Valérie de Crécy-Lagard
Assistant Professor
Department of Microbiology and Cell Science University of Florida
PhD (1991) University Paris VII (Institut Pasteur), Paris
Post-doctoral (1991-1993) NCI/NIH Bethesda
Teaching Interest
General Microbiology
Description of Research
General area: Comparative genomic. Bacterial genetics. Experimental evolution. Genetic Code.
The main focus of Dr. de Crecy-Lagard's laboratory is to utilize the power of microbial genetics to make efficient use of the avalanche of genomic information now available. By combining comparative genomics approaches with experimental verification, new enzymes, pathways and chemistries that had previously evaded identification are revealed.
We have identified several new tRNA modification families that are now under study. By using a new model organism, the naturally transformable bacterium Acinetobacter ADP1, very simple protocols for genetic manipulation have been developed and are now being used to test predictions, build selection strains, and perform pathway engineering. Finally, the use of experimental evolution protocols to adapt bacteria to new metabolic constraints is being explored.
Selected Publications
Waas, W. F.; de Crécy-Lagard, V.; Schimmel, P., Discovery of a gene family critical to wyosine base formation in a subset of phenylalanine-specific transfer RNAs. J Biol Chem 2005, 280, (45), 37616-22.
Overbeek, R.; Begley, T.; Butler, R. M.; Choudhuri, J. V.; Chuang, H. Y.; Cohoon, M.; de Crecy-Lagard, V. and coll. The subsystems approach to genome annotation and its use in the project to annotate 1000 genomes. Nucleic Acids Res 2005, 33, (17), 5691-702.
Reader JS, Ordoukhanian PT, Kim JG, V. de Crécy-Lagard,, Hwang I, Farrand S, Schimmel P. Major biocontrol of plant tumors targets tRNA synthetase.
Science. 2005 Sep 2;309(5740):1533.
Swairjo, M. A.; Reddy, R. P.; Lee, B.; Van Lanen, S. G.; Brown, A.; de Crécy Lagard, V.; Iwata_Reuyl, D.; Schimmel, P., Crystallization and preliminary X-ray characterization of the nitrile reductase QueF- a queuosine biosynthesis enzyme. Acta Crystallogr D Biol Crystallogr 2005, F61, 945-948.
Cirz R. T., J. K. Chin, D. R. Andes, V. de Crécy-Lagard, W. A. Craig and F. Romesberg (2005). Inhibition of mutation and combating antibiotic resistance. PLOS Biology. 3(6):e176. Epub 2005 May 10.
Van Lanen S., Reader J., Swairjo M., V. de Crécy-Lagard and D. Iwata-Reuyl. (2005). From cyclohydrolase to oxido-reductase:evolution of a new enzyme activity from a novel fold. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 102:4264-9.
Bacher J., V. de Crécy-Lagard and P. Schimmel. (2005). Inhibited cell growth and protein functional changes from an editing deficient tRNA-synthetase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A 102:1697-701.
Grosjean H., de Crécy-Lagard V., and G. R. Björk. (2004) Aminoacylation of the anticodon stem by a tRNA-synthetase paralog: relic of an ancient code? Trends Biochem Sci. 10:519-22.
Metzgar D., Bacher J., Pezo V., Reader, J, Döring V., Schimmel P., Marlière P., and V. de Crécy-Lagard (2004). Acinetobacter so. ADP1: an optimal model organism for genetic analysis and genome engineering Nuc. Acids Res. 32:5780-90.
Hendrickson T. L. H., V. de Crécy-Lagard and P. Schimmel. (2004). Incorporation of non natural amino acids into proteins. Annu. Rev. Biochem. 73:147-176.
Pezo V., Metzgar D., Hendrickson T. L. H. , Waas W. F., Hazebrouck S.,, Döring V., Marlière P., Schimmel P. and V. de Crécy-Lagard. (2004). An Artificially Ambiguous Genetic Code that Confers a Yield Advantage. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 101:8593-7.
Reader J., Metzgar D., Schimmel P. and V. de Crécy-Lagard. (2004). Identification of four genes necessary for biosynthesis of the modified nucleoside Queuosine. J. Biol. Chem 279(8):6280-5
De Crécy-Lagard V. Finding missing tRNA modification genes: a comparative genomics goldmine. (2004) in “Practical Bioinformatics” edited by J. Bujnicki at Springer-Verlag
Nangle L. T. L., V. de Crécy-Lagard, V. Döring, P. Schimmel, (2002). Genetic code ambiguity: cell toxicity correlated with severity of editing defects in mutant tRNA synthetases. J Biol Chem. 277:45729-45733
Bishop AC, Xu J, Johnson RC, Schimmel P, de Crécy-Lagard V. (2002). Identification of the tRNA-dihydrouridine synthase family. J Biol Chem. 277:25090-25095.
