Research Interests:

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.