC gene expression and evidence against its involvement in menaquinone (Vitamin K₂) biosynthesis J. Bacteriol. 178:3252-3259.

Sharma, V., M.E.S. Hudspeth, and R. Meganathan. 1996. Menaquinone (vitamin K₂) biosynthesis: Localization and characterization of the menE gene from Escherichia coli. Gene 168:43-48.

Meganathan, R. 1996. Biosynthesis of the isoprenoid quinones menaquinone (vitamin K₂) and ubiquinone (coenzyme Q), p. 642-656. In F. C. Neidhardt, R. Curtiss III, J. L. Ingraham, E. C. C. Lin, K. B. Low, B. Magasanik, W. S. Reznikoff, M. Riley, M. Schaechter, and H. E. Umbarger (ed.), Escherichia coli and Salmonella: Cellular and molecular biology. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, D.C.

Palaniappan, C., Taber, H., Meganathan, R. 1994. Biosynthesis of o-succinylbenzoic acid in Bacillus subtilis: Identification of menD mutants and evidence against the involvement of the 2-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex. J. Bacteriol. 176:2648-2653.

Sharma, V., Meganathan, R., Hudspeth, M.E.S. 1993. Menaquinone (vitamin K₂) biosynthesis: Cloning, nucleotide sequence and expression of menC gene from Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 175:4917-4921.

Heinkel, C.M., Hudspeth, M.E.S., Meganathan, R., Zinnen, T.M. 1992. Further characterization of mycolamanaran-induced resistance: Temperature sensitivity against tobacco mosaic virus, and function against califlower mosaic virus and tomato spotted wilt virus. Phytopathology 82:637-641.

Sharma, V., Suvarna, K., Meganathan, R., Hudspeth, M.E.S. 1992. Menaquinone (Vitamin K₂) biosynthesis: Nucleotide sequence and expression of the menB gene from Eschrichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 174:5057-5062.

Palaniappan, C., Sharma, V., Hudspeth, M.E.S., Meganathan, R. 1992. Menaquinone (Vitamin K₂) biosynthesis: Evidence that the Escherichia coli menD gene encodes both 2-succinyl-6-hydroxy-2,4-cyclohexadiene-1-carboxylic acid synthase and 2-ketoglutarate decarboxylase activities. J. Bacteriol. 174:8111-8118.

Miguel, L., Meganathan, R. 1991. Electron donors and the quinone involved in dimethyl sulfoxide reduction in Escherichia coli. Curr. Microbiol 22:109-115.

Zinnen, T.M., Heinkel, C.M., Hudspeth, M.E.S., Meganathan, R. 1991. Cytoplasmic mycolamanaran inhibits initial viral infection of certain Nicotiana species. Phytopathology 81:426-428.

Daruwala, R., Meganathan, R. 1991. Dimethyl sulfoxide reductase is not required for trimethylamine N-oxide reduction in Escherichia coli. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 83:255-260.

Valentine-Serano, A., Hudspeth, M.E.S., R. Meganathan, R. 1991. Reduction of N- oxides and sulfoxide by the same terminal reductase in Proteus mirabilis. Curr. Microbiol. 23:271-276.

Coffell, R., Hudspeth, M.E.S., Meganathan, R. 1990. Biochemical evidence for the exclusion of Zoophagus insidians from the Oomycetes. Mycologia 82:326-331.

Research Interests

Vitamin-K and coenzyme Q biosynthesis in bacteria and plants--these two compounds play important roles in the respiration of bacteria and in the respiration and photosynthesis of plants. The genetics, molecular biology, enzymes, and intermediates involved in the biosynthesis of these compounds are being investigated using the techniques of genetics, biochemistry, and molecular biology.

3-D X-ray crystal structure of OSB synthase

Dr. Meganathan's Lab Group

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