Professor
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Contact informationDépartement de biochimie |
.P 514 343-7326 |
Themes
Understanding the relationship between RNA structure and function remains one of the key challenges of current biomedical sciences. In particular, recent genomics studies have found that there may be more then 100 000 non-coding RNAs in human cells that potentially play critical roles in a broad range of biological processes and are associated with a number of human diseases. Yet, these non-coding RNAs are among the least well-understood macromolecules, both functionally and structurally. The main focus of the research in our laboratory is to correlate RNA structure with function to gain the fundamental understanding that is needed to exploit the potential of RNA for nanotechnology and biomedical applications. Methodologies: Integrative structural biology, including NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, synthesis and purification of ARN, expression and purification of proteins, enzymology, RNA and protein engineering, riboproteomics, bioinformatics, functional and structural studies of RNA-protein interactions. Current projects:
For more information – visit the lab web page |
Publications
- Bonneau, E., Girard, N, Lemieux, S. and Legault, P. (2015) “The NMR structure of the II-III-VI three-way junction from the Neurospora VS ribozyme reveals a critical tertiary interaction and provides new insight into the global ribozyme structure” RNA. 21; 1621-1632.
- Bouchard, P. and Legault P. (2014) “A remarkably stable kissing-loop interaction defines substrate recognition by the Neurospora Varkud Satelitte ribozyme” RNA. 20(9); 1451-1464.
- Desjardins, A., Bouvette, J. and Legault, P. (2014) “Stepwise assembly of multiple Lin28 proteins on the terminal loop of let-7 miRNA precursors” Nucleic Acids Research, 42(7); 4615-4628.
- Di Tomasso, G., Salvail-Lacoste, A. Bouvette, J. and Legault, P. (2014) “Affinity purification of in vitro transcribed RNA with homogenuous ends using a 3′-ARiBo tag” Methods in Enzymology Vol. 549: Riboswitch Discovery, Structure and Function.
- Salvail-Lacoste, A., Di Tomasso G., Piette, B.L. and Legault P. (2013) “Affinity purification of T7 RNA transcripts with homogenous ends using ARiBo and CRISPR tags” RNA. 19(7): 1003-1014.
- Bouchard, P. and Legault P. (2014) “Structural insights into substrate recognition by the Neurospora Varkud Satellite ribozyme: importance of U-turns at the kissing-loop junction” Biochemistry. 53(1); 258-269.
- Salvail-Lacoste, A., Di Tomasso G., Piette, B.L. and Legault P. (2013) “Affinity purification of T7 RNA transcripts with homogenous ends using ARiBo and CRISPR tags” RNA. 19(7): 1003-1014.
- Lacroix-Labonté, J., Girard, N., Lemieux, S. and Legault, P. (2012) “Helix-length compensation studies reveal the adaptability of the VS ribozyme architecture ” Nucleic Acids Research. 40(5): 2312-2329.
- Desjardins, A., Yang, A., Bouvette, J., Omichinski, J.G. and Legault, P. (2012) “Importance of the NCp7-like domain in the recognition of the let-7g precursor miRNA by the pluripotency factor Lin28” Nucleic Acids Research. 40(4): 1767-1777.
- Di Tomasso, G., Lampron, P., Dagenais, P., Omichinski, J.G. and Legault, P. (2011) “The ARiBo tag: a reliable tool for affinity purification of RNAs under native conditions” Nucleic Acids Res. 39; 3 doi:10.1093/nar/gkp1084.
- Delfosse, V., Bouchard, P., Bonneau, E., Dagenais, P., Lemay, J.-F., Lafontaine, D. A., Legault, P. (2010) “Riboswitch structure: an internal residue mimicking the purine ligand” Nucleic Acids Res. 38(6); 2057-68.