Dr Allister Crow

Our recent work focuses on how the bacterial peptidoglycan layer is broken during division by amidases that are activated by the FtsEX-EnvC system (Cook & Baverstock 2023 PNAS, Cook 2021 PNAS).

Research Projects

Bacterial cell division and outer membrane integrity

The cell envelope is a bacterium's first defence against antibiotics and the environment.

The peptidoglycan layer forms the heart of this envelope, consisting of a molecular mesh that protects each bacterium from osmotic stress.

In Gram negative bacteria, the peptidoglycan layer also forms the attachment point for a second 'outer membrane' that further protects against large antibiotics, detergents, and the immune system.

Work in the Crow lab explores the structure and function of bacterial proteins that remodel the peptidoglycan layer during division and maintain envelope integrity.

Understanding how cell envelope proteins work addresses fundamental questions on how bacteria divide and protect themselves from antibiotics.

Type VII ABC transporters

ABC transporters are ATP-powered membrane proteins that typically move substrates across biological membranes. Type VII ABC transporters work differently, using transmembrane conformational change to couple ATP hydrolysis in the cytoplasm with work on the other side of the bacterial membrane.

Type VII ABC transporters have roles in cell division, antibiotic resistance, biofilm management, detoxification and lipoprotein trafficking and may represent important future antibiotic targets.

Photostable Fluorescent Proteins (mStayGold)

In collaboration with colleagues in the Warwick Medical School, we have also just described a new monomeric and highly photostable fluorescent protein called mStayGold (Ivorra-Molla 2023 Nat BiotechnolLink opens in a new window).

Techniques

The Crow lab use a combination of structural biology and microbiological techniques to address fundamental questions in microbiology. We hold a special affinity for x-ray crystallography and other 'molecular' techniques.

Biography

Associate Professor, University of Warwick, 2023-Present
Assistant Professor, University of Warwick, 2018-present
Postdoctoral Researcher (Lab of Prof. Vassilis Koronakis), University of Cambridge, 2011-2017
Postdoctoral Researcher (Lab of Prof. Mark Banfield), John Innes Centre, 2009-2011
Postdoctoral Researcher (Lab of Prof. Nick Le Brun), University of East Anglia, 2006-2009
PhD, (Lab of Dr. Arthur Oubrie), University of East Anglia, 2003-2006

Publications

Ivorra-Molla, Esther, Akhuli, Dipayan, McAndrew, Martin B. L., Scott, William, Kumar, Lokesh, Palani, Saravanan, Mishima, Masanori, Crow, Allister and Balasubramanian, Mohan K. (2024) A monomeric StayGold fluorescent protein. Nature Biotechnology, 42 . pp. 1368-1371. doi:10.1038/s41587-023-02018-w ISSN 1087-0156.

Cook, Jonathan P., Baverstock, Tyler C., McAndrew, Martin B. L., Roper, David I., Stansfeld, Phillip J. and Crow, Allister (2023) Activator-induced conformational changes regulate division-associated peptidoglycan amidases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120 (24). e2302580120. doi:10.1073/pnas.2302580120 ISSN 0027-8424.

Micelli, Carmina, Dai, Yunfei, Raustad, Nicole, Isberg, Ralph R., Dowson, Christopher G., Lloyd, Adrian J., Geisinger, Edward, Crow, Allister and Roper, David I. (2023) A conserved zinc-binding site in Acinetobacter baumannii PBP2 required for elongasome-directed bacterial cell shape. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120 (8). e2215237120. doi:10.1073/pnas.2215237120 ISSN 0027-8424.

Cook, Jonathan P., Baverstock, Tyler, McAndrew, Martin B. L., Stansfeld, Phillip J., Roper, David I. and Crow, Allister (2020) Insights into intrinsic resistance and bacterial cell division from a structure of EnvC bound to the FtsX periplasmic domain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117 (45). pp. 28355-28365. doi:10.1073/pnas.2017134117 ISSN 0027-8424.

Kaplan, Elise, Greene, Nicholas P., Crow, Allister and Koronakis, Vassilis (2018) Insights into bacterial lipoprotein trafficking from a structure of LolA bound to the LolC periplasmic domain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115 (31). E7389-E7397. 201806822. doi:10.1073/pnas.1806822115 ISSN 0027-8424.

