Stress Response Mechanisms in Vibrio

University Of Toledo Health Science Campus, Toledo OH

Investigators

Abstract

Stress leads to profound changes in bacterial behavior and physiology. Some of these changes have economic and health implications, as stress responses have been linked to the formation of stress-resistant biofilms, virulence, antibiotic tolerance/resistance and persistence. The overall goal of this project is to characterize the Vibrio cholerae SipA pathway, with an emphasis on understanding how the pathway helps this pathogen and other bacteria survive in the presence of stressors such as antimicrobial peptides. This project will support the training of a Ph.D. student who is interested in science education. In addition, science education graduate students, high school science teachers and high school science classes will participate in the project. Vibrio species must detect and respond appropriately to stresses they encounter to survive in the diverse environments they inhabit. SipA is a highly conserved stress-responsive protein that plays a major role in V. cholerae survival in the presence of several stress-inducing agents. Dedicated regulators of sipA expression and protein interaction partners have been identified, but little else is known about this essential stress response mechanism. Due to the conservation of SipA, it may be a key stress response protein in numerous bacteria. Therefore, the goals of this proposal are to fully characterize the regulation of this stress response system, establish the mechanism(s) by which SipA contributes to stress survival, and determine how this system is integrated with other biological processes in V. cholerae. Other stress response mechanisms in environmental Vibrios of ecological importance will also be characterized as a part of the educational goals of this proposal. There are likely to be significant differences among these genetically diverse environmental species and this work will distinguish between broadly-conserved and species-specific survival mechanisms. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.