Current projects include: use of thermal melt assays and enzyme activity assays to identify possible intracellular targets
of anti-Plasmodium compounds; development of enzyme assays suitable for high-throughput screening of chemical libraries;
development of TDRtargets.org, a database devoted to identification and priorization of possible drug targets.
Studied the mechanisms by which Methylobacterium
extorquens
AM1 can switch between one-carbon substrates (e.g., methanol) and multi-carbon substrates
(e.g., succinate). Used H-2 and C-14 labels to measure fluxes through one-carbon transfer pathways in wild-type cells and various genetically engineered strains. Flux measurements are combined with enzyme activity assays, metabolite assays, oxygen
consumption measurements, and mathematical modeling to identify possible control points in these pathways.
Tested mechanistic hypotheses concerning the control of glycolytic and oxidative fluxes in vivo. Collected and analyzed NMR spectroscopy data to measure changes in intracellular metabolite levels during and after exercise. Calculated rates of lactate production and ATP turnover from changes in pH, [phosphocreatine], and [inorganic phosphate].
Conducted studies of sphinganine kinase activity in corn and bean tissue. Performed differential centrifugation of tissue samples, labeling of substrates with radioactive markers, and in vitro assays of enzyme activity.
Co-instructor of an introductory biology course for engineering students
(10 to 25 students per quarter).
Responsible for selected lectures, labs, literature discussions, homework assignments, and exams.
W. A. Guiguemde, A. A. Shelat, D. Bouck, S. Duffy, G. J. Crowther, P. H. Davis,
D. C. Smithson, M. Connelly, J. Clark, F. Zhu, M. B. Jimenez-Diaz, M. S. Martinez,
E. B. Wilson, A. K. Tripathi, J. Gut, E. R. Sharlow, I. Bathurst, F. El Mazouni,
J. W. Fowble, I. Forquer, P. L. McGinley, S. Castro, I. Angulo-Barturen, S. Ferrer,
P. J. Rosenthal, J. L. DeRisi, D. J. Sullivan Jr., J. S. Lazo, D. S. Roos, M. K. Riscoe,
M. A. Phillips, P. K. Rathod, W. C. Van Voorhis, V. M. Avery, and R. K. Guy (2010). Chemical genetics of Plasmodium
falciparum.Nature465: 311-15. [citations of this article]
F. Aguero, B. Al-Lazikani, M. Aslett, M. Berriman, F. S. Buckner, R. K. Campbell,
S. Carmona, I. M. Carruthers, A. W. Chan, F. Chen, G. J. Crowther, M. A. Doyle, C. Hertz-Fowler,
A. L. Hopkins, G. McAllister, S. Nwaka, J. P. Overington, A. Pain, G. V. Paolini, U. Pieper,
S. A. Ralph, A. Riechers, D. S. Roos, A. Sali, D. Shanmugam, T. Suzuki, W. C. Van Voorhis,
and C. L. M. J. Verlinde (2008). Genomic-scale prioritization of drug targets:
the TDR Targets database.Nat. Rev. Drug Discov.7: 900-7. [citations of this article]
G. J. Crowther, C. C. Speake, A. A. McBride, and
M. E. Lidstrom (2007). Molecular and cell biology: an engineering perspective. In: G. Alterovitz and M. Ramoni, eds.
Systems bioinformatics: an engineering case-based
approach. Artech House Publishers.
Supervision of students and trainees (undergraduates unless otherwise noted):
Kartheek S. Dasari (2011-present), Jackson C. Jones (2011-present), Mallory M. Krahn (2011-present), Jack S. Mo (2011-present),
S. Arshiya Quadri (medical student, 2011),
Jacob W. McPhee (2010-11), Benjamin J. Shannon-Alferes (2010-11),
Andrew P. Thomas (2008-10), Kuzma V. Kovzun (undergraduate, 2008-10),
Diana J. Chung (post-baccalaureate, 2008-09), Christopher J. Damman (resident in internal
medicine, 2008), Jason E. W.-L. Lum (2005-06), and Daniel W.
Yates (2005-06).