Sr. M. Lucy Gantt, FSGM, Ph.D

Sister M. Lucy Gantt earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from Washington State University in 2000, followed by a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the University of Michigan in 2006. Her doctoral work focused on elucidating the metal-dependence and catalytic mechanism of the enzyme histone deacetylase 8, which is a target of various anticancer pharmaceuticals. After completing her Ph.D., Sr. M. Lucy Gantt performed postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign from 2007 to 2009. There she studied the catalytic mechanism of the membrane-protein aromatase using cryo-EPR spectroscopy. In 2009, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George. After making first profession of vows, she taught for eight years in the chemistry and biology departments at Franciscan University of Steubenville.  From 2021 through 2023 she lived in Germany at her congregation’s motherhouse, studying German for translating.  Sr. M. Lucy is excited to now be teaching chemistry at Benedictine College, as of August 2023. To date, she has authored/co-authored eight peer-reviewed publications and has made ten poster presentations.

Classes

• CHEM-1201 General Chemistry I Laboratory
• CHEM-1211 General Chemistry II Laboratory
• CHEM-2201 Organic Chemistry I Laboratory
• CHEM-2211 Organic Chemistry II Laboratory

Education

• Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, June 2007 – May 2009

• Ph.D. Chemistry University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, August 2009

• M.S. Chemistry University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, December 2002

• B.S. Biochemistry Washington State University, Pullman, June 2000

Publications

Gantt SM, Decroos C, Lee MS, Gullett LE, Bowman CM, Christianson DW and Fierke CA (2016) General base-general acid catalysis in human histone deacetylase 8. Biochemistry, 55: 820-32.

Gantt SL, Joseph CG and Fierke CA (2010) Activation and inhibition of histone deacetylase 8 by monovalent cations. J Biol Chem, 285: 6036-43.

Gantt SL, Denisov IG, Grinkova YV and Sligar SG (2009) The critical iron-oxygen intermediate in human aromatase. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 387: 169-73.

Dowling DP, Gantt SL, Gattis SG, Fierke CA and Christianson DW (2008) Structural studies of human histone deacetylase 8 and its site-specific variants complexed with substrate and inhibitors. Biochemistry, 47: 13554-63.

Gantt SL, Gattis SG and Fierke CA. (2006) The catalytic activity and inhibition of human histone deacetylase 8 is dependent on the identity of the active site metal ion. Biochemistry 45: 6170-8.

Pirrung MC, Tumey LN, Raetz CR, Jackman JE, Snehalatha K, McClerren AL, Fierke CA, Gantt SL and Rusche KM (2002) Inhibition of the antibacterial target UDP-(3-O-acyl)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase (LpxC): isoxazoline zinc amidase inhibitors bearing diverse metal binding groups. J Med Chem, 45: 4359-70.

Gantt SL, Valentine NB, Saenz AJ, Kingsley MT and Wahl KL (1999) Use of an internal control for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of bacteria. J Am Soc Mass Spectrom, 10: 1131-7.

Saenz AJ, Petersen CE, Valentine NB, Gantt SL, Jarman KH, Kingsley MT and Wahl KL (1999) Reproducibility of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry for replicate bacterial culture analysis. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom, 13: 1580-5.

Presentations

Gantt SL, Grinkova YV and Sligar SG, “Recombinant expression of human aromatase and incorporation into nanodiscs,” Poster Paper presented at Southwest P450 Meeting, Navasota, TX, May 2008.

Gantt SL, Gattis SG and Fierke CA, “Mechanistic studies of HDAC8 suggest regulation by K+ and oxidative stress,” Poster Paper presented at FASEB Summer Research Conference: Histone Deacetylases, Snowmass, CO, June 2007.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Probing the catalytic mechanism of human histone deacetylase 8,” Poster Paper presented at 232nd American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 2006.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Histone deacetylase 8 metal dependence and chemical mechanism,” Poster Paper presented at 12th International Conference on Biological Inorganic Chemistry, Ann Arbor, MI, July 2005.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Investigation of the histone deacetylase 8 mechanism,” Poster Paper presented at 19th Enzyme Mechanisms Conference, Pacific Grove, CA, January 2005.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Metal-dependence of recombinant human histone deacetylase 8,” Poster Paper presented at 228th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, September 2004.

Cross JB, Jalaie M, Gantt SL, Joshi NA, Wild DJ, Snow ME and Narasimhan LS, “Development and application of PfiScore: A filter function for reducing the false positive rate in docking and structure-based virtual screening.” Poster Paperpresented at 227th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Anaheim, CA, March 2004.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Cloning and optimizing recombinant expression of human histone deacetylase 8,” Poster Paper presented at 226th American Chemical Society National Meeting, New York, NY, September 2003.

Gantt SL, Narasimhan LS, Wild DJ and Snow ME, “Relating buried surface area to binding affinity,” Poster Paper presented at QSAR Gordon Research Conference, Tilton, NH, August 2001.

Gantt SL, Valentine NB, Petersen CE, Kingsley MT and Wahl KL, “Evaluation of MALDI-TOF MS as a tool for bacterial identification” Poster Paper presented atNorthwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Pasco, WA, June1998.

Gantt SL, Grinkova YV and Sligar SG, “Recombinant expression of human aromatase and incorporation into nanodiscs,” Poster Paper presented at Southwest P450 Meeting, Navasota, TX, May 2008.

Gantt SL, Gattis SG and Fierke CA, “Mechanistic studies of HDAC8 suggest regulation by K+ and oxidative stress,” Poster Paper presented at FASEB Summer Research Conference: Histone Deacetylases, Snowmass, CO, June 2007.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Probing the catalytic mechanism of human histone deacetylase 8,” Poster Paper presented at 232nd American Chemical Society National Meeting, San Francisco, CA, September 2006.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Histone deacetylase 8 metal dependence and chemical mechanism,” Poster Paper presented at 12th International Conference on Biological Inorganic Chemistry, Ann Arbor, MI, July 2005.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Investigation of the histone deacetylase 8 mechanism,” Poster Paper presented at 19th Enzyme Mechanisms Conference, Pacific Grove, CA, January 2005.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Metal-dependence of recombinant human histone deacetylase 8,” Poster Paper presented at 228th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, September 2004.

Cross JB, Jalaie M, Gantt SL, Joshi NA, Wild DJ, Snow ME and Narasimhan LS, “Development and application of PfiScore: A filter function for reducing the false positive rate in docking and structure-based virtual screening.” Poster Paperpresented at 227th American Chemical Society National Meeting, Anaheim, CA, March 2004.

Gantt SL and Fierke CA, “Cloning and optimizing recombinant expression of human histone deacetylase 8,” Poster Paper presented at 226th American Chemical Society National Meeting, New York, NY, September 2003.

Gantt SL, Narasimhan LS, Wild DJ and Snow ME, “Relating buried surface area to binding affinity,” Poster Paper presented at QSAR Gordon Research Conference, Tilton, NH, August 2001.

Gantt SL, Valentine NB, Petersen CE, Kingsley MT and Wahl KL, “Evaluation of MALDI-TOF MS as a tool for bacterial identification” Poster Paper presented atNorthwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Pasco, WA, June1998.