Greene, Nicholas P., Kaplan, Elise, Crow, Allister and Koronakis, Vassilis (2018) Antibiotic resistance mediated by the MacB ABC transporter family : a structural and functional perspective. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9 . 950. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.00950 ISSN 1664-302X.

Crow, Allister, Greene, Nicholas P., Kaplan, Elise and Koronakis, Vassilis (2017) Structure and mechanotransmission mechanism of the MacB ABC transporter superfamily. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114 (47). pp. 12572-12577. doi:10.1073/pnas.1712153114 ISSN 0027-8424.

Crow, Allister, Matsuda, Yuji, Arata, Hiroyuki and Oubrie, Arthur (2016) Structure of the membrane-intrinsic nitric oxide reductase from roseobacter denitrificans. Biochemistry, 55 (23). pp. 3198-3203. doi:10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00332 ISSN 0006-2960.

Greene, Nicholas P., Crow, Allister, Hughes, Colin and Koronakis, Vassilis (2015) Structure of a bacterial toxin-activating acyltransferase. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112 (23). E3058-E3066. doi:10.1073/pnas.1503832112 ISSN 0027-8424.

Hinchliffe, Philip, Greene, Nicholas P., Paterson, Neil G., Crow, Allister, Hughes, Colin and Koronakis, Vassilis (2014) Structure of the periplasmic adaptor protein from a major facilitator superfamily (MFS) multidrug efflux pump. FEBS Letters, 588 (17). pp. 3147-3153. doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2014.06.055 ISSN 0014-5793.

Walden, Miriam, Crow, Allister, Nelson, Miles D. and Banfield, Mark J. (2014) Intramolecular isopeptide but not internal thioester bonds confer proteolytic and significant thermal stability to the S. pyogenespilus adhesin Spy0125. Proteins: Structure, Function, and Bioinformatics, 82 (3). pp. 517-527. doi:10.1002/prot.24420 ISSN 0887-3585.

Greene, Nicholas P., Hinchliffe, Philip, Crow, Allister, Ababou, Abdessamad, Hughes, Colin and Koronakis, Vassilis (2013) Structure of an atypical periplasmic adaptor from a multidrug efflux pump of the spirocheteBorrelia burgdorferi. FEBS Letters, 587 (18). pp. 2984-2988. doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2013.06.056 ISSN 0014-5793.

Crow, Allister, Hughes, R. K., Taieb, F., Oswald, E. and Banfield, M. J. (2012) The molecular basis of ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8 deamidation by the bacterial effector protein Cif. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109 (27). E1830-E1838. doi:10.1073/pnas.1112107109 ISSN 0027-8424.

Pointon, Jonathan A., Smith, Wendy D., Saalbach, Gerhard, Crow, Allister, Kehoe, Michael A. and Banfield, Mark J. (2010) A highly unusual thioester bond in a pilus adhesin is required for efficient host cell interaction. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 285 (44). pp. 33858-33866. doi:10.1074/jbc.M110.149385 ISSN 0021-9258.

Le Brun, Nick E., Crow, Allister, Murphy, Michael E.P., Mauk, A. Grant and Moore, Geoffrey R. (2010) Iron core mineralisation in prokaryotic ferritins. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects, 1800 (8). pp. 732-744. doi:10.1016/j.bbagen.2010.04.002 ISSN 0304-4165.

Crow, Allister, Race, Paul R., Jubelin, Grégory, Varela Chavez, Carolina, Escoubas, Jean-Michel, Oswald, Eric and Banfield, Mark J. (2009) Crystal structures of Cif from bacterial pathogens Photorhabdus luminescens and Burkholderia pseudomallei. PLoS One, 4 (5). e5582. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0005582 ISSN 1932-6203.

Crow, Allister, Lewin, Allison, Hecht, Oliver, Carlsson Möller, Mirja, Moore, Geoffrey R., Hederstedt, Lars and Le Brun, Nick E. (2009) Crystal structure and biophysical properties of Bacillus subtilis BdbD. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284 (35). pp. 23719-23733. doi:10.1074/jbc.M109.005785 ISSN 0021-9258.

