Harold D. May


Associate Professor
Microbiology and Immunology
MUSC, Charleston, SC

Ph.D., Virginia Institute of Technology


mayh@musc.edu

Research:
Environmental microbiology with a heavy emphasis on microbial diversity and biocatalysis is the overlying theme of my research. Aquatic and sediment microorganisms, including those from marine and estuarine environments, are the primary investigative targets. Two general areas of research are ongoing in my lab: 1) biodegradation of toxic compounds, and 2) microbial generation of electricity. Specific projects are focused on halogen cycling, dechlorination of PCBs and other organohalides, the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons, use of electrode-reducing bacteria in bioremediation, and the generation of electricity by Gram-positive bacteria. All of the above research includes chemical analysis of degradation products and bacterial metabolites, isolation and characterization of microorganisms, and the biochemical analysis and the molecular monitoring of bacterial communities (e.g. by restriction fragment length, sequencing or denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of amplified 16S rDNA, in situ probes). Genomic and proteomic studies are planned for the study of PCB dechlorinating and electrode reducing bacteria. In addition to collaboration with other MUSC faculty, we are working with researchers from the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute (Center of Marine Biotechnology), the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, SINTEF of Norway, and Clemson University.		  

Publications

1. Miller GS, Milliken CE, Sowers KR, and May HD. Reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene to trans-dichloroethene and cis-dichloroethene by PCB-Dechlorinating Bacterium DF-1. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2005, in press.
2. Watts JEM, Fagervold SK, Miller GS, Milliken CE, May HD, and Sowers KR. Microbial reductive dechlorination of organochlorine pollutants in the marine environment. J. Marine Biotech. 2004, in press.
3. Milliken CE, Meier GP, Sowers KR, and May HD. Chlorophenol production by anaerobic microorganisms: transformation of a biogenic chlorinated hydroquinone metabolite. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2004, 70: 2494-2496.
4. Milliken CE, Meier GP, Watts JEM, Sowers KR, and May HD. Microbial anaerobic demethylation and dechlorination of chlorinated hydroquinone metabolites synthesized by basidiomycete fungi. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2004, 70:385-392.
5. Drenzek N, Eglinton T, Wirsen C, Sturchio N, Heraty L, Sowers K, Wu Q, May H and Reddy C. Invariant Chlorine Isotopic Signatures During Microbial PCB Reductive Dechlorination. Environ. Pollution 2004, 128:445-448.
6. Wu Q, Milliken CE, Meier GP, Watts JEM, Sowers KR, and May HD. Dechlorination of chlorobenzenes by a culture containing bacterium DF-1, a PCB dechlorinating microorganism. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2002, 36:3290-3294.
7. Wu Q, Watts JEM, Sowers KR, and May HD. Identification of a bacterium that specifically catalyzes the reductive dechlorination of PCBs with doubly flanked chlorines. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 2002, 68:807-812.