• PHD Biology, University of California San Diego 1972
World Area Of Focus:
• Western Europe/European Union (EU) Less than 10%
Languages:
• French (professional proficiency)
Specialization:
Structural Biology X-ray Crystallography Experimental Design Protein Biophysics Mechanistic Enzymology Molecular Evolution and the origins of translation
Relevant Experience:
• 2012-2013 Demonstrated the full functionality of Class I and II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase Urzymes, questioning the RNA World Hypothesis. • 2010-2013 Bioinformatic evidence that the two aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases Classes descended from opposite strands of the same ancestral gene. • 2010-2013 Identified the functional significance of a widely conserved tertiary packing motif that is probably the original catalyst mobilizing ATP. • 2007-2013 Developed Urzymes, which are functional representatives of ancestral aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases from ~3.5 Billion years ago. • 2002-2013 Verified experimentally that the two Classes of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases descended from opposite strands of a single ancestral gene. • 1996-2013 Made seminal contributions to the study of allosteric phenomena in Class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases • 1994-2001 Developed crystallographic models for the catalytic mechanism of bacterial cytidine deaminases • 1992-1998 Made original contributions to the direct determinations of protein crystal structures using probabilistic direct methods • 1978-1994 Developed statistical methods for searching for and optimizing crystallization conditions. • 1972-1980 Made seminal contributions to the understanding of the crystal structure of proteins containing iron-sulfur prosthetic groups.
Distinctions:
• 2013-2013 Governing Board and Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics • 2011-2011 Review panel for Agence Nationale de Recherche, Paris France • 2010-2011 Fulbright Research Scholar at the Pasteur Institute, Paris France • 2006-2012 Chair, News and Media Services Advisory Committee for the American Institute of Physics • 2002-2003 President of the American Crystallographic Association • 1997-2005 Co-edited four volumes of METHODS in Enzymology (vols 276,277, 368 & 374) on Macromolecular Crystallography. • 1986-1987 Fogarty International Fellow at Laboratoire pour l'Utilisation des Rayons Electromagnetique, Orsay, France
Dissertations and Theses Supervised in Past 5 Years:
3
Relevant Courses Taught:
Biochemistry 655, Case Studies in Structural Molecular Biology
Recent Publications:
• 2013 Li, L., Francklyn, C., and Carter, C. W., Jr (2013). Aminoacylating Urzymes Challenge the RNA World Hypothesis. J Biol Chem 288, 26856-26863.
• 2013 Chandrasekaran, S. N., Yardimci, G., Erdogan, O., Roach, J. M., and Carter, C. W., Jr (2013). Statistical Evaluation of the Rodin-Ohno Hypothesis: Sense/Antisense Coding of Ancestral Class I and II Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases. Molecular Biology and Evolution 30, 1588-1604.
• 2012 Weinreb, V., Li, L., and Carter, C. W., Jr. (2012). A Master Switch Couples Mg2+-Assisted Catalysis to Domain Motion in B. stearothermophilus Tryptophanyl-tRNA Synthetase. Structure 20, 128-138.
• 2007 Retailleau, Pascal, Weinreb, Violetta, Hu, Mei, and Carter, Charles W. Jr., (2007) Crystal Structure of Tryptophanyl-tRNA Synthetase Complexed with Adenosine-5'Tetraphosphate: Evidence for Distributed Use of Catalytioc Binding Energy in Amino Acid Activation by Class I Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases; J. Mol. Biol. 369:108-128. 60:66-81
Searches are not case-sensitive.
Enclosing two or more words in double quotes will return
only faculty profiles containing the quoted terms in the
requested order (e.g. a search for "Public Health" will
only return faculty profiles that contain the phrase
'Public Health'.)
Use 'AND' in keyword box to search for words that appear
in any order in a faculty profile (e.g. a search for
'Public AND Health' will return faculty profiles that
contain both the individual words 'Public' and
'Health.')
Using 'OR' in keyword box will broaden your search by
returning faculty profiles that contain keywords on
either side of the word 'OR' (e.g. a search for 'Public
OR Health' will return faculty profiles that contain
either one or both of the words 'Public' and 'Health.' )
A shortened form of your keyword will further broaden
your search (e.g. a search for 'demo' will return
faculty profiles that contain words begin with 'demo,'
such as 'demographic', 'democratic'.)
If search terms are entered without quotes, they are
treated as if a logical 'OR' was placed between each
term. For example, a search for 'Public Health Malaysia'
will return faculty profiles that contain the individual
words 'Public' and/or 'Health' and/or 'Malaysia.'
Quickly enter the first few letters of the faculty last name.
Select the faculty name you are searching for from the
result list.
