Education
PhD 2002, Stanford UniversityResearch Summary
We study the biological mechanisms and evolution of how cells process information to regulate their own growth and proliferation. Using bacteria as a model organism, we aim to elucidate the detailed molecular basis for this remarkable regulatory capability, and understand the selective pressures and mechanisms that drive the evolution of signaling pathways. Our work is rooted in a desire to develop a deeper, fundamental understanding of how cells function and evolve, but it also has important medical implications since many signaling pathways in pathogenic bacteria are needed for virulence.Awards
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, HHMI Investigator, 2015
- National Science Foundation, Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, 2010
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Early Career Scientist, 2009
Key Publications
- Evolving new protein-protein interaction specificity through promiscuous intermediates. Aakre, CD, Herrou, J, Phung, TN, Perchuk, BS, Crosson, S, Laub, MT. 2015. Cell 163, 594-606.
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2015.09.055PMID:26478181 - Protein evolution. Pervasive degeneracy and epistasis in a protein-protein interface. Podgornaia, AI, Laub, MT. 2015. Science 347, 673-7.
doi: 10.1126/science.1257360PMID:25657251 - A bacterial toxin inhibits DNA replication elongation through a direct interaction with the β sliding clamp. Aakre, CD, Phung, TN, Huang, D, Laub, MT. 2013. Mol. Cell 52, 617-28.
doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2013.10.014PMID:24239291 - High-resolution mapping of the spatial organization of a bacterial chromosome. Le, TB, Imakaev, MV, Mirny, LA, Laub, MT. 2013. Science 342, 731-4.
doi: 10.1126/science.1242059PMID:24158908 - Adaptive mutations that prevent crosstalk enable the expansion of paralogous signaling protein families. Capra, EJ, Perchuk, BS, Skerker, JM, Laub, MT. 2012. Cell 150, 222-32.
doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2012.05.033PMID:22770222