Daugherty M, Polanuyer B, Farrell M, Scholle M, Lykidis A, de Crécy-Lagard V, and A Osterman. (2002). Human Coenzyme A Biosynthesis: Complete Pathway Reconstitution Via Comparative Genomics. J. Biol. Chem. 277:21431-21439.
Hendrickson TL, TK Nomanbhoy, V. de Crécy-Lagard and P. Schimmel. (2002) Direct Evidence for Pre-transfer Hydrolysis of Non-Cognate Substrates by an Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase. Molecular Cell. 9:353-362
De Crécy-Lagard V., J. Bellalou, M. Bouzon, R. Mutzel and P. Marlière. (2001) Long term adaptation of a microbial population to a permanent metabolic constraint: overcoming thymineless death by experimental evolution of Escherichia coli. BMC Biotechnol. 1:10.
C. Fàbrega , M. Farrow B. Mukhopadhay, V. de Crécy-Lagard., A. R. Ortiz and P. Schimmel. (2001) A new aminoacyl tRNA synthetase from Archaea that fits into neither of the two known classes. Nature. 411:110-4.
Döring V., H. D. Mootz, L. A. Nangle, T. L. Hendrickson, V. de Crécy-Lagard, P. Schimmel, and Philippe Marlière. (2001) Enlarging the Amino Acid Set of Escherichia coli by Infiltration of the Valine Coding Pathway. Science. 292:501-4.
De Crécy-Lagard V. (1999) Catalysis of amide and ester bond formation by peptide synthetase multienzymatic complexes. Comprehensive Natural Products Chemistry. Eds D. Barton and K. Nakanishi Volume 4: Amino acids, peptides, porphyrins and alkaloids. p.221-238.
De Crécy-Lagard V., P. Servant, C. Granvalet and P. Mazodier. (1999). Alteration of the synthesis of the Clp ATP-dependent protease affects morphological and physiological differentiation in Streptomyces. Mol. Microbiol. 32: 505-518.
Granvalet C, de Crécy-Lagard V. P. Mazodier. (1999). The ClpB ATPase of Streptomyces albus G belongs to the HspR regulon. Mol. Microbiol. 31:521-532
De Crécy-Lagard V., W. Saurin, D. Thibaut, P. Gil, L. Naudin, J. Crouzet and V. Blanc. (1997) Biosynthesis of Pristininamycin I (PI) in Streptomyces pristinaespiralis : molecular characterization of the last structural gene snbD. Antimicrobiol. Chem. Ag. 41:1904-1905
De Crécy-Lagard V., V. Blanc, P. Gill, L. Naudin, P. Didier, D. Bisch, F. Blanche, D. Thibaut and J. Crouzet.(1997) Biosynthesis of Pristininamycin I (PI) in Streptomyces pristinaespiralis : molecular characterization of the first two structural genes snbA and snbC. J. Bacteriol. 179:705-713.
De Crécy-Lagard V., Marlière P.and Saurin W. (1995) Multienzymatic non ribosomal peptide biosynthesis : identification of the functional domains catalysing peptide elongation and epimerisation. C. R. Acad. Sci. III. 318: 927-936.
De Crécy-Lagard V., Binet M. and Danchin A.(1995) Phosphotransferase system of Xanthomonas campestrispv. campestris. : characterization of the fruB gene. Microbiology. 141: 2253-2260.
Gottesman S., Clark W. P., de Crécy-Lagard V. and Maurizi M. (1993). ClpX an alternative subunit for the ATP-dependent Clp protease of Escherichia coli: sequence and in vivo activities. J. Biol. Chem. 268 : 22618-22626.
De Crécy-Lagard V., Bouvet O. M. M., Lejeune P. and Danchin A. (1991). Fructose catabolism in Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. J. Biol. Chem. 26 : 18154-18161.
De Crécy-Lagard V., Lejeune P., Bouvet O. M. M. and Danchin A. (1991). Identification of two fructose permeation and phosphorylation pathways in Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris. Mol. Gen. Genet. 227: 465-472.
De Crécy-Lagard V.Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris protein similar to catabolite activation factor is involved in regulation of phytopathogenicity. 172 : 5877-5883.
Address
Department of Microbiology and Cell Science
P.O. Box 110700
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-0700
Telephone
352 -392 9416
Fax
352 392 5922