Metabolism at the Human-Microbe Interface

Abstract:
High-throughput genome sequencing of bacteria and fungi has revealed many highly unusual “orphan” biosynthetic gene clusters suspected of synthesizing novel, structurally diverse, and biologically active small molecules. These types of naturally produced molecules often regulate complex interactions with their animal hosts, hold a rich history of being utilized as human drugs, and serve as excellent molecular probes for identifying new drug targets for a wide variety of diseases. Here, we will highlight our efforts on decoding the biosynthesis, structure, and function of bioactive small molecules encoded by the human microbiome with an emphasis on their regulation of human cellular responses. We will cover examples of molecular communication between bacteria and human cells and the forward versus reverse genetic approaches to illuminate them.

About the Speaker:
Jason M. Crawford, PhD, carried out his doctoral research at the Johns Hopkins University with Craig A. Townsend and his postdoctoral work at Harvard Medical School with Jon Clardy. His formal training focused on the biosynthesis, structural characterization, and functional analysis of small molecules produced by bacteria and fungi and their roles in host-microbe interactions. Dr. Crawford joined the Departments of Chemistry and of Microbial Pathogenesis at Yale University in 2012, he was tenured in 2020 and promoted to full professor in 2023. His lab focuses on characterizing novel small molecule interactions between the human microbiome and its host cells. Much of their recent efforts have focused on both microbial and mammalian small molecules that regulate human cell signal transduction and inflammatory signaling. He has served as Director of the Institute of Biomolecular Design & Discovery that promotes cross-departmental Chemical Biology research since 2020. He also serves as program director for the Chemistry-Biology Interface graduate student training program.

Contact

Gary Perdew
ghp2@psu.edu