Michael T. Laub

Michael T. Laub

Professor of Biology; Associate Department Head; Director of Scientific Operations, Building 68; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute    

Michael T. Laub explores how bacterial cells process information and regulate their own growth and proliferation, as well as how these information-processing capabilities have evolved.

617-324-0418

Phone

68-580

Office

laub@mit.edu

Email

Lab Website
Tau Zaman

Assistant

617-452-2717

Assistant Phone

Education

  • PhD, 2002, Stanford University
  • BS, 1997, Molecular Biology, University of California, San Diego

Research 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

  1. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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

Recent Publications

  1. Stress Can Induce Transcription of Toxin-Antitoxin Systems without Activating Toxin. LeRoux, M, Culviner, PH, Liu, YJ, Littlehale, ML, Laub, MT. 2020. Mol. Cell , .
    doi: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.05.028PMID:32533919
  2. Constraints on the expansion of paralogous protein families. McClune, CJ, Laub, MT. 2020. Curr. Biol. 30, R460-R464.
    doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.02.075PMID:32428482
  3. A Simple, Cost-Effective, and Robust Method for rRNA Depletion in RNA-Sequencing Studies. Culviner, PH, Guegler, CK, Laub, MT. 2020. mBio 11, .
    doi: 10.1128/mBio.00010-20PMID:32317317
  4. A CRISPR Interference System for Efficient and Rapid Gene Knockdown in Caulobacter crescentus. Guzzo, M, Castro, LK, Reisch, CR, Guo, MS, Laub, MT. 2020. mBio 11, .
    doi: 10.1128/mBio.02415-19PMID:31937638
  5. Engineering orthogonal signalling pathways reveals the sparse occupancy of sequence space. McClune, CJ, Alvarez-Buylla, A, Voigt, CA, Laub, MT. 2019. Nature 574, 702-706.
    doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1639-8PMID:31645757
  6. The Stringent Response Inhibits DNA Replication Initiation in E. coli by Modulating Supercoiling of oriC. Kraemer, JA, Sanderlin, AG, Laub, MT. 2019. mBio 10, .
    doi: 10.1128/mBio.01330-19PMID:31266875
  7. Concerns about "Stress-Induced MazF-Mediated Proteins in Escherichia coli". Wade, JT, Laub, MT. 2019. mBio 10, .
    doi: 10.1128/mBio.00825-19PMID:31164463
  8. Author Correction: Affinity-based capture and identification of protein effectors of the growth regulator ppGpp. Wang, B, Dai, P, Ding, D, Del Rosario, A, Grant, RA, Pentelute, BL, Laub, MT. 2019. Nat. Chem. Biol. 15, 756.
    doi: 10.1038/s41589-019-0296-4PMID:31076737
  9. Mechanisms of Resistance to the Contact-Dependent Bacteriocin CdzC/D in Caulobacter crescentus. García-Bayona, L, Gozzi, K, Laub, MT. 2019. J. Bacteriol. 201, .
    doi: 10.1128/JB.00538-18PMID:30692171
  10. Affinity-based capture and identification of protein effectors of the growth regulator ppGpp. Wang, B, Dai, P, Ding, D, Del Rosario, A, Grant, RA, Pentelute, BL, Laub, MT. 2019. Nat. Chem. Biol. 15, 141-150.
    doi: 10.1038/s41589-018-0183-4PMID:30559427
More Publications