.:: Sergey B. Zotchev ::.

Names	Position	Project	Telephone	e-mail

Zotchev, Sergey B.	Professor	Group Leader	73598679

Sergey B. Zotchev's major field of expertise is the molecular genetics of the antibiotic-producing bacteria and genetics/biochemistry of antibiotic biosynthesis. He defended his PhD thesis at the All-Union Research Institute for Genetics and Selection of Industrial Microorganisms (Moscow, Russia) in 1991. After several years of postdoctoral studies in Germany (University of Osnabrueck), in the USA (University of Wisconsin-Madison), and in Sweden (Karolinska Institute), he has joined in 1996 the group of Prof Svein Valla at NTNU to work on the nystatin project. In 2001 Zotchev took up an appointment as an Associate Professor at the Department of Biotechnology (NTNU), and since 2006 as a full Professor.

Currently, Sergey B. Zotchev is supervising the following research projects:

(1) Heterologous expression of secondary metabolite gene clusters
(2) Bioprospecting of marine microorganisms: search for producers of new bioactive secondary metabolites and genes for their biosynthesis

Group members:

Olga Sekurova, research scientist (1)
Kerstin Engelhardt, PhD student (2)
Qiangwei Zhang, Master student (1)
Benedicte Bjørkhaug, Master student (1)
Marte Valde, Master student (2)

Former group members:

Martin Gimmestad (Postdoc)
Olga Volokhan (Postdoc)
Alexander Wentzel (Postdoc)
Mimmi Throne-Holst (Postdoc)
Hisashi Saito (Postdoc)
Sigrid Hakvåg (PhD student)
Hanne Jørgensen (PhD student)
Aina Nedal (PhD student)
Sven E.F. Borgos (PhD student)
Sondre Heia (PhD student)

Selected publications:
2010	Jørgensen, H., Degnes, K. F., Dikiy, A., Fjærvik, E., Klinkenberg, G. and Zotchev, S. B. Insights into the evolution of macrolactam biosynthesis through cloning and comparative analysis of the biosynthetic gene cluster for a novel macrocyclic lactam, ML-449. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 76, (1), 283–293.
2009	Jørgensen, H., Degnes, K. F., Sletta, H., Fjærvik, E., Dikiy, A., Herfindal, L., Bruheim, P., Klinkenberg, G., Bredholt, H., Nygård, G., Døskeland, S. O., Ellingsen, T. E. and Zotchev, S. B. Biosynthesis of macrolactam BE-14106 involves two distinct PKS systems and amino acid processing enzymes for generation of the aminoacyl starter unit. Chemistry & Biology 16, 1109-1121.
2009	Zotchev, S. B. and Caffrey, P. Genetic analysis of nystatin and amphotericin biosynthesis. Methods in Enzymology Vol.459, Ch.11, 243-258.
2009	Jørgensen, H., Fjærvik, E., Hakvåg, S., Bruheim, P., Bredholt, H., Klinkenberg, G., Ellingsen, T. E. and Zotchev, S. B. Candicidin biosynthesis gene cluster is widely distributed among Streptomyces spp. isolated from the sediments and the neuston layer of the Trondheim fjord, Norway. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75(10), 3296–330.
2009	Preobrazhenskaya, M. N., Olsufyeva, E. N., Solovieva, S. E., Tevyashova, A. N., Reznikova, M. I., Luzikov, Y. N., Terekhova, L. P., Trenin, A. S., Galatenko, O. A., Treshalin, I. D., Mirchink, E. P., Bukhman, V. M., Sletta, H. and Zotchev, S. B. Chemical modification and biological evaluation of new semisynthetic derivatives of 28,29-didehydronystatin A1 (S44HP), a genetically engineered antifungal polyene macrolide antibiotic. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 52, 189-196.
2008	Brautaset, T., Sletta, H., Nedal, A., Borgos, S. E. F., Degnes, K. F., Bakke, I., Volokhan, O., Sekurova, O. N., Treshalin, I. D., Mirchink, E. P., Dikiy, A., Ellingsen, T. E. and Zotchev, S. B. Improved antifungal polyene macrolides via engineering of the nystatin biosynthetic genes in Streptomyces noursei . Chemistry & Biology 15, 1198–1206.
2007	Nedal A, Sletta H, Brautaset T, Borgos SE, Sekurova ON, Ellingsen TE, Zotchev SB. Analysis of the mycosamine biosynthesis and attachment genes in the nystatin biosynthetic gene cluster of Streptomyces noursei ATCC 11455. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73, 22, 7400-7407.
2007	Bredholdt, H., Galatenko, O. A., Engelhardt, K., Fjærvik, E., Terekhova, L. P. and Zotchev, S. B. Rare actinomycete bacteria from the shallow water sediments of the Trondheim fjord, Norway: isolation, diversity and biological activity. Environ. Microbiol. 9, (11), 2756–2764.
2007	Throne-Holst, M., Wentzel, A., Ellingsen, T. E., Kotlar, H. K. and Zotchev, S. B. Identification of novel genes involved in long-chain n-alkane degradation by Acinetobacter sp. strain DSM 17874. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73 ,(10), 3327–3332.