Rodolphe Barrangou
Todd R. Klaenhammer Distinguished Professor
Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences
Schaub Food Science Building, Room 339B
Bio
Area(s) of Expertise
Our laboratory focuses on the biology and genetics of CRISPR-Cas immune systems in bacteria. Using microbiology, molecular biology and genomics approaches, we investigate the use of CRISPR-Cas systems for three types of applications:
- The exploitation of CRISPR spacer hypervariability for genotyping and phylogenetic studies of beneficial and pathogenic bacteria
- Leveraging CRISPR-mediated interference for building up phage resistance in probiotic strains and starter cultures used in food manufacturing
- Harnessing of Cas9-mediated, re-programmable dsDNA cleavage for genome editing in bacteria
These activities provide insights into the genetic and molecular processes that drive CRISPR-mediated adaptive immunity in bacteria and generate novel tools for the manipulation of industrially relevant organisms for food and biotechnological applications.
Teaching Activities
- Introduction to Biopharmaceutical Sciences (BBS 201)
- MR Supervised Research (FS 693)
- Fermentation Microbiology (FS 725)
- DR Supervised Research (FS 893)
Education
B.S. Business Administration University of Wisconsin – Madison 2011
M.S. Functional Genomics North Carolina State University 2004
M.S. Food Science North Carolina State University 2000
Ph.D. Biological Engineering University of Technology in Compiegne 2000
MBA Life Sciences University of Paris V – Rene Descartes 1996
Publications
- Metabolomic Analysis of Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. gasseri, L. crispatus, and Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus Strains in the Presence of Pomegranate Extract , FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY (2022)
- RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas13 Provides Broad-spectrum Phage Immunity , (2022)
- Turning CRISPR on with antibiotics , CELL HOST & MICROBE (2022)
- (Broken) Promises of Sustainable Food and Agriculture through New Biotechnologies: The CRISPR Case , CRISPR JOURNAL (2021)
- Building a Resilient, Sustainable, and Healthier Food Supply Through Innovation and Technology , ANNUAL REVIEW OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, VOL 12, 2021 (2021)
- CRISPRclassify: Repeat-Based Classification of CRISPR Loci , CRISPR JOURNAL (2021)
- Comparative Genomic Analyses and CRISPR-Cas Characterization of Cutibacterium acnes Provide Insights Into Genetic Diversity and Typing Applications , FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY (2021)
- In Vivo Transcriptome of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Colonization Impact on Murine Host Intestinal Gene Expression , MBIO (2021)
- Lactobacillus bile salt hydrolase substrate specificity governs bacterial fitness and host colonization , PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (2021)
- Portable CRISPR-Cas9(N) System for Flexible Genome Engineering in Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus gasseri, and Lactobacillus paracasei , APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY (2021)