Race, Paul R., Bentley, Matthew L., Melvin, Jeff A., Crow, Allister, Hughes, Richard K., Smith, Wendy D., Sessions, Richard B., Kehoe, Michael A., McCafferty, Dewey G. and Banfield, Mark J. (2009) Crystal structure of Streptococcus pyogenes aortase A. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284 (11). pp. 6924-6933. doi:10.1074/jbc.M805406200 ISSN 0021-9258.

Lawson, Tamara L., Crow, Allister, Lewin, Allison, Yasmin, Samina, Moore, Geoffrey R. and Le Brun, Nick E. (2009) Monitoring the iron status of the ferroxidase center of Escherichia coli Bacterioferritin using fluorescence spectroscopy. Biochemistry, 48 (38). pp. 9031-9039. doi:10.1021/bi900869x ISSN 0006-2960.

Crow, Allister, Lawson, Tamara L., Lewin, Allison, Moore, Geoffrey R. and Le Brun, Nick E. (2009) Structural basis for iron mineralization by bacterioferritin. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 131 (19). pp. 6808-6813. doi:10.1021/ja8093444 ISSN 0002-7863.

Crow, Allister, Liu, Yiming, Möller, Mirja Carlsson, Le Brun, Nick E. and Hederstedt, Lars (2009) Structure and functional properties of Bacillus subtilis endospore biogenesis factor StoA. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284 (15). pp. 10056-10066. doi:10.1074/jbc.M809566200 ISSN 0021-9258.

Lewin, Allison, Crow, Allister, Hodson, Christopher T. C., Hederstedt, Lars and Le Brun, Nick E. (2008) Effects of substitutions in the CXXC active-site motif of the extracytoplasmic thioredoxin ResA. Biochemical Journal, 414 (1). pp. 81-91. doi:10.1042/BJ20080356 ISSN 0264-6021.

Lewin, Allison, Crow, Allister, Oubrie, Arthur and Le Brun, Nick E. (2006) Molecular basis for specificity of the extracytoplasmic thioredoxin ResA. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 281 (46). pp. 35467-35477. doi:10.1074/jbc.M607047200 ISSN 0021-9258.

Crow, Allister, Le Brun, N. E. and Oubrie, A. (2005) The role of ResA in type II cytochromecmaturation. Biochemical Society Transactions, 33 (1). pp. 149-151. doi:10.1042/BST0330149 ISSN 0300-5127.

Crow, Allister, Acheson, Richard M., Le Brun, Nick E. and Oubrie, Arthur (2004) Structural basis of redox-coupled protein substrate selection by the cytochromec biosynthesis protein ResA. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 279 (22). pp. 23654-23660. doi:10.1074/jbc.M402823200 ISSN 0021-9258.

Research Projects

Title	Funder	Award start	Award end
MRC Mid-range Equipment Application - January 2023	MRC	01 Aug 2023	31 Jul 2026
Structural basis for bacterial peptidoglycan hydrolase activation in cell division and intrinsic resistance.	BBSRC	01 Aug 2021	30 Jul 2024
Structure and mechanism of a key bacterial cell division protein	Wellcome Trust	01 Oct 2018	30 Sep 2020

Teaching / Student supervision

I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

I teach on the structure and biochemistry of biological molecules.

LF244 Protein Structure and Function
BS348 Protein Structural and Molecular Biology
Year 1 Undergraduate Biochemistry Labs
Tutorials
Year 3 Undergraduate Projects
Mbio Research Projects

Group members

Current members

Staff

Dr Jonathan Cook - Senior Technician.

Current PhD students

Dan White - MIBTP PhD (co-supervised Dr Antonia Sagona).

Past members

Martin McAndrew - MRCDTP PhD (co-supervised Prof Phillip Stansfeld).
Tyler Baverstock - MIBTP PhD (co-supervised Prof David Roper).
Rohini Ajaykumar - MIBTP PhD (co-supervised Prof Chris Coore).

Jemma Roberts - MIBTP PhD (co-supervised Prof Patrick Schafer & Prof Alex Jones).
Becca Steventon - MIBTP PhD (co-supervised Prof Chris Dowson)