ANNOUNCEMENT

NOBEL PRIZE 2026

This year's laureates, their fields, and the discoveries that earned them the prize.Live nowSee the winners
Moonbase
← Back to Awards
NIHNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES

Impacts of Borrelia burgdorferi Gac protein on infectivity and regulation of virulence protein expression

Completed
Institution
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY, KY
Principal investigator
Brian Stevenson
Funding
$184K
Duration
2024–2026
Open portfolio

Moonbase score

Still being scored

Abstract

ABSTRACT We recently found that the Gac DNA-binding protein of Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease bacterium, functions as a transcriptional repressor of the essential ospC gene. RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) analyses of a gac mutant revealed that Gac impacts levels of transcripts of several other virulence-associated proteins, including the alternative sigma factors RpoN and RpoS. Prior studies demonstrated that RpoN is required for expression of RpoS, and both are required for mammalian infection. The planned studies will further investigate the functions of Gac in the Lyme disease spirochete, including its impacts on mammalian and tick infection and molecular characterization of Gac's impacts on rpoN expression. Results of these studies will provide important insights on regulatory mechanisms that control virulence of the Lyme disease spirochete and help identify key components for development of improved, specific antibacterials.

LOADING MOONBASE SCORE

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASESR21Transmission of Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Study Section [TVZ]virulenceborreliainfectivitymammalianlymeburgdorferilyme diseasetick

Questions for UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

Answered by the team behind this research.

No questions yet. Sign in to ask the first one

Related grants

Same researchers, same institution, same topic, scored first.