Gregory T Marczynskigregory T Marczynski
Associate Professor
Microbiology & Immunology
McGill University
Canada
Biography
Lyman Duff Medical Building
Research Interest
Cell cycle and developmental control of chromosomal replication. We wish to understand how chromosome replication is coordinated with cellular growth and development so that replication occurs during the appropriate period of the cell cycle, and in the appropriate cell-type during cellular differentiation. The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus exemplifies this fundamental control problem, because its cellular differentiation is an obligate part of its cell division cycle, and chromosome replication does not initiate until the "swarmer" cell-type differentiates into the "stalked" cell-type. In both C. crescentus and E. coli, chromosome replication begins at a unique place, the origin of replication. However, despite the detailed knowledge of the biochemical interactions that take place at the E. coli origin, very little is actually known about the molecular mechanisms that couple replication to the cell cycle in this or any other bacterium. Presumably, special proteins monitor growth and relay the appropriate signals to the replication proteins at the origin of replication.
Publications
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Rajagopalan M, Dziedzic R, Al Zayer M, Sankowska D, Ouimet MC, Bastedo DP, Marczynski GT, Madiraju MV. "Mycobacterium tuberculosis origin of replication and the promoter for immunodominant secreted antigen 85B are the targets of MtrA, the essential response regulator." J Biol Chem. 2010 May 21;285(21):15816-27. Epub 2010 Mar 11.PMID: 20223818 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Spencer W, Siam R, Ouimet MC, Marczynski GT. "CtrA, a global response regulator, uses a distinct second category of weak DNA binding sites for cell cycle transcription control in Caulobacter crescentus." J Bacteriol. 2009 Sep;191(17):5458-70.Epub 2009 Jun 19.PMID: 19542275 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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Taylor JA, Ouimet MC, Wargachuk R, Marczynski GT.The Caulobacter crescentus chromosome replication origin evolved two classes of weak DnaA binding sites. Mol Microbiol. 2011 Oct;82(2):312-26. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07785.x. Epub 2011 Aug 15. PMID: 21843309 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Taylor JA, Ouimet MC, Wargachuk R, Marczynski GT.The Caulobacter crescentus chromosome replication origin evolved two classes of weak DnaA binding sites. Mol Microbiol. 2011 Oct;82(2):312-26. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2011.07785.x. Epub 2011 Aug 15. PMID: 21843309 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
