MonikaSommerhalter Faculty Profile

Monika  Sommerhalter

Professor

  • monika.sommerhalter@csueastbay
  • (510) 885-3427
  • SC-N 450

  • Note: CSUEB does not pre-approve, monitor, or edit personal pages. Faculty members are solely responsible for their content, and are expected to conform to the policy guidelines of CSUEB.

  • I teach courses in biochemistry and aim to include student-centered projects and course-based research experiences. For example, in Protein Structure (CHEM 445), students explore the relationship between the structure and function of biomolecules using molecular visualization software and present their work to classmates. Biochemistry Laboratory (CHEM 443) culminates in student-centered projects in which students work in teams to investigate a biochemical question. I enjoy helping students learn biochemistry by working through questions and projects in my courses and research group.

    My research focuses on enzyme characterization and on how plants and soils respond to salinity, nutrient depletion, and fire. Our enzyme research includes acetylcholinesterase, an enzyme involved in neurotransmission, and polyphenol oxidase, an enzyme involved in enzymatic browning and food spoilage. This work includes enzyme purification, activity assays, and enzyme kinetics. We also use colorimetric assays, HPLC, and GC/MS to measure pigments, phenolic compounds, and other metabolites in plants and soils affected by environmental stress.

     

  • Not teaching this semester.

  • Peer Reviewed Journal Articles

    Underlined names are CSU East Bay student coauthors. An asterisk identifies an undergraduate student coauthor.

    1. A. Shaikh, I. Thurber, N. R. M. Sacramento, J. Bravo, L. Viall, R. Maniyar, M. M. Ali, J. Nguyen, K. Tran, G. Parra, K. Magdaleno, T. Cruz, K. Baltrons*, R. Cazares*, B. DeLeon*, N. Flores*, M. Sommerhalter, C. Uhde-Stone. Darkness attenuates the early transcriptional response to phosphate deficiency in soybean roots. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27 (17), 7963. DOI: .
    2. L. Fall, A. Riaz, M. Sommerhalter. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with activity staining for polyphenol oxidase (PPO). Methods Mol. Biol. 2026, 3043, 255–267. DOI: .
    3. T. Chirenje*, R. Chavez*, S. Rijal, I. Arroyo, G. S. Bañuelos, M. Sommerhalter. Phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of pistachio seed coats at different tree ages under saline irrigation conditions. Agronomy 2025, 15 (12), 2816. DOI: .
    4. M. Cabrera*, S. Muhammad*, E. Rodriguez*, M. Sommerhalter. Biochemical laboratory experiments on polyphenol oxidase. J. Chem. Educ. 2024, 101 (8), 3500–3505. DOI: .
    5. M. Cabrera*, F. Taher*, A. Llantada*, Q. Do*, T. Sapp*, M. Sommerhalter. Effect of water hardness on catechin and caffeine content in green tea infusions. Molecules 2021, 26 (12), 3485–3498. DOI: .
    6. K. Nguyen*, C. Cuellar*, P. S. Mavi*, D. LeDuc, G. Bañuelos, M. Sommerhalter. Two poplar hybrid clones differ in phenolic antioxidant levels and polyphenol oxidase activity in response to high salt and boron irrigation. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2018, 66 (28), 7256–7264. DOI: .
    7. R. Baginski, M. Sommerhalter. A manganese catalase from Thermomicrobium roseum with peroxidase and catecholase activity. Extremophiles 2017, 21 (1), 201–210. DOI: .
    8. T. Le, S. Chan, B. Ebaid, M. Sommerhalter. Silica sol-gel entrapment of the enzyme chloroperoxidase. J. Nanotechnol. 2015, 2015, 632076. DOI: .
    9. H. Zhu, M. Sommerhalter, A. K. L. Nguy, J. P. Klinman. Solvent and temperature probes of the long-range electron-transfer step in tyramine β-monooxygenase: Demonstration of a long-range proton-coupled electron-transfer mechanism. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 5720–5729. DOI: .
    10. S. Cheema, M. Sommerhalter. Characterization of polyphenol oxidase activity in Ataulfo mango. Food Chem. 2015, 171, 382–387. DOI: .
    11. K. Awwad, A. Desai, C. Smith, M. Sommerhalter. Structural and functional characterization of a noncanonical nucleoside triphosphate pyrophosphatase from Thermotoga maritima. Acta Crystallogr. D Biol. Crystallogr. 2013, 69 (2), 184–193. DOI: .
    12. S. Kulkarni, V. Tran*, K.-M. M. Ho*, C. Phan*, E. Chin*, Z. Wemmer*, M. Sommerhalter. Biocatalysis with sol-gel encapsulated acid phosphatase. J. Chem. Educ. 2010, 87 (9), 958–960. DOI: .
    13. M. Rath, J. Salas, B. Parhy, R. Norton, H. Menakuru, M. Sommerhalter, G. Halstad, J. Kwon, D. L. Allan, C. P. Vance, C. Uhde-Stone. Identification of genes induced in proteoid roots of white lupin under nitrogen and phosphorus deprivation, with functional characterization of a formamidase. Plant Soil 2010, 334 (1–2), 137–150.
    14. S. Kulkarni, E. Chin*, V. Tran*, K.-M. M. Ho*, C. Phan*, M. Sommerhalter. Sol-gel encapsulation of acid phosphatase in the presence of the ionic liquid [BMIM][BF4]. Monatsh. Chem. 2010, 141 (1), 119–123. DOI: .
    15. M. Sommerhalter, Y. Zhang, A. C. Rosenzweig. Solution structure of the COMMD1 N-terminal domain. J. Mol. Biol. 2007, 365 (3), 715–721. DOI: .
    16. E. J. Reijerse, M. Sommerhalter, P. Hellwig, A. Quentmeier, D. Rother, C. Laurich, E. Bothe, W. Lubitz, C. G. Friedrich. The unusual redox centers of SoxXA, a novel c-type heme-enzyme essential for chemotrophic sulfur-oxidation of Paracoccus pantotrophus. Biochemistry 2007, 46 (26), 7804–7810. DOI: .
    17. B. H. Monien, F. Drepper, M. Sommerhalter, W. Lubitz, W. Haehnel. Detection of heme oxygenase activity in a library of four-helix bundle proteins: Towards the de novo synthesis of functional heme proteins. J. Mol. Biol. 2007, 371 (3), 739–753. DOI: .
    18. M. Sommerhalter, L. Saleh, J. M. Bollinger, Jr., A. C. Rosenzweig. Structure of Escherichia coli ribonucleotide reductase R2 in space group P6₁22. Acta Crystallogr. D Biol. Crystallogr. 2005, 61, 1649–1654. DOI: .
    19. M. Sommerhalter, R. L. Lieberman, A. C. Rosenzweig. X-ray crystallography and biological metal centers: Is seeing believing?. Inorg. Chem. 2005, 44, 770–778. DOI: .
    20. M. Sommerhalter, W. C. Voegtli, D. L. Perlstein, J. Ge, J. Stubbe, A. C. Rosenzweig. Structures of the yeast ribonucleotide reductase Rnr2 and Rnr4 homodimers. Biochemistry 2004, 43 (24), 7736–7742. DOI: .
    21. W. C. Voegtli, M. Sommerhalter, L. Saleh, J. Baldwin, J. M. Bollinger, Jr., A. C. Rosenzweig. Variable coordination geometries at the diiron(II) active site of ribonucleotide reductase R2. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2003, 125 (51), 15822–15830. DOI: .